GIRL: (OVER RADIO) Can you see anything, Officer?
(GASP!)
Germs!
And not just any germs.
It's a virus.
Oh!
Agh!
Viruses everywhere!
This town's out of control.
I should've stayed in the Territory.
But, Officer, wait, what is a virus?
You probably haven't seen a virus before,
but you've probably felt their effects.
If you've ever had a cold,
the chickenpox, or a cold sore,
well, they're all caused by viruses.
(COUGHS)
Viruses are one of the four families of germs or 'pathogens'.
They're little invaders that make us sick.
There's bacteria,
fungus, parasites, and viruses.
They come in some very weird shapes and sizes,
and they're tiny.
So tiny, in fact, that we didn't even know they existed until 1892
when this guy realised there was something very, very tiny
infecting tobacco plants.
It wasn't bacteria or a parasite or a fungus,
it was a virus.
(GASP!)
Nasty little creatures!
Well, not really.
I mean, they're not really creatures.
All they are is a bit of genetic code
wrapped in protein.
And scientists have argued for years
whether viruses are actually living creatures or not.
They can't do things like reproduce amongst each other
or make their own energy,
but they're not exactly dead either.
They kind of belong to a weird category in between.
Interesting, isn't it?
I think you're getting sidetracked.
Yeah, me too.
Anyways, viruses can't really do anything
until they come in contact with a living cell,
and that's when they do their dirty work.
They force the cell to create copies of the virus,
which eventually spread to other cells.
Is there anything we could do?
Well, luckily for us,
our bodies actually have an in-built virus defense
known as the immune system.
It's made up of specialised organs,
cells, and tissues
that all work together
to destroy invading germs.
And sometimes our bodies learn how to fight a virus so well
that we never get sick with it again.
That's why most people only get chickenpox once.
It's also why vaccinations work.
They're made using a weakened version of the germ,
which triggers the immune system so it knows how to fight the real thing.
Oh, well, in that case,
we need a vaccine for this new virus right now.
Yeah, well, we're working on it.
The scientists around the world are racing to create a vaccine
for the virus that causes COVID-19.
But it's not a simple task.
And working it could still be months away.
So, what do we do?
Er, good question.
Well, until then, the best way to fight this particular virus
is to stop it spreading by practising good hygiene.
That means keeping things clean...
..washing your hands...
..and covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze.
We're going to defeat this virus with a pair of clean hands,
a calm demeanour, and lots of sanitiser.
Achoo!
Into the tissue!
It was.