"Contagion" Movie questions!

I have a few questions about the movie.

1. What type of pathogenic agent was the disease and what was the name of it?
2. Dr. Ellis Cheever (played by Lawrence Fishburne) explains that the spread of the disease is dependent on factors such as "nutrition, underlying conditions, socioeconomic factors and access to clean drinking water." Explain the validity of this statement.
3. Explain the irony of the following statement made by Dr. Cheever
" Shaking hands was a way of showing someone you werent carrying a weapon in the old days"



Answer :

1. The pathogenic disease in "Contagion" was called Nipah. It was a combination of a flue and a virus, which caused respiratory disease and inflammation of the brain.

2. Cheever's statement is valid because flus/viruses can spread/caught by not taking care of your body (aka poor nutrition), and people who are in a lower socioeconomic class may not have the resources to prevent or fight off these sicknesses with proper vaccinations and medicine.

3. Cheever's statement is ironic because in the movie, shaking hands became a way of spreading Nipah. He's referring to biological warfare.