Nick, No, most likely not. A person is infected with the one strain that is currently circulating throughout the population.. In other words, there is only on strain likely to be circulating at a time.
Over time other strains might evolve, but you are right: this is not a time to suck it up and go to work when you feel shitty. Maybe I'll sleep in tomorrow... --Doug On Mon, Apr 27, 2009 at 8:38 PM, Nicholas Thompson < [email protected]> wrote: > Doug, > > Isn't there another reason to do everything in our power to slow the spread > of the disease? Within each patient is going on a desperate war between more > virulent and less virulent strains of the virus. More virulent strains > reproduce faster, shed more stuff in the early stages of the disease and > kill the patient quick; less virulent strains reproduce more slowly, shed > less stuff in the early stages, but allow the patient to get around more to > spread the disease. Slowing the spread of the disease, particularly in the > early stages, handicaps the more virulent strains in this competition. One > of the reasons the 1918 epidemic was so bad is that all those young recruits > were packed together under lousy living conditions so transmission was > practically instantaneous and the more virulent strains were rewarded. This > is NOT a time to suck it up and go to work when you feel shitty. > My authority here is Paul Ewald, The Evolution of Infectious Diseases, who > argues, for instance, the use of mosquito nettings reduces the virulence of > malaria infections. > > Is this correct? > > Nick > > Nicholas S. Thompson > Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Ethology, > Clark University ([email protected]) > http://home.earthlink.net/~nickthompson/naturaldesigns/<http://home.earthlink.net/%7Enickthompson/naturaldesigns/> > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > *From:* Douglas Roberts <[email protected]> > *To: *The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group<[email protected]> > *Sent:* 4/27/2009 7:11:12 PM > *Subject:* [FRIAM] Swine flu > > A brief lay-level article I wrote for the SFR, at the request of one of > their reporters: > > http://www.sfreeper.com/2009/04/27/swine-flu/ > > -- > Doug Roberts > [email protected] > [email protected] > 505-455-7333 - Office > 505-670-8195 - Cell > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org > -- Doug Roberts [email protected] [email protected] 505-455-7333 - Office 505-670-8195 - Cell
============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
