But an epidemic is like a fire, says Dr. Don Francis, the epidemiologist hero of "And the Band Played On," who is now working on a vaccine. "The earlier you get [there] before the flames are rampant, the better off you will do. And that is especially true of long incubation diseases where the smoldering and spread has occurred a lot more than you realize when you see the smoke. And so the inability to recognize the responsibility that the government has for public health, sets up a lack of response at the government level."