Problem:
Scientists are unable to "close the chapter" on infectious diseases because they are ever evolving. Infectious diseases are constantly mutating from host to host, and can often times be dormant for so long that once reintroduced back into society, our bodies are no longer equipped to fighting the infection off ourselves; resulting in mass outbreaks, pandemics, and high mortality rates. Ensuring proper hygiene habits, such as hand washing and staying home when you're sick, will help to prevent any future pandemics and small-scale outbreaks.
Emerging infectious diseases are diseases that are considered new, and have not been detected in humans before, or are a disease present in an unexpected outbreak within the last 20 years. These diseases pose a threat as they can rapidly evolve overtime or can infect mass numbers within a short period of time. For example, in 2015, western Africa was facing a massive Ebola outbreak. Ebola has been around for a long time but has not ever been recorded on such a large scale. Factors such as proximity to infected individuals, high transmission rates, and traditional medicine practices contributed to high mortality rates. (Parker, et al, 2016b)
We also know that viruses have the ability to change or mutate in order to spread. This occurs when the virus splits, or copies itself, and small changes occur to the viruses genetic makeup. The more we see a virus spreading, the more it is mutating; this is what we know as variants or viral evolution. Take the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 for instance, SARS-COV-2 was an infection that we originally found in animals such as bats, but in China the first case of covid in a human was documented since the early 2000s. The original variant that was contracted from the bat was not the same variant that rapidly spread, killing millions. The original virus had mutated multiple times, slightly changing after every person it had infected; this is why symptoms differed from case to case, not every person realistically had the same variant of covid and not every person's body was being impacted the same way (Banoun, 2021).
Scientists believe that viruses such as COVID attacked our RNA, causing it to become weakened; contributing to the ability for mass transmission. The COVID virus was shown to have mutated many genomes within the body, attacking structural proteins, and leaving its host more vulnerable to other immune diseases and infections (Banoun, 2021).
In the case of COVID-19, it was believed that the virus came from a bat, which was seen as unusual as animal based infectious diseases are rarely successful in infecting human hosts. This is because the replication process of the virus is slow, and our bodies can fight the spread of the infection on its own. When viruses spread, they have to mutate; this is because the original virus is tailored to its original host. Mutation allows for the opportunity to infect new cells with new genetic coding. With animal to human viruses, the infection still spreads, but it is likely that the first couple of infected individuals are not being affected as the animal-based virus has not figured out how to attack human cells. The mutation process from animal cells to human cells is considered a longer and more tedious process for the virus; having to infect multiple people in order to understand how to penetrate human cells. Once it has figured out how to break through the external barrier of a eukaryotic cell, it is able to then infect the cell and spread rapidly within the body (Viruses & Vaccines, n.d.).
Viruses infect and attack eukaryotic cells, replicating their viral DNA within the nucleus. During this attack, the virus infects the cell, synthesizes within the cell, causing the cell to replicate itself and translate the new viral make up. Essentially infecting the cell, forcing it to duplicate its own infected genetic makeup, and rapidly spreading infected cell through the body (Parker, et al, 2016).
Climate change is also something we need to consider when thinking of our health. With rising global temperatures, permafrost layers across the globe are melting; proposing the threat of ancient diseases that have been trapped in the ice for decades. This is a massive concern for scientists around the world because they may know little to nothing about the bacteria trapped in the ice. They are unable to say if they are active bacteria, how infectious they are, and what the transmission rate is. It is estimated that there are roughly 4 sextillion (4 with 21 zeros) infectious microbes trapped in the arctic permafrost (Morton, 2025). We will not be able to completely prevent these microbes from escaping the ice, but we can work on limiting our exposure by following proper hygiene habits and staying up to date with the latest information.
References:
Banoun, H. (2021). Evolution of SARS-COV-2: Review of mutations, role of the host immune system. U.S. National Library of Medicine.
How Viruses Evolve. Viruses & Vaccines. (n.d.).
Morton, O. (2025, January 7). Could microbes, locked in arctic ice for millennia, unleash a wave of deadly diseases?. UN environmental programme.
Parker, N., Schneegurt, M., Tu, A.-H. T., Lister, P., & Forster, B. M. (2016, November 1). 6.1 viruses - microbiology. OpenStax.
Respond to post by focusing on questions from the initial post. In 250-350 words draft your response.
#1: Identify one more ramification. If your peer chose something at the local level, identify something that would have larger effects e.g. globally. Explain the impact it will have. Need Assignment Help?
# 2: Discuss another concern about emerging infectious diseases that is not related to the melting of polar ice caps. Why is it a concern?
#3: Share a different lesson we will learn as a society when it comes to coexisting with our microbial communities? This should also be different from your own.
References and Citations: Integrate relevant evidence, information, and ideas from this course's Learning Materials and other credible and/or peer-reviewed scientific sources. Attribute source information using in-text citations and a full reference list at the end of the Response post.