ABC's BIRD FLU MOVIE: MUCH HOOPLA OVER NOTHING

 

 

 

 

Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, DO
May 10, 2006
NewsWithViews.com

ABC�s movie called �Fatal Contact - Bird Flu in America,' was not only completely unscarey, it was actually boring.

Were any the medical advisors consulted during the development of the plot? Nurses were taking their masks on and off in the presence of seriously ill patients; one nurse even allowed a patient, presumably infected with the fatal H5 bird flu virus, to hack directly into her face. And the governor of Virginia was allowed to view a massive open grave site without so much as a flimsy mask. It appears that the mask will be the answer and will protect everyone. Watch for 3M�s stock skyrocket.

People donned surgical masks, hospitals were overwhelmed, and food was in short supply. But as the price of coffee skyrocketed to $19 for a tiny bag, isn�t it interesting that government officials�trying to decide who will get the vaccine�had plenty of coffee and cream to sip on while locked away in their office?

Half of way through the movie, public health officials predictably identified the only possible cure: A vaccine. The story line took a turn for the worse as panicked men in a dark neighborhood tried to hijack a National Guard vehicle to steal batches of the vaccine. After a gun fight broke out, the camera zoomed on the face of an actor doing his best to feign horror and shock over his ability to shoot his Fellow Americans.

The vaccine plot thickened as the movie progressed. Newscasters announced the French had nationalized their stock vaccine (presumably made by French vaccine industry giant, Sanofi-Pasteur) and would not release any to the rest of the world �until every French citizen was vaccinated.� Could the intent of the movie�to get everyone to demand the production and availability of the vaccine�be any more obvious?

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If ABC was hoping that this movie �thriller� would ramp up its ratings during the May Sweeps, they seriously missed the mark. The movie was a complete flop. The attention showered on this movie during its previews far exceeded the amount of attention it deserved. It is hard to imagine that anyone was actually �disturbed� by this movie. In fact, I can�t fathom that anyone watched the all of the tiresome two hours.

The best thing about this movie was that Boston Legal was on after it was over.

� 2006 Sherri Tenpenny - All Rights Reserved