If you’re worrying about opening the door with your bare hands or inhaling after a person coughs in a small elevator, you probably just saw the movie Contagion. The Hollywood thriller, Contagion, rocketed to #1 at the box office with the convincing story of a global epidemic driven by a new virus. The fictional, Dr. Thomas Friedman, head of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the film is very plausible.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention worked closely with the filmmakers to ensure an accurate portrayal of a growing pandemic. The movie is based on the real life NIPAH virus, called MEV1.

The disease originates in fruit bats and is highly deadly; killing 50 percent of victims, typically bats and pigs. In 1998, a discovery of isolated outbreaks in humans were caused by this virus in Malaysia. However, the virus was not spread via human-to-human contact.

There was a risk of the virus being transmitted from human-to-human. This is in fact happened in 1918 with the novel virus of the Spanish flu. The virus originated from wild animals and killed 50 million people worldwide in just one year.

A more recent example is the Swine Flu. The flu affected more than 80 million people in United States.

The goals of the film were to bring awareness to the potential contagion. The film also serves to identify the weakness in the system of response to a contagion. As of now, it takes 6 months for the regular influenza vaccination to be produce and distributed to the population.

Dr. Ian Lipkin, a virus-hunter master and Director of The Center for Infection and Immunity said: “One of the reasons we did the movie is to identify the weakness in the system. There is no reason that it should take six months to make a vaccine. We have the technology now that can bring the vaccine to distribution much more rapidly…[the lack of] resources [is what delays the process].”

Dr. Oz believes a pandemic will happen during our lifetime and said: “It’s not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when." He gives five steps on how to survive a pandemic. Research has shown taking andrographics three times a day will strengthen the immune system. He is in favor of vaccinations for the flu shot.

Washing hands for at least 25 seconds will prevent the spread of diseases. While sick, it is always best to stay home to prevent infecting others. Last but not least, purchasing a surgical mask and gloves will serve as a barrier protection.

Dr. Ian Lipkin confirmed the question: “Could this happen? Absolutely. It’s a situation of hoping for the best and preparing for the worst."