With scientists chasing after cure-all anti-virus treatments and a universal flu vaccine in labs around the world, the eradication of infectious diseases certainly appears to be medical research's ultimate (if remote) goal. But what if we actually got there?
If mankind invented a cure to all known infectious diseases, would we and should we even use it ?
The answer might seem like an immediate 'yes', however there are some possible side-effects in long term human evolution. Throughout history such diseases have played a role in our development by weeding out those susceptible to certain pathogens, before modern medicine was available huge numbers of people died from illnesses that are treatable today.
"Our evolutionary history has been a continual arms race against the pathogens that plague us," said Professor Vincent Racaniello. "We have all these ways of intervening when people get sick, when otherwise they would have died and we would see some natural selection for people with more robust immune systems."
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