Another Pandemic On The Horizon? Experts Warn Of Zombie Viruses In The Arctic

Climate change has disrupted seasons, causing extreme weather conditions and the melting of glaciers. The ongoing discussions on climate change consistently highlight the alarming issue of glacier melting. It's crucial to recognize that the melting glaciers pose not only a geographical threat but also a significant biological threat to the world.

Scientists warn that a new one could emerge from an unexpected source — the thawing permafrost in the Arctic could unleash ancient viruses that could harm humans. 

Permafrost is the soil or underwater sediment that has been frozen for long periods of time. Some of the oldest permafrost has been frozen for about 7,00,000 years. It covers around one-fifth of the world’s northern hemisphere and it is cold, dark, and oxygen-free. 

This makes permafrost good at preserving biological material. Last year, scientists revived microscopic worms that had been frozen in the Siberian permafrost for 46,000 years.

What Are Zombie Viruses?

These ancient viruses or "zombie viruses" also known as Methuselah viruses after the old biblical character, have been found by researchers who are worried about a new global crisis, The Observer reports. 

To address the risk of diseases from the distant past resurfacing, scientists are advocating for the establishment of an Arctic monitoring network. This network aims to detect early cases of diseases caused by ancient microorganisms, offering prompt quarantine assistance and expert medical treatment to prevent infected individuals from leaving the region.

“Currently, pandemic risk assessments focus on diseases that could arise in southern regions and then move north. However, an outbreak that could start in the far north and then travel south has been overlooked, I think. There are viruses there that could infect humans and trigger a new disease outbreak,” geneticist Jean-Michel Claverie of Aix-Marseille University told The Observer. 

Past Encounters with Zombie Viruses

In 2014, Michel Claverie and a team of scientists isolated live viruses in Siberia, demonstrating their ability to infect single-cell organisms despite millennia in permafrost. While these particular viruses only pose a threat to amoeba and not humans, they highlight the potential for other dangerous viruses hidden in permafrost.

Claverie revealed genomic traces of poxviruses and herpesviruses in the permafrost, known to infect humans, raising concerns about the possibility of unearthed pathogens with the potential to affect global health.