Viral Diseases: Know Symptoms, Infection Site, Mode of Transmission

By : Neha Dhyani

Updated : Feb 5, 2022, 10:24

The general diseases humans and animals suffer from can be divided broadly into bacterial infections and viral diseases. As the name suggests, viral diseases are caused by microbes known as viruses and tend to be of a highly infectious nature.

What are the Most Common Ways in Which Viral Diseases Spread?

As said earlier, viral diseases are some of the most contagious diseases around. However, not all viral diseases spread the same way. Some of the most common ways in which viruses multiply and spread from person to person are -

Breathing in contaminated airborne droplets.
Drinking liquids or eating food contaminated by viruses or used by a patient suffering from viral diseases.
Having a sexual relationship with a person suffering from sexually transmittable viral diseases.
Indirect transmission of the virus through ticks, mice, and mosquitoes.
Coming in contact with body fluids of a virus-infected person or touching surfaces contaminated by the virus.

A Comprehensive Viral Diseases List

Common cold and COVID-19 are two of the most prominent viral disease examples. Here's a comprehensive list of nine viral diseases that are most commonly seen in human beings-

Sr. No	Diseases	Infection Site	Mode of Transmission	Symptoms
1	Common Cold	Respiratory Tract	Droplets	Nasal congestion, cough, sore throat, and headache
2	Mumps	Salivary Glands	Droplets and Saliva	Parotoid glands enlargement
3	Measles	Respiratory Tract and Skin	Droplets	Running nose, sore throat, cough, fever, and skin rashes
4	Viral Hepatitis	Liver	Blood transfusion and parenteral route	Jaundice, liver damage, nausea, yellow eyes, abdominal pain, and fever
5	Chicken Pox	Skin, Respiratory Tract, Nervous System	Direct contact and Droplets	Itchy skin, blisters, and mild fever
6	Poliomyelitis	Spinal Cord, Brain, Intestine	Droplet transmitted through the oral and fecal route	Muscular stiffness, fever, paralysis, respiratory failure
7	Dengue Fever	Skin and Blood	Mosquito vector	Severe fever, muscle pain, and joint ache
8	Chikungunya	Nervous System	Mosquito vector	Fever, joint swelling, muscle pain, and headache
9	Sars COV-2	Lower Respiratory Tract, Lungs	Direct Contact, Surface Contact	Fever, Malaise, Dry cough, Breathing trouble

Sars coV-2 or Coronavirus or COVID-19

Coronavirus is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus named SARS coV-2. The disease is spread by droplets passed on from the infectious person when they speak, sneeze, cough, or even breathe. The COVID-19 disease started in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 and has engulfed the globe ever since in the form of a raging pandemic.

The persons infected with coronavirus generally suffer from mild to moderate symptoms that can well be tackled at home under strict isolation. However, those who become seriously ill might require intensive care at the hospital, including an artificial respiratory support system.

Ever since this viral disease was discovered, the WHO has been asking people to wear N95 or surgical masks outdoors, maintain a two-meter distance from others, and restrict outdoor movement as much as possible.

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FAQs about Viral Diseases

Give some examples of viral diseases.

Examples of viral diseases are common cold, dengue, COVID-19, and poliomyelitis.

Give the name of a viral disease that has currently become a pandemic.

Coronavirus caused by the SARS CoV-2 virus has taken the form of a pandemic.

How do viral diseases spread?

Viral diseases spread through numerous ways, including direct contact, droplets, transmission through mediums such as mosquitos, ticks, and mice, blood transfusion, and sexual contact.