Why is it so difficult to get rid of a cold?

Viruses are evolving, this one changed so swiftly that it was able to outwit years of study and development in a matter of days.

Although viruses are always evolving, this one changed so swiftly that it was able to outwit years of study and development in a matter of days.

This is a genuine risk, unfortunately, for the millions of people across the world who have immune systems that aren't completely functioning or who take immunosuppressant medications. "Minor" infections can develop into serious or even fatal conditions.

However, if you're fortunate enough to have a healthy immune system, a cold will generally only cause you to experience a few minor symptoms. Over the course of their lives, adults often contract more than 150 colds.

At least eight separate virus families, each of which can have its own species and subtypes, are responsible for causing the common cold.

How can the same illness be brought on by so many distinct viruses?

There are just a few methods for viruses to enter our bodies, one of which is through breathing. Since we must breathe, our immune system deploys a number of frontline defenses, which are also what cause many of the cold's symptoms. Your immune system traps and flushes away viruses through your mucus-filled, runny nose. Your immune system is raising your body temperature to stave off virus replication when you have a fever.

It is challenging to create a chemical that is harmful to the virus without also being dangerous to humans since viruses require the cellular machinery of humans to proliferate and propagate. And even if you are successful, the virus could evolve so that the medication is no longer effective.

Viruses are cunning creatures. However, we have achieved some remarkable triumphs, such as the eradication of smallpox due to a potent vaccine, the disease's inability to hide in other species, and the disease's relatively low mutation rate. Contrarily, HIV mutates so swiftly that, in theory, any single single-letter mutation in the virus' genetic coding might be created in a single day in an untreated individual.

Despite decades of effort, we still lack a vaccine.

This article inspired from a Ted Talk.