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Ebola Virus In The Hot Zone By Richard Preston

1851 Words8 Pages

Introduction
In the book The Hot Zone by Richard Preston, Ebola is categorized as a filovirus. Filoviruses are becoming more and more common throughout the world and we do not know much about them. Most of these diseases are destructive and the victims normally do not survive. However, scientists must be confident that there is a cure for Ebola Viruses because their research has not yet ended. The following pages show the effects of the illness and what measures have been taken.
The Virus Itself
Ebola has many ways of destroying one’s body. The virus is also so complex and confusing that scientists have to compare it to other viruses that they do know about. Preston (1995) points out, “The virus is related to diseases like mumps and rabies …show more content…

However, Ebola Sudan has a much lower death rate than Ebola Zaire. To explain this more thoroughly, Preston (1995) states, “The fatality rate for Ebola Sudan is at about 50/50, the second highest death rate within the three known Ebola viruses” (p.99). This shows how often Ebola Sudan kills its victims. Preston also explains the known origins of the virus, “The Ebola Sudan virus began in a very unknown man who contracted it from an unknown source. He then infected his coworkers who then infected many other townsmen and townswomen, going through sixteen different generations of infection” (p.97). This is evidence of the researched origins of Ebola Sudan. Preston then claims, “After infecting nearly all of Sudan, the virus moved to the hospitals where used needles were shared among patients that were infected with the virus. Ebola Sudan later emerged in great cities and spread like wildfire” (p.97-98). This shows how quickly this strand of virus spread throughout Sudan after infecting just one person. Later, Preston expresses, “Ebola Sudan was so lethal that it hardly gave itself enough time to jump to a new host. This wiped out the virus almost as quickly as it emerged” (p.99). This shows the fast but quickly ending effect of Ebola

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