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The Conversation
Thea van de Mortel, Professor, Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University

Viruses aren't always harmful. 6 ways they're used in health care and pest control

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We tend to just think of viruses in terms of their damaging impacts on human health and lives. The 1918 flu pandemic killed around 50 million people. Smallpox claimed 30% of those who caught it, and survivors were often scarred and blinded. More recently, we’re all too familiar with the health and economic impacts of COVID.

But viruses can also be used to benefit human health, agriculture and the environment.

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