There are many spectacular films about epidemics, but most of them are about fictional viruses. Few
Ebola
Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)Ebola virus disease, EVD) is a contagious disease, which is responsible for a virus of the Filoviridae family. The disease is characterized by severe fever, rash, and bleeding. The mortality rate of EVD is up to 90%, but during the last outbreak in 2014 it was 60–70%.
EVD cannot be contracted by airborne droplets,it is transmitted from person to person through close contact (through lesions on the skin or mucous membrane) with the blood or secretions of infected people, including those who are deceased or embalmed. For 50 days, a corpse can be dangerous.
Where was it shown?
The Ebola virus entered the United States in 1989.The six-episode series Hot Zone (2019) based on the novel of the same name by Richard Preston, directed by Michael Appendal, tells about these events. In the story, Lieutenant Nancy Jax, wife and mother of two children, risks his life, testing a sample of one of the deadliest viruses in the world. To find out the source of its occurrence and prevent an outbreak of the disease in the United States, Jax recruits his mentor, Ebola expert Dr. Wade Carter, to the study.
What happened in reality?
The official history of the Ebola virus began in 1976year. But indeed, in 1989, a virus was discovered in the United States, 6 km from Washington. He became the first, from infection with which up to 90% of patients died. The latest Ebola epidemic began in February 2014 in Guinea and continued until December 2015, expanding outside the country. In October 2014, the first case of Ebola was diagnosed in the United States.
Smallpox
Smallpox is an infectious disease, itcauses variola virus of the Poxviridae family. The first symptoms are high fever, headache and back pain. Then a rash appears on the skin. For centuries, smallpox has been one of the worst epidemics in the world, killing up to 30% of the victims, most of whom were children. Those who survived received immunity, but they were disfigured for life, and in some cases remained blind.
However, smallpox became one of the first diseaseswhich it turned out to be controlled with the help of vaccination. In 1967, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a global smallpox vaccination program, and in 1980 the disease was officially declared eradicated.
Where was it shown?
The film "Epidemic" (1971) by Roman Zalusskytalks about the smallpox epidemic that swept Wroclaw (Poland) in 1963. Dr. Adam Ravich is fighting the disease, he was the first to diagnose its symptoms in a patient. But at first, no one believes the doctor, and this leads to disastrous consequences.
What happened in reality?
Zalussky's painting is based on real events.Indeed, in 1963, there was an epidemic of smallpox in Wroclaw. 99 people fell ill in the city, 7 of them died. The virus was accidentally brought with him by scout Boniface Yedinak after a short business trip to India. He arrived on May 25, 1963, and four days later began complaining of chills, high fever, and acne-like skin rashes. A doctor from Wroclaw diagnosed malaria, but to be sure he sent Edinak to the Gdansk Institute of Tropical Medicine.
Unfortunately, local specialists limited themselves toconfirmation of the diagnosis and did not notice that the patient, in addition to malaria, was sick with a much more serious smallpox. This mistake triggered a chain of infections and led to a smallpox epidemic in Wroclaw. It was one of the largest in post-war Europe.
Rabies virus
Rabies is an acute viral infectiondisease caused by the rabies virus. It infects both people and animals. The disease is incurable and always ends in death. However, rabies has an extremely low prevalence and incidence in developed countries.
It is transmitted with saliva when bitten by sick animals.The peculiarity of the virus is that it spreads along the nerve pathways, there is no blood test for it. Also, rabies does not cause any symptoms until the last stage. If a person is bitten by an animal, he is immediately prescribed antiviral therapy - a course of immunization (six injections in the shoulder on the day of the bite, then on the 3rd, 7th, 14th, 30th and 90th days after contact with the animal), and also, if indicated, rabies immunoglobulin is administered.
Where was it shown?
Spaniards Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza made a film"Reportage" (2007) in the genre of horror. According to the plot, the journalist arrived with the operator and firefighters on a regular call to the house, where a strange noise was heard from the apartment of a lonely elderly woman. As a result, most people were bitten by people infected with rabies, and the house was quickly sealed to prevent the spread of a possible virus. In Hollywood, in the wake of the success of the tape, a remake of "Quarantine" was filmed.
What happened in reality?
According to WHO, human transmissiona person with a bite or with saliva is theoretically possible, but has never been confirmed. The same is true for people who become infected by eating raw meat or milk from infected animals. Infection is still possible when it comes to transplantation (there was a case with corneal transplantation).
About the most relevant virus todayshoot many documentaries. Among them is Coronavirus Explained, a Netflix documentary series filmed in 2020. There is also "Virus Hunters" from the author of the "Editorial" program Alexei Pivovarov. Another documentary film "Coronacrisis" is about the influence of the crown on the economy as a whole from Russian journalists. Perhaps in the future, when SARS-CoV-2 is still defeated, we will see many feature films that, in their own way, will tell about what has been happening on Earth since December 2019. Now the "plot" of COVID-19 is only developing and the whole world is waiting for a denouement.
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