NASA and astronauts are fighting a war while in orbit against herpes. It appears that astronauts aboard the International Space Station and other missions have been plagued by the often-dormant virus because of the stress of space travel, according to a new study by NASA researchers.
About 53 percent of astronauts on short-term space shuttle flights have shown signs of herpes, according to the study. In total, 47 out of 89 astronauts on short space shuttle missions, and 14 out of 23 on long ones showed signs of the virus.
Researchers say that stress, exposure to microgravity, and cosmic radiation wreck havoc on their immune systems thus causing the virus to break out while in space. They hope to come up with a vaccination that might work to help keep the virus dormant during these space trips.
Source: Interesting Engineering