Viruses are the cause infectious diseases and epidemics. As old as life. They are called the cause of evolution and the "instrument of God", they "created" man, but they can also destroy him. Especially if they are used as weapons.
Emergence
Viruses are ubiquitous. They are able to survive both in the depths of the ocean and at a bird's eye view. They are not hindered by either high or cold temperature... For their existence they need only one condition - someone else's life. And it doesn't have to be a person or an animal, just one cell, bacteria, or even another virus, where the infectious agent can multiply, is enough.
Moreover, none of the above hypotheses is applicable for all viruses known to man. And yet, based on the composition of some viral organisms, scientists suggest that viruses are one of the oldest organisms that originated on earth. A bitter "joke of nature" - as soon as life was born, death appeared.
The main engine of evolution
And yet, some scientists see viruses not as a time bomb, but as the main engine of evolution. According to the so-called "virological theory of evolution", if not for viruses, the animal world would have remained at the level of single-celled individuals. Their merit is that by infecting one organism, say, a plant, the virus borrows genes from it and transfers it to the next living organisms upon contact. And the latter are already adapting them for their own purposes. So, thanks to viral infections, mammals acquired a temporary organ, the placenta, which takes nutrients from the mother's body and transfers them to the embryo. In other words, it is thanks to viruses that humans, many mammals and fish have acquired the ability to bear children.
According to scientists, what was created in nature and worked well will never disappear. For example, the hemoglobin gene, which once appeared in dinosaurs, was transmitted by viruses to plants, insects, animals and, finally, humans. And it serves completely different purposes: in humans and animals for the transfer of oxygen, in plants it is a transport protein in the roots.
Retrovirus-a tool of god
Among the viruses, the most dangerous for humans is the so-called retrovirus, which infects mainly vertebrates. It is the only virus that has the ability to transfer its information from RNA to DNA and vice versa. Believers scientists dubbed it "God's tool", since it was the retrovirus that was the main agent in "viral evolution."
Ironically, it is the retrovirus that is the cause of many chronic, incurable and often fatal human diseases. The infamous HIV also belongs to this genus of organisms. Also, many cases of cancer are attributed to the "merit" of retroviruses.
Hot spots of the planet
Despite the fact that a virus that is fatal to humans can appear anytime and anywhere, there are special areas on Earth with a “favorable” environment for its spread. And recently, scientists have managed to draw up a map of the planet's "hot spots", where a new "plague" is to be expected. Basically, these are zones with a humid tropical climate: the mouth of the Niger River in Africa, Southeast Asia, Hindustan. The situation may be aggravated by the fact that it is in these areas that primary indication, identification of viruses and the development of any methods of influencing them are not actually practiced.
By the way, there is also one dangerous point on the territory of Russia - the Far Eastern regions, which have always been the focus of many diseases, especially those that are carried by insects. According to the researchers, Russia cannot be called a virus-safe area at all. The absence of hot spots on the territory of our country is so far only a result of the fact that Russia has not been studied in this respect.
Pandemic - the dance of death
If a person is always surrounded by deadly viruses, then how then to explain the sequence of epidemics? According to scientists, the causes of pandemics can be completely different: it is a mutating virus, from which human immunity did not have time to develop a "remedy", the appearance of an infection in a society that has been isolated from it for a long time. By the way, European colonists often became the cause of massive diseases among the indigenous population of the conquered territories, since they turned out to be more resistant to many viruses than the Indians and Negroids.
Physical and climatic changes are another persistent cause of the largest pandemics in human history. Thus, the notorious "black death" - bubonic and pneumonic plague, which decimated most of the population of medieval Europe (about 60 million people) was preceded by global climatic cataclysms. In Europe, as a result of the eruption of Etna in 1333, the weather was warm and damp. A few years before the start of the great disaster, heavy rains and floods had passed through France and Germany, accompanied by crop failures, locust infestations and cattle pestilence. Such environmental conditions have created a favorable atmosphere for life. dangerous virus, and the raging hunger brought hordes of rodents - spreading the disease, closer to people's homes.
Of course, such processes cannot but cause concern among virologists. XX-XXI centuries have already shown themselves to be “climatically unstable”. Volcanic eruptions, major floods, earthquakes, climatic surges and, finally, the threat of global warming all create the ideal conditions for a new pandemic. And viral activity proves this: over the past 65 years, the number of new and mutating viruses infecting humans has quadrupled.
Weapons of mass destruction
Epidemics have claimed more lives than any other natural phenomenon. More than wars. Pandemics of plague, typhus, smallpox and cholera devastated entire territories, claiming millions of lives. Such "victorious" statistics could not but give rise to the idea of \u200b\u200busing viruses as biological weapons. And, despite the international convention of 1972 on the prohibition of the development, production and stockpiling of biological weapons, the possibility of an artificially induced epidemic today raises concerns even among experts.
And they are not groundless. For example, the smallpox virus, which today is considered destroyed in the natural environment, is still stored in laboratories in Russia and the United States. At the same time, despite the availability of a vaccine, most of the world's population is not vaccinated, since the vaccine is characterized by severe consequences. In recent years, before the virus was officially declared eradicated, more people got sick from the vaccine than from the virus.
Between life and death
Viruses
I think that computer viruses can be called life. The life artificially created by people turned out to be extremely destructive, and this says a lot about you and me. We have created life in our own image and likeness.
Stephen Hawking
Fictional relatives of ruthless predators may well be kind: the wolf helps Ivan Tsarevich, the snake teaches Mowgli wisdom and patience ... Viruses are perhaps the only representatives of the fantastic bestiary that fully deserve the title "instruments of death." It is impossible to agree with them, it is difficult to manage them and it is even more difficult to deal with the consequences of such “management”.
Stock up on microscopes, respirators, and vaccines. We go to visit the smallest killers of two worlds - real and fictional. Particles of the genome, visible only under a thousandfold magnification, can do trouble on the scale of an entire planet. Meet - their microscopic viruses! From herpes and Trojan horses to Ebola and zombie infestations.
Death form
Some phage viruses have a complex structure and more resemble aliens (on the right - a real photo, on the left - a carbon nanomodel under a magnification of 25 thousand times).
Virus sizes range from 20 to 300 nm *. The largest viruses - for example, vaccinia - can be seen with a light microscope, as their size is comparable to small bacteria.
Nanometer \u003d 10-9 m.
The Ebola virus is real and plush.
From the ash
In 2006, French scientists, using traces of the genome of an ancient virus in human DNA, were able to revive the virus that infect our ancestors 5 million years ago. He received the name "Phoenix". With its help, it is planned to study the relationship of viral infections with cancerous tumors.
Resurrection of dangerous viruses is a very sensitive issue. In 2005, scientists recreated the infamous "Spanish flu" that killed about 50 million people in 1918. Interestingly, from the "Spanish flu" died two children out of three, who on May 13, 1917 was given a vision of the Virgin Mary near the Portuguese village of Fatima. The surviving Lucia de Santos became the only witness to the miracle. From her words, the famous "three secrets of Fatima" were written down - in particular, that Russia should be returned to the Christian faith as soon as possible, otherwise the world will very much regret it. Who knows - if it weren't for the Spanish flu, perhaps the prophecies would have been less anti-Russian?
The Phoenix enters the cage.
Plague of the 20th century
In the early 1980s, AIDS was associated with unconventional sex and drug use. Initially, the virus could only be isolated from homosexuals, so HIV was called the "gay disease". Contrary to some legends, HIV is not transmitted through mosquito bites (although the latter are carriers of other viruses). There are two types of HIV, both of which most likely evolved from monkey viruses. Currently, about 0.6% of humanity is infected with HIV.
Image of HIV from an electron microscope.
But scientists do not give up hope of putting viruses at the service of humanity. Their ability to target only certain cells can be used to fight cancer. The same HIV can be “targeted” at a cancerous tumor. Two years ago, Israeli microbiologists developed a modified avian virus Newcastle attacking brain tumor cells (glioblastoma). Geneticists use virus-like constructs as a tool to deliver the desired genes into the cell.
Coronavirus causing atypical pneumonia. In 2004 he made a lot of noise, but now this "horror story" has already been forgotten.
Finally, viruses with their natural "programs" for building complex biological constructs are the most obvious way of self-organization of nanoparticles. This is one of the main problems of nanotechnology. In other words, viruses can become "engineers" of mechanisms that can only be seen through a microscope.
Microbiology of fiction
A viral infection does not necessarily mean death. Sometimes it can be worse than death. Or better, depending on how you look at it. Fantastic viruses are capable of causing powerful mutations, endowing people with superpowers and disfiguring them so that the resulting creatures can be automatically recorded as villains.
This is exactly what happened with FEV (forced evolutionary virus) from the Fallout game series. The military development left over from the Great War was very useful to the scientist Richard Moreau. With the help of FEV, he created an army of super mutants, which could only be fought by the soldiers of the Brotherhood of Steel, and he himself became a Master - a powerful telepath who dreams of mutating all of humanity.
Remember the last time you saw “magic” zombies brought to life by voodoo magic on the screen? It just so happened that most of the living dead owe their existence to some kind of chemistry (trioxin from the series "Living Dead" Romero) or a virus. The most striking example of the latter case can be considered "Resident Evil".
Such will be the super mutants - the product of the FEV virus - in Fallout 3. The game should be released in the last quarter of 2008.
The main attack of this film game series is the T-virus, developed on the basis of the Ebola virus. It causes irreversible mutations in the victim's body and rebuilds cells for autonomous energy supply. The result is a powerful necrosis of living tissues (in fact, turning into "dead") and the revival of the dead. Thinking abilities are lowered to a minimum. Side effect such a transformation is extreme aggressiveness and thirst for human flesh.
The T-Virus can also be used to create super soldiers like Nemesis or Alice. In the latter case, the mutation is frankly benign - the girl is very strong, dexterous, tenacious and demonstrates steadily growing telepathic abilities.
T-virus. With evolution to "you".
The "Rage" virus from the "28 days (weeks) later" dilogy did not turn people into zombies, but it did not make them feel better. "Rage" is transmitted through bodily fluids and engulfs the victim in just a few seconds: the capillaries in the eyes burst, blood gushes from the throat (infecting others), and the infected loses his mind and attacks healthy people. It has been noticed that people with heterochromia - unequal coloration of the irises of the eyes - are immune to "Rage". They become carriers of the disease, but do not suffer from its symptoms.
What else could you call a virus that makes your eyes turn red? ("28 Weeks Later", 2007).
It is interesting
Viruses provide horizontal transfer of genes between organisms that are not related to each other. The primate genome contains a protein called syncytin, which is believed to have been introduced there by a virus. Thus, viruses are involved in the evolution of living things.
The size of nanobacteria is comparable to the smallest viruses, but they are considered full-fledged living organisms with a cellular structure. There are versions that life was brought to Earth by nanobacteria from meteorites.
The first mention of the term "computer virus" was made in the debut story by Gregory Benford, The Scarred Man (1969).
The Storm virus created the largest network of infected computers to date (according to various estimates - up to 50 million). Its power is enough to bring down almost any Internet resource. Presumably, Storm originated in Russia.
In 2012, almost the entire population of the planet will die from the Scarlet Plague virus (Jack London, "The Scarlet Plague").
"Plague doctor" of the 14th century. The bird mask is a primitive "gas mask". The beak contains herbs that protect against "miasms". Glass eyepieces. Other protective equipment - hat, waxed clothing, high boots, gloves.
Star diseases
Oddly enough, viruses can be children's idols - if, of course, Pokémon can be ranked as such. One of the most powerful "pocket monsters" - Deoxis (from the abbreviation DNA) was originally a virus. He flew to earth in a meteorite and accidentally mutated into a Pokémon. The main qualities of Deoxis are quite "viral" - this kid has the maximum possible attack values, but weak defense. However, the Japanese do not tend to idealize viruses. For example, Jenova from Final Fantasy is also considered a meteoric virus - sentient, but by no means kind.
Recently, research vehicles sent to the planets of the solar system have been carefully processed to avoid contamination of other worlds with terrestrial microorganisms. However, the reverse process is also possible. Space viruses are a fairly popular topic, but, as a rule, it all comes down to either an ordinary epidemic or the threat of an invasion. Original ideas are rare here.
Deoxis in different forms: defensive, offensive, normal and fast.
For example, in the novel by Douglas Preston "Tyrannosaurus Canyon" the theory is put forward that the dinosaurs were killed not by a giant meteorite (which left the Chicxulub crater), but by viruses brought by them. In addition, the author makes a hint that these viruses could be sent to Earth by aliens in order to clear the way for human evolution.
In the cycle "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card, the descolada is mentioned - a semi-intelligent and self-adapting alien virus created by the descolador race to terraform planets, establish contacts with "brothers in mind" and, possibly, enslave them. It affects the victims in a very peculiar way - it replaces the "climbs with fat."
Macrovirus from Star Trek: Voyager.
Descoladors are creatures that communicate in the language of chemistry. When trying to get in touch with them, the descoladors sent people genetic material that acts on the brain like heroin. It has not yet been possible to understand their intentions. Perhaps something will be cleared up in Card's upcoming novel Flying Shadows.
In Stephen King's Dreamcatcher, the Earth is attacked by macro viruses (or rather, "biruses"), the size of which ranges from fine red dust (the initial stage of infection) to giant creatures with teeth. The writer christened them "Ripley" in honor of the famous heroine who fought against Aliens.
The smallest form of alien macro-viruses is red dust (Dreamcatcher).
It is not known what King thought when he called the oviparous telepathic worms viruses. With the same success, he could write about ciliates-dragons, but part of the "viral" conventions was still observed by him. Ripleys are afraid of the cold, spread with the speed of fire, but do not cope well with human immunity - about half of those infected recover. Inside the less fortunate victims, a toothy worm develops (a clear parody of Aliens).
In the novel The Andromeda Strain, Michael Crichton suggested collecting extraterrestrial microorganisms with special satellites in the upper atmosphere. This is how Andromeda came to earth - not a virus in the literal sense of the word, but rather a crystalline form of life that turns blood and plastic into powder, and energy into matter and vice versa, in the manner of a miniature nuclear reactor. Interestingly, in the end, Andromeda ceased to be dangerous to humans. The same cannot be said about plastic in particular and human civilization in general.
The design of the Andromeda Strain poster uses the crystal structure of the virus.
The writers of the Marvel company went even further. They came up with an alien techno-organic virus that creates hybrids of living tissue and mechanisms at the microscopic level. Infected creatures can change shape, teleport, and regenerate from a single living cell. The reverse side of the coin is the complete loss of individuality and the merging of such "mutants" into the collective mind.
Magus and his son Warlock, two typical techno-organic creatures.
Since viruses are innate “architects” of DNA, science fiction writers often make them one of the stages of development of an alien organism or a tool for transforming a person into an alien.
In the film Invasion (2007), an alien virus literally fell from the sky - along with the Patriot shuttle. It spread through the liquid and took possession of people, depriving them of their emotions. The trigger for the disease was a hormone secreted by the brain during sleep. Transformation into a soulless doll can be avoided in several ways: do not sleep or get sick with a disease that affects the brain in a certain way (syphilis, scarlet fever, etc.).
In the full-length "X-Files", alien viruses were used in genetic experiments on humans, the ultimate goal of which was probably the transformation of all mankind into "building materials" for aliens. It is noteworthy that infected bees were the means of delivery of the viruses.
The impact of the alien "black plague" on humans (X-files, series 3x15).
The opposite case is a classic plot twist of "War of the Worlds", when alien invaders are killed by terrestrial microorganisms.
A plague on both your houses
It is assumed that the European epidemic of the "Black Death" could begin with the use of bacteriological weapons. In 1346 the Mongols approached Kaffa (Feodosia). The siege dragged on, and a bubonic plague broke out among the Asians. In order not to lose the "good" in vain, they began to throw the infected corpses with catapults over the city wall. Genoese traders leaving the city brought the Black Death to Sicily, and from there it went all over Europe. Plague made Western culture "mortal" in the literal and figurative sense of the word. It was even reflected in science fiction: The Doomsday Book by Koni Willis, The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson, Eifelheim by Michael Flynn, The Temple of the Winds by Terry Goodkind - the plots of all these books are directly or indirectly connected with the plague epidemic.
"Plagued" books.
Too late to drink "Borjomi"
The authors of "viral" stories almost always try to give people at least some hope of salvation. The infection can be isolated and wait for its natural extinction ("28 days later"), or an antidote can be developed ("Paragraph 78"). However, sometimes it happens that only immunity can save from the virus. Not natural, but rather "unnatural" - as in Stephen King's novel Confrontation.
It all started with an emergency in a secret laboratory under the Mojave Desert. The Captain Trips virus, a modified flu that kills a person in 1-2 days and is lethal in 99.4% of cases, accidentally broke free. It is impossible to develop a vaccine against it, immunity does not save from it, because the virus is constantly changing, "cheating" antibodies.
"Captain Thrips" raged only 19 days, but after the end of the epidemic, the population of the Earth fell to 1.3 million people. Scientists could not figure out the reasons why the disease bypassed them. The only thing they had in common was that all the survivors were very fond of dreaming and fantasizing.
A similar virus is found in other King's works: for example, in the story "Night Surf" or the cycle "The Dark Tower".
Marburg virus. Carried by bats. In the USSR, and later in Russia, work was carried out on its genetic modification to create a powerful bacteriological weapon.
In the film "Planet of Fear" by Rodriguez, the zombie virus DC2 is raging - a green gas that makes people bloodthirsty. The irony is that the antidote to a virus is the virus itself. If you breathe it constantly, as did the soldiers under the command of Lieutenant Maldon (Bruce Willis), the symptoms of zombification are suppressed.
Bruce Willis and his team (Planet of Fear).
The incredible is obvious
An epidemic of viruses can literally lead humanity into a fairy tale. The entire Shadowrun universe is based on this. A devastating epidemic of the VITAS (Virally Induced Toxic Allergy Syndrome) virus went through the world, then magic returned to Earth, and people turned into representatives of various fantasy races. The latter are also overcome by a virus - this time HMHVV (Human Meta-Human Vampiric Virus). A person infected with it turns into a vampire, an elf - into a banshee, a gnome - into a goblin, etc. There is a HMHVV strain that turns people into werewolves or zombies (ghouls).
A troll infected with HMHVV turns into a zu-no-kwa monster.
Shadowrun is one of the rarest examples of the synthesis of science fiction and fantasy, in which there are special viruses for magical creatures. Something similar can be found in science fiction - for example, in the Marvel comic universe there is a virus called Legacy, which acts only on mutants. It affects their specific genome ("X-factor"), as a result of which the cells stop dividing and the mutant dies in terrible agony. Some, however, survived - for example, Wolverine's regenerative abilities were stronger than the destructive effect of the virus.
In Frank Herbert's novel The White Plague, a virus developed by a mad scientist only kills women.
The original virus was invented by the Star Trek writers. Psi-2000 is essentially mutated water. Having touched it, a person quickly gets drunk and begins to behave extremely stupidly. You can "sober up" only with the help of a special vaccine.
The most exotic vision of viruses belongs to Neil Stevenson. In the novel "Avalanche" (Snow Crash), the virus of the same name infects people on two levels at once: on the web, acting on the brain, and in reality, through the blood. The author builds an interesting religious and philosophical theory about "infoviruses" - universal linguistic structures that directly affect the brain.
Creation of a computer virus from space ("Virus", 1999).
Virtual viruses
Epidemics also happen in virtual worlds. In September 2005, the World of Warcraft bestiary was replenished with a boss named Hakkar - the blood god, casting the Infected Blood spell. It took off life points within 5 seconds, was easily transmitted to others and quickly killed low-level characters. Curious players have found that if you take advantage of the ability of some classes to summon animals, infect them with this scourge and recall them before the expiration of 5 seconds, the disease "freezes". All that remains is to return to the city and call the sick animal again - right into the crowd of players. WoW was engulfed in a terrible plague that decimated entire cities. After studying this phenomenon, some scientists have proposed using multiplayer games as an ideal platform for simulating viral pandemics.
Plague in the city of Ironforge.
If some infectious disease flares up in a fantastic work, viruses are to blame with a 90% probability. After the world was frightened by outbreaks of hitherto unseen viruses HIV, Ebola, SARS, viruses began to be perceived almost as the main culprits of all ailments - both real and fictional. The author of the book needs to kill a billion people? Viruses. Zombie Invasion? Viruses, of course. Intrigues of aliens? Viruses again.
They have every chance of becoming "21st century supervillains." The situation should not be dramatized, because a person is a much more tenacious and dangerous creature than a virus. It was with viruses that Agent Smith compared people, so it remains to be seen who should be afraid of whom. What the immunity cannot cope with can be overcome by the mind.
Humanity is faced with a new threat. There is a possibility of a double pandemic, caused by new types of viruses.
Photo: kakotkrytzao.ru
The new coronavirus nCoV has been reported in Jordan, Great Britain, Germany and France. In Saudi Arabia, where the first outbreak of the disease was recorded, a special conference was held, the participants of which did not hide their concern. WHO Deputy Director General Keiji Fukuda, speaking in Riyadh, said: "The presence of sources of the disease in various countries is increasingly supporting the hypothesis that the new coronavirus can be transmitted from person to person through close contact."
Adviser to the Minister of Health of Saudi Arabia Khaled Margalani told the Voice of Russia about the symptoms of the new disease and about the measures that are being taken in the kingdom to combat the disease:
“This coronavirus, which has killed fifteen people in Saudi Arabia, is unlike any known virus. So far, no effective vaccinations or drugs have been found against him. In addition, our medicine cannot yet determine its exceptional symptoms. And this is the worst thing, since we do not know what signs to warn the population about.
When patients arrive at the clinic, all they complain about is heat and very coughing, and the examination always reveals damage to two lungs at the same time. After some time, they already need resuscitation and artificial oxygen.
The Scientific Council under the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia has already carried out some research and received initial results. This research team was joined by other researchers from private medical organizations. In addition, the Kingdom's Ministry of Health has already invited medical specialists from various international organizations, for example, the World Health Organization, Columbia University in New York and other organizations. These teams have already conducted more than 200 studies for the presence of the virus in various natural sources. According to preliminary estimates, animals may be the source of infection, but this is not certain. We hope that we have already managed to isolate the practically infected so that there is no further spread of the virus. "
- "There is no cure for the new virus yet"
Doctors know that the virus is extremely dangerous. It spreads throughout the body in just 48 hours after infection, and after a few days it can be fatal. It very quickly destroys various types of cells, which is why the immune system simply cannot cope, and the treatment does not bring results. Death is triggered by the destruction of lung tissue in combination with renal failure. The mortality rate is frighteningly high - about 60%.
The only positive point is that so far a prerequisite for infection is prolonged contact. For example, in France, a person became infected after spending quite a long time in the same hospital ward with a patient who was diagnosed with coronavirus after a trip to the UAE.
Doctors sound alarm over spread of new atypical pneumonia
nCoV is very close to the SARS virus, which killed 775 people worldwide in 2003. This flu-like illness was called "SARS" (SARS - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, "severe acute respiratory disease"). It affected 37 countries and territories, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Canada and the United States. The average death rate was then close to 10%. Those. significantly lower than today. However, ten years ago, and now, among patients over 60, mortality exceeded 50%, writes the Voice of Russia.
The current outbreak has already been dubbed the "Saudi SARS". Experts believe this name is not entirely correct, but they are concerned about something else. Says Dr. Gregory Hertle of the World Health Organization's Public Relations Department:
“The main mystery is from whom and in what way the infection occurs. We are working, trying to figure it out. However, for eight months of work, nothing was found out. Until we find out, it will be impossible to interfere with the transmission of the virus from person to person. The virus is very dangerous. Because the mortality rate is over 60%. And maybe even lower: we did not take blood samples to identify mild cases. Almost all of the known cases were severe. There were, however, a couple of lungs. There is very, very much we do not yet know about this virus. So far, few are amazed. But the virus is poorly understood. Therefore, everyone is in danger. We need to find a way to stop the spread of this virus as soon as possible. ”
Experts believe that if the virus continues to mutate, its spread could develop into a deadly pandemic. In their opinion, even a hundred years ago, such a development of the situation would have been less likely. The rapid death of the carrier reduces the spread of the epidemic and increases the effectiveness of the quarantine. However, today, in the era of global information and transport communications, the "Saudi SARS" is able to take over the planet in a few days.
The chief researcher of the Research Institute of Viral Drugs of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Yuri Gendon, highlights the main, in his opinion, cause of anxiety:
“Most likely, this is some very serious new type of virus that has not circulated among humans before. For many years they have been trying to create a vaccine against these viruses. But, unfortunately, nothing happens. Not only vaccines, there are also no specific chemical preparations that could stop this disease (or at least its spread). Any vaccine takes three to five years to be created (and this is under a lucky coincidence). The old virus was also transmitted from person to person. But the old virus caused an average danger of the disease, in which there was a very low mortality rate, although there were certain complications. And this coronavirus, transmitted from person to person, causes very serious diseases that can be fatal. That's what's important! "
While the doctors are dealing with the "Saudi SARS", another danger is coming to us from China. It is again about the so-called bird flu. But about a different strain than H5N1, which caused panic 8 years ago. WHO reports that the new strain is serial number H7N9. Until this virus is transmitted from person to person. But this is a matter of time.
Russian service DW cites the opinion of the virologist Ron Fouchier, who conducted experiments with H5N1. In his opinion, at least two of the five mutations by which H5N1 acquired pandemic properties occurred by themselves in the H7N9 genome. In particular, H7N9 binds more easily to mammalian cells than other viruses bird fluand it is able to reproduce at the lower body temperature of the host organism. These are two important steps in an extremely undesirable direction for humanity.
However, Ron Fouchier is in no hurry with conclusions. After all, firstly, no one knows if the results of experiments with H5N1 can be automatically transferred to H7N9. And secondly, it is not clear how the virus will continue to mutate: maybe it lacks only one or two mutations to become a mass murderer, maybe there should be much more of these mutations, or maybe H7N9 will never be able to, so to speak, to cross the fatal line.
On the other hand, there is already evidence that, in at least three Chinese families, the transmission of the virus occurred directly from a sick person to a healthy person without the participation of poultry. Consequently, the likelihood of a pandemic has increased exponentially. The problem is that H7N9 is very dangerous. The aforementioned Keiji Fukuda from the World Health Organization called it one of the deadliest influenza viruses "we have encountered so far."
It turns out that the world is threatened by a double pandemic: the eastern coronavirus and the Chinese avian flu. There are experts who find this coincidence not accidental. In their opinion, it was not without the evil will of man, or rather, some forces that have global economic (and, possibly, political) interests. Philosopher and political scientist Alexander Dugin says:
“I think it may well be. Because global capitalism is based on profit making. And in order to make a profit, any means are good. Traditionally, killing people has been a source of income for those who unleashed and financed wars. On the other hand, modern pharmaceutical companies are closed corporations with incomes that sometimes exceed the income of entire states. It has become a kind of global pharmaceutical lobby. It is even capable of changing the government in certain countries. In fact, in a networked society, any network has a strategic, operational military significance. Therefore, there is nothing surprising if a virus is launched artificially. Long ago, as far as is known, a number of drugs have been invented that undermine the monopoly of the pharmaceutical giants. It cannot be ruled out that pharmaceutical companies are developing those viruses, which are then going to treat people. In a liberal market economy, they act with impunity. "
Dai Xu, a lecturer at the National Defense University, Air Force Colonel of the People's Liberation Army of China, said the outbreak of a new bird flu was an American conspiracy. In his opinion, the story is repeating itself with SARS in 2003, when the United States performed a biopsychological operation, which was supposed to distract China from countering the US plans to invade Iraq. Dai Xu believes that the Chinese leadership should not succumb to provocations and must calmly deal with this problem.
It should be noted that not all experts share the views of the Chinese military. Some of them blame China itself for provoking the pandemic. As an argument, they cite an experiment by a group of Chinese scientists led by Professor Hualan Chen on crossing two types of flu - swine and avian. As a result of this unusual experiment, it turned out, in all likelihood, a virus that is fatal to humans.
The former head of the Royal Society, professor at Oxford University, Lord May, stressed that the Chinese are guided by blind ambition, justifying this by the desire to develop an effective vaccine. The Briton called the "discovery" a terribly irresponsible study.
However, some scientists believe that the causes of more and more fatal diseases are natural. As you know, nature strives for balance. And if one of the animal species (in this case, the human species) begins to prevail on the planet excessively, it seeks to reduce its number in every possible way.
One way or another, today each of us should be attentive to our health. Simply because the most harmless runny nose or barely noticeable back pain may be the first symptoms of a rapid, fatal illness. And although today the probability of such an outcome is minimal, it exists, despite all the conceivable or inconceivable achievements of modern medicine. This is the first thing that comes to mind after a cursory acquaintance with the news from China, Saudi Arabia and less exotic, from the point of view of a European, countries.
Viruses are the cause of infectious diseases and epidemics. As old as life. They are called the cause of evolution and the "instrument of God", they "created" man, but they can also destroy him. Especially if they are used as weapons ...
Emergence
Viruses are ubiquitous. They are able to survive both in the depths of the ocean and at a bird's eye view. They are not hindered by either high or cold temperatures. For their existence they need only one condition - someone else's life. And it doesn't have to be a person or an animal, just one cell, bacteria, or even another virus, where the infectious agent can multiply, is enough.
Moreover, none of the above hypotheses is applicable for all viruses known to man. And yet, based on the composition of some viral organisms, scientists suggest that viruses are one of the oldest organisms that originated on earth. A bitter "joke of nature" - as soon as life was born, death appeared.
The main engine of evolution
And yet, some scientists do not see viruses as a time bomb, but as the main engine of evolution. According to the so-called "virological theory of evolution", if not for viruses, the animal world would have remained at the level of single-celled individuals. Their merit is that by infecting one organism, say, a plant one, the virus borrows genes from it and transfers it to the next living organisms upon contact. And the latter are already adapting them for their own purposes.
So, thanks to viral infections, mammals have acquired a temporary organ, the placenta, which takes nutrients from the mother's body and transfers it to the embryo. In other words, it is thanks to viruses that humans, many mammals and fish have acquired the ability to bear children.
According to scientists, what was created in nature and worked well will never disappear. For example, the hemoglobin gene, which once appeared in dinosaurs, was transmitted by viruses to plants, insects, animals and, finally, humans. And it serves completely different purposes: in humans and animals for the transfer of oxygen, in plants it is a transport protein in the roots.
Retrovirus-a tool of god
Among the viruses, the most dangerous for humans is the so-called retrovirus, which infects mainly vertebrates. It is the only virus that has the ability to transfer its information from RNA to DNA and vice versa. Believers scientists dubbed it "God's tool", since it was the retrovirus that was the main agent in "viral evolution."
Ironically, it is the retrovirus that is the cause of many chronic, incurable and often fatal human diseases. The infamous HIV also belongs to this genus of organisms. Also, many cases of cancer are attributed to the "merit" of retroviruses.
Hot spots of the planet
Despite the fact that a virus that is fatal to humans can appear anytime and anywhere, there are special areas on Earth with a "favorable" environment for its spread. And recently, scientists have managed to draw up a map of the planet's "hot spots", where a new "plague" is to be expected.
Basically, these are zones with a humid tropical climate: the mouth of the Niger River in Africa, Southeast Asia, Hindustan. The situation may be aggravated by the fact that it is in these areas that primary indication, identification of viruses and the development of any methods of influencing them are not actually practiced.
By the way, there is also one dangerous point on the territory of Russia - the Far Eastern regions, which have always been the focus of many diseases, especially those that are carried by insects. According to the researchers, Russia cannot be called a virus-safe area at all. The absence of hot spots on the territory of our country is so far only a result of the fact that Russia has not been studied in this respect.
Pandemic - the dance of death
If a person is always surrounded by deadly viruses, then how then to explain the sequence of epidemics? According to scientists, the causes of pandemics can be completely different: it is a mutating virus, from which human immunity did not have time to develop a "remedy", the appearance of an infection in a society that has been isolated from it for a long time. By the way, European colonists often became the cause of massive diseases among the indigenous population of the conquered territories, since they turned out to be more resistant to many viruses than the Indians and Negroids.
Physical and climatic changes are another persistent cause of the largest pandemics in human history. Thus, the notorious "black death" - bubonic and pneumonic plague, which decimated most of the population of medieval Europe (about 60 million people) was preceded by global climatic cataclysms.
In Europe, as a result of the eruption of Etna in 1333, the weather was warm and damp. A few years before the start of the great disaster, heavy rains and floods took place across France and Germany, accompanied by crop failure, locust infestations and cattle pestilence. Such environmental conditions created a favorable atmosphere for the vital activity of a dangerous virus, and the raging hunger brought hordes of rodents - the spread of the disease, closer to people's homes.
Of course, such processes cannot but cause concern among virologists. XX-XXI centuries have already shown themselves to be “climatically unstable”. Volcanic eruptions, major floods, earthquakes, climatic surges and, finally, the threat of global warming all create the ideal conditions for a new pandemic. And viral activity proves this: over the past 65 years, the number of new and mutating viruses infecting humans has quadrupled.
Weapons of mass destruction
Epidemics have claimed more lives than any other natural phenomenon. More than wars. Pandemics of plague, typhus, smallpox and cholera devastated entire territories, claiming millions of lives.
Such "victorious" statistics could not but give rise to the idea of \u200b\u200busing viruses as biological weapons. And, despite the international convention of 1972 on the prohibition of the development, production and stockpiling of biological weapons, the possibility of an artificially induced epidemic today raises concerns even among experts.
And they are not groundless. For example, the smallpox virus, which today is considered destroyed in the natural environment, is still stored in laboratories in Russia and the United States. At the same time, despite the availability of a vaccine, most of the world's population is not vaccinated, since the vaccine is characterized by severe consequences. In recent years, before the virus was officially declared eradicated, more people got sick from the vaccine than from the virus.
Tatiana Shingurova
Where did the Ebola virus come from? In 1976 he was discovered in Zaire, and he got his "name" from the name of the local river. It belongs to the family of filoviruses that can cause several serious epidemics with its participation.
Virus classification
Found, as already written above, in Africa. It is subdivided into five different types, of which only four can affect humans.
- EBOV - considered typical and causing the largest number of outbreaks. It is the most dangerous, it has a maximum percentage of 80 to 90%. Where did the Ebola virus come from? The first outbreak was recorded in 1976 in Yambuku. The symptoms of the disease are the same as for malaria. Doctors believe that the spread of the virus was due to the repeated use of unsterilized needles when injected.
- SUDV - this strain was identified simultaneously with the Zairian one. The first epidemic began at a factory in the Sudanese city of Nzara. The carrier was not identified, but they managed to test for the presence of the virus. The last outbreak was recorded in Uganda in 2013. The mortality rate was 53%.
- TAFV - Also found in Africa. Initially, only chimpanzees died from it, but later people also caught the fever. One of the first cases was a female doctor who performed autopsies on animals. She did not develop symptoms until a week later. The woman was taken to a Swiss clinic, and after 6 weeks she was able to stand on her feet.
- BDBV is the fourth Ebola virus that is dangerous to humans. Found him in Bundibugio. The epidemic lasted in Uganda from 2007 to 2008. The last outbreak was in 2012, with 36% fatalities.
- RESTV is the fifth type of virus, but it is not dangerous to humans.
Ebola virus. Where did it come from and how?
Scientists have not yet fully figured out where the Ebola fever came from. But bats could also transfer it, if it was in their digestive tract. It is highly likely that the virus is transmitted through the intestinal system. The very first people who got infected were most likely hunters, and the fever entered their bodies when they ate sick animals. The carriers could well be not only bats, but also pigs. And even dogs are not excluded from the list of possible vectors. The first wave of the epidemic killed 151 out of 284 patients.
Fever symptoms
And again, the Ebola virus, whose history began in the last century, is rampant on the planet. After it enters the human body, it can take up to 21 days before the first symptoms appear. The illness begins like a common cold. First symptoms: headache, elevated temperature... And quite high. Then vomiting and diarrhea begin. The body becomes dehydrated, the kidneys and liver begin to fail, and all ends with internal hemorrhage.
Some patients develop a "cytokine storm" - when the immune system cannot be regulated, and excess cells do not benefit, but harm. And not only for all organs, but also for tissues. The case is often fatal.
There are many diseases with symptoms very similar to the Ebola virus. Therefore, a blood test is simply necessary. This should be done in order to exclude hepatitis, malaria, cholera, meningitis and others.
How to treat a disease
Where the Ebola virus came from is not known for certain (it was artificially created or formed in nature). Until a certain medicine has not been invented against him. All that doctors can do so far is simply to keep the body alive with antibiotics. Intravenous fluid is also used to prevent dehydration. To reduce the effects of fever, the fever is brought down. Pain relievers are used to relieve pain medications... Pressure and oxygen levels are continuously monitored at the same time. Until the only means have been invented to try to save a person from death.
Forecasts
Unfortunately, the mortality rate is still quite high, and without the necessary vaccine, it is rather difficult to make optimistic plans. Doctors approach each patient individually, and everyone's immunity is different. In general, the prognosis depends on the cause of the disease, availability medical care, the speed of doctors in determining the diagnosis.
In most cases, those who are quickly diagnosed with an accurate diagnosis survive. But it is rather difficult for doctors to do this, since the symptoms can be suitable for many diseases.
The spread of the virus
Where did the Ebola virus come from? We can confidently answer that its origins come from Africa. By the way, semen is also a carrier of the virus. This ailment is unique in that it remains active even after the death of the host. Therefore, when burying the dead, you should be very careful and accurate.
Where did the Ebola virus come from? New flash
Now this fever is rampant in Guinea. From there, it entered Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The origin of the Ebola virus is now almost impossible to establish. With the onset of fever, the mortality rate was over 50% immediately. The Ebola virus in Africa first affected 4 countries and is now slowly spreading throughout the continent. The first infected appear in Europe and America. This outbreak
considered the largest since the birth of this fever.
Is the Ebola virus a biological weapon?
It is believed that this virus was discovered a long time ago. Or even specially created artificially. And perhaps it was the Americans. His research continues for a long time. The first experimental vaccine has already been sent to sick doctors who wished to test it on themselves. There is also an opinion that the virus was developed as a biological weapon. So who created the Ebola virus? And for what purpose? The answers are still unknown, but the likelihood that it is artificially reproduced is. It can be easily used as a vaccine that will be created in the future, will cost a huge amount. And this is a great opportunity for enrichment for its creators and distributors. This fever has been compared to the plague that has plagued the whole world. But if you follow all the precautions, then you can still avoid infection.
How to protect yourself from the virus
Initially, you need to try to avoid any contact with patients, not to visit those countries (mainly African), where the Ebola fever is rampant. If the trip is necessary, then after each contact with the local population, it is best to wash your hands with soap and water. We must try not to touch them to the nose, mouth and eyes. If, after communicating with the locals, the slightest alarming symptoms appear, you need to isolate yourself from others, put on a gauze mask and immediately consult a doctor. 
Where does the Ebola virus live?
This fever is one of the worst on the planet. And precisely because a successful vaccine has not yet been developed against it. Its action can last for weeks, but in the end, in 90% of cases, a lethal outcome is expected.
Where does the Ebola virus come from? This African virus lives in monkeys and rodents, which are ideal vectors for it. Bats are also dangerous. It is those states in which there are no such carriers of fever that have the greatest chances to delay the large-scale appearance of the disease. The same cannot be said for Africa, where monkeys and bats live in abundance.
When Ebola enters the territory of a country, the main thing is to exclude conditions for its optimal development. Sanitary measures and stringent hygiene practices should be taken to avoid accidental contamination. 
The virus has not yet reached Russia. But the population also does not hurt to take all the precautions. It must be remembered that it is not transmitted by airborne droplets. You can get infected only through close contact with a sick person - through blood, saliva, sexual intercourse, etc. The Ministry of Health does not recommend Russians to visit in the coming year. And all those who come from there need to undergo a medical examination.