The oral polio vaccine (OPV) also contains live, weakened virus. Examples of routinely used live, weakened vaccines include measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) chickenpox rotavirus and the intranasal influenza vaccines. Viral shedding can occur following vaccination if the vaccine contains live, weakened viruses because that type of vaccine causes immunity through viral reproduction.
#VIRAL SPIKE PROTEIN HOW TO#
You can find information on how to properly wear, remove and care for your mask in this previous Parents PACK article. This is why multilayer masks made of materials with tight fibers are more effective, and bandanas and gaiter masks are less effective.
The type and fit of the mask is important - Given that a mask serves as a physical barrier for virus particles, the type of material from which the mask is made and the snugness of its fit are important determinants of its effectiveness. You will be safer than if you wear the mask yourself. Said another way, if you are healthy and susceptible and you find yourself in a situation with one mask and an infected person, give them the mask and physically distance. So, a mask worn by an infected person offers more protection than a mask worn by an uninfected person because the net result is fewer infectious viral particles circulating in the air and landing on surfaces. However, people can inadvertently expose themselves if they touch a contaminated mask or other surface and then touch their eyes, nose or mouth. A mask also protects the person who is wearing it - Because a mask serves as a physical barrier, it offers some protection for the person wearing it. Two additional aspects of masking are worth considering in the context of viral shedding: The fact that SARS-CoV-2 can spread in the two to three days before a person feels ill makes it more difficult to contain compared with similar viruses, like SARS-CoV-1, which was first identified in China in 2003, and MERS-CoV, which was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012. This became particularly important as we learned that people infected with SARS-CoV-2 can spread the virus a few days before they develop symptoms. This is why early messaging during the pandemic was that wearing a mask was a way to protect those around you. Viral shedding and masksīecause a person infected with a respiratory virus is shedding virus particles from their nose and mouth, you can quickly conclude that a mask will decrease the spread of viral particles as they are physically trapped by the mask. Because these viruses can go on to infect someone who is exposed to the nasal or oral secretions, viral shedding and the spread of disease are closely intertwined.ĭuring the COVID-19 pandemic, viral shedding has been discussed in relation to masking and vaccinations. Viral shedding refers to this second fate. They can leave the infected person in nasal and oral secretions. But these newly formed viral particles can also have a second fate. In the case of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the primary location of the early infection is the respiratory system, specifically cells that line the inside of the nose and throat.Īs viruses are produced in the nose, they may gain entry to other parts of the body, where they can infect more cell types and cause additional symptoms or complications. The symptoms will vary based on which virus it is and what type of cells it infects. An infected individual will recognize this battle in the form of symptoms of illness - fever, fatigue, congestion, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. The longer it takes for the individual’s immune system to recognize what is happening and gain control over this process, the greater the number of viral particles that will be produced and the greater the battle between the virus and the immune system that will occur. New viral particles that result from this process can go on to infect other cells, and with each round of replication, the number of viruses in the individual increases exponentially. By taking over the cell, the virus is able to redirect the cell’s activity for its own benefit - making more of itself to survive. Once inside the organism, the virus must gain access to a cell, which has the necessary machinery and building blocks to make more viruses. In order to survive, viruses must infect another organism, such as a person. But even with these instructions, viruses do not have everything they need to reproduce. The nucleic acids are instructions for making more viruses. They often contain only a few proteins and either DNA or RNA, known generally as nucleic acids. 
What is viral shedding?Įven though viruses can cause a lot of damage, they are typically very simple organisms. Some discussions have left a wake of misunderstanding about how and when viral shedding occurs. The term “viral shedding” has been discussed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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