The Potential Threat Pathogens Pose To The Survival Of The Human Race

The Last Of Us TV Series Poster

The popular video game "The Last Of Us" has thrilled fans and has been a favourite of many video game enthusiasts for almost a decade. The game was developed by the game studio, Naughty Dog, and is a successful game franchise on the Sony PlayStation console. The game which has been adapted into a TV series by the popular TV network HBO had its first episode released last week. The TV series just like the game is about the effects pathogens, disease-causing micro-organisms, have on the world population. I will like to share a summary of what occurred in the premiere of the TV series and show some connections it has to the real world.

The first episode of the TV series was quite interesting and introduced viewers to the characters of the show. The first scene of the TV series was about a TV show that had two guest male epidemiologists and the host of the show discussing micro-organisms and diseases. One of the epidemiologists had an unpopular opinion about the dangers disease-causing micro-organisms pose to humans most especially fungi. The epidemiologist explained how a fungus which is considered more harmless than a virus and bacteria by many experts like himself tends to become dangerous to humans under conditions like mild temperatures that will enable it to thrive. He further illustrated how a fungus can take over the body of an ant it infects by releasing hallucinogens in its host system and controlling it like a "puppet". A similar infection and manipulation mechanism by fungi is also possible in humans in a conducive environment for the pathogen. The audience and host of the TV show became speechless with this disclosure.

Joel Miller, played by Pedro Pascal

The scene that came next was about the background story of one of the main characters of the series named Joel Miller. The role is played by Pedro Pascal who acted as Oberyn Martell in the popular TV series Game of Thrones and was also the lead actor in the Mandalorian series too. Joel is a strong, tough single parent who resides in Texas with his daughter, Sarah. He is a liberal and caring father who has a special relationship with his daughter and brother, Tommy. Sarah was killed by a soldier when Joel and his family tried to leave their hometown after the fungi outbreak that infects and takes over the mind and body of its host was present in their town. The possibility of a fungal infection outbreak as mentioned by the epidemiologist in the first scene of the series was becoming a reality! The hosts of the fungi infection are known as the "infected".

Two decades after the fungal pandemic, the world becomes ravaged and desolate as the infection spreads. The "infected" have become the "puppets" of the fungi as was explained by the epidemiologist in the TV show. Joel ends up in a Quarantined Zone ( QZ ) in Boston and gets involved in an intimate relationship with Tess, a woman who is strong and tough like him. Joel and Tess had planned to leave the QZ in Boston by buying a battery for a truck they had acquired earlier. However, they got exploited by Robert, the black market dealer they patronized. Upset by this betrayal, Joel and Tess decide to exert revenge on Robert. The duo discover that Robert is dead on their quest for revenge and have an encounter with Marlene, head of the Fireflies, a resistance group who oppose the military in the QZ.

Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey

It happens that a girl named Ellie is in Marlene's custody. Ellie is played by Bella Ramsey who also acted in the Game of Thrones as Lyanna Mormont. Ellie is bitten by one of the "infected" but seems to be immune to the fungi infection as she is still normal and in control of her body. Marlene proposes to Joel and Tess to take Ellie to meet a team of Fireflies in the Old State House that is outside the QZ in Boston. The duo will get a truck with a battery and gun supplies as compensation for Ellie's delivery. The duo accepts Marlene's proposal after some consideration. An incident happens as Joel, Tess and Ellie embark on their journey to meet the team of Fireflies beyond the QZ. Joel attacks and kills a soldier who tried to stop them from leaving the QZ and also wanted to arrest Ellie for charging at him. The soldier's action towards Ellie triggered a traumatic memory in Joel's mind as it was similar to the action of the soldier who killed his daughter, Sarah. This made Joel enraged and he took out his anger on the soldier.

"The Last Of Us* is an ongoing TV series and was adapted from a video game but the morales it embodies are a reflection of reality and not just entertainment from the perspective of a TV series or video games. It covers so many important issues like public health, disease nj control, survival, trauma, loss, grief, priorities, decision-making, and redemption to mention a few. I think the TV series and video game tried to portray the importance of preventive measures in public health, survival skills, and the uncertainty of the future.

Life is unpredictable and full of eventualities. The best we can do is to live responsibly and be prepared for contingencies. Health is also the collective responsibility of everyone and it has been witnessed for several decades that contagious diseases tend to affect a lot of people during an outbreak. "The Last Of Us" is an expose of events that can happen if the world's population is negligent about public health and not proactive in preventive healthcare. Pathogens and other disease-causing organisms tend to evolve and cause more harm to the human race! We can't afford to be caught unawares!

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Have a splendid day folks.

All image source added in caption.