What is a Viral Infection? Can we prevent it?

What is the virus?

Viruses are small non-living disease-causing agents.

They are incapable of reproducing on their own.

They are unique as they can be alive and multiply only inside the cells of the other living beings.

After infecting a susceptible cell, they can multiply to produce more viruses.

Most of the viruses have RNA or DNA present in their genetic material. 

What is a Viral Infection?

A disease which is caused by the virus is called Viral Infection. Viruses can affect many organs in the body, including the reproductive, respiratory, and gastrointestinal systems. They can infect the liver, brain, and skin cells.

Viruses do spread easily and can be transmitted in various ways. We can get the viral infection through swallowing, inhaling, by insect bites, through transfusion of contaminated blood or through sexual contact.

Diseases which caused by viruses

Viral Infections | Medical knowledge, Medical education, Nursing tips

Many diseases are caused by virus which include:

  • Influenza
  • Chickenpox
  • Measles
  • Hepatitis
  • Dengue
  • Human Papilloma Virus
  • SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome)
  • Corona
  • Shingles
  • Herpes
  • Smallpox
  • Polio
  • Rabies
  • Cold Sores
  • Ebola
  • Epstein-Barr Virus
  • HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)

What are the common symptoms of Viral Infection?

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

All the people who show these signs or symptoms need not take medical treatment.

Most of the viruses are self-limiting, and their symptoms get disappears on its own.

Activation of the body’s defense mechanism destroys the virus and this make the symptoms to fade away.

When do we say a viral infection is serious?

We all get exposed to a virus some or other time in our lives, not necessarily with any serious discomfort.

Sometimes it can get troublesome with very high fever, breathlessness and red rashes or spots on the body.

What happens if the virus enters into the body? – Replication

After entering the body, the virus transfers its genetic material into the cell and starts reproducing. They get multiplied in the cells and kill them by bursting. And they release new viruses to infect other cells. This cell damage leads to tissue destruction. Tissue destruction is associated with an immune response that causes viral disease symptoms.

In response to viral infection, the immune system gets activated. The immune system tries to get rid of the viruses with the help of white blood cells, antibodies, and other mechanisms. In this process, a person suffers from some symptoms like fever, malaise, headache, rash etc…

Body’s defense against Viral Infection

The entry of the virus into the human body triggers the body’s immune system. This defence mechanism starts with the activation of white blood cells (WBC), like monocytes, lymphocytes and T cells which destroy the virus or the infected cell.

If we get the same viral infection again, white blood cells remember this invader virus and respond more quickly.

Most viral infections initiate a protective response from the body’s immune system, except for some viruses like HIV.

Factors on which body’s response depend – susceptibility and immunity

  • We are not prone to get all viral infections. We can get infected with only those viruses, to which we are susceptible or sensitive.
  • Here our immunity plays a major role by responding to the infection, according to our level of health.
  • Depending on the strength of our immunity, we can be asymptomatic or can have mild to severe symptoms.
  • That means the same virus can affect a different individual with different intensity.

How to maintain our immunity to the normal level?

As the same virus acts differently on a different individual, we need to protect ourselves by maintaining a normal immunity.

Our immunity gets influenced by our level of health. And our level of health depends upon our mind and body health. That means we need to maintain a healthy state of our mind and body.

We can maintain a healthy mind by trying to live in the present, which will help to keep our mind stress free. Always try to be away from negative emotions.

To maintain a healthy body, we need to have

  • A balanced diet
  • Good sleep
  • Proper water intake and
  • Min 30 mins of exercise
  • By maintaining our immunity to the normal level, we can avoid symptoms.

What we should do if we get the viral infection

 There are a few basic things we should keep in mind, with a viral infection.

  • Understand your body’s mechanism and be calm
  • Take adequate rest
  • Keep yourself well hydrated
  • Eat light food
  • Wash your hands regularly to avoid infection spreading to others

Viral infections can resolve without any treatment. If it is troubling you, you can take medical help.

Role of Homoeopathy in viral infection

  • Each of us will react differently to the same virus.
  • Only a person who is susceptible will get the viral infection like the fertile soil that can grow the seed. And there is always a reason to get a person susceptible.
  • If the reasons are different, symptoms are different, should we give the same medicine to the patient? Here Homoeopathy plays a very crucial role in the treatment of viral diseases.
  • Homoeopathic medicines help to bring back a healthy state of mind and body.
  • That means it brings our immunity to a normal level, which in turns evades the virus from our body and we get back to normal.

Conclusion

  • There are tons of viruses around us in inactive form.
  • They can only infect a susceptible individual.
  • Viral infection can be asymptomatic, mild or life-threatening depending upon the individual’s immunity.
  • Most viral infections are self-limiting.
  • We can be asymptomatic with a viral infection if we have normal immunity.
  • Our aim should be to keep the defense strong.
  • We can do it by keeping our mind and body healthy.
  • If you get a viral infection, be calm, take a rest, eat light food and have lots of water.
  • If symptoms are bothering you, take Homoeopathic medicine.
  • In the case of breathlessness or dehydration, you may require hospitalisation.

17 thoughts on “What is a Viral Infection? Can we prevent it?”

  1. Dineshsingh Negi

    Wow Dr Sangita, its very very informative,
    I Will definitely share it with all my group.
    Thanks

  2. What i don’t understood is actually how you’re not really much more well-liked than you may be right now. You are so intelligent. You realize therefore considerably relating to this subject, produced me personally consider it from a lot of varied angles. Its like men and women aren’t fascinated unless it’s one thing to accomplish with Lady gaga! Your own stuffs nice. Always maintain it up!

  3. I truly wanted to make a small word to thank you for these lovely techniques you are sharing at this website. My particularly long internet look up has at the end been recognized with awesome suggestions to go over with my great friends. I ‘d believe that many of us visitors actually are definitely lucky to exist in a remarkable website with very many perfect people with great ideas. I feel somewhat lucky to have come across your entire webpages and look forward to so many more brilliant times reading here. Thank you once again for a lot of things.

  4. I believe that is among the such a lot significant info for me. And i’m glad studying your article. But should remark on some basic issues, The website style is ideal, the articles is really great : D. Excellent activity, cheers

  5. Attractive part of content. I just stumbled upon your web site and in accession capital to assert that I get in fact loved account your blog posts. Anyway I’ll be subscribing in your augment and even I achievement you get right of entry to constantly rapidly.

  6. Whats Going down i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve discovered It absolutely helpful and it has aided me out loads. I hope to contribute & help other users like its helped me. Good job.

  7. One thing I’d really like to say is the fact before obtaining more laptop or computer memory, consider the machine in which it is installed. If your machine will be running Windows XP, for instance, the actual memory threshold is 3.25GB. Using greater than this would just constitute a new waste. Make sure that one’s mother board can handle your upgrade amount, as well. Good blog post.

  8. I really wanted to develop a quick message to thank you for those wonderful ways you are sharing at this site. My time consuming internet search has at the end been honored with incredibly good concept to write about with my company. I would believe that many of us visitors are rather lucky to be in a decent site with so many awesome professionals with useful things. I feel somewhat grateful to have discovered your entire website and look forward to really more entertaining moments reading here. Thanks once more for a lot of things.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

×

Hello!

Click one of our contacts below to chat on WhatsApp

× How can I help you?