11-05-2024, 05:10 PM
(11-04-2024, 11:12 PM)tomh009 Wrote:(11-04-2024, 04:31 PM)plam Wrote: There's no real guarantee that a virus will evolve to get milder.
No guarantees, of course, but it's bad news for a virus if its host dies. On the other hand, an extended period of marginal health with lots of coughing is good news for the virus as it gets to spread its genes further. That's why the probability is for viruses to get somewhat milder--and more virulent.
In part that was why Ebola wasn't so bad. Killed too many people. But certainly there are viruses that have been around for a long time that cause significant health impacts and kill a small number of people randomly. Polio, tuberculosis, even measles did not evolve to be that mild, really.

