Is There Cause For Concern?

[anotheoldgit]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6216301/Nearly-40-years-defeated-smallpox-scientists-fear-new-deadly-plague-strike.html

[spathiphyllum]

I think not. Yes, a superbug will eventually wipe us out. As we make cures, the bug evolves, becoming stronger than the cure. Not to mention the more we take these 'cures' / antibiotics etc.. the weaker our own immune system becomes. We need to battle and defeat these diseases to become stronger. Issue is most people just pop, get some anti biotics, let them fight the disease and stay weak themselves. This then goes through generations / genes and some people become super weak as their genetics just don't have strong immune systems.. These people then get ill, pass it on etc.. people take antibiotics because it's bad then no one ends up becoming slightly immune to the diseases...

It's a circle that will only be broken be either, a wave of super immune systems (doubtful), or a super bug.

[jim360]

"Is there cause for concern?"

"Nah, it's all good, we're totally gonna die and that's fine." -- spath.

[retrocop]

Mr aog
Well it doesn't look nice but I won't be rushing down the garage for my old Haz Chem suit. It would appear that a certain former PM (well he would take the credit wouldn't he?) had the foresight to order smallpox jabs in case of an epidemic in the UK.Probably at the same time as he formalised the "open door" policy. Hope hr ordered loads of TB jabs as well as that is appearing again.
You and I should be OK Mr aog as we are too old to remember having it as young striplings. :-)

[spathiphyllum]

Well why concern yourself over inevitable ay? ;)

[retrocop]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The smallpox jab

[Old_Geezer]

All new threats need to be taken seriously, but not panicked over.

As for not evolving immunity but relying on medicine, well whilst I see the issue, there must be a limit to how many threats one's DNA can code protection for, at the same time, so having another form of defence makes sense. If worried about not having natural immunity, give it time and science will probably be able to insert the relevant DNA instructions into you, eventually. You may need to find room for extra organs though ;-)

[jim360]

OG's first sentence in that post really has hit the nail for six.

[fender62]

africa the continent the keeps giving...

[fender62]

typo..that

[ichkeria]

Has monkeypox seriously applied to fill the smallpox vacancy?
That much at least seems unlikely :-)

[naomi24]

Cause for concern, yes, but not for panic.

[youngmafbog]

No,, not this one - it is DNA driven so wont mutate.

However, as always, proceed with caution and be aware.

[Georgiesmum]

No, not unduly. Dont panic Mannering!

[andy-hughes]

Bird flu anyone?

[retrocop]

SARs anyone?

[Peter Pedant]

no - there is no cause for concern
second headline is: Public Health England have said that monkeypox does not spread easily

so no there wont be an epidemic ....

The article is an awful hodge podge - and goes thro - spanish flu 1918 ( not a DNA virus ) Ebola ( not a DNA virus) - and then the air spread of rabies ( doesnt occur ) thro to fiction - but not the Satan Bug probably because the hack isnt old enough

and comes down to - monkey pox ( which doesnt "jump" species - if bacteria and viruses were species specific then lab rats would be out of a job) is less awful than small pox and more severe than Chickenpox

and no one has noticed that chickenpox is not caused by a pox virus but by a DNA ds virus Herpes (cold sores etc) - completely different. Cow pox then which every fule kno Jenner (1740) used to vaccinate against small pox ( vacca - cow - geddit??)

Ho hum they have to sell papers, and today they decided ....

[jourdain2]

a-h 13.13. Mr J2 and I contracted bird-flu during a visit to Paris, some 9 years ago. We were very, very ill for many weeks and I think it took about 3 months before we were anywhere near recovered. Not really a subject for levity.
Apropos - TB was eradicated in this country in the early 1960's so I, along with many other school-children, were not vaccinated against it. Then we began allowing unfettered immigration from the Indian sub-continent. I and many others were appalled that immigrants were not being health-checked (it was racist or some such nonsense).

In the late '80s I found that I had, unwittingly, been heavily exposed to TB through my Bradford school. My then doctor could not believe that many people had not been safeguarded and I ended up with screening and (phew!) innoculation.

Immigrants DO bring dangers, I see that one of the people in the article is a health professional who had been working in Africa. Immigrants and anyone who could be a risk should be screened.

[jourdain2]

^^^ Apologies, grammatical error 'was not vaccinated against it'.

[retrocop]

Jourdain
Another disease we thought we had eradicated in the 50s has reared it's ugly head in the UK thanks to our Asian friends who come here en-masse without screening first. Polio! Why the hell should some numb nuts concern themselves about sterotyping immigrants when the public health of this country deteriorates.It is the NHS who ultimately pays the cost to stem these new outbreaks after we thought we had eradicated it years ago. :-(

[Mamyalynne]

I can't improve on O_G's first sentence @ 10.58.