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Vegans do make that argument sometimes, and it's often countered by the fact that other diseases and bacteria can spread on veggies, like salmonella and E. Coli
by jlarocco 7y ago
Vegans do make that argument sometimes, and it's often countered by the fact that other diseases and bacteria can spread on veggies, like salmonella and E. Coli on lettuce. And proper handling and cooking will kill viruses/bacteria, so it theoretically shouldn't be a real problem...
Note that I'm not arguing one way or the other, that's just how I've seen it play out a few times.
- AlotOfReading 7y agoI don't have a horse in this race either, but bacterial diseases are far more manageable than viral diseases from a public health perspective. The fact that you can get the former doesn't balance the latter, if pandemic risk is a policy consideration you want to have.
- gamblor956 7y agoExcept for the part where bacteria can evolve permanent resistances to antibacterial agents, and survive for weeks or months on surfaces, while viruses have a limited ability to adapt to antivirals and have a short and finite span of viability in the wild.
- AlotOfReading 7y agoAntibiotic resistance has an energetic cost and generally gets selected against in the absence of agents. Bacteria are also much easier (and cheaper) to test for. Even if there was a hyperbug, you can afford to check everyone inside a half mile of the infected for relatively low cost.
- CraigJPerry 7y agoThey won’t be if we keep pumping antibiotics into our food supply in the meantime