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This is pretty interesting. It made me think that maybe in the end we'll see that the way the pandemic was finally brought under control was through a bunch of
by blakesterz 6y ago
This is pretty interesting. It made me think that maybe in the end we'll see that the way the pandemic was finally brought under control was through a bunch of things, not just a single thing? It seems like many people are thinking something like "once we get a vaccine it'll be over", which might be true. But maybe it'll be a vaccine, and masks, and something like this, and advances in air filters and a dozen other things that just finally stamp it out, or reduce it to a level where we don't need to think/worry about it. And maybe at the same time that'll help greatly reduce the common cold, the flu, and maybe other things?
- helge9210 6y ago>many people are thinking something like "once we get a vaccine it'll be over" Natural immunity lasts for four months, like common cold. "Vaccine" doesn't make sense.
- nradov 6y agoThe best evidence we have so far indicates that most patients will retain a significant level of immunity for at least several years (just like other human coronaviruses). https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.2000839 https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.2000839
- imeron 6y agoI think if we reduce the common things (like the cold and flu) too much we will have more serious infections sweeping across the planet. The immune system needs training too. Just like for kids living in a clean environment (no dogs, dirt, etc.) are more prone to illnesses.
- empthought 6y agoI think you are wrong. Please cite some peer-reviewed sources.
- gardenthoughts 6y agohttps://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120322142157.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120322142157.h...
- lultimouomo 6y agoThe hygiene hypothesis is about infection in the development age preventing the insurgence of allergic and autoimmune diseases; it does not say in any way that being infected with a virus protects you from an unrelated, worse virus.
- Nasrudith 6y agoTrue but cowpox vs smallpox is a trivial counterexample but it certainly isn't complete protection given the many strands of the common cold and flu. To make a complete hash out of the actual details of biology for the sake of explanation we could say that cowpox shared the same immune signature as smallpox while being less deadly resulting in any smallpox infection attempt being nipped in the bud by the immune system. In that case the question is "Would there be more deadly alias viruses counterparts out there and how does the relative risk profile out?" There is also a matter of niche and the fact we would strongly prefer that mostly harmless ones fill the niche rather than deadly ones but we still sterilize instruments because we rationally don't want to take the chance that our "harmless" microbes might mutate to something more deadly on us, let alone the location dependent danger like ecoli in the digestive tract is fine but not in your bloodstream.
- ebg13 6y agoIt's also not known to be correct. https://theconversation.com/early-exposure-to-infections-doesnt-protect-against-allergies-but-getting-into-nature-might-126603 https://theconversation.com/early-exposure-to-infections-doe... Current researchers advise to avoid the phrase "hygiene hypothesis" entirely, because it's misleading, and the most recent formulations are not that we need more early exposure to bad things but that we need more early exposure to good things.
- 6y ago
- bryanlarsen 6y agoThe hygiene hypothesis makes sense to me for allergies, but not for viral/bacterial illnesses. I'm sure that modern humans are exposed to a lot more colds and flus than prehistoric humans were. Colds and flus spread and mutate a lot more easily when we have a population in the billions along with rapid transport.
- AstralStorm 6y agoOr more importantly, huddled together in small enclosed poorly ventilated spaces.
- edoceo 6y agoIndustrial revolution England has joined the chat. 12 person family in crazy small places, no window, mud floor, sharing one bed
- LockAndLol 6y agoYou might be forgetting just what kind of things they were up to at that time. People got in contact with __a lot__ more dirt that we did. There was much more manual labor and much less cushy jobs like we have. The levels of hygiene were nowhere close to the ones we have today. Simple things like bathing weren't by any means standard depending on which time in history and part of the world you're talking about.
- bryanlarsen 6y agoDirt doesn't generally contain human cold & flu viruses & bacteria.
- soperj 6y agoSure it does. Have you never heard of Tetanus? It's literally caused by a bacteria that lives in soil.
- 6y ago
- legulere 6y agoJust recently there was a study in the Netherlands about measles. The result was that if you catch the measles your immune system actually gets attacked and you loose some immunity towards colds etc. that you had before.
- SideburnsOfDoom 6y ago> but maybe it'll be a vaccine, and masks, and something like this It would be masks, if only people would wear them when they need to. It's also a social & compliance problem.
- foobarian 6y agoI know masks were not that popular in America before (especially compared to countries like Taiwan) but I have hope that after this pandemic masks will become more commonplace, and as a result cut the spread of common colds and flus in the years to come. I for one am having a great time not having a single cold since the lockdown in March started.
- SideburnsOfDoom 6y agoI hope that you're right in the long term, but in the short term it's an uphill battle.