3 ms·
I've been wondering - would it be possible that something like HIV comes along, only airborne? This would be a nightmare scenario obviously, but is it possible?
by grokys 6y ago
I've been wondering - would it be possible that something like HIV comes along, only airborne? This would be a nightmare scenario obviously, but is it possible?
- kennywinker 6y agoDefinitely possible, but I (not an expert) think unlikely. Viruses still have to contend with physics and limited resources. For example, by “something like hiv” do you mean something that acts very slowly, but eventually kills you? That indicates a low viral reproduction rate - which means you’re spreading far fewer virus particles than something like covid, thus a low transmission rate, even if airborn. Do you mean “attacks the immune system”? How does it get airborn, if it’s in the relatively few immune cells in the lungs? I suspect if you inhaled an aerosol of hiv particles you might catch it, but it doesn’t have a way of getting in the air. Again, not an expert/wild speculation, but I think the risk of something fast acting, highly transmissible, and highly lethal, is more of a concern than a slow-acting lethal virus.