It’s horrifying to even think about how many viruses there are in the world, but Hollywood usually jumps at the chance to bring another one of them to light through film. The disturbing part about it however is that they take a very big number of liberties in displaying the disease and its effects. They also tend to use the movie magic at their disposal to execute a story line that couldn’t possibly happen or is far too simplistic and contains only the value of a good movie when reaching the public. So in presenting Hollywood with a new line of diseases to write about it’s not the worst thing in the world, so long as people don’t believe its 100 percent accurate.
Here are a few diseases that could become outbreaks and thus be worthy of Hollywood.
5. Zika
Taking into account the number of diseases that mosquitoes can and are known to carry the Zika virus is actually kind of scary. It hasn’t been shown to be outwardly fatal to anyone, but it has been linked to birth defects that become possible when a pregnant mother is bitten by an infected mosquito. The mother might not have any symptoms, but she will unfortunately pass the virus on to her unborn child, which has no defense. This could be made into a seriously tragic and dramatic story to be honest, but it might also hit the wrong notes with new and expectant mothers.
4. Avian Influenza
While it affects bird primarily this virus can also infect humans if given the right conditions. It’s not something that typically happens as the virus needs to inhaled or otherwise allowed in through nose, or eyes. The symptoms can range from mild influenza to serious respiratory problems. The type of film needed for this kind of outbreak would need to be something that shows humanity living in squalor and possibly just a very filthy, unkempt place all around.
3. Swine Flu
This flu used to be a problem until a vaccine was developed and mass produced. Now it’s really no more bothersome than a common flu bug since people have acclimated to it. A shot can be given that will last for close to a year provided that an individual isn’t constantly exposed to the virus. Hollywood could make this one work fairly easily by putting some radical spin on it.
2. Yellow Fever
Yellow fever is another virus caused by mosquitoes that is not altogether dangerous if a person gets treated. It can lead to yellow skin, hence the name, which usually means that it has gotten quite serious and the affected individual needs to see a doctor. Hollywood would really have trouble with this one as the mere mention of a mosquito gets a lot of people nervous these days.
1. Pandemic Flu
A pandemic flu is any flu virus that is prevalent in different regions of the world. Just imagine the heyday that Hollywood could have with this one. The argument that they’ve done this bit more than once is very valid and it is true. But the twist here is that they could always come up with a new strain of the many viruses that are out there to give the movie a little more realism despite the fact that many flu strains now have vaccines to counter them.
So come on Hollywood, what are you waiting for? There’s so many ways to entertain and scare the populace.
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