What is a virus and why are viral infections difficult to treat? Here is everything you need to know about Viruses.

With coronavirus wreaking havoc worldwide, the virus has once again shown us that our society with all our medicinal advancement is still fragile. It can be disrupted by a small thing that is not even living. The best way to stay away from coronavirus right now is to stay at home and away from each other. We have gathered information about the virus that you need to know to ensure your safety because knowledge is the key to survival.

Viruses are relatively simple. They contain one or more molecules and are sometimes covered by a protein shell. The molecules contain the genetic material i.e. DNA or RNA, with the information for their reproduction. Viruses do not consist of their cells and neither perform their own metabolism. They neither have the capability of energy production nor can synthesize protein on their own. Therefore they are not living beings.

Viruses are extremely tiny, only around 20 to 300 nanometers in size. They cannot be seen under an ordinary light microscope, but only under an electron microscope. Viruses come in many different forms. Some viruses look like tadpoles with a long tail and some are round or rod-shaped. Here, we have answered questions about viruses like:

1. Do all viruses make you sick?

2. Where do viruses occur?

3. How do viruses multiply?

4. How to destroy the viruses?

5. How do viruses ensure their survival?

6. What virus diseases are there?

Do All Viruses Make You Sick?

Viruses penetrate animal, plant or human cells and use the living cells as host cells. They can sometimes last for a long time and remain contagious. However, if they don’t find a new host cell, they will die eventually.

However, various diseases are caused by viruses like smallpox, the common cold and flu, measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, shingles, hepatitis, herpes, polio, rabies, Ebola and Hanta fever. Coronavirus has recently joined the list as a mass killer virus that affects the lungs.

Where Do Viruses Occur?

Viruses penetrate animal, plant or human cells. They use these living cells as host cells. They can sometimes last for a long time and remain contagious. However, if they don’t find a new host cell, they will die sooner or later.

How Do Viruses Multiply?

Viruses need host cells to reproduce as well. As soon as the pathogens penetrate our body, we get infected and the viruses begin to multiply. The virus docks to the host cell and makes it produce the necessary building blocks. The genetic material of the virus is then released and the host cell is forced to produce numerous copies of the virus.

The host cell then dies releasing thousands of viruses which immediately start looking for a new host cell. Red and white blood cells can serve as host cells along with liver cells, muscle cells and others.

How To Destroy The Viruses?

It is very difficult to fight viruses with medicine. Antiviral drugs are there but they only help against certain types of virus. However, once our body’s own defence has dealt with the pathogen, we become immune to the particular virus. It means that we don’t get infected with the same pathogen or virus strain again.

This logic is applied in fighting the recent Coronavirus in the form of Plasma therapy where the patient who has completely recovered from coronavirus donates blood. Plasma is extracted from the blood and injected into another patient’s body to provide antibodies or the formula to produce antibodies, to fight coronavirus.

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How Do Viruses Ensure Their Survival?

Viruses are flexible. For example, the flu virus or influenza virus constantly changes its face, making it easier for it to get past the body’s defences. That is why the flu vaccine only protects for one year because with the next wave of influenza, the virus will have changed its appearance again. The vaccine is adapted annually to the properties of the flu viruses that are currently prevalent or are expected to spread.

What Virus Diseases Are There?

Viruses can also trigger harmless diseases such as a banal cold or cold sores. Most of the gastrointestinal infections are also caused by viruses. But serious infections such as HIV / AIDS or inflammation of the liver (hepatitis) are also caused by viruses. Viruses also cause many of the so-called classic diseases such as chickenpox, measles or rubella.