Would it be realistically possible to eliminate the common flu from the Earth, and would there be any kind of adverse consequences?
In: Biology
Probably.
Although it would probably cause a slight increase in over Population, as the flu kills people, thousands, a year.
If you’re talking about common flu, meaning influenza. It would be highly unlikely that it would be eliminated. The virus that causes influenza is an RNA virus. And because RNA is super unstable compared to DNA, it mutates way more. So even if we got rid of one type, another new completely different type wouldn’t be far away. Due to the mutations changing it.
Currently, there are a few different influenza types (Influenza A, B, and C) that have a whole heap of different species within those groups. And there’s a good chance that even more are hiding around the corner in other animals. All it takes is a mutated strain and bam! Another influenza is out and about among humans.
If you’re talking about the common cold. That’s even more unlikely. There are hundreds of viruses that can cause what we refer to as the common cold. And they’re all different types. Some may have the same tricky mutation skills that the influenza virus has, some may have other sneaky skills to avoid our attempts at eliminating them.
If, by a very very very (I cannot stress this enough) slim to assuredly no chance, they were eliminated. It would be hard to predict the consequences, adverse or otherwise. Mammals developed the placenta as a result of a virus influencing our DNA way back in the past. They’ve had a big hand in speeding up evolution of many different species all over the world. But they have also been implicated in some cancers and neurological disorders. So in answer to your second question – maybe, maybe not.
With the current technology, no.
There’s always the possibility we will develop a different approach to immunity/eradication in the future which could eliminate it.
That said, there would be no negative impact from cold/flu going extinct. Unlike pest animals, there is nothing that feeds on viruses, so there would be no ecological impact.
There would be an uptick in human population, which some might consider a negative, but it isn’t inherently negative.
An interesting idea that sparked due to the current pandemic, is researching a way to target all coronaviruses by means of altering our own cell functions so that the virus can’t replicate rapidly.
So, instead of targeting the virus’ DNA (which is a wild goose chase needing different drugs due to all the different types and constant mutations), we could instead use one drug that temporarily inhibits the DNA replication mechanisms in our cells. So we could deprive the virus of its reproductive mechanism for a little, while our immune system ramps up defenses.
I found this an interesting approach that if successful and properly advanced, could protect us widely from viruses (or at least, pandemics) in the future.
It is difficult to eliminate diseases that have a wild reservoir.
Influenza A has a natural host in aquatic birds and occasionally jumps over to domesticate poultry, pigs or humans (like h1n1, h2n2, h3n2 and etc.)
Influenza B is mostly in humans the only other animals known to have it are seals and ferrets. It mutates slowly compared to A so most people have immunity to it from childhood. Because it is so slow to mutate, and because there are few species that carry it, it ensures that pandemics from it don’t occur.
Influenza C is in dogs and pigs too. It can cause local epidemics, but it is less common and generally only causes a mild disease in children.
Influenza D has not been seen in humans. It’s only in cattle and pigs.
We might be able to eliminate D and possibly C since the animals are domesticated, but it might be difficult to vaccinate village dogs.
It would not be realistically possible.
Even if we managed to eliminate the major flu subtypes that most may consider “the common flu” from the human population, it would not be gone. It would still be found in animals. The flu would then jump back into the human population from the animal reservoirs.
There are some unusual numbers coming out of Australia that imply that not only might it be possible for flu to be “eliminated”- it may actually be happening.
Australia, in 2019, recorded 72,000 flu hospitalizations.
This year: 78.
The public health measures in place against CV19 seem to work wonders against flu.
So what if- just what if- the human flu exchange that occurs annually from the north to southern hemisphere and back- just stops?
The flu authorities who meet this time of year every year to decide what flu variants to include in the annual flu vaccine, are not sure what variants to include, because there is so little of it around.
There might just be something big happening about flu, as a side effect of the CV19 pandemic.
But not permanently: there are still the non-human reservoirs of flu, in pigs, and particularly birds, that would no doubt emerge again over time.
forget flu. what would happen if all viruses were eliminated?
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