Coronavirus has been causing serious health risks globally for more than four years. Vaccination and herd immunity have reduced the risk of serious diseases due to infection worldwide, but due to mutations and new variants in the virus, the rate of infection remains a cause for concern. For example, the Corona epidemic still cannot be considered over.

Meanwhile, scientists have warned the world about a new possible epidemic. Scientists have alerted us that we should be alert now about the danger of a new and strange epidemic. Zombie virus is being considered as a possible reason for this. Researchers said that there are reports of zombie viruses being found under large sections of ice, melting of Arctic permafrost could release these viruses, which could lead to a major disease outbreak and create a new global medical emergency.

Due to global warming, the risk of spread of this virus is increasing.

Risk of infection with zombie virus
For now, analysis of pandemic risks focuses on diseases that could emerge in southern regions and then spread to the north, says Jean-Michel Claverie, a geneticist at Aix-Marseille University. These viruses have the potential to infect humans and start a new disease outbreak.

Virologist Marion Koopmans of the Erasmus Medical Center agreed and said, we do not know which viruses are lying in the permafrost. However, I think there is a greater risk that the disease may be able to spread.

The virus can spread due to global warming
Infectious disease experts point out that, with increasing global warming, many glaciers and permafrost have been melting steadily over the years. This irreversible permafrost thaw has released many bacteria and viruses that have been trapped in the ice for years. One such virus revived by melted snow is the zombie virus. These types of viruses remain dormant when trapped inside the ice, but they have the potential to reactivate and increase the risk of health problems.

Thousands of years old viruses can become active again
In 2014, a team of scientists researching live viruses in Siberia found that these viruses can infect single-celled organisms years later, even if they have been buried in permafrost for thousands of years. Research published last year revealed the existence of multiple viruses from seven different sites in Siberia that may seriously increase the risk of infection in humans.

A virus sample was 48,500 years old, which can still be active and cause serious health risks.

On alert scientist
Scientists believe that permafrost may contain viruses that are up to one million years old. Our immune system may never have been exposed to these germs and this is another concern, says Professor Claverie. Exposure to an unknown virus can have a serious impact on the body's immune response, as was seen at the beginning of Corona. Yet variants of Corona had become the cause of infection decades ago.

A team of scientists is already trying to reduce the risks caused by the new virus, identify early cases and cure them locally.
​(PC: iStock)