Some viral infections can cause systemic illnesses--illnesses that affect the whole body-- in which a skin problem is just one of several symptoms. The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library notes that other very common viral infections can cause skin problems without affecting other areas of the body, since the viruses stay in the skin.
Systemic Viral Infections
Some of the viral infections that affect other areas of the body, along with the skin, can have fatal consequences. One of those infections is measles, caused by a paramyxovirus. One of the symptoms of measles is an itchy rash that frequently starts at the head then descends to the rest of the body. That infection causes approximately 200,000 deaths each year, according to the Merck Manuals.
The varicella-zoster virus causes chickenpox, another systemic infection that features a skin rash among its various symptoms. In rare cases, complications may occur that result in death.
Some systemic viral infections are not life-threatening. Those include infection with the rubella virus. That virus causes a mild illness whose symptoms include a skin rash, and rarely, bruising of the skin, notes MedlinePlus. Herpes simplex virus infections can cause painful skin blisters on all parts of the body, including the genitals.
Molluscum Contagiosum
The molluscum contagiosum virus causes a skin infection that features raised bumps or papules on the skin. Those papules can appear anywhere on the body except the soles of the feet and the palms. MedlinePlus notes that commonly-affected areas in children include the hands, arms, armpits, face and neck. In adults, common sites include the abdomen, inner thigh and genitals. Transmission of the virus can occur through direct contact with an infected person's papules, through contact with infected objects such as toys or shared towels, or through sexual contact.
Warts
Warts affect nearly everybody at some point in their lives, often during childhood, notes the Merck Manuals. Human papillomavirus infections cause those common skin lesions, which may appear in various forms anywhere on the skin. Warts may disappear without treatment.
Contagious Ecthyma
Contagious ecthyma is a type of dermatitis caused by the orf virus. This is a zoonotic disease, meaning that animals can transmit it to humans. The skin problems caused by that viral infection often affect a finger, on which a small papule appears. Over the course of about a week it changes into a reddish area around which a whitish ring appears. It finally turns into an area of raised tissue-- a nodule-- covered by a crust.
