How do dangerous viruses like COVID-19 come about?

This 12 months we’ve got witnessed the devastation that viruses could cause. Along with the quite a few mortalities and morbidities that the virus, COVID-19, has precipitated, it has additionally introduced whole economies to a stand nonetheless. In truth, life have modified due to this virus. Many know viruses trigger ailments, however they now need to know extra about viruses. They’ve been looking for solutions to the questions that they’ve. I’d be answering a quantity on this weblog publish.

A virus is an infectious agent that replicates solely contained in the dwelling cells of an organism. What this implies is {that a} virus is not a dwelling factor like a plant or an animal. The smallest unit of an animal or a plant is the cell. Outdoors a dwelling cell, a virus is extra of a particle, an object with out life, that doesn’t develop or shrink. Nonetheless, it does comprise genetic materials within the type of a DNA or an RNA. As quickly as a virus comes into contact with a dwelling cell, it hijacks the dwelling cell after which produces extra copies of itself. It is ready to transcribe its genetic data when inside a dwelling cell.

We are saying {that a} virus is sub-microscopic as a result of it can’t be seen with neither the bare eye nor an atypical microscope. To see a virus, you want what is known as an electron microscope, a strong microscope able to magnifying an object 10 million occasions.

How do harmful viral ailments like COVID-19 come up?

From Animals

As we’ve got already stated, viruses are solely energetic when inside dwelling cells. Outdoors a dwelling cell, a virus like HIV can’t stay for greater than 20 minutes. COVID-19 can’t stay exterior a dwelling cell for 3 days. That’s how all viruses are.

Some viruses have contaminated animals within the wild. They have not precipitated epidemics and pandemics as a result of no human being has come into contact with any of those animals. The very minute any human being comes into contact with them, an epidemic would most probably get away.

I have to say that not all viruses are equally harmful, and never all of them are transmitted the identical manner. The human immune system develops immunity to viruses that it has already encountered, in order that when it encounters the virus once more, it might be capable of mount an efficient immune response towards it. New viruses are harmful as a result of the physique can’t mount an efficient immune response towards them.

Coronaviruses are current in some birds and bats. It’s believed that COVID-19 was acquired from bats.

Genetic Mutation

Viruses make extra copies of themselves when inside a dwelling cell. This we’ve got already stated. Nonetheless, because it makes copies of itself it does not all the time do it the identical manner, as a result of it often makes errors. Now, when errors are made this manner, the brand new viruses created will differ barely from the mother or father virus. This phenomenon is known as genetic mutation.

That’s how new viruses emerge. A virus that has been round for some time, with out inflicting many issues, can all of the sudden develop into harmful when mutation happens. This may increasingly happen in animals or in human beings. It’s doable that COVID-19 developed this manner. I can’t say for certain that it did, however it’s doable.

Engineering of Viruses within the Laboratory

The science of genetics is now so superior that human beings are in a position to clone animals and even different human beings within the laboratory. Human beings are in a position to insert the DNA of 1 organism into the DNA of one other, in order that the fascinating qualities of 1 are transferred to a different. This has been employed extensively within the growth of genetically modified crops.

Scientists conduct a number of experiments within the laboratory, in order that hospitals and well being officers will be capable of higher deal with ailments. In the middle of these experiments, extra harmful viruses can emerge. This may be deliberate or unintentional. Nonetheless, the required precautions are taken in order that these viruses do not escape. COVID-19 may have emerged on this method.

Conclusion

With the above data, you now know what a virus is and the way viruses like COVID-19 emerge. Nobody is aware of for sure the way it arose, but it surely was undoubtedly on account of no less than one of many ways in which I’ve outlined above. Analysis is on-going. Within the subsequent few months, we should always have an efficient vaccine in addition to medicine towards the illness. If you wish to know forestall coronaviruses, go to 10 coronavirus prevention methods.