National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Viral Infections is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
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National Institutes of Health
Viral Infections
Viruses are capsules with genetic material inside. They are very tiny, much smaller than bacteria. Viruses cause familiar infectious diseases such as the common cold, flu and warts. They also cause severe illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, smallpox and hemorrhagic fevers.
Viruses are like hijackers. They invade living, normal cells and use those cells to multiply and produce other viruses like themselves. This eventually kills the cells, which can make you sick.
Viral infections are hard to treat because viruses live inside your body's cells. They are "protected" from medicines, which usually move through your bloodstream. Antibiotics do not work for viral infections. There are a few antiviral medicines available. Vaccines can help prevent you from getting many viral diseases.
NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
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Start Here
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Understanding Microbes in Sickness and in Health(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
- PDF
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Understanding Microbes in Sickness and in Health
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
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Learn More
, and
Multimedia & Cool Tools
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For group Basics
For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
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Reference Shelf
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For You
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For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
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Overviews
- Viral Infections(Merck & Co., Inc.)
- Viruses(American Society for Microbiology)
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Latest News
- New Virus Not Spreading Easily Between People(09/28/2012, Reuters Health)
- World Health Organisation Says Has Found New SARS-Like Virus(09/23/2012, Reuters Health)
- Lab Contamination Behind Debunked Link Between Virus, Prostate Cancer(09/21/2012, HealthDay)
- More News on Viral Infections
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Prevention/Screening
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MedlinePlus: Germs and Hygiene(National Library of Medicine)
- Also available in Spanish
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MedlinePlus: Infection Control(National Library of Medicine)
- Also available in Spanish
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MedlinePlus: Germs and Hygiene
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Specific Conditions
- Adenoviruses Overview(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Arboviral Encephalitides(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Molluscum (Molluscum Contagiosum)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Non-Polio Enterovirus Infections(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Also available in Spanish
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Tropical Spastic Paraparesis(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
- Short Summary
- Yellow Fever(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Related Issues
- Bacterial vs. Viral Infections: How Do They Differ?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Viral Infection Headache(National Headache Foundation)
- Yellow Fever: Health Information for International Travel(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Pictures & Photographs
- Molluscum Contagiosum(Logical Images)
- Viral Exanthem(Logical Images)
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Anatomy/Physiology
- Virus or Bacterium?(American Society for Microbiology)
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Adenoviridae Infections(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Coxsackievirus Infections(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Virus Diseases(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Yellow Fever(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Adenoviridae Infections
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Role of early viral infections in development of multiple sclerosis.
- Article: Multi-faceted role of naturally occurring autoantibodies in fighting pathogens.
- Article: Mycobacterial disease and impaired IFN-γ immunity in humans with inherited...
- Viral Infections -- see more articles
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Organizations
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Children
- Adenovirus(Nemours Foundation)
- Caring for a Child with a Viral Infection(American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Coxsackie Viruses(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease(Logical Images)
- Human Parainfluenza Viruses(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Roseola (Sixth Disease)(Logical Images)
- Viral Exanthem(Logical Images)
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Patient Handouts
- ECHO virus
- Also available in Spanish
- Hand-foot-mouth disease
- Also available in Spanish
- Herpangina
- Also available in Spanish
- Molluscum contagiosum
- Also available in Spanish
- Parainfluenza
- Also available in Spanish
- Roseola
- Also available in Spanish
- Yellow fever
- Also available in Spanish
- Yellow Fever Vaccine(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
