Contagion Plot Can Become Reality

The movie “Contagion” tells about the deadly virus, which enters the USA with a tourist from Hong Kong. Hundreds of scientists are trying to get the code and the vaccine, but in vain. The epidemic of the unknown virus is one of the most popular Hollywood stories. For example, the author of the thriller “Contagion” decided to ponder how America would react to a pandemic.

The scientists from the Queen Mary University of London believe that the fiction directed by Steven Soderbergh can easily become a reality. Moreover, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University Dr. Ian Lipkin was responsible for the plausibility of the film.
As in real life, the virus is spreading fastest via a handshake, but not coughing. Therefore, the risk can be presented by any object, including door handles, and washing hands is more important than wearing a mask. But the ability of the virus to mutate does not allow to create a universal vaccine. If there appears a new strain, it takes several weeks or even months to create a vaccine. During this time, hundreds of people may suffer.
One of the worst variants described by the epidemiologists is the mutation of avian and swine influenza viruses. Then the world will see a deadly and easily contagious virus, as in the movie “Contagion”. In fact, in 1918 a similar strain of the virus spread all over the globe under the name “Spanish flu”. At that time the virus killed from 50 to 100 million people.
However, British scientists ascertain that today such a catastrophe can be prevented by thousands of doctors and scientists monitoring the epidemiological situation.