Epidemics, pandemics and viruses, from fiction to reality

Abstract

Introduction: The current pandemic situation due to SARS-Cov-2, has aroused great interest in topics related to epidemics. Objective: Quantify the cinematographic materials related to viruses, epidemics and pandemics reflected in the cinema. Methodology: Longitudinal descriptive study, whose analytical measurements were the cinematographic materials that treat different viruses in humanity, through the Internet Movie Database. Works from 1937 to 2020 were included, excluding those lacking synopses, duplicates, no duration, and no content related to epidemics, pandemics or viruses. Results: N = 32, mostly feature films (69%), framed in the genre of Science Fiction and Horror (47%). The words that appear most frequently in the synopses are: virus (25%), pandemic (21,88%), epidemic (9,38%), flu (12,50%) and quarantine (3,13%). It should be noted that in the last decade the production of cinematographic material on this subject has experienced an increase of 60%. Conclusion: Cinema is a didactic tool for students and professionals in the health field, as it offers the possibility of bringing the audience a closer view of health issues, creating a conceptual framework that helps students understand and consolidate knowledge.