A person gets affected with many viruses throughout their lifetime; in order to find out what the average person gets hits with in forms of viruses, first let's define what they are.
A virus is a small infectious agent; they generally affect all types of organisms. Origins of viruses however are still unclear or unknown. Diseases bearing organisms are called vectors. Viruses are spread in many different ways, for example the influenza virus commonly known as the flu is spread simply by coughing and sneezing. Another virus like the Rotavirus is passed from person to person contact, usually from fecal-oral route.
In order to determine how many times a person gets a virus in their life time, you would have to take into consideration many factors; one major factor would be their age. Age is a big factor during your childhood ages kids are more exposed to bringing home many viruses, just based on where they are, if they are school aged or attend daycare, they are prone to pick up airborne contaminants or stomach viruses due to unhealthy or no hygiene control in their setting. A school-aged child usually gets sick about 4-5 times a year. Starting with this we will try to keep a rolling tab of each stage in a person's life.
So based on the above analysis, children starting from kindergarten throughout senior year can have already had an average of 60 viruses. An adolescent and early adult can experience on average to catch a virus about 2 to 3 times a year. If we are determining that an adolescent starts college at 18 and graduates by 25 this is 7 years of their time. During this period they have contracted 14 viruses. So far our tally is 74 viruses by age 25.
Now as an adult it really depends on your immune system and how well one takes care of its body. The stronger the immune system the less viruses your body will contract. However, based on general research the average adult person contracts about 1 to 2 a year. Based on a life expectancy of 75, an adult will acquire a virus 50 times during adult age. This brings a grand total of 124 times in a lifetime.
Please take this merely as a calculation and not the exact number or an average. Again a person's immune system is a great factor in viruses, as well as practicing good hygiene and trying to prevent viruses with the many aids that are readily available.
Hand washing is the most effective when combating viruses. Using a hand sanitizer to disinfect when soap and water is not available is a great alternative to fight germs and dirt that is invisible and may accumulate in your hands. Thoroughly cleaning any fruits and vegetables before ingesting is advisable in preventing viruses. Another great deterrent is washing and disinfecting dishes and cooking utensils before using. All of these techniques will help you reduce the risk of contracting viruses.
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