The only way known to ecologists for a novel pathogen to be overcome in its initial attack is for the already strong immune systems of the host creatures to fight off the pathogen with any previously-acquired immunities which happen to fit it fairly well. This is often a bloody affair: lots of individuals with insufficient personal immune strength succumbing, whilst others recover, with more immune responses now included in their arsenals, specifically for the new ill, which thus sinks back into endemic status, and becomes a minor recurring nuisance, easily dealt with by the newly-acquired herd immunity. Like common colds.
The immune survivors of the original cull then breed back to balanced-population level, passing on their library of immunities to their offspring.
I watched this process happen with rabbits and myxomatosis, and I’m still watching it with elms coming back from dutch elm disease.
Even as a mere witness, the natural process is traumatic, but rarely - never? - to extinction level. The problem for hom sap is that we - at least in the sick-souled West - have a ridiculous attitude to death; knowing it’s universally inevitable, but wild-goose-chasing for a total eradication - which is never going to happen.
The best approach to these matters is, as Pam Popper discusses in the video you posted, R, genuine public health work, as a social good, which prepares as many individuals as fate will allow to meet novel pathogens with strength, leading to an eventual immunity-giving victory. Added to this approach needs to be some degree of protection for vulnerable individuals, as far as is practicable, though it will always be imperfect.
But another missing ingredient in the current disastrous approach which we’re suffering is to get our heads straight about death. Part of the deal of being alive is that you avoid death every way you can. But you acknowledge that it’s inevitable and necessary. It is in fact what makes the life-deal worthwhile, because it offers repeated re-runs of lives, as many as your soul wants, aiming always to do better next time than previous times in being what the Yiddishers call a gut mensch.
Seen in this light, the sober, wise approach to dealing humanely and effectively with illnesses becomes self-evident: Prevent, ameliorate and cure as much as is practical, using whatever is found in clinical practice to work. And work energetically at all times to promote sound public health, based on sound diet and lifestyle. And prevent commercialising gangsters from ever perverting public health policy as it has been perverted so badly in the West.
Do this, and most vaccines would die of lack of need. Humankind’s supposedly ‘improved’ ways to combat illness simply don’t measure up to Gaia’s ancient, anciently-refined way. We get slapped down savagely - as now - whenever we refuse like dolts to listen to her.
