FLU Movie Analysis

FLU Movie reaction piece: Within the Korean drama “FLU,” specific class topics pertaining infectious disease were addressed in the film, as they coincided with the plot of the film, which focused on the catastrophic effects of a rampant and mutant bacteria in a large urban Korean city known as Bundang (though it was of course dramatized). In analyzing the infectious disease in the film, it was identified to be a mutated form of a particular avian flu, a strain identified in the film as H5N1. The disease mutated to an extremely virulent strain after containment in a cargo container of sickly immigrants being smuggled in to the country. Since the disease killed the majority of humans it came into contact, the primary reservoirs, or organism …show more content…
They were not seen as having the direct influence of a formal government official. This caused the outbreak to get out of hand, as they had not realized the effect to which the disease had already manifested itself in society. A public health surveillance team had been put in place in order to identify the source of the bacteria and monitor the influx of incoming cases, as they were constantly in contact with the team of doctors who identified the presence of the virus, but they were overwhelmed and under-prepared due to the numbers of individuals infected and limited incubation period of the …show more content…
This caused Mireu, who began coughing at the evacuation checkpoint, to be denied access for entering the emergency evacuation area. Even though Mireu only coughed, and was not identified as be symptomatic, panic and tension amongst security team members caused them to deny their access. Despite their good intentions to protect society at large and themselves from the spread of the disease, they should have abided by a set standard protocol to identify whether or not she was truly symptomatic. In an epidemic situation, such standards do still matter, but self-preservation and panic clouds individual’s better judgment. This leaves the possibly infected, already infected, high-risk patients with lowered immune systems, and left behind emergency responders to fend for themselves. Due to the nature of the disease, this caused the majority of the populace to be left behind and fend for themselves, while politicians and medical experts informed on the matter were able to leave, some even with their families, once the true nature of the outbreak was