AINGCTONO GNOCTANOI TONAGCOIN CONTAGION.

The article discusses the possibility of the existence of viruses that are just a few mutations away from becoming capable of killing half the human race. Topics include four factors that determine the severity of any disease outbreak, the 2014 Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, the 2002 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in China, and the closely-related 2012 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in Saudi Arabia. The high mutation rate of influenza viruses, such as 2009's H1N1, and their ability to reassort and research by Ron Fouchier and colleagues investigating whether mutation, reassortment,or both could create a form of flu capable of killing on a catastrophic scale are also discussed.