Dateline: September 26 2031
The benefits of vaccinating babies and children against 13 infectious diseases are well established. Older adults can also protect their health with annual shots against the flu, Covid-19, and pneumonia, as well as shingles and respiratory syncytial virus. But now the vaccine list is exploding.
New technology has opened the pathway for developing vaccines to counter parasites, bacterial superbugs and chronic diseases, as well as viruses. Now we can fight cancer and diabetes with genetically enhanced shots. AI tools have shortened the development time to months instead of years.
The success of messenger RNA (mRNA) technology was a key factor in combating the Covid-19 pandemic, despite only providing partial immunity in early versions. Subsequent improvement in mRNA vaccines worked against malaria, Zika, tuberculosis and HIV. These shots have been a godsend in dealing with diseases and infections that are difficult to treat with medication.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, vaccine hesitancy swelled to virulent antivax sentiment as shots were rushed to market and governments made it mandatory. A number of individuals were undoubtedly harmed by these campaigns, but many millions, possibly billions, were saved. In the years that followed, not only were the vaccines refined and thoroughly tested, but long-term data proved their efficacy.
The versatility of mRNA to create personalised vaccines, such as using a patient’s own tumour cells to programme an immune response, and destroy it, has revolutionised medical practice and healthcare globally. Now the tide has turned, and we’re all happily lining up to get our shots. Making the data fully transparent and admitting past mistakes has helped the health authorities win over the sceptics.
The pharma giants are smiling again and promising future cures for all kinds of hereditary and acquired illnesses. America has become the vaccination nation. ⁄First published in Mindbullets September 26 2024
Your vaccine needs a software update: It’s easy to install the latest antivirus patch
Dateline: February 5 2026
You’ve got the latest multiprotection vaccine — or so you thought, but now it turns out there’s a new mutation of the SMERS-CoV-6 virus that needs a tweak to the inoculation. But don’t despair, because there’s an update in the works.
Now that bio-printed medications and vaccines are fully digitally designed and constructed, with the help of advanced “quantum” intelligence, it’s only a matter of isolating the troublesome “bug” in the mRNA code, and recoding the assembler routine.
If that’s a little confusing, you’re excused. But the way these things work now, it’s all software. The software of life, DNA and the “apps” that apply the fixes, messenger RNA or mRNA, are the tools we use to defend people from new infections and diseases. Including viruses.
It’s like a hotfix for your operating system. If it’s not performing optimally, perhaps it needs a refresh; only thing is, we’re talking about a refresh of you — your personal operating system, which keeps you breathing.
But it’s not all that critical, it’s just a minor update and things should be fine afterwards. Millions of users, I mean people, have already applied the fix, and reports are coming in of 99.999% success. One or two failures in a million are quite within the norm.
There’s just one problem. You can’t roll back to a previous version. Once you’ve swallowed the new pill, the installation is permanent; there’s no going back. This update can’t be uninstalled.
So, if your antivirus is out of date, check your version carefully before you install the new one. /First published in Mindbullets February 4 2021
Despite appearances to the contrary, Futureworld cannot and does not predict the future. The Mindbullets scenarios are fictitious and designed purely to explore possible futures, and challenge and stimulate strategic thinking.
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