measles
"Measles is like a match on dry tinder," he said. "It's going to catch and it's going to spread."
"Measles is like a disease in a horror movie. It's one of the most contagious diseases known to mankind. It lingers in the air for two hours after a person with it has left the room. The rash makes a person look like they've grown a whole new red skin. Measles can be fatal."
"More outbreaks are occurring in the U.S. and each one requires significant amounts of time and resources to contain. A case of measles is like a fire alarm to public health officials and we respond to it like firefighters would to reports of a four-alarm blaze. It's critical for us to react quickly in order to keep the danger from spreading and endangering lives."
METAMIA is a free database of analogy and metaphor. Anyone can contribute or search. The subject matter can be anything. Science is popular, but poetry is encouraged. The goal is to integrate our fluid muses with the stark literalism of a relational database. Metamia is like a girdle for your muses, a cognitive girdle.