The virus that infects almost everyone, and its link to cancer and MS
Science Weekly
The Guardian
4.2 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 28 March 2024
⏱️ 16 minutes
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| 0:00.0 | This is the Guardian. |
| 0:02.0 | In Norway, a woman's boyfriend forgets who she is overnight. In Detroit a man is arrested but he was never at the crime scene. |
| 0:16.0 | In Spain disturbing pictures of young girls have appeared and no one knows who is behind them. |
| 0:22.0 | Something strange is happening. |
| 0:24.0 | A collision between people and artificial intelligence. |
| 0:28.0 | Discover more in the Guardian's new series Black Box. |
| 0:32.0 | Listen wherever you get your podcasts. All episodes out now. |
| 0:37.0 | Today marks the 60th anniversary of a medical breakthrough, the discovery of Epstein-Bar virus. |
| 0:47.0 | And though you might not know the name, the chances are it's living inside you. |
| 0:52.0 | So Epstein-Bar virus is a remarkable virus. |
| 0:54.0 | It's the most common infection in humans of any virus. |
| 0:58.0 | And when we get infected, it lives in our bodies silently for the rest of our lives. |
| 1:02.0 | It's spread through saliva, so a mother kissing |
| 1:04.8 | her baby or a couple of friends sharing a drink and it's thought that up to 96% of |
| 1:10.6 | us have it but its effects can vary depending, for example, on when you catch it. |
| 1:16.0 | Most people get infected as babies and as youngsters and have no ill effects whatsoever, they don't even know they're infected. For those individuals that get |
| 1:24.9 | infected in early teenage life or early adulthood, around 50% of people will get a |
| 1:30.4 | condition called glandular fever. But here's what was really groundbreaking |
| 1:34.6 | about its discovery. For certain individuals, the virus can spark off cancer |
| 1:39.3 | or indeed is associated with other chronic conditions like multiple sclerosis. |
| 1:44.0 | Epstein-Barr was the first virus to be identified as a cause of cancer in humans. |
| 1:49.0 | Since then, other viruses like hepatitis C and H.P. |
... |
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