Fowl Plague

Airborne: We’re Five Mutations From a Major Pandemic

A comic about virologist Ron Fouchier's discovery–and the fallout

Duncan Geere

22 sec read

Fowl Plague logo featuring a feather

Read the next installment: “Your Pandemics Questions Answered”
Read the previous installment: “The Machine and the Mosquito“

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Illustration of Ron Fouchier. Text: "In 2012, a team of virologists led by Ron Fouchier showed how easily H5N1 avian flu could become one of the most dangerous pathogens in human history."
Ferrets in a cage with a bubble illustration of bacteria. Text: "Normally, the virus requires close contact with infected birds for transmission, but Fouchier's team made a version that passed through air between mammals."
Fouchier in front of a double helix. Text in speech bubble: "Only five genetic mutations are enough to produce an airborne strain of the virus, capable of spreading incredibly fast."
Graves in a cemetery. Text: "About 450 people have died of H5N1 avian flu since 2003–mostly in Indonesia and Egypt. If the virus becomes airborne, that number is likely to rise sharply."
Two figures arguing. Text in first box: "The research sparked bitter debate in the science community." Text in speech bubble: "It's a recipe for a bioweapon!" Text in second box: "The US National Security Advisory Board for Biotechnology unsuccessfully tried to ban its publication, arguing..."
Ron Fouchier. Text in speech bubble: "I removed a few details of the method and they accepted it. Publishing these results gives us the best chance of fighting future flu pandemics."
Chickens and workers collecting eggs. Text: "What isn't yet known is how easily Fouchier's mutations could happen in the real world. They've all been seen individually in the wild, but never together."
Figure coughing in a crowd. Text: "If they do emerge together naturally, the battle between public safety and scientific progress will be only a footnote in history."

This comic was drawn by Tom Humberstone and written by Duncan Geere, based on episode four of our new series on avian influenza, Fowl Plague.

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Read the next installment: “Your Pandemics Questions Answered”
Read the previous installment: “The Machine and the Mosquito“

Fowl Plague logo featuring a feather

How We Get To Next was a magazine that explored the future of science, technology, and culture from 2014 to 2019. Fowl Plague is a five-part series that explores the history of deadly global pandemics–and asks whether we’re ready to respond to the next one.

Duncan Geere
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