Why is there no cure for a virus?

Question

I know that but I mean like a medicine to speed up the process.

Answer 1

There are antiviral medications.  We give them for things like herpes, hepatitis, sometimes varicella (chickenpox) if it's bad enough if it happens in a baby or someone who is immunocompromised.  They tend to end in -vir:  acyclovir, famciclovir, valacyclovir.  There is also ramantidine and oseltmavir (both sometimes given for flu, among other things) and interferons.  There aren't as many as there are for bacteria, but there are a number of them.  And of course all the antiretrovirals we use to treat HIV fall under this category--they don't "cure" due to the nature of the retrovirus, but they do what they do in holding the virus in check for many years quite well.

The reason that we don't give these things for viruses like adenoviruses and rhinoviruses--stuff that usually causes the common cold, for example--is because they're just not that serious and your body will fight them off nicely without powerful drugs that can have side effects.

Answer 2

There is, your immune system. The only virus that needs curing is HIV, all the others your immune system takes care if it itself, there's no need for a "cure"

Answer 3

Most viruses can mutate (change themselves) plus there are many different strains (varieties sort of) of viruses. This makes it difficult to cure any virus. Even AIDS has a new drug resistant strain.  

Answer 4

if you are healthy otherwise you dont need anything. if you have other infections medications will help your body fight the virus or prevent it from erupting.

Answer 5

Because of the nature of a virus.  A single virus particle is nothing more than a string of RNA or DNA (but not both), encased in a protein coat.  Since it performs no biologic processes but instead just sits there waiting for a chance to infect a cell, there is no way to "kill" or "poison" it.  It can only be stopped when it infects a living cell and changes the cells function.  Your immune system hopefully will recognize this change and attack the cell and destroy it, along with the virus within it.