Skip to main content

What are viral infections?


Viruses are very tiny germs. They are made of genetic material inside of a protein coating. Viruses cause familiar infectious diseases such as the common cold, flu and warts. They also cause severe illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, smallpox, and Ebola.

Viruses are like hijackers. They invade living, normal cells and use those cells to multiply and produce other viruses like themselves. This can kill, damage, or change the cells and make you sick. Different viruses attack certain cells in your body such as your liver, respiratory system, or blood.

When you get a virus, you may not always get sick from it. Your immune system may be able to fight it off.

For most viral infections, treatments can only help with symptoms while you wait for your immune system to fight off the virus. 

Antibiotics do not work for viral infections. There are antiviral medicines to treat some viral infections. Vaccines can help prevent you from getting many viral diseases.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Bacterial vs Viral Infections

Bacterial and viral infections have many things in common. Both types of infections are caused by microbes -- bacteria and viruses, respectively   The Differences Between Bacteria and Viruses Although bacteria and viruses are both too small to be seen without a microscope, they're as different as giraffes and goldfish. Most bacteria are harmless, and some actually help by digesting food, destroying disease-causing microbes, fighting cancer cells, and providing essential nutrients. Fewer than 1% of bacteria cause diseases in people. Viruses are tinier: the largest of them are smaller than the smallest bacteria. All they have is a protein coat and a core of genetic material, either RNA or DNA. Unlike bacteria, viruses can't survive without a host. They can only reproduce by attaching themselves to cells. In most cases, they reprogram the cells to make new viruses until the cells burst and die. In other cases, they turn normal cells into malignant or cancerous cells. Also unlike ...

Smarttemp FAQ

1. What is Smarttemp? This is a smart bluetooth thermometer that continuously measures your infant and your child’s temperature when they get a fever. 2. How to use the Smarttemp? Paste Smarttemp in your baby`s armpit area with one of the included adhesive pads. The Smarttemp can record data every 3 seconds. It connects with your smart devices (such as: iPhone or iPad etc.) using Bluetooth 4.0. Parents can observe baby’s current temperature and variation trend. 3. How to switch on/off Smarttemp? Our Smarttemp switches on/off automatically. There is no switch or button. When you take the Smarttemp thermometer out from the magnetic storage box, it turns on automatically. You can see a flashing green light when the device is turned on. When you place the thermometer back into the storage box, it will turn off automatically and the flashing light will turn off. 4. How to use the Adhesive Pad? Peel one adhesive pad and place the smarttemp smooth side towards the st...

Have you heard of febrile fits/seizures?

Simple febrile fits commonly occur in children between 6 months to 6 years old. There may be a history of such fits in the family. Fits usually occur with high fevers, especially when the temperature reaches 38.5ºC or more. In a fit, the child's arms and legs will jerk involuntarily; up-rolling of the eyes and teeth clenching are common signs. The child may also pass motion and/or urine during a fit. Fits usually last a few minutes, with some as long as 15 minutes. A child will commonly feel sleepy after a fit. There is a 30% chance that the child will have another fit, especially if the body temperature maintains at 38.5ºC and above. The actual cause of febrile fits has not been clearly established but there may be a background family history associated with it. Simple febrile fits do not cause brain damage, nor do they cause delay in child's development.