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New Pandemics

rocala

Well-Known Member
When we talk about a virus, we are usually talking about a well known disease, say smallpox for example. My question is, are there many more pandemics but the symptoms are so mild that nobody really notices them? Do harmless virus's get noticed and studied?
 

Nimos

Well-Known Member
When we talk about a virus, we are usually talking about a well known disease, say smallpox for example. My question is, are there many more pandemics but the symptoms are so mild that nobody really notices them? Do harmless virus's get noticed and studied?
I assume they do to some extend, but I would assume that if they are found none dangerous, that very little effort is put into studying them, as there would be little gained from investing a lot of money into them.

Also I could imagine that if a virus is not "visible", lets say that you as a person get one, but have absolutely no reaction to it, or maybe just a slight headache, that it is not really easy to even spot it in the first place as you most likely won't react to it and let anyone know that you have a slight headache.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
When we talk about a virus, we are usually talking about a well known disease, say smallpox for example. My question is, are there many more pandemics but the symptoms are so mild that nobody really notices them? Do harmless virus's get noticed and studied?


Here us a wiki on epidemics and pandemics, i was particularly worried about the Zika pandemic, not dangerous to adults or children but can cause deficits in unborn children.
 

Thief

Rogue Theologian
When we talk about a virus, we are usually talking about a well known disease, say smallpox for example. My question is, are there many more pandemics but the symptoms are so mild that nobody really notices them? Do harmless virus's get noticed and studied?
most of your body is water
the lesser part is several pounds of muck

of the muck.....less than HALF
is you

the greater portion is living material that is not human
not you

and quite a portion of it.....is not well known
 

Thief

Rogue Theologian
as for viruses.....I've seen a recent article making claim....
the Covid has already mutated 30times
 

Kangaroo Feathers

Yea, it is written in the Book of Cyril...
When we talk about a virus, we are usually talking about a well known disease, say smallpox for example. My question is, are there many more pandemics but the symptoms are so mild that nobody really notices them? Do harmless virus's get noticed and studied?
most bacteria, and many viruses, live on and in humans with little negative effects.
 

rocala

Well-Known Member
most bacteria, and many viruses, live on and in humans with little negative effects.
True, as far as I can tell. Your use of the word "most" gets to my point. If there are no or few symptoms, does the the virus come to our attention? Or are they largely unknown outside of medical studies.
 

Cooky

Veteran Member
True, as far as I can tell. Your use of the word "most" gets to my point. If there are no or few symptoms, does the the virus come to our attention? Or are they largely unknown outside of medical studies.

I think there's a strong possibility that we might enter a new age in understanding viruses more... There seems to be a lot of unanswered questions, and the technology is fairly new in the grand scheme of things.
 

Polymath257

Think & Care
Staff member
Premium Member
When we talk about a virus, we are usually talking about a well known disease, say smallpox for example. My question is, are there many more pandemics but the symptoms are so mild that nobody really notices them? Do harmless virus's get noticed and studied?

Well, to be labeled a disease requires that it produce symptoms.

A surprising percentage of the weight of an ordinary person is made from bacteria that are either completely symptom-free or are actually helpful (digestion, for example).

Viruses have left their genetic markers in our very DNA: there are many known viral insertions in human genes and they have absolutely no effect because the relevant proteins are never transcribed.

But, yes, 'harmless' viruses and bacteria get studied, primarily with the goal of classification.
 

MNoBody

Well-Known Member
Schematic-of-exosome-secretion-in-a-cancer-cell-model-Exosomes-are-secreted-via-a.png.jpg

not in the context suggested, but there is lots of work being done studying the way things work
how RNA is used in the body and by invasive pathogens
this for example shows how exosomes play a role in disease....which are identical under electron microscopes to corona-type virus's, it was being explored as a mechanism for testing for specific diseases, if you google exosome research it shows a huge field of data, but still in an early stage where the mechanisms may be seen and sort of understood, but still aren't really understood.....so we have lots to still do in this field
 

Kangaroo Feathers

Yea, it is written in the Book of Cyril...
True, as far as I can tell. Your use of the word "most" gets to my point. If there are no or few symptoms, does the the virus come to our attention? Or are they largely unknown outside of medical studies.
There are millions of viruses that exist that have no effect on humans, however, because they sometimes have effects we find useful, they're still studied. In the age of anti-biotic resistant bacteria, bacteriophage is one promising avenue of research, for example Bacteriophage - Wikipedia
 
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