Sizing Up the Viral Threat 78
sciencehabit writes "Ebola, HIV, influenza, MERS. Plenty of animal viruses cause devastating diseases in humans. But nature might have many more in store. In a new study, U.S. researchers estimate that there are more than 320,000 unknown viruses lurking in mammals alone (abstract). Identifying all the viruses in mammals would be a huge boon to scientists and epidemiologists, Daszak says. If an animal virus begins spreading to humans, they could use the new sequences to quickly pinpoint its source. In the lab, they could study the newfound viruses to see which are most likely to jump to humans and then prepare vaccines or drugs, he says. 'It would be the beginning of the end for pandemics.' A complete viral inventory would also carry a hefty price tag: about $6.3 billion, the authors estimate. 'But you have to put that into perspective,' says Daszak, pointing to the 2003 SARS outbreak. That pandemic alone is estimated to have cost between $15 billion and $50 billion in economic losses."
Vaccines... (Score:4, Insightful)
That's all fine and dandy and all, but remember, people are getting so stupid that they think vaccines are more sinister than the viral diseases they can prevent. Lets solve the problem of stupid people first, or just let them all die of measles++.
When Not If (Score:3, Insightful)
Time is of the essence... (Score:4, Insightful)
Better hurry, since if we wait 10 or 20 years, that price tag might only be a couple of million. Think of the authors, who have new shoes to buy!
Life's a risk, you live, you die. Society can't handle the costs of current increases to lifetimes. Extending lives is not a de facto good thing.
Wishful Thinking (Score:5, Insightful)
In the lab, they could study the newfound viruses to see which are most likely to jump to humans and then prepare vaccines or drugs, he says. 'It would be the beginning of the end for pandemics.'
No, it would just be yet another volley in the endless war of attrition that is the evolution of species... but I like your optimism.
Re:go ahead, make my end-of-days (Score:5, Insightful)
Hey, I have an idea. Let's all firmly lodge our heads up our asses and make believe that not studying potential health threats means there won't be any health threats.
Re:go ahead, make my end-of-days (Score:4, Insightful)
lets give them that money to "study the newfound viruses to see which are most likely to jump to humans". I'm sure that could never end up being abused.
Give me a call when that "abuse" is up to 0.1% of our spending on the military-industrial complex, the educational-industrial complex, or bonuses for running successful scams in finance.
Thousands of researchers, trillions of virii ... (Score:2, Insightful)
The smart money isn't on the researchers, because the sheer
numbers alone favor the occurrence of a virus which might just be
the golden bullet in terms of its ability to spread combined with its
morbidity.
And today more than ever, with air travel and international shipping of
things like chicken and meat, the virus has a better chance of finding
new hosts in widespread areas than it ever had before.
The US and other countries WILL regret importing food from China,
mark my words well and remember them when you bury your loved
ones this year, or the next, or the year after that. Thanks to
the idiocy and greed of government everywhere, the probability of a
worldwide pandemic is now down to only a question of when, not if.