Quote Originally Posted by Islandborn

Will cold virus's continue to mutate until they form some unstoppable strain in say 1000 years?
The common cold virus (rhinovirus) has been around for centuries. It's a very minor virus which mainly effects the upper respiratory system- runny/stuffed nose, headache, minimally-productive cough; viruses mutate each season, and each virus is rather predictable, with a few exceptions. It's highly unlikely that rhinovirus will turn into a massive strain that wipes out a large population. Developing bronchitis or moderate dehydration from rhinovirus is pretty much the most it'll do to you, MAYBE make you more susceptible to bacterial infections, but that's a stretch.

Most of the deaths from the influenza virus are complications triggered by secondary infections, such as developing pneumonia, high prolonged fever, or dehydration- things that people can get without having the flu.

From a microbiological standpoint of this flu craze, it's very disheartening to see so many physicians automatically prescribing antibiotics to patients who test positive for Flu A/B or H1N1. Most feel the need to in order to cover their bases, or to calm the parents' fears, but it's completely and utterly unnecessary unless the patient actually HAS an active bacterial infection.

Repeated exposure to antibiotics, especially the Penicillin and Vancomycin families are what's triggering the rise of MRSA and VRE infections. I could rant all day about this, but I'll leave it for another day, another thread.