Asymptomatic?

[question everything]

What does it mean? If one does not cough, no fever, no breathing distress, how can one be found to be infected?

[Bayard]

1. It means you are a carrier of the virus

You are still infecting people, even if you don't become ill yourself.

[question everything]

3. Yes, but how do you know that you are a carrier?

With no symptoms, why would you be tested?

[hlthe2b]

8. Countries with working Public health are testing those exposed and tracking them

If they remain asymptomatic while under 14 day (or longer) quarantine, yet tested postive some time during the course of observation, these are asymptomatic infections

[question everything]

10. Thanks. The key words knowing to have been exposed

[Phoenix61]

2. When they swab your mouth/throat there

are millions of viruses. However, you exhibit no symptoms. I guess your body doesn’t recognize the virus as an intruder so there is no immune system response.

[question everything]

5. But why would you be swabbed in the first place, with no symptoms?

[Phoenix61]

6. You were in contact with someone who

tested positive.

[question everything]

7. Thanks.

[hlthe2b]

9. post 8

[Mike 03]

4. I'm not an expert, just a reader.

Some of these cases in China were discovered by X-rays that showed bilateral lung damage that was nevertheless asymptomatic.

But someone who is infected will still show 'infection' on the test kit. But I've also seen references to "viral load" which begs the question, can someone be infected and not have a high enough viral load to be detected by test or receive an inconclusive test result.

But these individuals can shed the virus in spite of not being aware they are carriers.

Hopefully, DUers with expertise can provide a better answer.

[lapfog_1]

11. The virus enters your lungs and sets up shop

The first job is to get you (the host) to infect others... so it makes copies using your own cells... it tries to do this with triggering a response from your immune system. Since this is a novel virus, it gets away with it for some time. Eventually it disrupts so much of your system that your immune system swings into action to kill it... fever goes up, cough to get rid of pathogen.

But, in some cases, too late... the disruption to the cilia in your lungs is so bad that you die or become very ill.

In either case, its first job is to replicate and find another host.

[question everything]

12. I know. Many years ago in a virology class the professor said that viruses look for accommodating

hosts and this was why Polio attacked healthy children.

Myself included. Before vaccination.