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If you have Influenza A H1N1, Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever and Ebola-Reston, in one country. Can they combine?
This is the specific scenario in the Philippines and I since I live here, I am very concerned particularly since the H1N1 is spreading fast here and its also the season for Dengue Hemorrhagic fever. Of course, the Ebola Reston virus outbreak was just in the 1st quarter of this year. That said, can any two or all three of these viruses combine and or mutate to produce a deadly strain that could be spread with the relative ease of H1N1? Thanks so much for those who will try to answer.
Thank you for the answers so far. I just had to add this detail. There has already been a case of swine to human transmission here in the Philippines as far as the Ebola Reston Virus is concerned. The WHO article on this can be found here:
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_03_31/en/index.htm...
This is why it concerns me because of our population density and the fact that a very large part of our population has little access to health, water and sanitation facilities.
4 Answers
- AnimalFilterLv 51 decade agoFavorite Answer
Virus' don't combine with one another, although you'd be hard pressed to find a virologist who would say that it is "impossible". But it hasn't happened before (that we know of)...
A virus can mutate which will change it's characteristics (ie. it becomes airborne, or becomes capable of infecting a new species such as swine flu jumping to humans) - but you don't really see a virus combine with another virus to create a new one.
That being said, of course Ebola is the most scary of the ones you mentioned (what if it jumped to humans!??!) - especially if it mutated to become airborne. The problem with a virus that is so strong as to kill you within in days is that it actually kills itself. Flu is so successful at spreading because you will usually be infected for up to two weeks before you start to show symptoms, and by then you've passed it around to everyone you know. A virus like Ebola will generally hit hard and fast and the host spends the entire illness in a single room sick and often dies before the virus can find a fresh host - thus ending the chain as quickly as it started.
Virus' combining into a "super strain" or something is a scary scenario - but doubtful it could happen.
Then again, you never say never :O
- JessicaLv 51 decade ago
Humans can't get Ebola-Reston, only monkeys can.
I think only viruses that are in the same family can mutate together.
(Pig flu, bird flu, human flu together = H1N1).
So, I doubt H1N1 and DHF will combine together.
- 5 years ago
The has not been an outbreak of Dengue fever in the USA in years because the government has an extensive mosquito control plan.
