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ordinary life. Swedish virus research may change the world
Swedish virus research may change the world
– I think the Covid-19 pandemic will be much like the measles pandemic used to be, a virus that recurs from time to time, and that will have serious consequences for some, but may also confer life-long immunity. So says Tomas Bergström, Professor of Clinical Microbiology.
RIGHT NOW, intensive research is under way into Covid-19, both in Sweden and the rest of the world. For example, the Swedish Research Council is investing SEK 100 million on research into the virus. It’s a welcome investment, says Tomas Bergström. – Virus research has been extremely neglected in the past. We do not know how many viruses there are on the planet, nor do we know much about how viruses work. Hopefully, the various initiatives will change that.
Mankind has so far only been able to eradicate two viruses: smallpox and rinderpest, which is related to measles and affects cows. Despite the fact that for some considerable time there have been vaccines against, for example, measles and polio, for various reasons they have not yet been eradicated, and outbreaks occur from time to time in different places.
OF THE SEVEN human coronaviruses, four cause mild colds, while SARS, MERS and Covid-19 are more severe. There is no vaccine or drug for any of these diseases, says Tomas Bergström.
– There are also no vaccines or drugs to combat other viruses that circulate and cause less severe symptoms, such as rhinovirus, parainfluenza virus and RSV. But greater investment in research and drug development is likely to produce good results. Just think of how successful the pharmaceutical industry has been in treating chronic viral infections, such as HIV and hepatitis C.
OVER THE PAST 13 years, the WHO has declared a global emergency on six occasions. In all these instances it was because of a virus. – The rapid spread of Ebola came as a surprise, as did the Zika virus, which causes foetal malformations. Although we do not know which epidemics we will encounter in the future, it actually is possible to be prepared.
Viruses can often be attacked in similar ways, explains Tomas Bergström. – If, for example, we had had medication to treat the mild coronaviruses, which only cause cold symptoms, they probably would have worked well against Covid-19 as well. There is a lot of
– Swedish virus research could change the world, says Tomas Bergström.
knowledge about coronaviruses among veterinary virologists, as these viruses often affect livestock, so we should work more closely with them. Furthermore, if we also develop vaccines and drugs against other known viruses, we would be prepared if similar dangerous strains emerge in the future.
ANOTHER OPTION IS antiviral drugs that can be used both for prophylactic purposes and to treat infected patients. – It was because of so-called neuraminidase inhibitors, a type of drug that
Facts
The WHO has declared an international health emergency six times since 2007: due to swine flu in 2009, polio in 2014, Zika virus in 2016, Ebola in 2014 and 2019, and Covid-19 in 2020.
TOMAS BERGSTRÖM was initially developed 30 years ago, that the swine flu was less serious than first feared.
Tomas Bergström believes that Covid-19 will eventually become much like other viruses circulating worldwide. – Evolution works so that viruses get milder with time; a virus that kills its host will soon die out itself. Anyone who falls ill with Covid-19 is likely to develop long-term immunity, perhaps life-long immunity, as with measles. But as there is so much we do not know, substantial national investment in virus research is needed. In Sweden, there has been extensive long-standing collaboration between the healthcare system and virus researchers and therefore we have unique conditions for this type of research. A concerted effort in the field of virology, financed by both public and private funds, has never been attempted before, but if it were initiated it could potentially change the world.
Photo: Johan Wingborg
