Our timeline gets parachronics in 2022

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by Tom Mazanec

What would happen if we invented conveyers and/or gates now? Postulate that, at least for a good while, we only have access to one world. It is TL 3 no mana.

Pandemics, like those that killed ~93% of the population of the New World between 1491 and 1610.

[maximara]

Originally Posted by Agemegos

Pandemics, like those that killed ~93% of the population of the New World between 1491 and 1610.

The return of smallpox which would go through our modern society like a buzzsaw (it hasn't been seen naturally since 1977) until vaccine production was resumed.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by maximara

The return of smallpox which would go through our modern society like a buzzsaw (it hasn't been seen naturally since 1977) until vaccine production was resumed.

If the other world had domesticated cattle, yes, smallpox or something like it. And they might well have analogues of other zoonotic diseases such as chickenpox, avian flu, swine flu, dengue, measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis, plague etc. that are different enough from our accustomed versions that we are not immune to them. And in another world they might well have different epidemic diseases from analogous domesticates, or even unfamiliar domesticates.

[Willy]

Originally Posted by maximara

The return of smallpox which would go through our modern society like a buzzsaw (it hasn't been seen naturally since 1977) until vaccine production was resumed.

Depends, due to similarities the monkey pox vacine offers some protection againts small pox.

Since monkey pox are a increasing problem and the developped parts of erath consider wide spread vaccination programs in case of a ongoing monkey pox pandemic. We will have at least some protection.

Also while small pox are deadly and we haven´t a big actual vacine production, certainly the big world powers have some vaccines in stock for emergencys at least for high level key personal, we made a great leap in vaccine understanding and production, the only positve thing about covid.

Originally Posted by Varyon

SNIP I personally suspect that other world diseases getting loose here won't be as big of an issue - any polity that can manage the expense of parachronic travel (unless it relies on One Weird Trick and is actually easy and affordable) can probably manage the sort of quarantine needed to keep the diseases from spreading. Also, those diseases aren't going to have any resistance to the sorts of general treatments we have readily available. Earth diseases (including Covid-19 and its variants) will almost certainly end up spreading to the other world, however.

100% true about the chance of our diseases running loose, as long as we didn´t wear sealed suits all the time and bring only sterilized stuff into the other world.

As for protecting us against the hazards from the other side? Depends, the greater the level of contact and exchange the greater the risk. Small science teams can be isolated easily and safe for month to make sure the didn´t carry anything. But such a long time containment for hundrets or thousands of staff running a outpost the size of a small town there? And of course we must add trade to the problem. The current earth is resource hungry like a starving scavenger. If this world has oil, gas, rare earth or anything other, we can forget the whole quarantine process, it´s impossible to maintain strict sterilisation given the number and masses of stuff.

Also the whole quarantime has just to be longer than the incubation, look at a potential killer like HIV, you wouldn´t filter it out with a year long quarantine.

Last but not least the potential threat has to be detected as such. Many diseases are for the locals just a nuisance for newcomers they are deadly. Bringing a new world folkt to earth say too speak to the UN or make treatys, who has such a for him totally harmless disease can be a threat to whole manking. Quarantine wouldn´t help because he may have this disease chronic, without any symptoms.

Best guess is any who makes the trip knows it´s a one way trip unless it´s absolutely sure the world hasn´t any such diseases we can´t fight. Which takes years of research. Basically a isolated research outpost kept alive with supplies delivered by conveyor. And / or we use it as a garbage dump for overpopulation.

All of that goes several levels up, once we add other intelligent races to the mix.