Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs

by Mark Olshaker

In contrast to a chronic condition, an outbreak, particularly one caused by a virus transmitted simply by breathing the same air as those already afflicted or suffering a mosquito bite we don’t even feel or notice, creates a sense of panic combined with the struggle to understand the science and control the situation. This naturally leads to disproportionate disruption and impact. In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, a small amount of powdered anthrax sent through the US Postal Service to Capitol Hill and media figures, causing only twenty-two cases, still took billions of dollars to fix, closed down the Hart Senate Office Building across the street from the US Capitol for months, and paralyzed the mail delivery in the area. And anthrax is not a communicable disease the way Ebola and smallpox are. You don’t catch it from another infected person.