Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak - Two minutes too late

Many people chose to watch this documentary at the beginning of this new Coronavirus pandemic, during their lockdown. I didn’t. It didn’t seem the better choice for me; the daily news were enough. Now that we start to relax (should we?), the curiosity won, and I gave it a try.

I wasn’t exactly sure of what I was going to see, but I was glued to the screen since the first episode. In the middle of an actual pandemic, it looked a bit creepy—an accurate prediction of the future.

First put aside by many people simply as a “documentary about the flu”, it is now one of the most-watched documentaries on Netflix.

Not if, but when.

Universal vaccine

One of the things I liked the most was the idea of a universal vaccine for the flu. It would be great. It would change everything. So, why have we never heard of that team or their work?

The flu virus has a lot of strains, and it is always changing. This would make it impossible to develop a single, universal vaccine, right? Yet, their results seem promising. There is hope.

The information that the wild birds are the carriers of the different flu viruses was new to me. And scary. I think I will remember that, next time my daughter wants to feed the ducks…

Different countries, different capacities - a perspective

Poor and less developed countries would have extra problems facing a pandemic. This is showed throughout the documentary, and unfortunately, already proved right. Well, except maybe for the United States. It seems pretty bad in there right now.

Anyway, the perspectives shown by the documentary, from India and Africa, enriched the film and made it more interesting to watch. Perhaps, a bit scary as well.

Even the anti-vax mom, to whom I wouldn’t listen to, in a personal conversation, gave an interesting input in the documentary—a different perspective.

Was it all in vain?

At the end of this, and after following the great work of Dr. Syra, one question remains: was it all in vain? All that work, all those resources… The pandemic came after all.

We don’t know what’s happening next. Yet, the kindness and dedication of all those who work in the front-lines give us hope.

Amazing documentary. I’ll be waiting for the universal flu vaccine!

Comments

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