The Harmful Effect of Viruses

Author's Note: This is my science essay. The purpose is to explain the common cold and the black death.

 

     Have you ever felt sick? Maybe your white blood cells are too great and on-task to ever let you get sick.  On the other hand, if you have been sick or felt ill before, you know how miserable it can get. It can range from just a runny nose to hacking and throwing up. There are many types of viruses than can invade the human body and do terrible things.

     To start off, the common cold is what people usually catch when they say they have a cold. Symptoms usually include runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, sore throat, headache, etc (Common Cold). Honestly, this disease deserves its name! Each year, the United States contains over one billion citizens who catch the common cold. It is much more common to catch this than any other virus (Common Cold).

     Unfortunately, the common cold is fairly simple to catch. You might not even know you have it for a day or two. All it takes is contact between your bare skin and a contaminated object. About half the time, the cold is caused by rhinoviruses, but there are also other viruses that can cause it (Common Cold). The key to staying healthy and fighting the viruses off is staying clean and to always wash your hands. The more you wash your hands, the fewer germs you will have, and the fewer germs you have, the smaller chance it is that you will catch the common cold.

     On the other end, the Black Death was much worse. In fact, it was so much worse, that there were 3 parts to it. The first of the types was the bubonic variant. This usually causes buboes on the neck, armpit, and groin areas. The sizes range from about the size of an egg to about the size of a whole apple. The way that one would catch this disease is when a fly lands on a diseased rat, then later lands on a human. When someone caught the bubonic variant, the life expectancy was about a week after noticed infection (History).

     Following the first, the second, a slight bit worse, was called the pneumonic plague. The pneumonic plague is usually focused mainly on the respiratory system when infected. One would catch this awful disease by breathing the same air as a true victim. This disease was no joke. This illness being a bit more dangerous than the first can kill you in about one or two days (History).

     Last but not least, the third was very deadly. It killed fast, and it affected your blood system, which would lead to heart problems, as well as movement problems. The blood wouldn’t flow and you would be in lots and lots of pain before you were gone if the third was what you caught.

       To conclude, both viruses are quite harmful to the body, although many would come to the agreement that the Black Death was much more effective, as it had wiped out the whole continent of Europe while the common cold is still around today and is not physically capable of killing someone. Out of the many, many viruses that could come into and harm the human body, these are just a couple.

Bibliography

Common Cold. 8 January 2012. 24 April 2012 <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001698/>.

History, Eye Witness to. The Black Death, 1348. 00 00 2001. 25 April 2012.