Global Pandemic

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A hospital nurse prepares for the H1N1 swine flu vaccine at Korea University Hospital.

There's been a rush of movies dealing with this possibility, from it fueling a zombie apocalypse to simply wiping out more than half of the world's population with some as-yet noticed virulent disease. From antibiotic-resistant SARS to ebola to the black plague and even common cold, microscopic monsters have long been a bane to our species. Some scientists see the likelihood of something along these lines as increasing by the day, as we travel more and animal diseases, such as H1N1, make the jump from critters to us.
Martin: We have had hundreds of thousands of viruses that could really destroy our populations. The black plague covered the planet in months, and that was before we had air travel. These major hubs like NYC, and Hawaii, Houston, these are hotspots that just move viruses so quickly across the planet.
I read a study saying that our smartphones, have more bacteria and germs and viruses on them than a public toilet. At first I though, ‘that's ridiculous', but then once I read the study I realized you take this object, with little holes all over it, and put it in a dark warm spot, in our pocket, we never clean it, put it to our mouths, spray bacteria all over it... Then you compare it to a public toilet, which is smooth porcelain and cleaned regularly... Not to mention every dollar bill we touch, nobody washes dollar bills!

Read more: Apocalypse Scenarios - Likelihood of Apocalypse - Esquire
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