The Story of Günther Friesinger
Günther Friesinger was an art rep who contracted the ARAD-II virus, a rare, deadly and highly contagious illness which he unknowingly brought to Art Basel in Miami Beach, Florida in 2005. For a full pictorial presentation of monochrom’s efforts to find and manage the crisis caused by Günther’s illness, visit the ARAD-II Web site.
While art frequently imitates reality, sometimes reality imitates art, as with this deadly strain of TB which set of world-wide alarms. Read or listen to the story: Man Eluded Attempts to Control Deadly TB Strain on NPR.
Editor’s Note: In 1998, another potentially disasterous medical crisis was averted thanks to a conscientious whistle-blower. A multi-national corporation seeking to profit by addicting consumers to their commercial products had created a virus that could be embedded in their food and drink items and imbibed by their customers. A scientist defected and provided information to the world media at http://www.stopbiopeep.com after the U.S. Government and several of its allies commandeered the research for military purposes, i.e., to create a new genetic weapon capable of eliminating targeted ethnic groups.