Since the rise of life on Earth viruses have overtaken healthy cells in order to multiply and survive.
To combat this, lifeforms across eons have evolved immune systems to get rid of any diseases. It has become an ever-evolving evolutionary arms race – one where viruses mutate to gain the upper hand and the immune system applies new tactics to deal with it.
To shine light on what viruses are and our understanding of them, a 1994 documentary film takes on some of the most severe virus attacks on humanity throughout time.
The film showcases some of the viral infections, like Influenza, Ebola, AIDS and many more.
The documentary also shows how humanity have actively entered the battle against viral diseases and looks at the medical breakthroughs we’ve achieved over the years. Some of these entail vaccines against polio, measles, smallpox and many more.
Although Understanding Viruses sets a slow pace and many new medical breakthroughs have been discovered since the documentary first aired, much of its data and medical history is still valid to this day.
Throughout the film we’ll meet some of the more prominent virologists including that of Polio vaccine inventor, Jonas Salk. Each of them are contributors to helping cure millions of people of terrible viral diseases.