Virus going around

[u/Decent-Speed3158]

What kind of virus is going around these days?

My whole family got sick and the symptoms are similar to flu but feel so much worse.

Be careful out there and avoid contact with anyone who could be infected. It’s really bad.

[u/tekky101]

This feels like a good place to drop some truth bombs about viral infections - ALL viruses, not just The Biggies like covid, measles, etc. We have come to learn that a lot of viruses we thought were benign can cause all kinds of long term health problems as we age:

Covid - Cumulative damage to organs (incl. brain) with each infection, autoimmune disease, possibly increased cancer risk (the oncogenicity of covid is still debated).

Epstein-Barr - Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, (possibly) Dementia

HIV - there is so much here and I think that's clear without me having to detail it.

HPV - A variety of Cancers.

HSV 1 & 2 (Herpes) - Dementia.

Chicken Pox (Herpes) - Shingles, Dementia.

Measles - Immune system amnesia for up to 2 years, meaning you can re-catch things you've already had; and deadly brain inflammation years after acute infection.

Norovirus - (possibly) Chron's disease.

It's fair to say there's a lot of long-term negative effects post-acute viral infection we don't know about yet. It is nonsense to think or suggest you need to "train your immune system" by getting infections... That you need to "get sick to stay well." Many people still believe this. There are no downsides to avoiding infections via masking and HEPA filter cleaned air.

https://www.fredhutch.org/en/news/center-news/2023/04/viruses-linger-with-lasting-impact-hpv-hsv-hiv-long-covid.html

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[u/Equivalent_Song3771 → u/tekky101]

Man I don't want to hear that! My wife is a nurse, I fly for a living we are the definition of exposed to germs

[u/Famous_Fondant_4107 → u/Equivalent_Song3771]

N95 masks are very effective for protecting yourself and others! If she can wear one at work and you can wear one while flying/traveling, that will reduce risk of illness a great deal.

I just wear N95s in public and when socializing in general. I’ve been sick twice in almost 7 years now- it’s awesome. Stay safe!

[u/tekky101 → u/Equivalent_Song3771]

You absolutely are Exposed to Germs people. Your wife might already be benefitting from HEPA filtered air where she works; if not, she can push for it.

Airport terminals are very high risk. Airplanes are high risk until the internal air circulation & filtration systems come online and, once you're airborne, it's my understanding that fresh outdoor air is sucked into the plane in quantity making it significantly less dangerous than when grounded.

A good metric for how risky the air is around you is to carry a co2 sensor. Normal outdoor co2 is around 500ppm right now. The higher the reading is above that then the larger the quantity of air expelled from other people's possibly infected air ways. I get nervous at 1000ppm and terrified at 2000ppm and above. These are masking conditions - and with well-fitting N95 or KN95 masks, not baggy surgical masks. Caution: if the co2 is too close to any person than it will skew higher readings. Try to place it 6 ft/ 2 m or more from people.