Viruses are very simple microbes, they can’t do much by themselves. Viruses need a host, another living organism that gives them everything they need to work. Viruses take any chance they can to find a host. They get inside the host’s cells and take it over. Viruses use the host cells machinery to make lots of copies, so many that the cell bursts and infects other cells around it! They can make more viruses very quickly – just one virus can turn into lots of viruses and make you sick!
Viruses do lots of damage to their host and they damage normal healthy cells, causing disease. Some viruses cause diseases you will have heard of like measles, chickenpox and, of course the flu!
