Your brain might already be infected with a virus, dummy
Listen—I'ma say this once, and then you can pick your jaw up off the floor. You think you're safe out here, huh? Washin' your hands, maskin' up when you feel a sniffle comin' on. Well, lemme tell ya, a new study just dropped, and it's sayin' a whole lotta folks, maybe even *you*, hon, are walkin' around with a brain-eatin' virus you ain't never even heard of. They used to think this fatal brain infection only hit folks with super weak immune systems, like when you're real sick or somethin'. But nah, turns out that ain't necessarily the case anymore.
### The Real Talk on Your Brain Bugs
They're talkin' about this virus, JC polyomavirus, and apparently, it's *everywhere*. Like, 80% of adults got antibodies for it, meaning they've been exposed. Most of the time, it just chills in your kidneys, no big deal. But for some folks, it can reactivate and hit your brain, causin' somethin' called Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy, or PML. That's the brain-eatin' part, and it ain't pretty. Before this new research, doctors mostly saw PML in people with severe immune deficiencies, like those with AIDS or on certain immunosuppressant drugs. Now? They're sayin' it can happen even if your immune system seems just fine.
* JC polyomavirus is common, with most adults exposed.
* Normally harmless, it can reactivate and cause PML.
* PML is a severe, often fatal, brain infection.
* New research suggests it can occur in people without profound immune suppression.
That's Baltimore, hon — we don't break, we just bend loud. And if our brains are gettin' munched on, you best believe we still gonna find a way to make it to Lexington Market for some fried whiting. But seriously, it makes you think, don't it? We worry about the potholes on North Avenue, whether the O's gonna make the playoffs this year, or if they gonna gentrify Cross Street Market into somethin' unrecognizable. Meanwhile, our brains might be hostin' a lil' party for a virus we didn't even know existed. Just another day in the wild ride, I guess.
Keith and the crew break this down every mornin' – catch it live at mornings.live.