Deadly viruses and plagues have been spreading across the airwaves and multiplex theaters. The trend is certainly not new, but during the first part of the century, our media has flooded us with the fear of diseases ? both real and imagined.

Recent film releases such as "Doomsday," "I Am Legend," "28 Weeks Later," and "Resident Evil: Extinction" illustrate that filmmakers currently have disease on their minds.

Plague films and plague literature do tend to be apocalyptic in nature. In my previous article "This is the way the world ends ... Again," I ascribed the current wave of popularity in apocalyptic work to the pessimism that is currently dominating our culture. I am tempted to credit the recent plague of virus tales to recent pessimism, the current war and failing economy. However, tales of insidious viruses don?t seem to be as closely tied to current events as the other popular apocalyptic device: nuclear war. The threat of disease is always present, regardless of our current enemy.

The deadly power of disease was depicted in H.G. Wells? 1898 masterpiece "The War of the Worlds." When all traditional means of combat failed, a common germ proved capable of stopping the horrific attacks which nearly destroyed humanity. Wells demonstrates not only the limited nature of warfare, but also the destructive power of nature. A microscopic organism can eliminate a threat that man and military cannot.

Stephen King has killed the populous a few times with viruses. His Captain Trips virus, first featured in the short story "Night Surf," becomes the agent of death in his apocalyptic epic "The Stand." Originally published in 1978, "The Stand" does contain some frightening parallels to the real-world disease AIDS. While "Night Surf" is quite bleak, "The Stand" is a bit more optimistic, depicting the re-formation of society and a struggle of good vs. evil.

In his 1986 short story "The End of the Whole Mess," King tells the tale of the Fornoy brothers and their misguided cure for aggression which renders the entire population senile. Adapted into an episode of the 2006 miniseries "Nightmares and Dreamscapes," this program featured brilliant acting performances by Ron Livingston and Henry Thomas (of "E.T." fame) as the well-intentioned, but short-sighted, brothers. Like the recent film version of "I Am Legend," this tale reflects the fear of good intentions going horribly wrong.

Frank Herbert, best known as the author of the original Dune series, examined the startling social changes brought about by disease in "The White Plague." This novel depicts a scientist who, driven mad by the death of his family in a terrorist car bombing, creates a virus that kills only women. "The White Plague" contains all the hallmarks of Herbert?s style seen in "Dune": complex politics, sweeping social change, and intricate plot development. Published in 1982, this overlooked masterpiece may be the first work of literature to connect the spread of disease to terrorism, even if it?s in a tangential fashion.

A wave of virus and plague movies swept through the 1990s. "12 Monkeys" and "Outbreak" were the box office highlights, while "Contagious," "Pandora?s Clock," "Carriers" and "Virus" brought death to the small screen. Certainly, the fears of chemical weapons in Iraq during the first Gulf War may have fueled the paranoia at this time.

In a similar fashion three decades earlier, Michael Crichton?s 1969 novel "Andromeda Strain," intentionally or not, brought to mind the use of Agent Orange and other chemicals during Vietnam.

The most recent film iteration of "I Am Legend" deals primarily with the aftermath of a disease and changes that have rendered most of humanity, well, not human. It contains some of the bleakest apocalyptic imagery I?ve seen in quite some time. While the scenes of a devastated New York and the infected victims dominate the screen, at its core, this film essentially is about loneliness and personal responsibility, and should not be missed.

And it?s not just the big screen that has caught the virus bug. One highlight of the disappointing and abbreviated season of ?Heroes? was the memorable post-plague imagery which, unfortunately, was cut short. Sadly, this element was introduced far too late in the season. Aside from a few glimpses into a dismal future, "Heroes" fans never got to see the story play out to its intended conclusion.

Similarly, "Jericho" incorporated the virus storyline into its abbreviated season. The imaginary Hudson River virus was depicted not by the suffering of the victims, but by the images of men in Hazmat suits and a Ham radio conversation. Again, the virus storyline was given very little time to evolve, but considering the circumstances of "Jericho?s" limited run of seven episodes during its second season, this is understandable.

The terrorist attacks and Anthrax scares during the early part of the century certainly have contributed to the fears of an uncontrollable outbreak of disease. The fears of real-life viruses like SARS and the Avian Flu, not to mention the shortage of flu vaccines in 2004-05, make such concerns seem more possible than ever. If that isn?t frightening enough, medical journals regularly discuss antibiotic resistance and super bugs. The Hurricane Katrina aftermath, which exposed the deficiency in America?s crisis preparedness, adds to our concerns.

The recent wave of plague media simply reflects our fears of a microscopic enemy which, though we can?t see it, is immensely powerful. Every time a virus or disease spreads across the screen, our real life fears are being played out before our eyes. Let?s hope they stay there.

Homework
"The White Plague" ? Frank Herbert
"The War of the Worlds" ? H.G. Wells

Dan Compora is an associate professor at the University of Toledo, and contributes SciFi 101 twice monthly for Airlock Alpha. He can be reached at drdan@airlockalpha.com.