Hotzone

Section II: Summary “ We don’t really know what Ebola has done in the past, and we don’t know what it might do in the future.” (p.49) According to Eugene Johnson, a civilian virus hunter, specializing in Ebola, the essence of the virus itself is one whose existence is still unintelligible to humans. The knowledge of the nature of this virus, as well as Marburg the “gentle sister” of the three filovirus sisters (Ebola Zaire, Ebola Sudan, and Marburg), remains questionable today. In his book, The Hot Zone, Richard Preston shares a horrifying account of the hideous outbreaks of these recognized deadly viruses, in particular the appearance of a lethal virus in the outskirts of Washington, DC. It began in October of 1989, when Hazleton Research Products accepted a shipment of a hundred wild monkeys from the Philippines. The monkeys were crab-eating monkeys, a species that resided in the coastal rain forests on the island of Mindanao. They arrived at the Reston monkey house on October 4, with two of which were already dead in their crates. Although this was not an unusual occurrence, Dan Dalgard who was a veterinarian that cared for the monkeys feared that they were dying from Simian Hemorrhagic Fever, a disease lethal to monkeys but harmless to humans. He decided upon the assistance of the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) with the diagnosis of this situation, proceeding the death of a large number of monkeys within a period of a month. Thomas Geisbert was an intern at the Institute, who operated the electron microscope, which uses a beam of electrons to make images of smaller objects, such as viruses. Upon the examination of a piece of meat of an infected Reston monkey, he came to the conclusion that they had come across a filovirus, which greatly resembled Marburg. Dr. Peter Jahlring of this Institute followed with a lab testing of the virus culture from the monkeys. He had performed tests using the blood serum from three human victims. A test for Marburg, using the serum from the blood of Dr. Shem Musoke, a survivor who was presumable infected by a deceased patient “Charles Monet”. Charles Monet had apparently received the virus in the Kitum Cave, nestled in the African Mount Elgon. Next, was a test for Ebola Sudan, from a man named Boniface who died in Sudan. Finally, was a test for Ebola Zaire, from the bloodstream of the deceased Nurse Mayinga. Although his tests proved that Marburg was nonexistent among these monkey cells, much to his dismay, the blood tested positive for the Ebola Zaire virus. Marburg virus affects humans somewhat like nuclear radiation, damaging basically all the tissues of the body, in particular the internal organs, connective tissue, intestines, reproductive organs and skin. Hemorrhage occurs from all openings of the body. The Ebola Sudan is more that twice as lethal as Marburg, its case-fatality rate being 50 percent. And the Ebola Zaire strain is nearly twice as lethal as the Sudan. Ebola kills a great deal of tissue while the victim is still alive, and destroys the brain more thoroughly than does the Marburg, as well. After death, the virus leads the cadaver to deteriorate rapidly. A number of tests proved his conclusion to be correct. Ebola Zaire had hit the United States. Eventually the Army organized a SWAT team to perform Euthanasia of the animals of the Reston Primate Quarantine Unit, to gather scientific samples, and ultimately to ensure the safety of the human population. The effort was successful, and the diagnosis was eventually made. The Ebola Reston Virus was airborne, comparable to influenza, except with a lethal effect among monkeys. Fortunately, it did not have an effect on humans. Theoretically, an airborne strain of Ebola could emerge and circle the entire world in a matter of six weeks, amounting in a drastic