Treatment of Viral infections

A virus is a very tiny infectious agent. It cannot be seen with your naked eyes, but under a standard microscope. It is inactive until it infects your body, enters the cells, and replicates itself over and over again. Viruses can latch onto cells and get inside them. The cells of the mucous membranes are particularly open to virus attacks because they are not covered by protective skin.

A person with viral infection can spread the infection by coughing and or sneezing. Viruses can be passed on by:
* touching or shaking hands with another person.
* touching food with dirty hands (it will also allow viruses from the intestine to spread).
* body fluids (blood, saliva and semen, can contain the infecting organisms. Transmission of such fluids, for example by injection or sexual contact, is important, particularly for viral infections like hepatitis or AIDS).

You can avoid viral infection if you:
* wash your hands thoroughly.
* avoid shaking hands with someone who has a cold.
* cook or cool down your food as quickly as possible.
* serve a well-done meat. Remember that food with these invisible organisms does not necessarily smell bad. Some organisms are killed as the food is cooked, but they can still leave toxic substances that may cause diarrhoea and vomiting.
* use condoms during sexual intercourse.

The treatment of virus infections, such as influenza, will usually involve:
* drinking plenty of water.
* staying at home to avoid spreading the virus to colleagues at work or school and to avoid the risk of catching a bacterial infection.
* taking a painkiller, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen to bring your temperature down.

Vaccines have been developed against most viral diseases. The vaccine gives the body some help in quickly and effectively fighting the virus. Your healthcare provider may also offer an antiviral medication, like 'Tamiflu' to treat a virus, but if symptoms have appeared, it's unlikely the medication will be effective.

Viruses cannot be cured. If you suffer from common cold or flu symptoms, you can only manage the symptoms. Like bacterial infections, Fever, nausea, vomiting, chills, body aches, and other symptoms are the result of your immune system activating to fight off the viral invader.

Antibiotics should never be used to treat a virus. Prescribing antibiotics to treat a virus could result to a "secondary infection" due to the appearance of resistant bacteria. These bacteria are unaffected by antibiotics and have impacted the health of people. However, if a secondary infection should occur, such as pneumonia, it may be bacterial in nature and is treated with antibiotics.

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