Recently, many relatives in my family are worried about "repeated infection, and they will get it again", and at the same time they are bombarded with various information on the Internet.
is just right, I'll study it for your reference:
First of all, some diseases, generally speaking, do only get once, such as the familiar chickenpox , and the unfamiliar with the extinct smallpox .
This is all double-stranded DNA virus .
Double-stranded DNA
Then why do you only get it once? Let’s first take a look at the activity of virus . After the virus infects the human body, it will "drill into" the cells and borrow the "workshop" in the cells to replicate to produce more viruses. During the replication process, the double-stranded structure helps to "correct errors" and thus maintains the relatively stable genetic material.
In this way, the virus is stable, but after the initial infection, the human immune system also remembers it. Once you get exposed to this virus next time, the immune system will react quickly to eliminate it.
However, the new coronavirus is single-stranded RNA virus , which is difficult to correct during the replication process, so it is prone to "mutation".
The so-called "mutation" is actually a mistake in copying in some places during the copying process. It is an unconscious natural random process, rather than actively changing like what some people think about, like Sun Wukong . Of course, there are other mechanisms for mutation, which will not be expanded here.
In short, as the virus spreads, mutations are also constantly underway, and when key points change, the mutant strain may have the ability to "immune escape", that is, the immune system "does not recognize it anymore".
At this time, if we come into contact with this mutant strain with "immune escape", we may "get it again".
But in the short term, according to the relatively reliable information I found in , if is infected with Omickron this time, will generally not be infected with any mutant virus within a few months after recovery.
However, in the long run, as the virus spreads and mutates, once a mutant strain with stronger "immune escape" ability is produced, then "again again".
I have a case around me that I was infected once in Wuhan in 2020, and this time I was infected with the Omickron mutant strain again in 2022, which is indeed in line with scientific predictions.
In fact, similar mutations are not uncommon, and this is what we often hear about " influenza virus ".
Influenza virus also belongs to single-strand RNA virus . Among them, influenza A virus has extremely strong variability. Every ten years, a large antigenic mutation occurs, producing a new strain, making it difficult for humans to undergo preventive vaccination in advance.
The 2009 flu pandemic was caused by this type A H1N1 influenza virus . Students who were still in school at that time should have a deep understanding of it, burning one piece of it.
So if you want, you need to get the flu vaccine every year.
Finally, I hope everyone will protect themselves, , especially the elderly around you, , don’t underestimate them, don’t underestimate them.
