Yes, it matter. Would we remove the brake pedal of a car while driving? This is the same idea.

We are talking about removing the main wire of entire ecosystems without a clue of the real outcome. Could have some benefits? yes, it could, but the nice extra space for the feet wouldn't worth the danger. An unfixable waterfall of problems and many local economical collapses would be guaranteed.

We've intentionally made the smallpox virus extinct.

The "unfixable waterfall of problems and many local economic collapses" that have resulted since then are legendary /s

And mosquitoes are the same as pox viruses now?

No, one of them has caused many more human deaths than the other.

So what? Still the wrong metric to compare both organisms

Why? An organism that causes millions of human deaths needs to be wiped out. This is an evolutionary imperative. If a species (humans) get out-competed to death at large scale it will go extinct.

> An organism that causes millions of human deaths needs to be wiped out.

Not necessarily; that would be suicidal. And take in mind that you are perfectly describing humans (and dogs)

And snakes.

But mosquitoes blow the rest of these out of the water with staggering numbers of human deaths on their hands.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deadliest_animals_to...