Has our pandemic response been influenced by the eradication of smallpox?

[brad465]

I'm not suggesting in the slightest that eradicating smallpox was a bad thing, but I do think the fact we did eradicate it has at least influenced our thinking on covid. "Zero covid" is of course of the same thinking as complete eradication, but this was only possible for some remote island nations and while covid had a relatively low rate of transmission. Delta coming along put an end to the strategy in Australia and New Zealand, and AFAIK only China is still trying to pursue it.

There are also plenty of individuals who have compared smallpox and covid in many ways, including how its vaccines were once mandated and it was only eradicated because of them. What they don't necessarily realise is, aside from smallpox having a considerably higher case fatality rate than covid, it had some very favourable attributes that enabled eradication which covid is so far proving not to have, including:

-Smallpox vaccines were very good at stopping any form of infection and transmission, and once given, no further doses were necessary; covid is already being shown to infect and transmit via vaccinated individuals while needing boosters to hold up immunity.
-Smallpox was not believed to infect/transmit via any organism other than humans, whereas covid not only came from animals, but has been found in mink, deer and some pets. A disease naturally occurring in both humans and other animals is practically impossible to eradicate.
-Almost every smallpox infection had very visible symptoms that allowed swift quarantining, but covid seems to be able to spread in the absence of symptoms.

While some like to say "covid is not the flu", by the same logic "covid isn't smallpox" either. But in reality covid seems to be far more similar to flu in terms of fatality rate, need to issue booster vaccines regularly, ability to mutate and symptoms experienced.

 

[yorksrob]

I think that our pandemic response (as human society globally) has been more influenced by other avian viruses such as bird flu and SARS, which were controlled and eradicated. Unfortunately this has led to an inability to consider the current virus as endemic.

 

[Bayum]

I think modern medicine has progressed to such a point where we see the benefit of vaccines via mass immunisation and, thankfully, the days of life-long disability and mortality are long gone with infections like measles, diphtheria and meningitis. When something like SARS and MERS reared their heads however many years ago, we’ve been fine, thankfully due to their transmissibility being much reduced. When something like COVID comes along and we see the enormous pressures that the virus has given healthcare systems worldwide the only thing you can do is vaccinate and hard. Prevention now and hopefully we find a new variant that causes much milder symptoms or vaccines improve to such an extent that disease severity is drastically reduced.

 

[Jonny]

I think that our pandemic response (as human society globally) has been more influenced by other avian viruses such as bird flu and SARS, which were controlled and eradicated. Unfortunately this has led to an inability to consider the current virus as endemic.

Which is unfortunate, because we are now in an endemic phase. If it hadn't been for the announcements last week, I would still be calling it 'the covid endemic', which it pretty much is.

 

[yorksrob]

Which is unfortunate, because we are now in an endemic phase. If it hadn't been for the announcements last week, I would still be calling it 'the covid endemic', which it pretty much is.

Indeed.

 

[Ediswan]

If it hadn't been for the announcements last week, I would still be calling it 'the covid endemic', which it pretty much is.

I was not aware that 'endemic' can be used a noun, seems it can.

However, every defintion for 'endemic' I can find includes that there be a geographical limit, which for Covid there is not. I don't have an alternative. None of the existing terms seem to fit (under their current definitions).

 

[Bayum]

I was not aware that 'endemic' can be used a noun, seems it can.

However, every defintion for 'endemic' I can find includes that there be a geographical limit, which for Covid there is not. I don't have an alternative. None of the existing terms seem to fit (under their current definitions).

Depends on the context.

You could say COVID-19 is now endemic to the UK; you are qualifying the adjective with a noun. It is an outbreak realistically.

 

[yorkie]

I was not aware that 'endemic' can be used a noun, seems it can.

However, every defintion for 'endemic' I can find includes that there be a geographical limit, which for Covid there is not. I don't have an alternative. None of the existing terms seem to fit (under their current definitions).

Seasonal respiratory viruses (including Coronaviruses) live with us in a state of endemic equilibrium. There is no geographical limit to their reach. But the state of equilibrium may be different in one region to another.

We are currently transitioning from the epidemic phase to the endemic phase.

 

[MikeWM]

On the radio this morning - some 'music from a certain year' feature, was 1979, the two presenters pointed out that was the year that smallpox was officially eliminated. 'That'll be coronavirus soon, hopefully' said one, the other agreed

To be fair, they don't hire breakfast radio show DJs for their brains, but this does appear to be a problem.

 

[yorkie]

I think most people realise Sars-CoV-2 will become an endemic virus which we live with in a similar way to other respiratory viruses but it is surprising how many people still think it can be eliminated.

The virus continues to adapt for human cells and our immunity to it will be sufficient to avoid severe outcomes but insufficient to avoid infection altogether.

Endemic equilibrium awaits.

 

[Yew]

I'm more than up for going for elimination, but with the awesome vaccines of the future, not with restrictions.