Is this the beginning of the end for mankind?

Or is it just a new virus that we have to deal with, like those of the past? 

But can we deal with it? Control it? Tuck it under our belts,so to speak,and carry on with our inexorable rise to the Future! Mankind, the dominant species. Rulers of the Universe?

Or is this the moment when we have to deal with the consequences of our arrogance? That we are just merely a step on the road to the future. 

Maybe rats are the next dominant species?

Q. Are rats susceptible to the virus?