Spreading Disease via Time Travel

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PaulaJedi

Rift Surfer
This is something John Titor never addressed. I suppose this is sort of a thinking exercise.

By time traveling, wouldn't we bring viruses, bacteria, parasites, spores, etc. to those times?

We say that viruses such as the cold and flu mutate, but what if they appear to change simply because time travelers keep entering and bringing in different variations? (I understand this thought is more or less science fiction, but think about the implications).

Would time travelers be so careless as to not to show up in a suit to prevent the spread of disease, both ways?

Correct me if I'm wrong because history (and my memory) is not my strong point, but didn't Christopher Columbus' crew bring an illness over to the Americas that infected the natives? I believe the same thing could happen if time traveling.

Furthermore, what precautions could we take to prevent this? Is a spacesuit the only option?

 
Well, biologically, it's plausible. I don't think 35 years (in Titor's case) would be enough for a new form of microorganism to start killing us all though. But I'm no epidemiologist.

I can only guesse this would be critical, not only for the people/animals receiving the time traveler, but for the chrononaut as well, if we consider going back in time millions of years back, for example. He could take back a form of virus that could be lethal due to its evolution, but also he could get infected with something very aggressive at that time, but due to some causality, was extinct before reaching "modern" times.

 
In medical terms in order to spread an unfectious disease, you have to be an active carrier of the disease.

If you go from the future healthy, you will spread no flu viruses. If you have no resident viruses such as HIV, HCV, HBV and others, you will not spread them through the people.

A future time traveler will have so advanced anti-virus medications, that he will not be afraid getting even the most incurable for us virus.

So the diseases spreading through time travel is not valid argument, at least if done cautiously.

 
In medical terms in order to spread an unfectious disease, you have to be an active carrier of the disease.If you go from the future healthy, you will spread no flu viruses. If you have no resident viruses such as HIV, HCV, HBV and others, you will not spread them through the people.

A future time traveler will have so advanced anti-virus medications, that he will not be afraid getting even the most incurable for us virus.

So the diseases spreading through time travel is not valid argument, at least if done cautiously.
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I think you're assuming the time traveler has access to Star Trek-like levels of medical care while "in the field".

What @PaulaJedi is asking about is whether the casual time traveler (someone like Mad Man Marcum, perhaps) would be a health risk having ONLY access to their self-made time machine. Going back to the sixth century, you'd be at risk of getting the Bubonic plague. Going to the distant future where the common cold has been eradicated, you could very likely cause a wild outbreak of a virus or bacteria that hasn't been seen in centuries.

 
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Oh, I didn't imagine some sort of field healing machines. Simply very powerful anti-virus drugs and therapies are now on development. Today hepatitis C (HCV) can be cured successfully and even removed entirely from the liver. The therapy, however is still quite expensive. The HIV virus was successfully removed from 2 patients with therapy similar with the therapy for blood cancer - their blood cells were killed, and then bone marrow was transplanted. Ebola soon will have both vaccine and treatment. If a future time traveler comes here, he will not care if he will get HCV, because its treatment will be a routine in his time.

A casual time traveler can spread diseases, correct. Its like the casual sex and HIV.

 
I think you're assuming the time traveler has access to Star Trek-like levels of medical care while "in the field".What @PaulaJedi is asking about is whether the casual time traveler (someone like Mad Man Marcum, perhaps) would be a health risk having ONLY access to their self-made time machine. Going back to the sixth century, you'd be at risk of getting the Bubonic plague. Going to the distant future where the common cold has been eradicated, you could very likely cause a wild outbreak of a virus or bacteria that hasn't been seen in centuries.
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We carry bacteria and viruses we don't know about as well --- try on the bottom of our shoes, in our feces, etc.

 
The bacteria and fungi, that we have normally on our bodies are specific types. What makes the difference are the strains from each type. While the strains should have changed with the time, their effect on our bodies most probably haven't. Normally we don't care viruses directly exposed on our bodies. Those viruses, which we may have, such as herpes simplex can be spread, and be contagious only in an active state of the disease, e.g. when you have the herpes vesiculas on your mouth.

 
A future time traveler will have so advanced anti-virus medications, that he will not be afraid getting even the most incurable for us virus.
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How can you say that? If time travel was invented today, we don't have that "so advanced medications". Not even Titor would, I mean, 2036 is right there.

 
Yes, we have. We can actually cure all types of previously incurable infectious and other microbe diseases from the past, or vaccinate against them, including the most dangerous pox, pus forming bacteria, syphilis, even the black death - the cholera in English? today is treatable.

 
You do have a point, but I'm talking more about a larger timespan. What about if we travel back in time far enough where a virus or bacteria existed and was extinct and we never heard of it? And it was super deadly to monkeys like us?

 
Ofcourse, everything is possible, and no one can give you a 100% guarantee, but if you go so far back in time, then your genetics will be incomaptable with the genetics attacked by the virus. You can't catch many of your dogs diseases, right?

 
Wouldn't it be best to use hand gel, Lysol your shoes, and shower before/after you return? A face mask might help, too, but that would be very obvious.

 
Boys and girls, we as general know what microbes were on the Earth in the different time periods. If you are uncertain what kind of microorganisms you will be in touch with, first send only probes - water probe, air probe, earth probe. Bring them back, see what kind of germs are out there, on the place, that you want to visit, check the history for diseases outbreaks in this region, vaccinate if possible, and... this has to be enough to protect yourself.

 
Boys and girls, we as general know what microbes were on the Earth in the different time periods. If you are uncertain what kind of microorganisms you will be in touch with, first send only probes - water probe, air probe, earth probe. Bring them back, see what kind of germs are out there, on the place, that you want to visit, check the history for diseases outbreaks in this region, vaccinate if possible, and... this has to be enough to protect yourself.
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I do agree with you sir!!! sending probes is a good idea of preventing ones physical contact with the microorganism which might be encounter, however, what if the bacteria somehow.... i guess... got on to the fabrication of the probes and when it get back it might also be a carrier. Perhaps the personnel which will inspect the sample and the probe should better be wearing a PPE. I don't know,but, probabilities do matter!!! Hahaha it's just my agony.

 
Well, can we time travel at first place? What is the meaning of thinking out the details, if we don't have the main yet? Especially if the details have been thought already for another purposes. Well... there are materials in which the microbes, that we have met so far (including these in the past) can't penetrate as simply as that. These are the glass and different metals. Protecting the microbiological team, that will process the probes is correct, of course.

 
If you're traveling to the past, wouldn't history already tell you what diseases are likely to be encountered ? If you take something with you that causes an outbreak, wouldn't that already be known about before you left? Visiting a time period and area with the black plague, would hope that some research and appropriate preparation for both time period and place would be completed. As would it should be for any other time period you 'plan' on visiting.

Also , seems that a complete blood test would be conducted prior to leaving and upon the return. And wouldn't there be a microbe-sterilization process in place for you , your equipment, and for the machine ?

Seems that the medications of today would be highly effective against most diseases of the past, those that can be eradicated by medications. If you get Malaria in medieval times, good luck with that.

I would be more concerned about traveling into the future. We build up a tolerance to medications as the diseases mutate, so would think that medications in the future might be dangerous. Aren't the scientists always creating stronger antibiotics ? What would an antibiotic be like 100 years from now ? Assuming that medications are still used for combating diseases.

 
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I would be more concerned about traveling into the future. We build up a tolerance to medications as the diseases mutate, so would think that medications in the future might be dangerous. Aren't the scientists always creating stronger antibiotics ? What would an antibiotic be like 100 years from now ? Assuming that medications are still used for combating diseases.
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It's going rapidly. I am allergic to almost all except 2. Literally 2.

 
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