New challenge for the journey to Mars: Herpes

most who have tried to have a cold sores, know that it can be unpleasant and painful affair.

For the astronauts and the rumfartsagenturer is the herpes virus, however, far worse than that. In fact, it is decidedly problematic for Nasa's dreams of getting to Mars, shows a study from the journal Frontiers in Microbiology.

more Than half of the issued astronauts, who had herpes-the virus is latent in the body, got namely herpes, while they were in the room.

the Outbreaks happened more accurately for 53 per cent of astronauts on short trips, and for 61 percent of those who are out in the room for a longer time.

Although it truly is quite a few of the astronauts who have got real symptoms, it may according to the press release prove to be a major problem when we reach the longer space travel – for example, in connection with to colonize Mars.

the Reason that the virus affects the astronauts. that they are exposed to weightlessness, cosmic radiation, and stress-enhancing things such as social segregation and altered circadian rhythms.

As if there were not enough problems to be in the room, so as to become astronauts immune systems are also less effective under rumrejserne.

stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are part of the problem. They are namely to suppress the immune system. In particular, a weakened immune system makes herpesvira happy, says Søren Riis Paludan, who is a professor at Aarhus University and researcher at the Institute of Biomedicine.

Mars are for obvious reasons called the red planet. Photo: AP

– When you get immunsvækket, so can many of the here herpesvirusser be reactivated. It may be that you have another infection that you are undernourished, another form of medical treatment – and it may be that you are out in the room, says Søren Riis Paludan.

virtually all people have the virus. Most latent, which is to say, it has not been in eruption yet. But it may so happen in the course of life, and it is done so in several cases for the astronauts.

– We are almost all infected with a herpes virus early in life, and then we have the lying dormant in the body, says Søren Riis Paludan.

in total There are eight types of herpes, but only four of these types, then one of the astronauts. The four herpestyper are among those that trigger outbreaks in both the face around the mouth and also in the genital area, and so is the chicken pox and shingles, a painful rash.

It is not even the only herpes you have to worry as astronaut says Finn Willadsen, vice-president of the Danish society for Space"..

– There is a whole range of health problems in connection with space flight. Weakening of muscles is one of them. If not they are training very hard, they can not stand when they come down to earth again. It is that many of the astronauts, that could not, when they come down again, says Finn Willadsen.

But where the astronauts can work out in the room, so their muscles are not being broken down, so it is a little more intricate compared to the astronauts immune systems.

– You put the astronauts in quarantine before they should up in the room. It is very problematic just to get a cold up there, says Finn Willadsen.

He also explains that astronauts need to be in quarantine for a good while before a space flight, so they do not take the flu or the common cold, with up in the room.

But where there is a vaccine against the flu, can you still not cure herpes.

If you've got the virus, you have it for life. However, it can vary how often there are outbreaks, and a part do not even know that they have the virus. It helps, however, not the astronauts, if this cocktail of weightlessness and stressudløsere gives the virus almost free play.

the Disease can in the worst cases cause encephalitis. Encephalitis can, in the worst cases, make a seizure, or create mind-altering effects. Encephalitis can also affect one's level of consciousness and sometimes convulsions and paralysis. However, it is less than 100 danes who each year develop encephalitis.

However, stresses the Finn Willadsen, that the health problems are therefore not a significant problem in relation to the shorter smutture out in the room.

– It plays much into how long you are out in the room. If you are only there for a week, so there is not large, the consequences of it, says Finn Willadsen.

But there is no way around it, it still is a problem that, in one way or another must be resolved, for those who dream to be at a time to colonize Mars.

the Article has been in collaboration with the Danish school of journalism at roskilde university