eli5 if everyone with a certain disease died, would that disease cease to exist?

Question

Say influenza, if tomorrow, everyone with influenza spontaneously died, would the disease cease to exist?

In: 6

Answer 1

Influenza? Probably not as it is transmissible between animals and humans.

[https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/influenza-(avian-and-other-zoonotic)](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/influenza-(avian-and-other-zoonotic))

In fact many of the worst diseases of the past and currently are related to animals as vectors or reservoirs. Bubonic plague, smallpox, malaria, yellow fever etc etc