Patient
Zero is a stewardess, stricken with what she thinks is chickenpox. She
goes to ground in a Montreal hotel room. A few weeks later, she's back
on the job, unaware of her role in an impending public health
catastrophe. Pandemics have killed more people throughout history than
all wars combined. They are unpredictable - and inevitable. Are we
ready for the next big one? Outbreak: Anatomy of a Plague juxtaposes a
21st century scenario against the little-known story of the 1885
smallpox epidemic that devastated Montreal. Combining brisk narrative
with rigorous research, it vividly evokes a modern city under siege,
drawing eerie parallels with 1885. Confronted with social unrest,
ethnic scapegoating and economic ruin, authorities struggle to maintain
control - and to contain a deadly infection.