Viral Infections: Types, Treatment & Prevention

A viral infection is the rapid growth of a harmful virus. Virus infection may be a rapid growth of a dangerous virus inside your body. Viruses cannot procreate without the help of a host. Viruses infect a number of cells by introducing their genetic material into the cells and hijacking the cells’ internal machinery to form more virus particles. Like those that cause chickenpox and cold sores, certain viruses could also be inactive or “latent” after the initial infection. For instance, you’ll have a cold sore that erupts and then heals. The cold sore virus remains in your cells during a dormant state. Later, a trigger like stress, sunlight, or something else, may reactivate the virus and result in new symptoms. Then, the virus makes more copies of itself, releases new virus particles, and kills more host cells.

How Does Viral Infection Affect the Human Body?

Viruses can be named hijackers as they attack healthy, living cells to produce multiple copies of themselves. These small, irresistible, organic entities need a living cell for reproduction. Consequently, they enter the host cell and release their DNA or RNA inside it. This DNA or RNA contains the information required to replicate the virus. The intriguing thing about viruses is that they are profoundly unique microorganisms since they can’t replicate without a host cell. Along these lines, after entering the host cell, the hereditary virus material takes over the host cell and urges it to replicate the virus.

Kinds of Viruses

There are many kinds of viruses.

• Gastrointestinal viruses
• Airway viruses are the most common ones that cause fatigue and fever. Other viruses cause other local symptoms such as laryngitis, shingles, and cold sores.

What are the Common Symptoms of Viral Infection?

• High Fever
• Tiredness or Fatigue
• Headache
• Diarrhoea
• Sore throat
• Abdominal Pain
• Coughing
• Runny nose
• Skin rash
• Nausea and vomiting
• Muscle ache
• Chills
• Stiffness in the neck
• Seizures
• Loss of sensation
• Impaired bladder
• Impaired bowel function
• Paralysis of limbs
• Sleepiness
• Confusion

If the symptoms are low or mild, waiting for a few days is advisable, as most of them disappear independently. This is due to the activation of the body’s mechanism that destroys the virus and makes the symptoms vanish.

Viral Skin Infections

• Pityriasis rosea gives you oval-shaped pale red patches scattered pretty much over all your body, apart from your face and head. It usually starts with a slightly bigger oval, typically on your tummy or chest, and then dozens, even hundreds, of tiny ovals come out.
• Similarly, even though it looks terrible, one can’t feel it with the measles rash.
• Hand, foot, and mouth disease causes tiny bumps on the palms of your hands, the soles of your feet, and even in your mouth.
• Chickenpox gives small spots scattered around the body. They are sore and itchy. They are almost always found on your stomach and chest. It probably isn’t chickenpox if the spots are just on your arms and legs, but not on your abdomen.
• Cold sores cause an itchy, tingly spot just on the edge of your lip.
• Molluscum contagiosum gives you small spots, usually clustered on your arm or leg, rather than over your body. Sometimes they get infected and feel a bit sore, but this is unusual.
• Herpes simplex gives you tiny red spots, which are painful, more than itchy.
• Orf causes quite a big bump, usually on your finger.

Types of Eye Infections

• Conjunctivitis/pink eyes
• Keratitis
• Endophthalmitis
• Blepharitis
• Sty
• Uveitis
• Cellulitis
• Ocular Herpes

Viral Infection in the Mouth

• Dental Cavities
• Gingivitis
• Periodontal disease
• Thrush
• Herpangina
• Canker sores
• Oral Herpes

Treatment for Viral infection

The discovery of antibiotics for bacterial infections is considered one of the foremost essential breakthroughs in the medical record. But unfortunately, bacteria are very adaptable, and therefore, the overuse of antibiotics has made many of them immune to antibiotics. This has created severe problems, especially in hospital settings.

Antibiotics aren’t effective against viruses, and lots of leading organisations now recommend against using antibiotics unless there’s clear evidence of a bacterial infection.

Since the start of the 20th century, vaccines have been developed. Vaccines have drastically reduced the number of recent cases of viral diseases like polio, measles, and chickenpox. Additionally, vaccines can prevent such infections as the flu, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, human papillomavirus (HPV), and others.

Can Antivirals Cure Viral Infections?

Antiviral drugs can ease symptoms and shorten how long you’re sick with viral infections, just like the flu and Ebola. They will rid your body of those viruses.

Viral infections like HIV, hepatitis, and herpes are chronic. Antivirals can’t prevent the virus, which stays in your body. However, antiviral medicines can make the virus latent (inactive) so that you have few symptoms. Symptoms that develop while taking antivirals could also be less severe or get away faster.

But the treatment of viral infections has proved more onerous, primarily because viruses are relatively tiny and reproduce inside cells. As a result, antiviral medications became available for a few viral diseases, like herpes simplex virus infections, HIV/AIDS, and influenza. But the utilisation of antiviral drugs has been related to the development of drug-resistant microbes.

Frequently Asked Questions