Ebola Virus In The Hot Zone By Richard Preston

In the Hot Zone, Richard Preston demonstrates how devastating

Ebola and other filoviruses can be to large populations. In the book,

Preston describes true events during an outbreak of Ebola virus at a

Monkey facility in Reston, Virginia in 1980. He also gives background from other viral outbreaks in Africa in the 1970’s and 1980’s. This book is really scary because it is factual, not fictional. Preston emphasizes the real dangers of Ebola and other filoviruses, but argues that the long lasting effects of the AIDS virus has not been determined. The book begins in Kenya in 1980. Preston describes the exposure and excruciating death of Charles Monet from the Marburg virus. He gives the gory, bloody details of his death, enabling

The Sudan strain of Ebola began with a shopkeeper named Yu G. This strain spread throughout his district. A more horrible outbreak occurred in Zaire which started from the use of dirty needles in a medical clinic. Although many hundreds died, Preston gave details of a nurse named Mayinga N who was infected at Ngalemia Hospital. She moved about the capital city for two days spreading the disease before being quarantined. Preston also focuses on American Scientists and military personnel who work courageously (wearing space suits) and researching these viruses or hot agents. In spite of the dangers of this job, the personnel try to learn as much as possible in hopes of creating vaccines to cure or protect the human race. One of these scientists, Nancy Jaxx, an army veterinarian, specializes in hot agents at Fort Detrick in Maryland. In

1983, Jaxx ripped her space suit during a dissection of tissue samples from an unknown virus at the Reston, Virginia monkey facility. She escaped injury, but was able to identify the virus as a new strain of

Ebola. Afterward, the Reston facility was considered a “hot