Article and Infographic provided by MPH Online

They aren’t living, or non-living: They’re the perfect parasites

Viruses are everywhere

Over 5,000 have been described in detail

Millions and Millions Exist

When they’re in the air, or on a doorknob

They’re inert = about as living as a rock.

When they come into contact with host cells

They trigger the cell to engulf them

Or fuse with the cell

Then use the cell’s machinery to reproduce

What is a virus?

Just a tiny bundle of RNA or DNA and a shell.

That uses host cells to reproduce itself.

And manifest some of the scariest illnesses on the planet.

HIV: the mass killer

Yearly Mortality: 3.1 million

Total Mortality: 25 million+ since 1981

How it works:

Invades important immune system cells and kills them.

Leaves patient open to death by other illnesses with lowered immune function.

Ebola: the rapid killer with no cure

Yearly mortality: Mortality rate: 90% within days[3]

How it works:

[3]Disables tetherin, a protein that disables the spread of the virus from cell to cell. Spreads rapidly to cause hemorrhaging, extreme fever, and death.

Rotavirus: the child-killer

Yearly Mortality:>500,000 children

How it works:

Spread through fecal-oral exposure, often through play surfaces or contaminated water. Diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain can be deadly, particularly in the developing world.[4]

Smallpox: the monarch killer

Mortality rate: Eradicated

20th century mortality rate: 300-500 million

80% of infected children died

20-60% of infected adults.

How it works:

Localizes in the blood vessels of the skin and in the mouth and throat. One of two infectious diseases to be eradicated by humans. Ravaged populations from 10,000 b.c.- 1979. Killing 5 reigning monarchs in the 1700′s.

Hepatitis B: killing your liver

How it works:

The virus enters the bloodstream and heads for the liver. Once in the liver many other viruses activate and spread.[6]

Influenza: the pandemic that’s still around

Yearly Mortality: 500,000 deaths

Pandemics occur around 3 times a century.

How it works:

Attaches itself to receptors on cells in the lungs and air passages. As it takes over their machinery, the cells die. Dead cells cause runny nose, sore throat, and other symptoms.

Hepatitis C

Yearly Mortality: 56,000 deaths

200-300 million people infected.

How it works:

“Hepatitis” means inflammation of the liver, and it is in the liver where the Hepatitis virus replicates itself.

70% of patients develop chronic liver disease.[7] 15% cirrhosis

5% die from liver cancer or cirrhosis

Measles

Yearly Mortality: 197,000 deaths

Over last 150 years: 200 million deaths

How it works:

One of the most contagious viruses. Causes rash, high fever, and for weakened immune systems can be deadly.

Hantavirus: Because rats are dirty

yearly mortality: 70,0000 deaths

How it works:

Spread through rodent bites, droppings, or aerosolized rodent fecal matter. Can cause hemorrhaging and death.

Yellow Fever:The reemerging killer

Yearly Mortality: 30,000 deaths

How it works:

An acute hemorrhagic disease sometimes causing jaundice and living damage.

Dengue Fever: the break-bone fever

yearly mortality: 25,000 deaths

How it works:

[8]Spread by mosquitoes. Leads to severe pain in muscles, joints, and behind the eyes. Occurs primarily in urban tropical areas.

Rabies

yearly mortality: 55,000 deaths

How it works:

[9]Enters the body and proceeds to the brain, replacing nerve cells in the process. By proceeding through the salivary glands it increases salivation, causing foaming at the mouth. This helps the virus spread through saliva. The most common form is the encephalitic or “furious” form of rabies in which agitation and aggression is heightened.

Viruses aren’t truly even alive, but without proper care, they can take your life.

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