Question

Diseases like polio and chickenpox are caused by_______
(a) Bacteria
(b) Fungi
(c) Virus
(d) Worm

Answer 1

Hint: Polio and chickenpox are caused by an acellular organism that has a genetic material enclosed inside a protein capsid. Polio is a chronic disease and chickenpox is an acute disease.

Complete answer:
- Polio, usually shortened to polio, is a poliovirus- induced infectious disease.
- It travels from the gut to impact the central nervous system in about 0.5 percent of cases, and there is muscle weakness resulting in paralysis.
- This can occur over a few hours to a few days. The weakness most frequently affects the legs, but the head, neck, and diaphragm muscles can be less commonly involved.
Poliovirus is typically transmitted by contaminated fecal matter entering the mouth from person to person.
- Food or water containing human waste and less often contaminated saliva may also transmit the disease. The disease can be detected by locating the virus in the waste or detecting antibodies in the blood against it. Naturally, the disease occurs only in humans.
With the polio vaccine, the disease is preventable; however, several doses are needed to be effective.
- Chickenpox is an infection caused by the varicella- zoster virus that is very infectious. It affects children mostly, but adults can get it, too.
- A super- itchy skin rash with red blisters is the telltale sign of chickenpox.
- The blisters pop and start to leak over the course of several days. Then they scab and crust over before recovering at last.
- Chickenpox, especially in children, is usually mild. But the blisters will spread to your nose, mouth, eyes, and even genitals in extreme cases.
So, the correct answer is ‘(c) Virus’.

Note:
- Once infected by poliovirus, there is no specific treatment for patients.
- Within 10 to 21 days after you have been in touch with someone who has the virus, signs emerge.
- In around 2 weeks, most individuals recover.