With the threat of yet another virus spreading from China and the Chinese government effectively quarantining millions of people inside the city of Wuhan, the world is asking what is the threat of contagion given the rapid spread of symptoms and our increasingly globalized system. Theories range on the origin of the disease from poor sanitation to an unintentional or even intentional release of a new bioweapon. But what is clear is that the spread of many pandemics in the past have had the ability to not only wipe out vast populations, but also completely re-write the course of history by acting as a wrecking ball to prevailing political and sociological orders.

Myth of the 20th Century – Episode 155 – Invaders Within – Outbreak and the Threat of Bioweapons

— Reference —

– Outbreak, Cook (1987)

– Could you make a genetically targeted weapon?, Adam (2004) – https://www.theguardian.com/science/2004/oct/28/thisweekssciencequestions.weaponstechnology

– Origin of 2009 H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu): Questions and Answers, CDC (2009) – https://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/information_h1n1_virus_qa.htm

– Kaci Hickox defies ‘excessive’ Ebola quarantine by taking a bike ride, Glenza (2014) – https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/30/maine-nurse-defies-ebola-quarantine-bike-ride

– Weaponizing Smallpox, Cochran (2016) – https://westhunt.wordpress.com/2016/09/19/weaponizing-smallpox/

– Underground – The Tokyo Gas Attack and Japanese Psyche, Myth of the 20th Century (2017) – https://myth20c.wordpress.com/2017/11/30/underground-the-tokyo-gas-attack-and-japanese-psyche/

– Bitten: The Secret History of Lyme Disease and Biological Weapons, Newby (2019)

– An in-depth look at four academic models of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak’s spread, Allyn-Feuer (2020) – https://theprepared.com/blog/an-in-depth-look-at-four-academic-models-of-the-wuhan-coronavirus-outbreaks-spread/

– Report from Beijing: Life during the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, Liu (2020) – https://theprepared.com/blog/report-from-beijing-life-during-the-wuhan-coronavirus-outbreak/

– Starbucks Shuts Stores, Apple Sees Disruptions: Virus Impact, Bloomberg (2020) – https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-01-27/tracking-the-virus-outbreak-s-impact-on-business-and-travel

– George Mason University confirms a student is being tested for new strain of coronavirus, Broom (2020) – https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/health/george-mason-student-tested-for-coronavirus/65-41d80461-0e41-4a7e-84b1-5e22bb87cf72