Maybe this film will encourage people to wash their hands more often

Want to know what a full on bird flu pandemic would look like if it hit in the UK and worldwide? Well, why not go and see the new film called Contagion, directed by Steven Soderbergh which has a star studded cast and dramatic visual effects. The film which has Gwyneth Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne and Kate Winslet to name just a few of the actors deals with the panic and uncertainty surrounding a worldwide bird flu pandemic.

There are portrayals of riots breaking out as people drastically try to get medicine and food supplies and dramatic incidents as certain people are quarantined and left to die. This is exactly what the World Health Organization doesn't want to happen!

Some people have accused the WHO of overreacting to the threat of influenza viruses especially to the swine flu virus but the danger that they pose to the world is very real and some experts say that it is only a matter of time before a very deadly virus of the H5N1 type becomes contagious enough to infect and kill thousands if not millions of humans worldwide.

In one sense this movie may be a good education for people around the world to fully understand the importance of containing influenza. Maybe this film will encourage people to wash their hands more often and to stay away from people they know who have flu. In fact reports show that people who watch this film are more likely to wash their hands in the bathroom in the interval than with other films with other films!

This film is also likely to encourage people to stock up on antiviral medications like Tamiflu and Relenza which are known to be the best medical form of defence against both the H5N1 bird flu virus and also the H1N1 swine flu virus. Both of these medications are recommended by the World Health Organization as front line defences against deadly influenza viruses.