Imagine a virus is like a tiny pirate who sneaks into your body and takes over a ship (your cell). It doesn't want to be caught, so it waits until the perfect moment to multiply and sail off to infect more ships. Viruses have special tools called sensors, which help them know when their host is healthy enough to spread the infection. If the host is too weak or busy fighting something else, the virus might wait a little longer before making its move.
Examples
- A cold virus waits until you're sneezing before spreading more viruses into the air.
- A flu virus lingers inside a person’s body until they start coughing and going to school.
- A virus hiding inside your skin waits until you scratch it, then spreads to new cells.
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See also
- What Causes the ‘Flu’ and How Is It Different From a Common Cold?
- How Does a Virus Spread from Person to Person?
- How Does a Virus Spread So Quickly?
- What Makes a Virus Spread Like Wildfire?
- What Makes a Virus ‘Contagious’ or ‘Rare’?
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