Scientists Warn That Viruses Like SARS-CoV-2 Are Evolving to Adapt to Climate and Airborne Challenges
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Aug 27, 2025 9 hours, 10 minutes ago
Medical News: Viruses No Longer Follow Old Seasonal Rules
For decades, common respiratory viruses like influenza, RSV, and coronaviruses followed predictable seasonal trends—flaring in winter and receding in warmer months. But recent studies have shown that these old rules no longer apply. The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a strange shift: influenza nearly disappeared for two years, RSV surged unexpectedly in summer, and new coronavirus variants spread aggressively in every climate zone. This
Medical News report highlights that these changes are warning signs of viral evolution in response to human behavior, climate pressures, and environmental factors.
Scientists Warn That Viruses Like SARS-CoV-2 Are Evolving to Adapt to Climate and Airborne Challenges
Researchers Behind the Findings
The study was carried out by scientists from the Department of Botany at Prasannadeb Women’s College in West Bengal, India and the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Environmental Health Sciences at Georgia Southern University, USA. Their review explored how respiratory viruses are adapting to survive longer in the air, withstand changing humidity levels, and infect people outside their traditional seasonal peaks.
Viruses Adapting to Airborne Survival
One of the most alarming discoveries is that coronaviruses like SARS-CoV-2 have developed the ability to remain infectious in the air for several hours—sometimes even longer than non-enveloped viruses, which were previously thought to be more stable. Mutations in viral structures, especially the spike proteins, may be helping them survive in fluctuating climates and bind more effectively to human cells. This means poorly ventilated spaces, crowded transportation systems, and polluted urban areas are becoming prime grounds for viral spread.
Climate Change Is Accelerating Viral Shifts
The research also connects climate change to viral evolution. Warmer winters are extending the infectious season, while rising levels of air pollution are damaging human lung defenses, making it easier for viruses to take hold. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and gases like nitrogen dioxide can carry viral particles deeper into the lungs, intensifying infections. Meanwhile, unpredictable weather patterns—heatwaves, floods, and storms—are disrupting normal seasonal outbreaks and allowing viruses to circulate all year round.
Public Health at a Crossroads
Scientists caution that if current trends continue, humanity may face continuous waves of overlapping viral outbreaks instead of seasonal epidemics. Vaccination campaigns that once relied on timing—such as flu shots before winter—may lose effectiveness. Hospitals and health systems will need to adapt to unexpected surges that could appear at any time of year. The study calls for new surveillance systems that integrate climate data, real-time viral sequencing, and indoor air safety measures.
A Warni
ng for the Future
The researchers stress that coronaviruses and other respiratory viruses are not just mutating randomly—they are actively adapting to environmental pressures, human interventions, and climate changes. This could mean future viruses spread faster, resist current treatments, and exploit weaknesses in global healthcare preparedness. Protecting against them will require not only vaccines and drugs but also climate-aware policies, better ventilation in buildings, and international cooperation.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Aerobiology.
https://www.mdpi.com/2813-5075/3/3/7
For the latest news, keep on logging to Thailand
Medical News.
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/study-finds-that-ventilation-systems-and-air-cleaners-in-most-hospitals-are-actually-spreading-viruses-further
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/czech-republic-scientists-warn-that-h5n1-bird-flu-virus-is-windborne-and-can-spread-across-several-kilometers
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/breaking-forget-about-airborne-transmissions,-university-of-edinburgh-study-shows-that-sars-cov-2-can-even-be-transmitted-by-winds
Share
Tweet
Share
