The Andromeda Strain

Mankind pain an epidemic every century. This is something that we can’t avoid because natural selection works in all living beings.

People have to choose between die of illness and die of hunger. Usually ignorant prefers to die of illness because thinks it selves immune. Unfortunately poor chooses the same even knows that is the target of illness.

The Andromeda Strain is a novel written by Michael Crichton in 1969, where relates the efforts of a team of scientists investigating the outbreak of a deadly extraterrestrial microorganism. Novel ends well because microorganism mutes to inoffensive and the threat finished. Luckily the alien entrance has an invention but the protocol showed in the history is very likely as protocols proposed if this case could happen. Michael Crichton cheats a little; the mutation doesn’t work like he wrote, if not both organism, the deadly and the mutation, live together; note the mutation eats the plastic from the laboratory protections, so both are the reincarnation of the exterminating angel.

When beginning the space rice agencies take care from the health threat that could came from there. This isn’t new. West from black plague imposes quarantines every traveler which comes from unknowing land, and space is a more ignored site. Governs have protocols about arrived of alien illness; but have they any plan to stop when this illness is spread without control? The answer is no, we only need to see the current pandemic. 

Historically humans pain a lot of epidemic that kills too much people. The black plague killed a third of the European population; without immunity it advances free in Asia and Europe. Luckily human density was lower than today and more sites never arrived. Today the human density is incredible and our mobility is connecting every sites of world. Today the black plague will put mankind near extintion.

Today we can see more people demanding the end of quarantines. Really more people are suffering economically from the consequences of the social shutdown. For these people the question is to choose between die of illness and die of hunger. But more people are in streets demanding their freedom. As vaccine deniers, who have also taken to the streets to protest, demand their freedom to risk their life. Yes, life is of them, but their attitude put in risk other people: health care when they are sick and the rest of the people if they are asymptomatic. 

But globally the question is quarantine or chaos. Freedom also carries a great social responsibility which some people don’t want to hold. More people confuse freedom with selfishness. More people see in the catastrophe their own opportunity and don’t care how much bad his attitude can cause. We are faced a shameful spectacle of speculation with drugs and medical supplies, how pirates are selling material expired, unusable and even illegal. Companies that require their workers to work in conditions of extreme vulnerability or companies that pressure governments to push consumers out on the street for to save their profit today, but tomorrow may have not consumers.

Today the question in this crisis is: Has life any value for our society? This is the first time that governments are betting for life, because the current pandemic is for a soft illness and this could be a test for when a strong one arrives (like Ebola or bubonic plague). Today we could question whether to save a meager 5% of population it is worth bankruptcy the economy (math models shows a 20% if health systems collapse); but when will virus kill the 40%? Maybe you think yes, but them we won’t know how do it.