What Are The Causes Of Infectious Diseases Viral

Introduction

There are very many viral infectious diseases that affect human beings and one cannot easily exhaust all of them. Generally, when a virus enters the body cells of a human being, it starts to replicate, and this brings about the viral diseases. Some viruses might even stay dormant in the body for a very long time only to start replicating later and become infectious. If the immune system of the body is not able to counter this viral replication, then the infection can be so widespread and dangerous that some diseases lead to death.

Types of Viruses

In order to better understand the infectious diseases viral, it is important to first understand the types of viruses that exist. The number of existing viruses is so high, and to get a clue of how many these viruses are, picture that the viruses that cause only upper respiratory problems such as cold infections are over 200. Some of the common types of viruses are:
• HIV (Human Immunodeficiency virus).
• HPV or Human Papillomaviruses, responsible for HPV infection.
• RSV or Respiratory Syncytial viruses which are responsible for lower respiratory infections particularly in small children.
• Epstein-Barr virus which causes mononucleosis infections.
• Varicella Zoster virus responsible for causing chickenpox and shingles.
• West Nile virus that brings about Nile fever.
• Influenza viruses that cause flu. An example is the H1N1 virus.
• Rotavirus, noroviruses and enteroviruses. These are responsible for causing gastroenteritis infections.
• Rhinoviruses, which are known to cause common cold.

How the Infections Occur

There are very many ways through which one can become a victim of infectious viral diseases. However, these ways vary depending on the type of virus. For instance, there are some that would infect through the air, while others are transmitted through contact. Some of the common ways through which infectious viral diseases are transmitted include but not limited to the following:
• Animal bites by infected animals.
• Breathing-in of air that is viral contaminated.
• Mother-to-child transmission during delivery or pregnancy.
• Insect bites from infected insects, for instance the transmission of West Nile virus.
• Ingestion through contaminated water or food.
• Sharing needles and other sharp piercing objects like tattooing objects with people who are infected.
• Coming into contact with infested feces and other body excretions like urine.
• Through sexual contact with infected persons.
• Coming into contact with infested surfaces.
From the above methods of transmission, it is evident that some factors can heavily increase the risk of infection. For instance, for sexually transmitted viruses, the more sexual partners that one has, the higher the chances of getting infected. Other factors that can speed up the rate of infection are age, an immune system that is compromised, poor hygiene standards, unprotected sex, just to name but a few.

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