That’s phenomenal, I didn’t know any virus could do that - I wonder if studying the mechanism at play could lead to treatments for autoimmune diseases
I find it interesting Nature uses leading language like "wiping" the memory. I don't know my immune cell chemistry, but I doubt the memory is completely wiped.
It's just a quick analogy that people readily understand even if what people imagine it entails is wrong. The main thing is people lose their immunity to other pathogens so the meaning of the effect is carried by the shorthand.