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00:00:03,338 --> 00:00:05,549
LANCE REDDICK:
Deadly diseases that
strike without warning
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00:00:05,674 --> 00:00:07,842
and spread across the planet.
3
00:00:07,968 --> 00:00:11,680
BRYAN WALSH:
The Black Death killed millions
upon millions of people.
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00:00:11,805 --> 00:00:14,683
DR. RAJ DASGUPTA:
Almost like a zombie death.
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00:00:14,766 --> 00:00:18,436
REDDICK:
Lethal biological weapons
of mass destruction.
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00:00:18,562 --> 00:00:22,857
MARK KORTEPETER:
Anthrax, botulism, tularemia,
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00:00:22,941 --> 00:00:25,819
I call them
"the chess pieces of doom."
8
00:00:25,902 --> 00:00:28,113
REDDICK:
And mysterious viruses
9
00:00:28,238 --> 00:00:31,700
that may rival the worst plagues
in history.
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00:00:31,783 --> 00:00:36,746
Hopefully, we'll conquer
whatever happens together.
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00:00:36,871 --> 00:00:38,790
Throughout human history,
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00:00:38,873 --> 00:00:43,503
deadly pandemics have arisen,
devastating local populations
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before spreading across
the entire world,
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00:00:46,214 --> 00:00:49,426
crippling economies,
destroying societies
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00:00:49,551 --> 00:00:52,178
and leaving mass death
in their wake.
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00:00:52,304 --> 00:00:56,141
Are these global pandemics
simply acts of God,
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00:00:56,224 --> 00:00:58,810
caused by natural forces
beyond our control?
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00:00:58,893 --> 00:01:01,730
Or does mankind bear much
of the blame,
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00:01:01,855 --> 00:01:05,775
as well as hold the key
to the ultimate cure?
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Perhaps the truth can be found
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00:01:09,029 --> 00:01:13,825
in America's Book of Secrets.
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♪ ♪
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March 11, 2020.
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The World Health Organization
announces that
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the outbreak of COVID‐19,
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00:01:39,100 --> 00:01:42,270
also known as the novel
coronavirus,
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00:01:42,395 --> 00:01:45,315
has become a global pandemic.
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00:01:48,068 --> 00:01:50,362
As the number of cases
and deaths caused by
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the lethal virus
surge higher and higher,
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day after day,
countries around the world
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struggle to provide care
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00:02:00,288 --> 00:02:05,043
for the unprecedented wave
of patients that need treatment.
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00:02:05,168 --> 00:02:08,380
The COVID‐19 pandemic is,
honestly,
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00:02:08,505 --> 00:02:12,008
the biggest public health
emergency of our lifetimes.
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00:02:12,050 --> 00:02:15,387
And it has been sobering to see
how quickly a disease like that
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00:02:15,512 --> 00:02:17,347
can spread around the world.
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00:02:18,598 --> 00:02:20,475
DASGUPTA:
I go to work and
I see a line
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00:02:20,558 --> 00:02:22,936
outside of the emergency
department.
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00:02:23,061 --> 00:02:26,564
When there's not enough ICU
nurses, respiratory therapists,
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00:02:26,690 --> 00:02:31,361
even medications to help
the patients who are suffering
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00:02:31,403 --> 00:02:33,822
from novel coronavirus.
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KORTEPETER:
The hospitals become
overwhelmed,
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00:02:36,700 --> 00:02:40,453
and so the patients
who need the care for COVID
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00:02:40,578 --> 00:02:42,706
may not get the best care.
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And in addition, all the other
patients who need care
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00:02:45,250 --> 00:02:48,294
may not be cared for
appropriately.
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DASGUPTA:
When a pandemic starts,
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so many people are
going to be infected.
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And unfortunately, many people
will suffer and die.
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So, being on the front lines,
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I realized what a pandemic
can do
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to so many people,
my colleagues and myself.
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REDDICK:
By October of 2020,
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00:03:09,899 --> 00:03:13,987
more than one million people
had died from COVID‐19
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00:03:14,070 --> 00:03:17,198
worldwide, making it
the worst pandemic
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00:03:17,282 --> 00:03:19,868
in more than a century.
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00:03:19,951 --> 00:03:23,580
The devastation caused by this
disease is a sobering reminder
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00:03:23,705 --> 00:03:27,876
of the dire threat
posed by viruses.
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00:03:27,959 --> 00:03:30,003
(coughing)
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00:03:30,128 --> 00:03:32,255
KIRSTEN FISHER:
A virus is an
intracellular parasite
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00:03:32,338 --> 00:03:37,677
that enters a host
and basically hijacks
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the host cell's machinery
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00:03:39,721 --> 00:03:44,517
to create more viral proteins
and more viral particles,
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and it spreads itself
that way.
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00:03:48,438 --> 00:03:50,273
DASGUPTA:
They take over our cells.
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00:03:50,356 --> 00:03:52,984
They use our own bodies
to reproduce.
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And then they'll cause
destruction
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00:03:55,445 --> 00:03:57,614
in many of the organs
in our body.
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KORTEPETER:
With COVID‐19, we were
dealing with something
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00:04:00,366 --> 00:04:02,368
completely new,
and so I think there's a lot
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00:04:02,494 --> 00:04:04,579
of lessons learned we have here.
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I think we learned how
important it is
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to have rapid diagnostics.
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00:04:09,751 --> 00:04:12,128
I wrote an article
not too long ago about
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00:04:12,212 --> 00:04:14,380
the military battlefield
lessons.
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We talk about
the war against COVID.
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You need to have intelligence
preparation the battlefield.
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You need to know
what's the battle space.
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00:04:22,597 --> 00:04:24,516
The entire U. S.
is a battle space.
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00:04:24,641 --> 00:04:27,393
You need to deny the enemy
conceal and cover.
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00:04:27,519 --> 00:04:28,228
How do you do that?
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00:04:28,353 --> 00:04:30,897
You do that with diagnostics.
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REDDICK:
As the COVID‐19 virus
raged across the globe,
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00:04:35,318 --> 00:04:38,279
and nations joined
in an unprecedented effort
85
00:04:38,404 --> 00:04:39,197
to contain it,
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00:04:39,322 --> 00:04:41,699
the answer to one
daunting question
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00:04:41,783 --> 00:04:45,411
proved both mysterious
and elusive:
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00:04:45,537 --> 00:04:49,874
just exactly where did
this virus come from?
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00:04:49,958 --> 00:04:52,669
The best science that we have
says that
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00:04:52,710 --> 00:04:57,173
the virus that causes COVID‐19
probably started in animals
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00:04:57,257 --> 00:04:59,717
somewhere in China.
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00:04:59,801 --> 00:05:01,177
Might have been a bat,
might have been
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00:05:01,261 --> 00:05:04,389
some other type of animal.
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00:05:04,514 --> 00:05:06,766
KORTEPETER:
It's very likely, in my opinion,
95
00:05:06,891 --> 00:05:09,352
that this virus came
probably from a bat,
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00:05:09,477 --> 00:05:11,437
because we know there are
multiple coronaviruses
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00:05:11,563 --> 00:05:13,439
that circulate in bats.
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00:05:13,565 --> 00:05:15,900
And then from there,
it went to humans,
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00:05:15,984 --> 00:05:19,320
and person to person
spread and then amplified.
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00:05:19,404 --> 00:05:22,073
I think, actually,
what would help to solve
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00:05:22,156 --> 00:05:23,867
this mystery
is really to have
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00:05:23,992 --> 00:05:28,788
an international,
unbiased team that actually
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00:05:28,913 --> 00:05:31,708
goes to try to trace back
the origin of the virus
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00:05:31,791 --> 00:05:34,502
back to that first patient zero.
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00:05:34,586 --> 00:05:37,380
And that's the best way
to solve this mystery.
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00:05:37,505 --> 00:05:40,341
But we'll have to see whether
that'll ever happen.
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Most human diseases
that we're worried about
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actually start in animals.
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00:05:46,890 --> 00:05:48,808
Some deadly viruses
that infect humans,
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00:05:48,892 --> 00:05:52,520
that have animal origins,
are Ebola, smallpox,
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00:05:52,645 --> 00:05:57,442
influenza, the virus
that causes COVID‐19,
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00:05:57,567 --> 00:06:01,988
rabies, Nipah virus,
which causes encephalitis
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00:06:02,071 --> 00:06:03,364
in some parts of the world.
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00:06:03,448 --> 00:06:06,284
And, honestly,
the list goes on and on.
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REDDICK:
Despite the opinions
of some that COVID‐19 spread
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00:06:10,204 --> 00:06:12,540
from animals to humans,
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numerous experts, including
Robert Redfield, the former head
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00:06:16,836 --> 00:06:20,506
of the CDC, have begun to
speculate that it may have
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00:06:20,632 --> 00:06:24,594
escaped from an experimental lab
in Wuhan, China.
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00:06:24,719 --> 00:06:27,597
If that is the case,
then just how could
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such a disastrous event occur?
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00:06:30,767 --> 00:06:33,686
There are four ways a pathogen
could escape,
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quote‐unquote, escape a lab.
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The first would be through
some type of aerosol release
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through one of the vents
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into the atmosphere.
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The second is
if an animal were infected,
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and then somehow
got out of the lab.
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A third way would be
if someone were intentionally
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to try to steal something
and take it out of the lab.
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And then the fourth
is that someone who's working
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in the laboratory gets
inadvertently infected,
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00:07:03,841 --> 00:07:05,593
and then they go out
into the community
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not realizing they're
potentially contagious.
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They get ill,
they can spread it.
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REDDICK:
President Donald J. Trump
tests positive for COVID‐19,
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joining a growing list
of world leaders
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infected by the potentially
deadly virus.
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Although President Trump
recovers within ten days,
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his exposure demonstrates
the grave risk
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that diseases pose
to heads of state.
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And, in fact, national security
experts are increasingly
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concerned about the threat
of pandemics
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being used as weapons.
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A bioweapon is an infectious
disease agent,
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00:07:52,849 --> 00:07:56,728
like a bacteria or a virus,
that somebody chooses to use
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for what I call
nefarious purposes.
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So it's something that
they might grow
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and then try to expose
people to,
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either to cause fear and panic,
or to get people sick.
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There are certain properties
that some pathogens have
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that lend themselves
more favorably
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to serving as a weapon.
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So, something that's available,
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something that could be grown up
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in large quantities,
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something stable
in the environment,
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such that it can be released
over a large population,
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whether that's a battlefield
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or a city environment.
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The CDC calls them
the category A threat agents.
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Things like anthrax,
botulism, plague,
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tularemia, smallpox
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and viral hemorrhagic fevers.
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I call them
"the chess pieces of doom."
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The case fatality rates
for these
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different category A agents
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range from tularemia,
with about 30% death rate,
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up to something like Ebola,
which is 90% fatal
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without countermeasures.
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McQUISTON:
Smallpox is a really
interesting bioweapon
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because smallpox
has been eradicated.
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It doesn't occur naturally
anymore.
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00:09:05,213 --> 00:09:07,840
But we also have a population
of people who really
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00:09:07,965 --> 00:09:09,509
have never been vaccinated
against it,
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and that makes us
really vulnerable.
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So smallpox is probably
my number‐one worry,
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00:09:14,597 --> 00:09:16,015
and then anthrax
is my number two.
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Because there has been
a previous bioterrorism event
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in the U. S. involving anthrax.
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In 2001, there was
a bioterrorism attack
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on U. S. soil.
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The anthrax
was spread in letters
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that were sent
through the U. S. Post Office,
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and they got
a lot of people sick.
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REDDICK:
But just how likely
is the prospect
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of a devastating virus
being used as a bio‐weapon?
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There are those who claim that
not only is it possible,
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but that it already happened
centuries ago
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during the deadliest pandemic
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in recorded history.
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REDDICK: Health officials report
that 11 victims have died
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from the bubonic plague.
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The government moves quickly
to contain the outbreak,
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providing the sick
with powerful antibiotics,
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a treatment that
didn't exist 700 years ago,
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when the disease touched off
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00:10:25,543 --> 00:10:29,755
the worst pandemic in history.
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The Black Death
is really the pandemic that
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00:10:32,592 --> 00:10:33,759
eclipses all others.
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I mean, it killed millions
upon millions of people
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00:10:36,804 --> 00:10:39,140
in medieval Europe
beginning in the 14th century.
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HEATHER QUINLAN:
The Black Death
lasted from about
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00:10:43,227 --> 00:10:47,940
1347 to 1349, 1350.
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00:10:48,024 --> 00:10:51,861
Roughly a third
of the European population died.
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00:10:51,986 --> 00:10:54,322
Italy was devastated.
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00:10:54,405 --> 00:10:58,117
England was, France was.
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The stories behind it, just,
they send chills up my spine.
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00:11:02,038 --> 00:11:06,542
It almost sounds like
a‐an episode of‐of zombie death.
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Big, orange‐like balls
on their hands and arms.
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The fingers were green.
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00:11:15,176 --> 00:11:18,012
We know now that
this was something called
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00:11:18,095 --> 00:11:19,847
Yersinia pestis.
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00:11:19,931 --> 00:11:22,141
This is a bacteria.
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00:11:22,225 --> 00:11:25,937
So, it's easy for me to say now,
it's Yersinia pestis.
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00:11:26,020 --> 00:11:28,189
They didn't know that back then.
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00:11:29,398 --> 00:11:30,858
REDDICK:
Despite not understanding
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00:11:30,900 --> 00:11:34,028
the exact mechanism
by which the disease spread,
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00:11:34,070 --> 00:11:37,073
people in the Middle Ages
sensed that the Black Death
220
00:11:37,198 --> 00:11:40,701
could afflict anyone
who came into contact with it.
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00:11:41,619 --> 00:11:43,037
This knowledge gave rise
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00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:44,914
to one of the earliest‐known
examples
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00:11:45,039 --> 00:11:50,795
of personal protective
equipment, or PPE.
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00:11:52,338 --> 00:11:55,299
QUINLAN:
The plague doctor outfit
was essentially
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00:11:55,383 --> 00:11:57,718
a medieval hazmat suit.
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00:11:57,802 --> 00:12:01,305
It had a kind of
very hard covering
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00:12:01,389 --> 00:12:06,852
so that the doctor wouldn't
be sprayed with bodily fluids.
228
00:12:06,936 --> 00:12:10,856
And then there was
a beak which was filled
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00:12:10,982 --> 00:12:15,987
with flowers or herbs
or anything that smelled nice
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00:12:16,070 --> 00:12:19,991
to keep the stench of death
away from the doctor.
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00:12:20,074 --> 00:12:23,911
With the idea being
that bad smells or miasma
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00:12:23,995 --> 00:12:28,040
is really what was causing
people to get sick.
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00:12:28,124 --> 00:12:31,168
It was the best, uh,
hypothesis they had.
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00:12:31,252 --> 00:12:35,589
REDDICK:
The Black Death,
now known as the bubonic plague,
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00:12:35,715 --> 00:12:39,760
has been studied by historians
and scientists for centuries
236
00:12:39,885 --> 00:12:43,931
in order to better understand
its destructive power.
237
00:12:44,015 --> 00:12:47,184
And it's a power
that was actually unleashed
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00:12:47,226 --> 00:12:49,895
on a medieval battlefield,
becoming
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00:12:50,021 --> 00:12:54,775
one of the earliest known forms
of biological warfare.
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00:13:01,407 --> 00:13:03,326
(men shouting)
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00:13:06,245 --> 00:13:08,080
For three years,
242
00:13:08,164 --> 00:13:13,002
this port city on the Black Sea,
part of the Republic of Genoa,
243
00:13:13,127 --> 00:13:16,964
as under siege
from Mongolian Tatar invaders.
244
00:13:17,048 --> 00:13:20,217
This is an old walled city,
and inside the city
245
00:13:20,343 --> 00:13:25,473
were Genoese, and Tatar invaders
came and laid siege to the city.
246
00:13:25,556 --> 00:13:28,976
So, they surrounded the city,
but then there was an outbreak
247
00:13:29,060 --> 00:13:32,355
of plague
amongst the Tatars' ranks.
248
00:13:32,438 --> 00:13:36,067
The Mongol population
was starting to get very sick.
249
00:13:36,192 --> 00:13:42,031
And whether this is a form
of biochemical warfare,
250
00:13:42,073 --> 00:13:44,867
psychological warfare, both,
251
00:13:44,950 --> 00:13:50,748
what they ended up doing
was catapulting the corpses
252
00:13:50,873 --> 00:13:53,376
of their people
over the walls of Caffa
253
00:13:53,459 --> 00:13:57,254
and landing on the Genoese
people repeatedly.
254
00:13:57,338 --> 00:14:00,383
And then the Genoese defenders
eventually started having
255
00:14:00,466 --> 00:14:02,176
their own outbreaks
of plague within the city.
256
00:14:02,218 --> 00:14:04,428
WALSH:
The Black Death
was actually used as kind of
257
00:14:04,553 --> 00:14:06,889
an early bioweapon,
and that would be, actually,
258
00:14:07,014 --> 00:14:10,309
incredibly efficient,
because a town under siege
259
00:14:10,393 --> 00:14:13,145
is a place where people are
packed very closely together.
260
00:14:13,229 --> 00:14:15,523
So that disease could
spread from dead bodies
261
00:14:15,564 --> 00:14:17,525
and spread to the defenders.
262
00:14:18,567 --> 00:14:21,195
REDDICK:
The use of the Black Death
in warfare
263
00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:24,198
underscores the deadly potential
of a pandemic
264
00:14:24,281 --> 00:14:27,076
being utilized as a bioweapon.
265
00:14:27,159 --> 00:14:30,121
And today in the United States,
266
00:14:30,246 --> 00:14:32,373
it is a scenario
that some believe
267
00:14:32,456 --> 00:14:35,292
the federal government
must be ready for,
268
00:14:35,418 --> 00:14:38,254
now more than ever.
269
00:14:38,379 --> 00:14:40,256
If we had a very,
very severe pandemic,
270
00:14:40,381 --> 00:14:42,341
one that was extremely deadly,
much more so
271
00:14:42,425 --> 00:14:45,928
than what we face with COVID‐19,
the continuity of government
272
00:14:46,053 --> 00:14:49,056
would be one of the biggest
questions we'd have to face.
273
00:14:49,181 --> 00:14:52,184
The continuity of government
apparatus is gigantic.
274
00:14:52,309 --> 00:14:57,148
We don't see it, but it's
made up of the airplanes
275
00:14:57,231 --> 00:14:59,817
and the bunkers
and the procedures
276
00:14:59,900 --> 00:15:02,611
for moving the successors
to the presidency
277
00:15:02,736 --> 00:15:06,907
and the communication systems
that nets it all together.
278
00:15:07,032 --> 00:15:12,163
It's a multibillion‐dollar
a year operation.
279
00:15:12,246 --> 00:15:15,958
But that operation
has really been created
280
00:15:16,041 --> 00:15:20,254
to deal with two
very distinct scenarios:
281
00:15:20,379 --> 00:15:24,675
nuclear war or a terrorist
attack on Washington.
282
00:15:24,758 --> 00:15:26,677
That's it.
283
00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:28,929
And so, when coronavirus
came along,
284
00:15:29,054 --> 00:15:31,849
I think that the people
behind continuity of government
285
00:15:31,974 --> 00:15:33,976
didn't quite know what to do.
286
00:15:34,059 --> 00:15:38,522
This whole model had
to basically be thrown away.
287
00:15:38,564 --> 00:15:41,275
If members of Congress got sick,
if the president
288
00:15:41,400 --> 00:15:43,360
or the vice president got sick,
289
00:15:43,444 --> 00:15:45,154
if the successors
to the presidency
290
00:15:45,237 --> 00:15:48,032
under the Constitution
were unavailable,
291
00:15:48,073 --> 00:15:49,867
what exactly were the rules?
292
00:15:49,992 --> 00:15:52,953
It will be very interesting
as we move forward
293
00:15:53,037 --> 00:15:55,748
in the world
of emergency preparedness
294
00:15:55,873 --> 00:15:57,708
and continuity of government,
295
00:15:57,833 --> 00:16:00,419
whether they
deal with a pandemic
296
00:16:00,503 --> 00:16:02,671
in a very different way.
297
00:16:02,755 --> 00:16:06,550
That's the challenge
of the future.
298
00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:09,512
What would happen if a pandemic
299
00:16:09,595 --> 00:16:11,847
were to strike down
a country's leader?
300
00:16:11,972 --> 00:16:14,433
Could it change
the course of history?
301
00:16:14,558 --> 00:16:18,687
Some historians argue
that it has already happened
302
00:16:18,812 --> 00:16:21,815
and helped to sow the seeds
for the greatest war
303
00:16:21,899 --> 00:16:24,235
the world has ever known.
304
00:16:33,410 --> 00:16:37,790
REDDICK:
Pathologist Dr. Johan Hultin
excavates
305
00:16:37,915 --> 00:16:40,876
an indigenous village graveyard,
searching for something
306
00:16:41,001 --> 00:16:43,837
that has eluded scientists
for decades:
307
00:16:43,921 --> 00:16:48,092
the cause of the 1918
influenza pandemic,
308
00:16:48,217 --> 00:16:52,304
also known as the Spanish flu.
309
00:16:53,556 --> 00:16:58,185
Johan Hultin
had heard about a town
310
00:16:58,269 --> 00:17:00,437
about 80 miles
outside of Nome in Alaska
311
00:17:00,563 --> 00:17:02,106
called Brevig Mission,
312
00:17:02,231 --> 00:17:06,527
and it had
had a population of about 80,
313
00:17:06,652 --> 00:17:10,531
of which almost all of them had
been killed from the 1918 flu.
314
00:17:10,614 --> 00:17:16,203
So he got the approval
to disinter
315
00:17:16,328 --> 00:17:19,748
some of the bodies in the hopes
that the permafrost
316
00:17:19,832 --> 00:17:24,336
had preserved the flu virus
and that they could research it.
317
00:17:24,461 --> 00:17:28,424
And he found the corpse
of a woman
318
00:17:28,549 --> 00:17:33,053
who had been, uh,
morbidly obese.
319
00:17:33,178 --> 00:17:36,515
But it was, in fact,
not the permafrost
320
00:17:36,640 --> 00:17:42,313
that preserved the virus,
but her fat storage.
321
00:17:43,856 --> 00:17:46,233
DANIEL JERNIGAN: They removed
some of that lung tissue,
322
00:17:46,358 --> 00:17:49,361
and from that, they were able
to then send that to the CDC
323
00:17:49,486 --> 00:17:52,281
where we were able
to understand it better,
324
00:17:52,364 --> 00:17:54,074
sequence the virus‐‐
that is, understand
325
00:17:54,199 --> 00:17:57,077
the genetic code of that virus.
326
00:17:57,202 --> 00:17:59,371
REDDICK:
After successfully
sequencing the virus
327
00:17:59,455 --> 00:18:01,498
that caused the Spanish flu,
328
00:18:01,582 --> 00:18:04,668
scientists were finally able
to unlock the secrets
329
00:18:04,752 --> 00:18:09,673
of the most severe pandemic
of the 20th century.
330
00:18:09,715 --> 00:18:13,260
So the virus was able to, uh,
reproduce itself very quickly,
331
00:18:13,385 --> 00:18:16,347
um, and make the host sick
very quickly as well.
332
00:18:16,430 --> 00:18:19,850
Um, and, also, very readily
passed between people.
333
00:18:19,975 --> 00:18:24,271
But it was no one sort of magic
bullet, I guess, if you will,
334
00:18:24,396 --> 00:18:26,440
that made it
incredibly powerful.
335
00:18:26,523 --> 00:18:28,400
In fact, it was more like
a perfect storm
336
00:18:28,525 --> 00:18:31,445
of all these different features
when put together
337
00:18:31,528 --> 00:18:33,822
created this extremely
virulent virus.
338
00:18:33,906 --> 00:18:37,409
JERNIGAN:
It was referred to
in 1918 as Purple Death.
339
00:18:37,493 --> 00:18:39,203
So, that was a terrible virus.
340
00:18:39,328 --> 00:18:41,955
We were able to recover it,
understand it,
341
00:18:42,081 --> 00:18:45,584
and then from that we're able
to make diagnostics, treatments
342
00:18:45,709 --> 00:18:47,544
and vaccines
that can help prevent that
343
00:18:47,670 --> 00:18:49,672
from happening again.
344
00:18:49,755 --> 00:18:52,508
REDDICK:
However, while thankfully,
medical science
345
00:18:52,591 --> 00:18:55,427
has developed the technology
to protect us
346
00:18:55,552 --> 00:19:00,015
from the Spanish flu today,
when it first struck in 1918,
347
00:19:00,140 --> 00:19:02,935
it quickly spread
across the globe,
348
00:19:03,018 --> 00:19:05,729
leaving millions
dead in its wake.
349
00:19:05,854 --> 00:19:09,483
BARRY:
The 1918 virus was
much more dangerous,
350
00:19:09,566 --> 00:19:12,778
much more virulent
than COVID‐19.
351
00:19:12,861 --> 00:19:14,405
People could die in as little
352
00:19:14,488 --> 00:19:16,865
as 12 hours
after the first symptoms.
353
00:19:16,907 --> 00:19:23,163
In addition, the people
who were dying were young.
354
00:19:23,247 --> 00:19:26,250
The peak age for death
was in the 20s.
355
00:19:26,375 --> 00:19:30,170
Children were dying
in enormous numbers.
356
00:19:30,295 --> 00:19:35,008
So 95% of the... or so
of the excess mortality
357
00:19:35,134 --> 00:19:37,386
was people younger than 65.
358
00:19:37,511 --> 00:19:40,264
Exactly the opposite of today.
359
00:19:42,057 --> 00:19:44,893
The 1918 virus killed
somewhere between 50
360
00:19:45,018 --> 00:19:46,562
and a hundred million people.
361
00:19:46,687 --> 00:19:49,148
If you adjust for population,
that would be the equivalent
362
00:19:49,231 --> 00:19:54,695
of 225 to 450 million people
today.
363
00:19:54,778 --> 00:19:59,575
In 1918, the U. S.,
of course, was at war,
364
00:19:59,700 --> 00:20:03,495
and the focus of the government
was entirely
365
00:20:03,579 --> 00:20:06,498
on the war and nothing else.
366
00:20:06,582 --> 00:20:10,169
The government was quite
willing, to put it bluntly,
367
00:20:10,294 --> 00:20:14,214
to lie and to put
the best face on everything.
368
00:20:14,339 --> 00:20:16,592
Woodrow Wilson, the president,
never even made
369
00:20:16,717 --> 00:20:21,346
any public statement of any kind
about the pandemic.
370
00:20:21,388 --> 00:20:25,225
REDDICK:
Woodrow Wilson may not have
taken the pandemic seriously,
371
00:20:25,350 --> 00:20:28,395
but he was not immune
to its effects.
372
00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:30,981
Wilson contracted
the influenza virus
373
00:20:31,064 --> 00:20:33,776
during the Paris
Peace Conference
374
00:20:33,901 --> 00:20:36,528
at the end of World War I.
375
00:20:36,612 --> 00:20:40,240
QUINLAN:
Woodrow Wilson had put together,
376
00:20:40,365 --> 00:20:42,868
uh, what were known
as Fourteen Points
377
00:20:42,951 --> 00:20:45,913
toward the end of World War I,
378
00:20:46,038 --> 00:20:49,458
where the world leaders
were meeting in Paris.
379
00:20:51,168 --> 00:20:54,463
And his Fourteen Points
were essentially
380
00:20:54,546 --> 00:20:58,008
how we can work with Germany
so something like this
381
00:20:58,091 --> 00:20:59,760
never happens again.
382
00:20:59,885 --> 00:21:05,432
And it was very progressive,
especially for its day,
383
00:21:05,557 --> 00:21:07,392
and he really stood by it.
384
00:21:09,561 --> 00:21:13,524
Now, Woodrow Wilson
also traveled to Paris
385
00:21:13,649 --> 00:21:16,819
on the same ship
that had previously
386
00:21:16,902 --> 00:21:21,573
shipped many, many sick soldiers
overseas.
387
00:21:21,698 --> 00:21:25,577
So while he was in Paris,
Wilson became very sick.
388
00:21:25,702 --> 00:21:28,580
BARRY:
Everybody around him remarked
389
00:21:28,705 --> 00:21:32,084
on how his mind was affected.
390
00:21:32,209 --> 00:21:36,547
How he couldn't function,
he couldn't process information.
391
00:21:36,672 --> 00:21:38,549
Uh, he was physically weak.
392
00:21:38,674 --> 00:21:42,261
And he insisted on returning
to the negotiations
393
00:21:42,386 --> 00:21:44,680
while he was still sick.
394
00:21:44,805 --> 00:21:46,723
REDDICK:
During the peace talks,
395
00:21:46,849 --> 00:21:50,602
President Wilson had argued that
America and its allies should
396
00:21:50,686 --> 00:21:55,399
not punish Germany by imposing
a crippling war settlement.
397
00:21:55,524 --> 00:21:57,734
But due to his weakened
condition,
398
00:21:57,860 --> 00:22:01,196
Wilson was unable to fight
for a less severe punishment
399
00:22:01,321 --> 00:22:05,367
than the one ultimately brought
against the nation of Germany.
400
00:22:05,492 --> 00:22:09,788
And the course of history
was irrevocably altered.
401
00:22:09,913 --> 00:22:13,333
BARRY:
Clemenceau, the French prime
minister, hated Germany.
402
00:22:13,417 --> 00:22:15,294
Germany was blamed
for the war,
403
00:22:15,377 --> 00:22:18,755
had reparations, had territory,
uh, stripped from it.
404
00:22:18,881 --> 00:22:23,677
The peace treaty was so bad
that almost every historian
405
00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:28,140
says that the treaty
was a significant force
406
00:22:28,223 --> 00:22:30,058
in the rise of the Nazis,
407
00:22:30,183 --> 00:22:32,936
and leading to World War II.
408
00:22:33,020 --> 00:22:35,939
QUINLAN:
You could definitely
make an argument
409
00:22:36,064 --> 00:22:40,861
that it then led to a person
like Adolf Hitler‐‐
410
00:22:40,944 --> 00:22:45,073
charismatic, nationalist,
411
00:22:45,198 --> 00:22:48,160
dramatic‐‐ all the things that
412
00:22:48,243 --> 00:22:51,830
people who are suffering,
413
00:22:51,914 --> 00:22:54,750
who are poor, who are broke,
who are starving
414
00:22:54,875 --> 00:22:58,921
can look to someone like that
and see a potential leader.
415
00:22:59,922 --> 00:23:05,010
If the Spanish Flu of 1918
can teach mankind anything,
416
00:23:05,093 --> 00:23:07,930
it's to always be prepared.
417
00:23:08,055 --> 00:23:09,514
But how do we get ready?
418
00:23:09,598 --> 00:23:13,185
Some say that
to battle future pandemics
419
00:23:13,310 --> 00:23:16,980
we would need to have an elite
team monitoring the world
420
00:23:17,064 --> 00:23:18,482
for emerging diseases.
421
00:23:18,565 --> 00:23:20,692
They would race to the site
of an outbreak,
422
00:23:20,776 --> 00:23:23,654
delivering vital on‐the‐ground
information to scientists
423
00:23:23,737 --> 00:23:26,823
that could fast‐track treatments
and vaccines.
424
00:23:26,907 --> 00:23:31,286
Well, it turns out
such teams do exist,
425
00:23:31,411 --> 00:23:32,663
and they're known as
426
00:23:32,746 --> 00:23:35,499
the disease detectives.
427
00:23:46,218 --> 00:23:51,014
REDDICK:
More than 2,000 U. S.
military veterans gather
428
00:23:51,139 --> 00:23:53,308
at the Bellevue‐Stratford Hotel
429
00:23:53,392 --> 00:23:55,978
for an annual three‐day
convention
430
00:23:56,061 --> 00:23:58,772
of the American Legion.
431
00:23:58,897 --> 00:24:03,443
In the days following the event,
182 of the legionnaires
432
00:24:03,568 --> 00:24:08,615
fall ill with a new,
unidentified form of pneumonia.
433
00:24:08,740 --> 00:24:10,867
As doctors struggle
to make sense of the mysterious
434
00:24:10,993 --> 00:24:16,081
illness, 29 people
develop severe symptoms,
435
00:24:16,206 --> 00:24:17,708
and perish.
436
00:24:19,710 --> 00:24:21,670
It was an unexplained pneumonia.
It didn't...
437
00:24:21,795 --> 00:24:22,963
We couldn't figure out
what it was.
438
00:24:23,046 --> 00:24:25,132
None of the normal things
that cause pneumonia
439
00:24:25,215 --> 00:24:27,843
turned out to be the cause.
440
00:24:27,926 --> 00:24:31,471
REDDICK:
To solve the mystery,
the Centers for Disease Control
441
00:24:31,555 --> 00:24:34,057
called upon America's
first line of defense
442
00:24:34,182 --> 00:24:35,934
against emerging pandemics:
443
00:24:36,018 --> 00:24:39,187
the Epidemic Intelligence
Service,
444
00:24:39,312 --> 00:24:41,982
or EIS.
445
00:24:42,065 --> 00:24:45,902
ERIC PEVZNER:
The Epidemic Intelligence
Service was established in 1951.
446
00:24:46,028 --> 00:24:49,031
And the reason why we came to be
is that there were concerns
447
00:24:49,156 --> 00:24:53,368
about biological threats to
the people of the United States.
448
00:24:53,493 --> 00:24:55,078
And so the program was
put together so we'd have
449
00:24:55,203 --> 00:24:59,583
a workforce ready to deploy
to investigate any possible
450
00:24:59,708 --> 00:25:02,794
biological threats
against the United States.
451
00:25:02,878 --> 00:25:06,798
So, essentially, they are
kind of like FBI agents, only
452
00:25:06,882 --> 00:25:08,050
instead of going after
criminals and terrorists,
453
00:25:08,175 --> 00:25:09,092
they go after disease.
454
00:25:09,217 --> 00:25:11,219
So when an outbreak,
455
00:25:11,303 --> 00:25:12,095
especially a sort of outbreak
456
00:25:12,220 --> 00:25:14,514
of unknown origin
pops up in the U. S.,
457
00:25:14,639 --> 00:25:15,849
or sometimes around the world,
458
00:25:15,974 --> 00:25:18,226
the CDC will
send in epidemiologists
459
00:25:18,351 --> 00:25:20,771
from the service to figure out
what's going on.
460
00:25:20,854 --> 00:25:23,857
And the CDC's
disease detectives are
461
00:25:23,940 --> 00:25:26,526
the best in the world at this.
462
00:25:26,610 --> 00:25:30,113
REDDICK:
The Legionnaire outbreak
in 1976
463
00:25:30,238 --> 00:25:34,367
sparked nationwide fear about
the unknown disease that had
464
00:25:34,451 --> 00:25:37,829
claimed the lives of 29 victims.
465
00:25:37,913 --> 00:25:41,083
So the disease detectives
raced to solve the mystery.
466
00:25:41,208 --> 00:25:44,211
They scoured the hotel
where the legionnaires had
467
00:25:44,294 --> 00:25:46,088
held their convention,
468
00:25:46,213 --> 00:25:48,757
quickly discovered
a mysterious bacterium
469
00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:51,593
in the hotel's air‐conditioning
system,
470
00:25:51,718 --> 00:25:53,470
and took samples of it
to be analyzed
471
00:25:53,553 --> 00:25:56,306
at the Centers for Disease
Control.
472
00:25:56,389 --> 00:26:00,560
And so they sent those specimens
to CDC and they were able to
473
00:26:00,685 --> 00:26:03,063
characterize an unusual
bacillus.
474
00:26:03,146 --> 00:26:07,067
And they found this thing
that's now called Legionella,
475
00:26:07,192 --> 00:26:08,652
or Legionnaires disease.
476
00:26:08,735 --> 00:26:11,947
And so that's something that,
it's in water.
477
00:26:12,072 --> 00:26:15,784
It's very different
than other bacterial causes.
478
00:26:15,909 --> 00:26:17,536
You can find it in cooling
towers that are
479
00:26:17,661 --> 00:26:19,371
on top of buildings.
480
00:26:19,454 --> 00:26:22,791
You can find it
in Whirlpool spas,
481
00:26:22,916 --> 00:26:27,129
sometimes in swimming pools
and other sources of water.
482
00:26:27,212 --> 00:26:30,257
And when people walk past it,
they breathe in those droplets,
483
00:26:30,382 --> 00:26:32,926
and then they get the bacteria
deep in their lungs,
484
00:26:33,051 --> 00:26:36,304
and then they get a bad
pneumonia, and it can be fatal.
485
00:26:37,222 --> 00:26:38,849
PEVZNER:
Our disease detectives
are looking at
486
00:26:38,932 --> 00:26:40,517
how can they intervene
to ensure
487
00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:42,561
upon the safety of the public?
488
00:26:42,686 --> 00:26:44,896
And then, after they've
investigated,
489
00:26:45,021 --> 00:26:46,106
and they collected
information,
490
00:26:46,231 --> 00:26:48,400
and they think that they might
know an intervention,
491
00:26:48,483 --> 00:26:51,945
the next step is, obviously,
to communicate that.
492
00:26:52,070 --> 00:26:54,948
REDDICK:
The rapid discovery
of the Legionella bacterium
493
00:26:55,073 --> 00:26:57,826
brought the potential
outbreak to a halt.
494
00:26:57,909 --> 00:27:00,537
Thanks to the information
provided by
495
00:27:00,662 --> 00:27:02,205
the EIS disease detectives,
496
00:27:02,330 --> 00:27:06,126
air‐conditioning units and water
systems across the country
497
00:27:06,251 --> 00:27:10,380
were retrofitted
to minimize the risk.
498
00:27:10,505 --> 00:27:13,925
The program has evolved
quite a bit since 1951,
499
00:27:14,050 --> 00:27:17,220
when it was originally
just physicians and all males.
500
00:27:17,345 --> 00:27:20,724
Now we include not just
physicians, but nurses,
501
00:27:20,807 --> 00:27:24,644
veterinarians,
PhD‐level scientists.
502
00:27:24,728 --> 00:27:27,397
It's a real diverse
skill set of people
503
00:27:27,480 --> 00:27:32,819
that are prepared to deploy
and respond to emerging threats.
504
00:27:32,903 --> 00:27:35,280
REDDICK:
EIS leaders have
not only expanded
505
00:27:35,405 --> 00:27:38,366
their membership to include
experts in different fields
506
00:27:38,450 --> 00:27:40,202
of research and technology,
507
00:27:40,327 --> 00:27:42,871
they've also expanded
where they operate,
508
00:27:42,913 --> 00:27:46,750
all around the world.
509
00:27:46,875 --> 00:27:50,754
However, they must accept
potentially deadly risks
510
00:27:50,837 --> 00:27:53,548
to their own health
in the process.
511
00:27:54,549 --> 00:27:58,053
There was an outbreak
I participated in in Uganda
512
00:27:58,136 --> 00:28:01,181
where I went in a cave that was
513
00:28:01,223 --> 00:28:03,683
full of thousands
and thousands of bats
514
00:28:03,808 --> 00:28:06,144
that might be infected
with Marburg virus,
515
00:28:06,228 --> 00:28:09,648
which is a deadly virus
related to Ebola.
516
00:28:09,731 --> 00:28:12,817
And I really geared up
when I went in there.
517
00:28:12,901 --> 00:28:15,570
Not only was I wearing
a battery‐operated
518
00:28:15,695 --> 00:28:17,781
respirator to help me
breathe pure air,
519
00:28:17,864 --> 00:28:20,033
I had to wear a helmet
because I might hit my head
520
00:28:20,116 --> 00:28:23,203
on the rocks in the cave,
and I actually had to wear
521
00:28:23,328 --> 00:28:26,456
snake chaps, because there were
snakes in that cave,
522
00:28:26,581 --> 00:28:28,291
including spitting cobras,
523
00:28:28,416 --> 00:28:30,919
that you wanted to
protect yourself against.
524
00:28:31,002 --> 00:28:33,672
And that's what has made it
so particularly dangerous.
525
00:28:33,797 --> 00:28:37,550
JERNIGAN:
Disease detectives, myself,
have been involved in
526
00:28:37,676 --> 00:28:41,513
SARS in 2003,
West Nile virus.
527
00:28:41,596 --> 00:28:45,433
Ebola in 2014, '15.
Zika.
528
00:28:46,226 --> 00:28:49,020
And now, most recently,
the emergence of COVID‐19.
529
00:28:49,145 --> 00:28:54,651
They're the smart people we put
out into the field in order to
530
00:28:54,734 --> 00:28:56,736
figure things out
as quickly as possible.
531
00:28:56,820 --> 00:29:00,865
PEVZNER:
For our disease detectives,
collecting the most valid
532
00:29:00,949 --> 00:29:04,202
and reliable evidence
is their top priority.
533
00:29:04,327 --> 00:29:08,206
Not collecting data for
the sake of publication or fame.
534
00:29:08,290 --> 00:29:10,375
They're collecting this
information so that
535
00:29:10,458 --> 00:29:13,169
there can be
public health action taken.
536
00:29:13,253 --> 00:29:16,798
They're ready on a moment's
notice to deploy to any
537
00:29:16,881 --> 00:29:19,301
new or emerging
public health threat.
538
00:29:20,885 --> 00:29:24,931
What happens if the disease
detectives are too late,
539
00:29:25,056 --> 00:29:27,892
and a major epidemic
is already spreading?
540
00:29:28,018 --> 00:29:30,812
Do epidemiologists
have the means to predict
541
00:29:30,895 --> 00:29:32,272
where a virus might go,
542
00:29:32,397 --> 00:29:35,650
and contain it before
it spirals out of control?
543
00:29:35,734 --> 00:29:38,403
It's entirely possible.
544
00:29:38,528 --> 00:29:42,699
And one of the most promising
tools just might turn out to be
545
00:29:42,782 --> 00:29:45,118
a video game.
546
00:29:54,836 --> 00:29:58,256
Video game developer
Blizzard Entertainment
547
00:29:58,381 --> 00:30:01,301
introduces a surprise element
to its popular online
548
00:30:01,384 --> 00:30:06,181
role‐playing game
World of Warcraft:
549
00:30:06,264 --> 00:30:08,767
a virtual virus, with
the potential to infect
550
00:30:08,892 --> 00:30:11,770
characters within the game's
fantasy universe.
551
00:30:11,853 --> 00:30:14,731
They call the virus...
552
00:30:14,856 --> 00:30:16,566
Corrupted Blood.
553
00:30:16,649 --> 00:30:21,821
The Corrupted Blood experience
in World of Warcraft was
554
00:30:21,905 --> 00:30:24,199
essentially a new patch
for the game.
555
00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:27,202
Corrupted Blood was intended
to be sort of an inconvenience
556
00:30:27,243 --> 00:30:28,286
to these extremely
powerful players
557
00:30:28,411 --> 00:30:31,414
as they battled a demon
in this particular
558
00:30:31,539 --> 00:30:33,958
setting within the game.
559
00:30:34,084 --> 00:30:36,711
And it was intended
to slow these very powerful
560
00:30:36,836 --> 00:30:40,757
players down, and make it more
challenging to battle the demon.
561
00:30:40,882 --> 00:30:44,594
However, uh, the Corrupted Blood
feature did not stay contained
562
00:30:44,719 --> 00:30:48,681
within that special battleground
for very strong players.
563
00:30:48,807 --> 00:30:50,308
In fact, it was spread
unintentionally,
564
00:30:50,392 --> 00:30:53,395
because players infected
with the Corrupted Blood
565
00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:56,398
would leave the battleground
and then expose themselves
566
00:30:56,523 --> 00:30:58,525
to other players
that were less powerful.
567
00:30:58,566 --> 00:31:00,193
And those players
were extremely susceptible
568
00:31:00,276 --> 00:31:02,404
to the Corrupted Blood,
and then would die.
569
00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:09,661
This Corrupted Blood episode was
essentially a digital pandemic,
570
00:31:09,744 --> 00:31:12,455
and it caught the players
by surprise.
571
00:31:13,540 --> 00:31:15,125
REDDICK:
At the time,
572
00:31:15,208 --> 00:31:18,211
the more than five million
World of Warcraft players
573
00:31:18,294 --> 00:31:22,424
around the globe were rocked
by the Corrupted Blood virus
574
00:31:22,507 --> 00:31:24,008
raging through the game,
575
00:31:24,134 --> 00:31:27,804
as it began killing off
their characters.
576
00:31:27,887 --> 00:31:32,142
But curiously,
scientists noted that there were
577
00:31:32,225 --> 00:31:35,979
eerie similarities
between this digital pandemic
578
00:31:36,062 --> 00:31:38,857
and a real outbreak.
579
00:31:38,982 --> 00:31:40,358
When you were infected
with this virus,
580
00:31:40,442 --> 00:31:42,235
you had to stay away
from the other players,
581
00:31:42,318 --> 00:31:44,404
you had to socially distance,
582
00:31:44,529 --> 00:31:47,157
or else the other player
would get infected.
583
00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:50,535
And there are many different
types of players.
584
00:31:50,660 --> 00:31:51,619
Some have a lot of points.
585
00:31:52,912 --> 00:31:55,206
Some didn't have
a lot of points.
586
00:31:55,248 --> 00:31:57,625
And when you had the virus,
587
00:31:57,750 --> 00:31:59,627
your life force would deplete.
588
00:31:59,711 --> 00:32:04,174
So, of course, the individuals
that don't have enough points
589
00:32:04,215 --> 00:32:06,092
were the first to pass away.
590
00:32:06,217 --> 00:32:10,221
While individuals who collected
more coins or points‐‐
591
00:32:10,346 --> 00:32:11,848
they seemed to do better.
592
00:32:11,931 --> 00:32:15,059
And no matter
what happened in this game,
593
00:32:15,143 --> 00:32:17,562
it seemed like the virus
kept on spreading.
594
00:32:17,645 --> 00:32:23,234
In fact, animals could even
get infected in the game.
595
00:32:24,819 --> 00:32:28,156
REDDICK:
The Corrupted Blood pandemic
lasted for nearly a month
596
00:32:28,239 --> 00:32:31,784
before the World of Warcraft
designers retooled the virus
597
00:32:31,868 --> 00:32:33,953
to stop its spread.
598
00:32:34,037 --> 00:32:36,956
A virtual vaccine, if you will.
599
00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:39,584
But that was not
the end of the story,
600
00:32:39,667 --> 00:32:44,547
because in September of 2007,
scientists from Tufts University
601
00:32:44,631 --> 00:32:47,258
published a research paper
which suggested
602
00:32:47,383 --> 00:32:50,053
that virtual games
like World of Warcraft
603
00:32:50,178 --> 00:32:54,849
were an untapped resource
in the study of pandemics.
604
00:32:54,933 --> 00:32:58,686
FISHER:
The unique thing about the
World of Warcraft simulation
605
00:32:58,811 --> 00:33:01,314
was that it was a potential
new type of opportunity
606
00:33:01,397 --> 00:33:04,484
to understand and maybe even
predict the different ways
607
00:33:04,567 --> 00:33:06,653
that human behavior
might influence
608
00:33:06,736 --> 00:33:08,321
the spread of a pandemic.
609
00:33:08,404 --> 00:33:10,782
So for example, um,
during the outbreak,
610
00:33:10,865 --> 00:33:12,700
the developers
imposed a quarantine
611
00:33:12,784 --> 00:33:15,662
to try to get players to stay
within, uh, particular areas,
612
00:33:15,745 --> 00:33:19,082
um, to help slow the spread of
the‐the Corrupted Blood feature,
613
00:33:19,165 --> 00:33:20,667
uh, but they ignored it.
614
00:33:20,750 --> 00:33:23,628
DASGUPTA:
I think the take‐home
message is that
615
00:33:23,711 --> 00:33:26,673
what once was just
a video game for entertainment
616
00:33:26,798 --> 00:33:31,094
turned out to be something
that maybe can be studied,
617
00:33:31,219 --> 00:33:33,096
and that was interesting.
618
00:33:33,179 --> 00:33:34,973
It wasn't just the game itself,
619
00:33:35,056 --> 00:33:38,393
but how the players
reacted to the virus,
620
00:33:38,518 --> 00:33:42,939
how people thought
during a pandemic.
621
00:33:43,064 --> 00:33:45,358
What do they do?
622
00:33:45,441 --> 00:33:48,820
REDDICK:
In the years since
the Corrupted Blood incident,
623
00:33:48,903 --> 00:33:52,657
the use of computer simulations
to help fight real pandemics
624
00:33:52,740 --> 00:33:54,492
has evolved.
625
00:33:54,576 --> 00:33:57,412
These sophisticated
digital tools
626
00:33:57,495 --> 00:34:01,749
are now referred to
as mathematical models.
627
00:34:03,543 --> 00:34:05,545
KORTEPETER:
The model is really just trying
628
00:34:05,670 --> 00:34:11,009
to predict the future
using specific assumptions
629
00:34:11,050 --> 00:34:13,595
about where the disease
might be going
630
00:34:13,720 --> 00:34:15,013
in terms of the outbreak.
631
00:34:15,054 --> 00:34:17,682
So you take what's known,
as best you can,
632
00:34:17,724 --> 00:34:21,436
and look at various scenarios
and numbers,
633
00:34:21,561 --> 00:34:23,813
and you throw that
into some kind of a formula
634
00:34:23,896 --> 00:34:27,317
and it can give you some sense
of where the outbreak is going.
635
00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:28,610
FISHER:
Mathematical models
636
00:34:28,735 --> 00:34:32,280
can be used to, um,
help predict things like
637
00:34:32,363 --> 00:34:34,324
how fast a virus will spread,
638
00:34:34,407 --> 00:34:36,826
um, how many individuals
will be, uh, affected,
639
00:34:36,909 --> 00:34:40,580
how efficacious
these different sorts of methods
640
00:34:40,663 --> 00:34:43,708
of slowing the spread might be,
whether it's a quarantine
641
00:34:43,791 --> 00:34:46,210
or just limiting
certain types of services.
642
00:34:46,336 --> 00:34:48,254
How much hospital capacity
will be needed
643
00:34:48,338 --> 00:34:50,173
in these different scenarios.
644
00:34:50,298 --> 00:34:51,591
These are all things that models
645
00:34:51,674 --> 00:34:54,677
can help
public health officials gauge.
646
00:34:55,970 --> 00:34:58,848
At their best,
mathematical models
647
00:34:58,973 --> 00:35:01,684
can only offer theories
as to what might happen
648
00:35:01,768 --> 00:35:04,479
as a pandemic
spreads across the world.
649
00:35:04,562 --> 00:35:08,941
But could a viral threat emerge
for which no data exists at all?
650
00:35:09,067 --> 00:35:11,944
How do we prepare for a virus
651
00:35:12,070 --> 00:35:15,281
that's not of this Earth?
652
00:35:25,249 --> 00:35:28,961
REDDICK:
900 miles southwest of Hawaii
in the Pacific Ocean.
653
00:35:29,045 --> 00:35:33,841
Four days after achieving
their historic Moon landing,
654
00:35:33,966 --> 00:35:36,260
the Apollo 11 astronauts
splash down
655
00:35:36,386 --> 00:35:38,096
inside their space capsule
656
00:35:38,221 --> 00:35:41,724
and are safely recovered
by the U. S. Navy.
657
00:35:41,849 --> 00:35:45,561
But instead of being
allowed to immediately reunite
658
00:35:45,687 --> 00:35:47,939
with their colleagues
and families to celebrate,
659
00:35:48,022 --> 00:35:52,485
Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin
and Michael Collins
660
00:35:52,568 --> 00:35:56,155
are placed in a strict
two‐week quarantine.
661
00:35:56,239 --> 00:35:57,949
The reason?
662
00:35:58,032 --> 00:36:01,536
NASA's fears that the men
might possibly have contracted
663
00:36:01,619 --> 00:36:06,541
a lunar virus
and brought it back to Earth.
664
00:36:06,624 --> 00:36:08,626
These were the first time
astronauts were actually
665
00:36:08,751 --> 00:36:10,962
going to another planetary body,
staying there
666
00:36:11,045 --> 00:36:12,171
and then coming back.
667
00:36:12,213 --> 00:36:14,590
It's absolutely feasible
that a biological contaminant
668
00:36:14,674 --> 00:36:18,136
of some kind could
come back with astronauts.
669
00:36:18,219 --> 00:36:21,597
They quarantined the astronauts
from that‐that first mission
670
00:36:21,723 --> 00:36:23,474
and they also brought back
Moon rocks,
671
00:36:23,558 --> 00:36:26,519
and tried grinding them up,
extracting them,
672
00:36:26,644 --> 00:36:29,355
feeding them to every type
of life that they could think of
673
00:36:29,439 --> 00:36:32,316
just to see if there are
any ill effects.
674
00:36:32,400 --> 00:36:33,985
REDDICK:
In the end,
675
00:36:34,068 --> 00:36:36,946
concerns that the Apollo 11
astronauts brought back
676
00:36:37,029 --> 00:36:38,698
any kind of lunar infection
677
00:36:38,823 --> 00:36:42,034
thankfully turned out
to be a false alarm.
678
00:36:42,076 --> 00:36:46,539
But why would NASA worry that
bacteria and viruses might exist
679
00:36:46,664 --> 00:36:50,001
in the freezing vacuum of space
in the first place?
680
00:36:50,084 --> 00:36:51,335
The answer lies
681
00:36:51,377 --> 00:36:54,172
in the controversial theory
of panspermia,
682
00:36:54,255 --> 00:36:56,507
which suggests
that microbial life,
683
00:36:56,591 --> 00:36:58,593
including potential viruses,
684
00:36:58,676 --> 00:37:01,012
can be found
throughout the cosmos,
685
00:37:01,137 --> 00:37:04,348
including on moons, asteroids,
686
00:37:04,432 --> 00:37:07,518
comets and alien planets.
687
00:37:07,602 --> 00:37:09,645
CHANDRA WICKRAMASINGHE:
Panspermia is essentially
688
00:37:09,729 --> 00:37:12,190
derived from Greek roots‐‐
689
00:37:12,273 --> 00:37:16,903
"pan," meaning everywhere,
and "spermata," meaning seeds.
690
00:37:18,029 --> 00:37:22,950
So panspermia essentially means
"seeds of life everywhere."
691
00:37:23,075 --> 00:37:27,538
The concept is that
life seeds are distributed
692
00:37:27,622 --> 00:37:30,041
widely across
the entire universe.
693
00:37:30,124 --> 00:37:34,504
And whenever conditions
are correct or appropriate
694
00:37:34,587 --> 00:37:37,006
on a planet, say,
like the Earth,
695
00:37:37,131 --> 00:37:42,512
then life is deposited
and life gets started.
696
00:37:42,595 --> 00:37:45,640
REDDICK:
According to the theory
of panspermia,
697
00:37:45,723 --> 00:37:49,018
space microbes trapped
in meteors and comets
698
00:37:49,143 --> 00:37:51,562
regularly rain down on Earth.
699
00:37:52,647 --> 00:37:56,859
WICKRAMASINGHE:
We have some hundred tons
of cometary debris
700
00:37:56,984 --> 00:38:00,738
coming into the Earth's
atmosphere all the time.
701
00:38:00,822 --> 00:38:05,243
So, I think there
had to be a continuing influx
702
00:38:05,368 --> 00:38:08,746
of bacteria and also viruses.
703
00:38:08,830 --> 00:38:11,499
And major epidemics
throughout history
704
00:38:11,582 --> 00:38:14,669
have started suddenly
705
00:38:14,752 --> 00:38:18,005
and disappeared
equally suddenly.
706
00:38:18,130 --> 00:38:22,176
And I think the most
reasonable explanation
707
00:38:22,260 --> 00:38:26,013
is that bacteria, viruses
and maybe
708
00:38:26,097 --> 00:38:28,599
even other organisms
could have been introduced
709
00:38:28,724 --> 00:38:33,646
from outside and caused
these huge pandemics of disease.
710
00:38:35,273 --> 00:38:38,568
REDDICK:
The idea that pandemics
could come to Earth from space
711
00:38:38,693 --> 00:38:42,488
is a fascinating
and chilling theory.
712
00:38:42,572 --> 00:38:46,492
However, the much
more sobering reality
713
00:38:46,576 --> 00:38:49,370
is that the grave threat
of deadly, global infections
714
00:38:49,453 --> 00:38:51,247
is alive and well,
715
00:38:51,330 --> 00:38:56,711
a fact driven home by COVID‐19.
716
00:39:02,550 --> 00:39:07,346
Every nation had to face
an indisputable fact:
717
00:39:07,430 --> 00:39:10,099
the virus was everywhere,
718
00:39:10,182 --> 00:39:14,353
and the death toll was mounting.
719
00:39:14,437 --> 00:39:17,648
Doctors, scientists
and political leaders
720
00:39:17,732 --> 00:39:20,943
focused on one critical goal:
721
00:39:21,068 --> 00:39:25,907
developing a vaccine
to combat COVID‐19.
722
00:39:26,032 --> 00:39:29,410
KORTEPETER:
There are multiple challenges
to developing vaccines.
723
00:39:29,535 --> 00:39:31,495
The most basic is identifying
724
00:39:31,579 --> 00:39:34,707
the appropriate antigen
or protein to use
725
00:39:34,749 --> 00:39:36,709
that actually
will be protective.
726
00:39:36,751 --> 00:39:38,336
And if you think about it,
727
00:39:38,419 --> 00:39:41,380
it took us 50 years
to get the Ebola vaccine.
728
00:39:41,505 --> 00:39:43,674
We still don't have
a vaccine for HIV.
729
00:39:43,799 --> 00:39:46,552
So, this can take a long time.
730
00:39:46,636 --> 00:39:48,971
But we were very fortunate,
731
00:39:49,055 --> 00:39:51,557
now that we identified
the right virus.
732
00:39:51,641 --> 00:39:55,019
We knew it was part
of the coronavirus family.
733
00:39:55,102 --> 00:39:58,189
It was new,
hence the word "novel,"
734
00:39:58,272 --> 00:40:01,692
but we knew what we wanted
to fight against,
735
00:40:01,776 --> 00:40:03,903
which was the spike protein.
736
00:40:04,028 --> 00:40:08,407
Once we knew that,
the science kicked in.
737
00:40:08,532 --> 00:40:11,118
REDDICK:
On December 11, 2020,
738
00:40:11,202 --> 00:40:14,580
the world breathed
a collective sigh of relief
739
00:40:14,664 --> 00:40:17,750
when the U. S. Food and Drug
Administration approved
740
00:40:17,875 --> 00:40:21,128
the first coronavirus vaccine.
741
00:40:21,212 --> 00:40:23,547
This breakthrough
was quickly followed
742
00:40:23,631 --> 00:40:26,008
by additional approved vaccines,
743
00:40:26,092 --> 00:40:28,844
and hope for the future
began to emerge
744
00:40:28,928 --> 00:40:32,556
as hundreds of millions were
immunized around the globe.
745
00:40:34,225 --> 00:40:37,019
KORTEPETER:
Actually when you have such
746
00:40:37,061 --> 00:40:39,313
a concentrated effort
and funding,
747
00:40:39,397 --> 00:40:41,691
it's amazing to watch
how quickly
748
00:40:41,816 --> 00:40:45,361
we develop new vaccines
for this brand‐new disease.
749
00:40:45,486 --> 00:40:48,280
That's really incredible,
having that will
750
00:40:48,364 --> 00:40:51,826
and the money to do it,
and the scientific basis.
751
00:40:53,703 --> 00:40:56,038
If I had one wish
from this pandemic,
752
00:40:56,122 --> 00:40:59,250
it would be that everyone‐‐
including myself‐‐
753
00:40:59,333 --> 00:41:01,168
we learn from our mistakes.
754
00:41:01,210 --> 00:41:05,214
And, of course,
we always need to work together
755
00:41:05,297 --> 00:41:06,674
and not be divided.
756
00:41:06,757 --> 00:41:08,884
Because if we don't communicate,
757
00:41:09,010 --> 00:41:13,431
we'll never get the input
of all the individuals,
758
00:41:13,556 --> 00:41:16,684
whether it be the doctor
who travels to Alaska,
759
00:41:16,809 --> 00:41:19,770
whether it be the epidemiologist
who plays a video game,
760
00:41:19,895 --> 00:41:23,065
everyone's opinion counts.
761
00:41:23,149 --> 00:41:26,110
So, hopefully,
we'll continue to communicate,
762
00:41:26,193 --> 00:41:27,028
and we'll be in this‐‐
763
00:41:27,111 --> 00:41:30,114
and conquer whatever happens‐‐
together.
764
00:41:33,200 --> 00:41:36,037
If recent events
have taught us anything,
765
00:41:36,120 --> 00:41:38,205
it's that the threat
of deadly pandemics
766
00:41:38,247 --> 00:41:39,665
may never be eliminated.
767
00:41:39,749 --> 00:41:42,918
So, here are the questions
that remain.
768
00:41:43,002 --> 00:41:45,546
How will the next one arise?
769
00:41:45,629 --> 00:41:49,175
Is it possible that we can
prevent it before it happens?
770
00:41:49,216 --> 00:41:52,678
And if not, will we be ready
to contain it?
771
00:41:52,803 --> 00:41:56,515
Some of these answers
will only come with time,
772
00:41:56,599 --> 00:41:59,393
while the others
could remain hidden
773
00:41:59,518 --> 00:42:03,022
in America's book of secrets.
774
00:42:03,105 --> 00:42:06,275
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