Dr. Germs, Defender of Health - Learn all about which viruses classify as germs, how they are transmittedd, and which diseases and symptoms they can cause

Some virus-caused diseases listed here have become rare in developed countries through vigilant use of preventive vaccines. Children are generally vaccinated within their first ten years, most of them before the age of one.

Boosters are recommended for adults, since the benefits of vaccines can diminish over time; they're recommended especially for anyone who travels to areas of the world where the diseases haven't been eradicated.

Viruses	Transmission	Disease and Symptoms
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)	Person-to-person: Direct contact of HIV-contaminated bodily fluid (e.g., blood, semen, mucus, breast milk) with a mucous membrane or the bloodstream.	AIDS (Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) A breakdown of the immune system, which allows opportunistic infections by bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites normally controlled by a healthy immune system to affect any and all organs for a collection of symptoms that includes fevers, sweats, swollen glands, chills, weakness, weight loss.
Rhinoviruses, coronaviruses, and echoviruses (among others)	Airborne, person-to-person: Highly contagious through direct contact with or breathing of the aerosolized secretions of infected individuals.	Common cold (acute viral nasopharyngitis) Nasal congestion; sneezing; runny nose; sore and phlegmy throat; coughing; headache; fatigue.
Reovirus	Blood-borne, insect-to-human, from a tick bite.	Colorado tick fever (prevalent in elevations above 5,000 feet in the western United States and Canada) High fever, chills, nausea, severe headache, raised rash, sensitivity to sunlight.
Corynebacterium diphtheriae	Airborne, person-to-person: Highly contagious through direct contact with or breathing of the aerosolized secretions of infected individuals.	Diphtheria Sore throat, low-grade fever, and a leathery membrane that grows on the tonsil(s), throat and in the nose.
Coxsackle A virus	Person-to-person: Highly contagious through direct contact with the mucus or feces of an infected person.	Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) A common disease that affects infants and chlidren. Fever, mouth rash and ulcers, sores and blisters on palms, soles, and sometimes buttocks HFMD should not to be confused with foot-and-mouth disease, which affects sheep, cattle and swine.
Hepatitis virus	Various means, including mainly person-to-person through close contact, contact with infected blood, and consumption of raw seafood or contaminated water.	Hepatitis (There are five types of viral Hepatitis: A, B, C, E, and G) Enlarged liver, malaise, achey joints, abdominal pain, vomiting, loss of appetite, dark urine, fever, jaundice, and eventually cirrhosis of the liver.
Herpes Simplex Virus (Types 1 and 2)	Person-to-person: Most frequently through direct skin-to-skin contact with an infected person (sometimes through indirect contact; e.g., by sharing lip balm), by which the virus can travel through tiny breaks in the skin or mucous membranes. Transmission can occur during or between active outbreaks.	Herpes simplex Infection symptoms vary widely among individuals, but occur mostly in the oral and genital areas of the body in the form of recurring sores and lesions that often are first felt as a tingling or itching sensation.
Varicella zoster virus	Airborne, person-to-person: Chicken pox is transmitted through tiny droplets in the air breathed out by one person and in by another. Highly contagious. Shingles is never transmitted person-to-person, through the air or through direct physical contact. Shingles develops only from a reactivation of the dormant varicella zoster virus in a person who had chicken pox at one time. People who are not immune to chicken pox can, however, catch it through direct contact with a shingles rash (not through airborne means) during the active phase when blisters have erupted but have not formed dry crusts.	Herpes zoster (shingles) Pain is often the first symptom and described as stinging, tingling, numbing, or throbbing, with intermittent stabs of intensity; then either hives or red lesions that turn into fluid-filled blisters, erupt, and then form dry crusts. Chicken Pox (Varicella) Later in life, the virus, dormant in the nerves, can reactivate to cause Herpes zoster (shingles). Fever, spots on the skin, mainly on the body and head, that become itchy, open sores.
Influenza virus	Airborne: Through an infected person coughing and sneezing, creating aerosols containing the virus. Person-to-person: Through saliva, nasal secretions, feces, blood, or contaminated surfaces. Bird-to-human: From infected bird droppings.	Influenza (aka the flu) Fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness, fatigue.
Measles virus	Person-to-person: Highly contagious through respiration, coughing, and sneezing, direct contact with fluids from an infected person's nose and mouth, or through aerosol transmission.	Measles Classic symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and itchy rash.
Epstein-Barr virus	Person-to-person: Through direct contact with the mucus or saliva of an infected person.	Mononucleosis Fever, sore throat, headaches, white patches on the back of the throat, swollen glands, fatigue, loss of appetite.
Mumps virus	Person-to-person: Through saliva droplets or direct contact with objects that are contaminated with infected saliva.	Parotitis (aka mumps) Typically fever and painful swelling of the salivary (parotid) glands. Painful testicular swelling and rash may also occur in males. Symptoms in teenagers and adults can be severe and lead to infertility.
Poliovirus	Food-borne, person-to-person: Through fecally contaminated water or food.	Poliomyelitis (aka polio or infantile paralysis) Early symptoms are fatigue, fever, vomiting, headache and pain in the neck and extremities. Later affects the central nervous system causing muscle weakness and paralysis.
Rubella virus	Airborne, person-to-person: Through tiny droplets in the air breathed out by one person and breathed in by another. Bloodborne, person-to-person: Through the bloodstream from mother to fetus.	Rubella (aka Epidemic Roseola, German measles, liberty measles, or three-day measles) Low-grade fever, swollen glands, joint pain, headache, conjunctivitis, rash
SARS coronavirus	Person-to-person: Direct physical contact with an infected person or direct contact with their mucus or saliva (being within three feet of them when they cough or sneeze, or touching an object contaminated with the secretions).	SARS (Severe acute respiratory syndrome) Fever, cough, sore throat, muscle aches, lethargy, diarrhea, nausea, shortness of breath.
West Nile virus	Insect-to-human: Through the bite of infected mosquitoes.	West Nile disease Infection can range from asymptomatic to fatally symptomatic. Milder symptoms include malaise, fever, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, eye pain, headache, muscle aches, diarrhea, and rash. The most serious symptoms include inflammation of the brain and meninges, which cause changes in mental status, seizures, coma, and temporary blindness.
This sample list of viruses and the diseases they cause is far from all-inclusive. For complete information about any disease, we encourage you to visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/). This content is intended for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or to replace the advice or diagnosis of your physician or health care provider.