As the infection spread , Israel abandon the Palestinian territories and initiate a nationwide quarantine , closing its borders to everyone except uninfected Jews and Palestinians . Its military then put down an ultra @-@ Orthodox uprising , which is later referred to as an Israeli civil war . The United States do little to prepare because it is overconfident in its ability to suppress any threat . Although special forces teams contain initial outbreaks , a widespread effort never start : the nation is deprived of political will by " brushfire wars " , and a widely distributed and marketed placebo vaccine create a false sense of security .