What about a plague in a SF/F world?

[Ursa major]

I find it hard to believe that in a large cosmopolitan city (like London), where people are arriving and departing all the time, the authorities would evacuate children across the country in the face of a plague (which could already be in the city). They'd have enough problems trying to stop everyone spreading the disease about, I'd have thought.

[Ishar]

I read this a little while ago, but forget where it was. I had input, but silly me didnt write it.

Eddings once did a plague.

I think it was in Mallorean, but I may be wrong and it could have been Belgariad.

But what happened, if my memory isnt hurting me, is that one of the gods diseased a single man. That man went into a town and then a few days later just died. Everyone he had met was infected, some of them travelled to other towns. Soon the epidemic was spreading throughout the whole continent. There were no clear symptoms of it until they just up and died.

Any help?

[Wiglaf]

Originally Posted by Ursa major

I find it hard to believe that in a large cosmopolitan city (like London), where people are arriving and departing all the time, the authorities would evacuate children across the country in the face of a plague (which could already be in the city). They'd have enough problems trying to stop everyone spreading the disease about, I'd have thought.

When I started this thread, I was thinking fantasy not sci-fi. Whether people think the cause is airborne germs, physical contact, or miasmas would probably affect their reactions.

[Urlik]

Originally Posted by Ursa major

I find it hard to believe that in a large cosmopolitan city (like London), where people are arriving and departing all the time, the authorities would evacuate children across the country in the face of a plague (which could already be in the city). They'd have enough problems trying to stop everyone spreading the disease about, I'd have thought.

I was actually thinking that the evacuation could be the reason for the spread.

have the plague reach the capital (or other strategic city) either by design or fate while the country stands on the brink of war.
the plague has a long and highly contagious incubation period, so when the war breaks out, no-one is sick and the children (maybe even the entire population of the city) are evacuated or become refugees, travelling across the land, spreading the plague among their contrymen.

as reports of the plague reach cities that haven't been infected, it could become knowledge which city is responsible for the plague's spread, and they become pariahs, hated and pitied, but never welcome.