are diseases evolving too fast for us to keep up?

[Lyudmilascience]

I haven't been on this site for a while but now im back. I'm not that smart in science but I do like finding out new things and doing research on different topics. I would like to get a lot better with science especially chemistry.I want an education in science beyond high school but I cant afford to go back to college. I occasionally go to the library and read all the science magazines and I do enjoy science documentaries on the science channel and discovery. But i do want some smart friends around to inspire me to learn more on my won. anyway I got a virus and the doctor told me I should take prescription drugs right away. the drugs should help my immune system kill the virus right away before it gets worse, because if the virus spreads the more and more it will be harder for my immune system to kill it. I would have to take more medication. The more medication I take the more likely the virus will get used to the medications and if i took a big amount right away then it will kill them when there are few of them. i do think that is the right decision i think in some cases we should let medicine take care of it to keep us alive but that got me thinking are we taking too much medicine? or should we let our bodies fight the viruses and germs rather then letting medicine take care of it? is medicine advancing too slow? there is a chance that there is going to be a germ or virus that evolves faster then medicine to advance and since with modern day viruses we are treating everything with medicine our bodies will not evolve to the illnesses around us and there night be a germ or virus that kills us.We don’t evolve as fast as viruses they are non living our medicine is developing slower then viruses evolve so is there a chance that there will be a virus that will wipe out our species?

[fiveworlds]

is there a chance that there will be a virus that will wipe out our species?

 

 

Yes there is a minor chance that a virus or some other form of micro-organism could wipe out our species. Certainly a large proportion of the human race is susceptible to illnesses from anywhere due to the number of people traveling around the world. It is a major concern that our reliance on modern medicine prescribing antibiotics when they aren't necessary etc. has resulted in many illnesses we cannot treat.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3346440/Superbug-resistant-antibiotics-reaches-Europe-Danish-patient-infected-untreatable-form-salmonella-probably-Britain.html

 

http://thewire.in/2016/03/18/who-urges-action-as-threat-of-invincible-super-bacteria-looms-25144/

Edited April 4, 2016 by fiveworlds

[CharonY]

The more medication I take the more likely the virus will get used to the medications and if i took a big amount right away then it will kill them when there are few of them. i do think that is the right decision i think in some cases we should let medicine take care of it to keep us alive but that got me thinking are we taking too much medicine? or should we let our bodies fight the viruses and germs rather then letting medicine take care of it? is medicine advancing too slow? there is a chance that there is going to be a germ or virus that evolves faster then medicine to advance and since with modern day viruses we are treating everything with medicine our bodies will not evolve to the illnesses around us and there night be a germ or virus that kills us.We don’t evolve as fast as viruses they are non living our medicine is developing slower then viruses evolve so is there a chance that there will be a virus that will wipe out our species?

 

The mechanism is not that it will get used to drugs, but instead there may already bee some that are resistant and if all others are killed off, they are the only ones that survive and spread. However, this basically applies to bacteria as antibiotics do not work on viruses.

Also with regard to antibiotics it should be noted that the majority of antibiotics re used in agriculture with an estimated 63,200 tons in 2010 (which will have increased by now).

Edited April 4, 2016 by CharonY

[Lyudmilascience]

thank you for the answers.