What’s Making Me Sick?

What’s making me so sick? Why is it so contagious? These are questions that millions of people ask every day. But most people aren’t really sure. I’m here to answer those questions. By the time you have finished reading this, you will be able to answer these questions for other people and pass on the knowledge.

The truth is, if it’s contagious, you’ve probably become a host for a virus. Viruses are microscopic parasites that cannot operate on their own and require a host cell to reproduce. Unfortunately, the release of new viruses often kills the cell and causes diseases in whatever being the host cell belongs to. Bacteria can also cause similar results. Although there are various kinds of viruses, I’m going to tell you about two, one of which you may have never heard of, and is there to help you understand that although only a few are common enough to be mentioned often, there are many more that are not, some are even fairly common, just not enough so to be mentioned. The second is one that if you haven’t heard about, well, you just need to open your ears and I just want to reinforce the importance of this virus.

The first virus is called the Human Herpesvirus-6 or HHV-6 for short. It alone is not remarkable; however the disease it causes is more worth talking about. This disease is called Roseola and is common is young children from ages 3 months to 4 years. It begins with a high fever that comes on quickly, accompanied by a sore throat, eye redness, irritability, and a runny nose. The fever will lower after a few days, but only to be replaced by a pink rash that gives the disease its name, due to its pinkish color.

The second virus I want to talk about is called the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV for short, it’s among the most commonly talked about viruses out there, and definitely one of the most important. It is spread by the swapping blood or sexual fluids between an infected person, and a non-infected person. It often has no symptoms at all and is unnoticeable without testing. However, if not treated, it may develop into a disease called the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS for short. This alone is not ahuge deal, it’s the result of the disease that is. It is what happens when HIV has damaged the immune system enough that it cannot defend itself as well as it should be able to, and allows other viruses to get in easier.

After all this information, do you really think viruses are as harmless and survivable as you may have thought before? Or are you just going to blindly run in to one and throw caution to the wind? Either way, I hope you realize that dangers aren’t limited to those you can see. So pass on the knowledge, and stay safe.

Works Cited

"AIDS." HIV & AIDS Information from AVERT.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2012. <http://www.avert.org/aids.htm>.

"HIV." HIV & AIDS Information from AVERT.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2012. <http://www.avert.org/hiv.htm>.

"Molecular Expressions Cell Biology: Virus Structure." Molecular Expressions: Images from the Microscope. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2012. <http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/virus.html>.

"Roseola - PubMed Health." National Center for Biotechnology Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2012. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001963/>.

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