The End Scene

While it's true that the chef could have practiced some simple hygiene, ultimately environmental destruction is to blame. Eliminate natural habitats and the creatures have to cohabit with humans in their world. You could also include overpopulation as part of the problem (speed of transmission and spread of the virus.)

"Passion is just insanity in a cashmere sweater!"

I think the scene could be taken as either a Hollywood liberal anti-development message, or as an example of a "butterfly effect."

I thought the ending was excellent and very well encapsulated the essence. In a sense, yes mankind is to blame, at the very least, an enormous contributing factor. Deforestation leading to displaced species being forced to co-mingle with other animal species during factory farming, all lying a perfect foundation for creating a new virus or the mutation of an existing one. All of which, are man made contributors. LOVED IT!

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I think the point is you can't just blame one person.

The ones who ordered the trees to be fell played a part.
The people driving the bulldozer played a part.
The pig and the bat (although let's ignore these as being at fault).
The chef who didn't wash his hands.
These all helped introduce the virus into society.

Then there's Beth who with her behavior helped spread the disease; such as not washing hands after shaking hands with the chef's unwashed ones. Not washing hands before eating after said hand shaking. The affair in another city which helped it spread faster.

I'm not saying it's Beth's fault it happened, I rarely wash my hands just before eating as well. But everyone played a role in the disease going from nothing to millions of deaths. Lots of things lined up perfectly. Even that it was a foreigner that shook the chef's hands. Had it been a local, the disease would possibly never have left Hong Kong.

I didn't see the chef wash his hands, and he mustn't of, since hand-washing was considered one way to protect yourself.

So, if he passed it on by shaking Beth's hand, then his hands weren't hygenic.

I thought the end would reveal that her lover first contacted it, and she got it when she slept with him.

you want someone to blame? how about the chef for not washing his hands or wearing gloves before stuffing the pig?

Just sheer absolute bad luck. The really scary thing is, this is entirely possible. With everyone jetting everywhere around the world, it is entirely possible to spread "Virus X" just like in this movie, except for real. The CDC has said it is not "IF", but "WHEN".