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This was an extra credit assignment I completed at the end of the year. I earned an A in this class...

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May 4th, 2017

Danielle Curtis HSC 4624

Inst. Nathanael Stanley Reaction Paper for Unseen Enemy

Unseen Enemy is a CNN documentary about the impending potential crises of various infectious diseases, like Ebola, Zika and the common flu. It explores possible reasons for why populations today are experiencing high incidences of diseases that were once only outbreaks, but today are considered full-blown epidemics. Specifically, this documentary focuses on three epidemics: Ebola, influenza and Zika, to explain to the public the severity of the increased risk that we face and the ways that society can work together to reduce these risks. The documentary starts with the introduction of Dr. Soka Moses, who is treating Ebola patients in Liberia. We learn that initially, his clinic was swamped with patients and that there was little to no chance of survival. However, by the end of the film, we see how the Ebola epidemic was brought under control and the various ways Dr. Moses was able to improve his clinic so that his patients had a much greater chance of survival. The documentary also focuses on how Zika has traveled the world, starting in the South Pacific and ending up all the way in the United States. Finally, the documentary also focuses on the influenza and how one family in Minnesota lost their daughter Shannon to what they thought was a “common cold”. Overall, this documentary introduces its viewers to doctors and everyday people who have experienced the horror of epidemics and have emerged deeply changed. One topic I found to be most interesting in this documentary was the section about influenza. I have had the flu many times and never really thought about how serious it was because I perceived it to be so “common”. However, after learning about Shannon’s story and learning about how the “common cold” led to her death I became very intrigued. Another topic I found to be quite interesting is that often times these diseases start from animal reservoirs. For example, pigs, birds or bats. It had never occurred to me before to think about where viruses and diseases come from, let alone that they usually originate from an animal. Finally, towards the end of the documentary we learned about Dr. Brilliant’s Indian smallpox work and how they forcibly had to vaccinate a tribe against their will. I found this to be quite interesting because, today, it would be considered an extreme violation against someone’s basic human rights. However, I can also see where they were coming from and why the vaccination of this specific tribe was a crucial component of their eradication efforts. Although the whole documentary was somewhat concerning, there are three topics that concern me in particular. The first concern I have after watching this documentary is that something like the common flu, has the capacity to kill 200,000 people a year. This is a number I never thought imaginable and perfectly illustrates the importance of getting vaccinated against the flu each year. Another topic I find concerning is that scientists are expressing fear for a new strain of flu, and that nobody will have immunity against it. This is concerning because it has the potential to destroy billions of live. Finally, I also find it concerning that viruses that seem to only appear in far off countries actually have the potential to affect us here in the United State, for example the Zika virus. When Zika was a virus that only affected remote areas it was of

no great concern to the U.S. However, it slowly made its way through South America and is beginning to be spotted in the U.S. causing panic, which is concerning....