The Vulnerability of Youth
As the human body ages, certain immune system organs actually shrink. For example, there’s the thymus: here, T cells (one of the primary components of the immune system’s ability to recognize and eliminate foreign antigen) are converted from naïve to mature. If you look at a picture of the thymus of a teen next to one of an 80 year old, the difference is striking. It’s not like the color and texture difference between a cancerous lung and a normal lung—there’s actually hardly any thymus left in the 80 year old’s picture. Why the geriatric thymus continues to function effectively is the topic of another post. But the fact remains: there’s a definite change in the immune system with the passage of time.
So, the other day we were talking about birdflu (specifically, H5N1) in Immunology. We learned an interesting point: the potency of the immune response in young’ins is normally an advantage in fighting off infection. However, it is thought that in H5N1 (birdflu) infections, this immune response is a liability, not an asset. Compounds called cytokines, commonly observed in an immune response, are released in tremendous quantities in a positive feedback loop, eventually resulting in an immune response so strong that the victim dies. So, here’s the point Dr. Manske brought up: only young people have immune systems powerful enough to generate a killer cytokine storm.
The take-home message? Current trends indicate that H5N1 has characteristics that may make it disproportionately threatening to the young and healthy. If H5N1 does become an epidemic and a vaccine (and distribution method for it) aren’t found quickly, it could be extremely serious (yes, this bad). That fact got me thinking about a tremendous potential premise for novel of fiction: imagine a world where there aren’t any people between 5 and 80 years old.
If it sounds hollow at first, keep thinking. Someone who is 80 years old lived through World War II, The Korean War, The Vietnam War. The year they were born, Lindbergh was flying across the Atlantic … but if they were on a farm, they were probably still pulling some things with horses. 80 years takes you from electricity to the internet. Radios to HBO. Cars to the moon, and beyond. Rise and fall of the Soviet Union. Would a generation united in its old age and extended perspective on humanity’s recurring errors take the unique opportunity of their overwhelming majority to enact laws or (more importantly) societal changes that would promote a more forward-thinking, compassionate society? Would we see a coordinated effort towards projects like efficient collection of energy from the sun, a (NON-POLITICIZED) focus on preserving the planet, an effort at a global government, or even ideas like the Clock of the Long Now? Or would we simply end up with a world full of bowling alleys, nursing homes, and Lawrence Welk Show reruns?
Crises like massive, deadly flu epidemics unite people—but they can also destabilize governments and societies by creating warring factions of rebels. I think writing about this “accidental geriatric revolution” would be an interesting way to explore the great potential of sudden global changes in the absence of such barriers like violence. After all, if you’re 80 and faced with raising a generation of little ones and stabilizing a disease ravaged planet, neither you nor your hips have time for war.
Comments
Dan McKeown
I think there would be far more re-runs of “Murder, She Wrote” and “Matlock.” On a more serious note, did your discussion address at what stage age would a human’s immune system advance to the detrimental stage that this epidemic would begin to decimate?
Nils +1
Meh, the bird flu won’t become an epidemic. If the possibility was real, I am sure scientists would have some kind of preliminary vaccine set up sometime in advance. If that failed, I bet there are enough genetic mutations out there that many people between 5 and 80 would survive. And then consider the still isolated cultures of the world. How would they come into contact with the deadly strain? Then again, I’m no scientist. I’m just an optimist. Or a dontcareist.
Richard
just wanted to add “Walker: Texas Ranger” to Dan’s list
Markoe
Anyone ever read “The Stand”?
Alexander Micek
Old people watch Chuck Norris? Fascinating. Also, the immune system effect is restricted the individual, and has no bearing on the virulence of this theoretical flu. It becomes an epidemic when the strain is so contagious/fast acting that a critical number of people become infected simultaneously.
Oh, and Nils, you hit the nail on the head—people in that age bracket would absolutely survive under the conditions described, I just imagine a fictional universe that takes the concept to an extreme for the purpose of plot, etc. Plus, work is already going on with the vaccine. Let’s hope we don’t have to fully develop it! I like the “dontcareist” thing. :) Though I’m not the one who hearted it … somebody else likes the phrase, too!
I read the non-spoiler part of the Wikipedia entry on “The Stand,” and it looks interesting. Since it’s “apocalyptic,” perhaps some of my ideas must overlap with its plot. I’ll have to give it a read.