The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus [Kindle Edition]http://www.amazon.com/Hot-Zone-Terrifying-Story-Origins-ebook/dp/B007DCU4IQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407939437&sr=1-1&keywords=hot+zonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hot_ZoneAs is usual, I am late to pop culture phenomena. The cool time to read this book would have been in 1995. I am sure that was what Newt Gingrich did, reading it alongside the latest Alvin Toffler futurist sack of worthlessness.
Luckily, THZ ages better than any Toffler book with the words, "future," "shock," "wave," or "shift" in the title. Something to do with THZ's content focus of fact, history, biology, and the like while not putting on the secular prophet clown costume.
I will quote from Wikipedia for a summary of the content:
The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story is a best-selling[1] 1994 non-fiction thriller by Richard Preston about the origins and incidents involving viral hemorrhagic fevers, particularly ebolaviruses and marburgviruses. The basis of the book was Preston's 1992 New Yorker article "Crisis in the Hot Zone".[2]
The filoviruses Ebola virus (EBOV), Sudan virus (SUDV), Marburg virus (MARV), and Ravn virus (RAVV) are Biosafety Level 4 agents. Biosafety Level 4 agents are extremely dangerous to humans because they are very infectious, have a high case-fatality rate, and there are no known prophylactics, treatments, or cures. Along with describing the history of the diseases caused by these two Central African diseases, Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Marburg virus disease (MVD), Preston describes a 1989 incident in which a relative of Ebola virus named Reston virus (RESTV), was discovered at a primate quarantine facility in Reston, Virginia, less than fifteen miles (24 km) away from Washington, DC. The virus found at the facility was a mutated form of the original Ebola virus, and was initially mistaken for Simian Hemorrhagic Fever (SHV).
I had a passing familiarity with Ebola & such, but I figured what with the latest outbreak in W Africa, a concise examination of the history & biology was in order. THZ is all that. It is also well-written, even if it goes "reality show manufactured drama" in a few places. That is forgivable and maybe even laudable if it will draw in the interested layman, as the layman will likely learn quite a bit. The author manages the hat trick of being entertaining as well as informative. Kudos to Richard Preston.
Nonetheless, THZ is a sobering read that highlights the gravity of these diseases and our lack of options save palliative & supportive care to the stricken and quarantine to mitigate the spread. The fatality rates for these diseases run from 25% to 90%. The fatality rates and likelihood of transmission does not quite capture the horror of the way the infected die or the likely state of "recovery" of those that survive them.
Thinking back to last week's return of the infected mission doctor to the USA I have to wonder just what those that made the decision were smoking. It had to have been some really good stuff. "But he went into a
hospital, roo_ster. What is the problem?" Well, in every incident of widespread Ebola/Marsburg, the hospitals or care facilities are where it went from futzing along in mostly a series of infections into a massively parallel geometric infection pattern.
This article from The Atlantic does not come close to the reality. It looks to be a "cool down the (m)asses" propaganda piece.
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/08/what-would-happen-if-someone-got-ebola-in-america/375928/?single_page=trueBy the time the paramedics come, you look and feel terrible. You spew vomit as they whisk you to the ambulance...
He wears shoe covers because at this point, you are gushing diarrhea and sweat...
In addition to many other things, the virus has killed the linings of your digestive tract from your lips to your anus. That vomit & diarrhea is not only laden with coagulating blood, but also the sloughed off tissues from your digestive tract. EXPLOSIVE vomit and stools. Meanwhile it is killing your organs and turning them into a dead, pudding-like tissue. By the time you die from Ebola, many of your internal organs and parts of your brain have died and turned to mush. If someone wants to autopsy you, they best get cracking before the virus completes its digestion of your tissues and nothing remains but a skin sack of putrescent goo. And if you do manage to be the "lucky" 10% that survive Ebola Zaire, your body will have to heal back all sorts of damage to include all the mushed/digested bits of organ and you may never regain your former brain function due tot he brain mushing and fever and...
The second to last vignette in THZ is an outbreak of Reston virus outside DC. Essentially, it was a virus that so resembled Ebola Zaire under the microscope that it was mistaken for Ebola...with two differences as to how it presented:
1. Humans caught it, but were not adversely effected like the monkeys who died like flies.
2. It could be transmitted via the air, through air ducts and the like and appeared to meld Ebola and Flu-like symptoms as it killed the monkeys.
So, let this keep you warm at night: Ebola Zaire with the transmissivity of the common flu (in addition to the usual means of explosive vomit, diarrhea, and other fluids). One mutation away from killing humans instead of monkeys.
To sum up, a very good book. I learned a lot and it was very entertaining in a "
The Thing movie from 1982 was a true-life documentary" sort of way.