Viruses penetrate and multiply to other organisms (hosts), such as animals and plants, and spread through various avenues such as blood, air, smears, contaminated water and food, and parasitic locations such as skin, liver and lungs. COVID-19, which is known to spread through smears, causes various respiratory difficulties such as fever, nausea, coughing, heavy breathing, and pneumonia. Professor Kim Bong-young said that the mere penetration of pathogens does not express symptoms.

“When microorganisms enter the body from outside, the immune system works to defend the body, which causes inflammatory reactions in the process of fighting the microorganisms (antigens). The symptoms we feel from an infectious disease are the result of this inflammatory response.”

Hence, symptoms like coughing fever are symptoms of our immune system fighting the viruses; however, severe inflammation could cause death. Since the disease is infected by the penetration of microorganisms, thorough compliance with disease prevention rules is essential.

“Prevention is the most important thing for all diseases, not just infectious diseases. In particular, infectious diseases that occur due to microorganisms’ penetration from the outside, should be prevented with personal hygiene routines, such as washing hands, wearing a mask, and coughing etiquette. Cough etiquette is a must-do rule to prevent the spread of pathogens, even if they are not COVID-19.”

Coronavirus penetrates into the body when the carrier coughs, especially when they rub their eyes or touch their nose with hands that were in contact with saliva drops. Professor Kim Bong-young highlighted that hand hygiene management is the most important routine because all human contact outside is made through hands. “Contagion,” famous for its fictional prediction of the corona pandemic, also showed the process of the virus spreading around the world through hands such as handshakes and raising awareness of infectious diseases.

In Korea, vaccinations for COVID-19 began in February. Professor Kim Bong-young also mentioned the importance of taking the vaccine to prevent the spread of this infectious disease. Smallpox, which the WHO officially declared exterminated in 1980, has also disappeared thanks to its vaccine. However, it is assumed that it will take a long time to return to daily life even though COVID-19 may also come to an end like smallpox.

“If the whole world stops all activity for two to three weeks together, we can stop the spread of the virus, but it’s practically impossible. Also, the coronavirus has a highly mutable characteristic, so complete eradication seems difficult. As time goes by I think there will be a day when we accept it just like the flu during a winter influenza.”

Professor Kim Bong-young added that accepting coexistence with the coronavirus will be the real end because it will be difficult to eradicate the coronavirus as it has already been concluded that covid-19 will become endemic. Therefore, finding a way to wisely coexist by controlling the virus with vaccines and treatment is a realistic alternative, away from the vague fear of COVID-19. We tend to think of viruses as just harmful to humans, but Carl Zimmer once suggested a path to symbiosis with a virus, calling it an “old colleague” in his book, “A Planet of Viruses.”

“In fact, our bodies are covered with microorganisms. It lives with numerous germs in the skin, mouth and gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, infectious diseases often occur through microorganisms in our body. For example, when there is a minor cut on the surface of the skin, the skin’s staphylococcus penetrates the body, and the area becomes swollen. This is soft tissue inflammation, which we know very well.”

Professor Kim Bong-young says that pathogens of infectious diseases do not necessarily penetrate from outside, so infectious diseases are not something that humans can avoid. In the future, unexpected infectious diseases could hit mankind. Then, how should we seek symbiosis with the virus?

“There has never been a time in human history where we were free from diseases. As new viruses emerge one after another, infectious diseases will continue to break out. Now that we have experienced it a few times, we need to live following quarantine measures and reach a social consensus on how to respond to an epidemic, as was done this time. I think it is time that we support the development of infectious disease specialists, which are essential personnel on a national level in dealing with infectious diseases.”