Had they failed, millions of people could have died. It should be noted that while governments may prevent a worldwide pandemic, no agency of man has ever stopped one, once free of containment. As it is now, some 20,000 to 30,000 people die annually from viral infections called influenza or flu. But periodically, the world has witnessed viral outbreaks gone bezerk. Called the plague or a pandemic, these outbreaks travel world-wide, infecting the entire Earth's population.
Plagues historically end when the virus can no longer find a susceptible host to live and grow in.
In other words, the virus dies out when all of those who are susceptible have been infected by it and have died. The last such plague occurred only 80 years ago, killing an estimated 25 million people. Had that plague occurred today, the death count would be well over 100 million, allowing for the increase in the world's population. According to Dr. Robert Webster, Chairman of St. Jude Hospital's Department of Virology and Molecular Biology, the world is once again ripe for another massive viral attack. Chilling, sobering words, for sure.