On Tue, Sep 14, 2021 at 1:47 PM 'Brent Meeker' via Everything List < [email protected]> wrote
* > Smallpox is different in that only humans get it. * > There is a virus very similar to Smallpox called "Cowpox" that both humans and cows can get; when humans get it the symptoms are quite mild, you might feel a little subpar for a day or two but that's about it, however the two viruses are so similar that when you've recovered from Cowpox you've also received a lifetime immunity to Smallpox. That's why milkmaids had the reputation for being unusually beautiful, nearly all had been infected with Cowpox so they never had smallpox, thus they didn't have the Smallpox facial scars that most adults had. That's why 17th century Flemish artists love to paint milkmaids. Vermeer's "The Milkmaid" <https://i1.wp.com/www.michaelsheehanphotos.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/20160305-1107372138-3-3-copy.jpg> And that's how Edward Jenner got the idea of using cowpox in his smallpox vaccine. * > Covid probably can't be completely eliminated because there seem to > animals that carry it. * > I think if you went back far enough you'd find that nearly all human pathogens originated in an animal virus that underwent a mutation. *> That's part of the reason influenza can't be eliminated.* > Thanks to CRISPR gene editing I wouldn't be surprised if we had a universal influenza vaccine quite soon: NIH launches clinical trial of universal influenza vaccine <https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-launches-clinical-trial-universal-influenza-vaccine-candidate> John K Clark See what's on my new list at Extropolis <https://groups.google.com/g/extropolis> yel vom > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/everything-list/CAJPayv295%3Ddk187Y0uB90X2Z8rJcsMzO5jmDukKkJR8PR3OyBg%40mail.gmail.com.
