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The case that HHV-6 maybe the biggest unrecognized public health threat in the world.
From Perplexity A.I . Make the case that HHV-6 maybe the biggest unrecognized public health threat in the world. Human Herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) represents a potentially massive but under-recognized public health threat for several key reasons: 1. Extremely High Prevalence and Ubiquity HHV-6 infects nearly everyone worldwide: More than 95% of children contract the virus by age 2, and infection rates as high as 64–83% have been found among infants in the U.S., U.K., Japan, and Taiwan. Seroprevalence studies across diverse adult populations also report rates between 39–80%. After initial infection, the virus remains latent in the body for life, periodically reactivating. HHV-6 DNA is detectable in 20–25% of healthy adults at any given time, demonstrating just how common reactivation is. 2. Broad Spectrum of Diseases—Often Unrecognized HHV-6 causes roseola infantum (exanthema subitum), which accounts for a significant number of emergency visits and hospitalizations in young children. Severe c...