4 ms·

Wiping out smallpox seems to have no negative side effects. In any case, side effects that might exist are hugely less problematic than millions of human deaths

Wiping out smallpox seems to have no negative side effects. In any case, side effects that might exist are hugely less problematic than millions of human deaths!

TheHypnotist 8y ago
The discussion isn't about wiping out a disease, it's about wiping out a species to wipe out a disease. Smallpox was eliminated in large part due to vaccination, not wiping an animal or insect from the face of the planet. Now, if you can eliminate the malaria within the mosquito, that's something else entirely.
- sampo 8y ago
  Smallpox was a species, too. If we allow viruses to be species.
  - TheHypnotist 8y ago
    Fair - and you are probably right. But I'd rather not get into semantics. You know what I meant.
    - krageon 8y ago
      If everyone knew what you meant we wouldn't be having the discussion that we are definitely having.
      - TheHypnotist 8y ago
        Did you not read the OP? It makes the discussion pretty clear.
rincebrain 8y ago
One could argue that the rise of people arguing against vaccination of children is directly related to those people not having direct experience with the horrific realities of the diseases in question. That aside, millions of human deaths (annually or in total) is a horrific tragedy, but if we, say, managed to render a large area of land uninhabitable through ecological collapse for a generation or more, it might be far worse, both in some imaginary absolute scale, and for the people directly displaced.
fiblye 8y ago
There's a difference between wiping out a virus that pretty much only affects humans, and wiping out an animal that's been present for millions of years and is firmly established as a food source for countless other animals. One has the sole effect of making humans healthier. The other is linked to far too many things to predict the outcome of. Considering dragonfly nymphs have mosquito larvae as a stable food source, it's safe to say that knocking them out will probably affect them. Then follow that food chain up (and down) and things start to get complicated.

Wiping out smallpox seems to have no negative side effects. In any case, side effects that might exist are hugely less problematic than millions of human deaths!

TheHypnotist 8y ago

The discussion isn't about wiping out a disease, it's about wiping out a species to wipe out a disease. Smallpox was eliminated in large part due to vaccination, not wiping an animal or insect from the face of the planet. Now, if you can eliminate the malaria within the mosquito, that's something else entirely.

sampo 8y ago
Smallpox was a species, too. If we allow viruses to be species.
- TheHypnotist 8y ago
  Fair - and you are probably right. But I'd rather not get into semantics. You know what I meant.
  - krageon 8y ago
    If everyone knew what you meant we wouldn't be having the discussion that we are definitely having.
    - TheHypnotist 8y ago
      Did you not read the OP? It makes the discussion pretty clear.

rincebrain 8y ago

One could argue that the rise of people arguing against vaccination of children is directly related to those people not having direct experience with the horrific realities of the diseases in question. That aside, millions of human deaths (annually or in total) is a horrific tragedy, but if we, say, managed to render a large area of land uninhabitable through ecological collapse for a generation or more, it might be far worse, both in some imaginary absolute scale, and for the people directly displaced.

fiblye 8y ago

There's a difference between wiping out a virus that pretty much only affects humans, and wiping out an animal that's been present for millions of years and is firmly established as a food source for countless other animals. One has the sole effect of making humans healthier. The other is linked to far too many things to predict the outcome of. Considering dragonfly nymphs have mosquito larvae as a stable food source, it's safe to say that knocking them out will probably affect them. Then follow that food chain up (and down) and things start to get complicated.