Laryngitis Virus Proved A Point

Laryngitis Virus Proved A Point

Late Spring 2009 - I lost my voice for about a week, and the overall effect lasted nearly two weeks.

It was only really bad for maybe two or three days, but I depend upon my voice to do my job.

My job also keeps me in touch with my company's clients who live all across the U.S., and so I was able to determine that whatever virus was affecting my voice was present in different locations in the U.S. Clients would apologize, and explain that they had laryngitis.

Additionally several people at work caught it - one actually staying home due to her inability to speak.

The virus seemed to have an affinity for the upper part of my throat, in a VERY specific spot - apparently vital to speaking.

Other than that incredible knack for turning people into mutes the virus wasn't particularly damaging - no intense cough, no lingering in the lungs, no fever, etc.

Still that little virus had me worried. I kept wondering how a virus could so selectively target a very specific area on the human body. How did the virus "know"?

And then it hit me - what an incredible virus! What if it could be isolated (I'm sure it has), preserved, and then studied. Could the code for that virus help to treat throat cancer?

Attach a radioactive isotope to the virus, and use it to target just cells in the Larynx!

Oh well.

This all came together after I read a movie review about a movie in which people became blind due to a virus.