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Show Doctor Talk Tiny Viirus HAPPILY. WITHIN the past 1 5-20 years, vaccines protecting pro-tecting against the Rubeola and Rubella viruses have been developed. Widespread public health efforts have been very effective in virtually eliminating eliminat-ing red and German measles, but continued vigorous public-education public-education is necessary for complete eradication. As to the Roseola virus and another one causing "filth" disease called Erythema intec-tiosum. intec-tiosum. there is neither prevention pre-vention nor effective treatment. treat-ment. No problem, though-they're though-they're very mild diseases. WE'LL TAKE another category next. By HAROLD B. LIGON. MD In a previous article we introduced in-troduced a general discussion of a tiny microbe called a vims. Its chief characteristic is that it's the smallest parasite.. para-site.. .and can be seen only under an electron microscope lens. THERE ARE hundreds of known strains of viruses (and many hundreds not yet identified!, identi-fied!, and they can infect humans hu-mans in many different ways. Of the human viral diseases (i.e. person-to-person spread), there are several groups and categories. These categories are exanthems-rashes on the skin in various distributions: respiratory-air-borne or brea-thing brea-thing transfer: enteric-gastrointestinal enteric-gastrointestinal or lower bowel contact and transfer: and persistent-latent viral diseases dis-eases such as hepatitis and warts. ..and others. TODAY. WE'LL make a few comments on the ex-anthems. ex-anthems. They are rashes on the skin that almost everyone has had at one time or another, usually in his youth. We're familiar with most: red measles. German measles, chicken-pox. rose rash, and smallpox. They are caused by the viruses Rubeola. Rubella. Varicella. Roseola, and Variola, respectively. With the exception of smallpox, small-pox, for which there has long been a vaccine (and thus eradication eradi-cation of the disease), most middle agers have experienced the exanthems. |