Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America
Encyclopedia
Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America is an ABC
two-hour TV movie
which first aired May 9, 2006 in which an American
"businessman visiting China
is infected and carries the deadly mutated bird flu virus back via jetliner to the USA
, soon it spreads throughout the country then the rest of the world. Before the movie ends, riots erupt, armed mobs try to hijack vaccines and authorities predict that up to 350 million people will die worldwide."
quarantines neighborhoods where cases have cropped up, and federal officials confess they have no vaccine and scant supplies of antiviral drugs. Major socioeconomic disruption sets in, with shortages of food and medical supplies, power outages, and riots in the streets of New York
. A civil war
even erupts among the US. Eventually, the pandemic begins to subside. But in the final scene, the discovery that the entire population of an Angola
n village has died which heralds a new mutation of the virus and a second wave of cases will begin."
) at the University of Minnesota
write: "The creators of the fictional ABC-TV movie Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America blended medical facts from the 1918 influenza pandemic with current predictions from flu experts to portray a contemporary flu pandemic, but they added a liberal dash of sensationalism. The disease shown in the film, aired May 9, bore a strong resemblance to the illness that killed an estimated 675,000 Americans in 1918 and 1919. And a good many of the issues raised came straight out of the US government's pandemic preparedness plans and recent news stories about possible pandemic scenarios. But some scenes and details went well beyond what happened in 1918 or what is plausible today. And along the way, important medical details were left out."
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
two-hour TV movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
which first aired May 9, 2006 in which an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
"businessman visiting China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
is infected and carries the deadly mutated bird flu virus back via jetliner to the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, soon it spreads throughout the country then the rest of the world. Before the movie ends, riots erupt, armed mobs try to hijack vaccines and authorities predict that up to 350 million people will die worldwide."
Plot summary
"A mutated bird flu virus spreads across the world. As panic spreads, the governor of VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
quarantines neighborhoods where cases have cropped up, and federal officials confess they have no vaccine and scant supplies of antiviral drugs. Major socioeconomic disruption sets in, with shortages of food and medical supplies, power outages, and riots in the streets of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. A civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
even erupts among the US. Eventually, the pandemic begins to subside. But in the final scene, the discovery that the entire population of an Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
n village has died which heralds a new mutation of the virus and a second wave of cases will begin."
Cast
- Joely RichardsonJoely RichardsonJoely Kim Richardson is an English actress, most known recently for her role as Queen Catherine Parr in the Showtime television show The Tudors and Julia McNamara in the television drama Nip/Tuck...
as Dr. Iris Varnack - Stacy KeachStacy KeachStacy Keach is an American actor and narrator. He is most famous for his dramatic roles; however, he has done narration work in educational programming on PBS and the Discovery Channel, as well as some comedy and musical...
as Collin Reed - Ann CusackAnn Cusack-Early life:Cusack was born in Brooklyn, New York, the sister of actors Joan, Bill, John and Susie. Her mother, Nancy, is a former mathematics teacher and political activist. Her father, Dick Cusack, was an actor, producer, and writer...
as Denise Connelly - Justina MachadoJustina MachadoJustina Machado is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Vanessa Diaz in the HBO drama series Six Feet Under.-Early life:...
as Alma Ansen - Scott Cohen as Governor Mike Newsome
- David RamseyDavid Ramsey (actor)David Ramsey is an American actor, best known for his roles in the Showtime TV series Dexter as Anton Briggs and the film Mother and Child.-Life and career:...
as Curtis Ansen - John AtkinsonJohn AtkinsonJohn Atkinson may refer to:* John Atkinson, Baron Atkinson , Irish lawyer and politician* John Atkinson John Atkinson may refer to:* John Atkinson, Baron Atkinson (1844–1932), Irish lawyer and politician* John Atkinson (Australian politician) John Atkinson may refer to:* John Atkinson, Baron...
as Ed Connelly - Carolyn DandoCarolyn DandoCarolyn Dando is an actress and classical soprano from Auckland, New Zealand.Dando's first film appearance was in the TV movie Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America...
as Lauren Connelly - Kodi Smit-McPheeKodi Smit-McPheeKodi Smit-McPhee is an award-winning Australian actor, most known for his roles as The Boy in the The Road and Owen in Let Me In. He has also appeared in Australian films, Romulus, My Father and Matching Jack....
as Toby Connelly
Reception
The editorial staff at CIDRAP (Center for Infectious Disease Research and PolicyCenter for Infectious Disease Research and Policy
The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy is a center within the University of Minnesota that focuses on addressing public health preparedness and emerging infectious disease response...
) at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
write: "The creators of the fictional ABC-TV movie Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America blended medical facts from the 1918 influenza pandemic with current predictions from flu experts to portray a contemporary flu pandemic, but they added a liberal dash of sensationalism. The disease shown in the film, aired May 9, bore a strong resemblance to the illness that killed an estimated 675,000 Americans in 1918 and 1919. And a good many of the issues raised came straight out of the US government's pandemic preparedness plans and recent news stories about possible pandemic scenarios. But some scenes and details went well beyond what happened in 1918 or what is plausible today. And along the way, important medical details were left out."