Viruses - SS3 Agriculture Lesson Note

Viruses are even smaller than bacteria and are responsible for various diseases. Their modes of transmission include:

Direct Contact: Like bacteria, viruses can spread through direct contact with an infected person's body fluids. Examples include HIV (spread through blood and sexual contact) and the flu (spread through respiratory droplets).

Indirect Contact: Viruses can survive on surfaces and objects for varying lengths of time. Touching contaminated surfaces and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes can lead to infection.

Airborne Transmission: Some viruses, such as those causing measles or chickenpox, are highly contagious through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can linger in the air and infect others.

Vector-Borne: Certain viruses are transmitted by vectors like mosquitoes. For example, the Zika virus and dengue fever are transmitted through mosquito bites.

Fecal-Oral Route: Some viruses can be transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated food or water, like the hepatitis A virus.