A 32-year-old member asked:
how long do viral infections last?
2 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in
Dr. James Ferguson answered
Pediatrics 46 years experience
Depends: The incubation, illness duration & effects of a given virus depends to a great extent on the virus and the pre-illness health of the patient. Some people can shake off a stomach bug in 24hrs or sooner if they have partial immunity from a past illness. Some cases of eb virus can remain ill for 6 wks. The HIV virus has you for your lifetime.
5866 views
Dr. Bryan Levey answered
Pediatrics 27 years experience
Depends on the virus: Viral infections can last a few days (the common cold, for example), several months (a bad case of mono), several years (warts), or the rest of your life (herpes, and many others). How long it lasts depends on the nature of the virus.
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Similar questions
A 26-year-old member asked:
How efective/tested is a medicament called renikan in the treatment of viral infections such as flu?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
Dr. Martin Raff answered
Infectious Disease 56 years experience
Renikan pelargonium: This south american health food supplement has claims to do multiple things but without known scientific evidence for proof of any efficacy by standard blinded studies.
5718 views
A 36-year-old member asked:
What's the most effective way to stop viral infections?
2 doctor answers • 4 doctors weighed in
Dr. Martin Raff answered
Infectious Disease 56 years experience
Immunization: For those viral infections for which there is a vaccine, this is a no-brainer. Staying away from others with infection, staying out of areas in which infection is prevalent, washing hands. But basically you cannot avoid all viral infections.
5704 views
A 47-year-old member asked:
How come I have recurring viral infections?
1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in
Dr. Jonathan Levin answered
Ophthalmology 14 years experience
Immune system: Some people are prone to certain types of infections due to their immune composition. Rarely people can have immune disorders, but this is usually diagnosed early in life.
5200 views
A 49-year-old member asked:
Why can't viral infections be treated?
1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in
Dr. Michael Ein answered
Infectious Disease 48 years experience
Some can be: Many viral infections such as herpes, varicella, rsv, hiv, hepatitis band influenza are treated with antiviral antibiotics. For others we have no effective treatments or the side effects of the treatments are worse than the self-limited viral diseases.
5146 views
A 33-year-old member asked:
Which other viral infections are out there besides the flu?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Richard Ruth answered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Viral infections: There are hundreds of viral infections. Hiv, herpes, and so on.
4922 views
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Last updated Nov 2, 2016
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