The hot zone book summary. The Hot Zone Summary & Study Guide 2022-10-13
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The Hot Zone is a nonfiction book written by Richard Preston that tells the story of the emergence and spread of deadly viruses, particularly the Ebola virus. The book follows the efforts of various individuals, including scientists, medical professionals, and military personnel, as they work to understand and contain the virus.
The book begins with a brief history of viruses and their impact on human health. Preston then introduces the Ebola virus, which is a highly infectious and deadly virus that causes a severe and often fatal illness known as Ebola virus disease (EVD). The virus was first identified in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has since caused numerous outbreaks in Africa.
The main focus of the book is the Ebola outbreak that occurred in Reston, Virginia in 1989. A group of monkeys imported from the Philippines to a research facility in Reston were found to be infected with a strain of Ebola. The virus quickly spread through the facility, killing several of the monkeys.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was called in to investigate the outbreak and determine the extent of the infection. They found that the virus had not only infected the monkeys, but also some of the workers at the facility. Despite the efforts of the CDC and other organizations, the virus was not contained and it is believed that it may have spread to other parts of the country.
Throughout the book, Preston delves into the science behind the virus and the efforts to understand and contain it. He also explores the social and political implications of outbreaks of deadly diseases, particularly in the context of the globalized world we live in.
The Hot Zone is a fascinating and informative read that provides insight into the world of viruses and the efforts to contain and prevent their spread. It is a sobering reminder of the importance of preparedness and the need for constant vigilance in the face of emerging diseases. Overall, The Hot Zone is a well-researched and compelling book that will leave readers with a greater understanding of the dangers posed by viruses and the importance of being prepared to face them.
The Hot Zone Book Summary, by Richard Preston
Still it goes relatively smoothly, with a few close calls as news vans attempt to drive by and investigate. I honestly felt as if I was there watching Charles die by this virus. Shem Musoke, becomes infected with MARV while attempting to treat Monet, although he survives and samples of his blood are used in testing for the disease. Evidence suggests that it may originate from a cave called Kitum Cave in Kenya. Ebola still exists, and since this book was written there have been a few major outbreaks as recent as 2014.
However, they believed it was very likely it could be the source because the cave is full of bat droppings, which are believed to carry the virus. After returning to his quiet life, Monet becomes ill. A young physician, Dr. After all this work, they find out that Ebola Reston kills only monkeys but has no symptoms in humans. In an abundance of caution, he brought all the pieces of a Level 4 biological space suit for fieldwork, including a mask with air filters.
Army Ebola Experiments In 1983, a U. Retrieved September 29, 2008. This means that the virus can travel through the air, but does not cause harm within humans. Like AIDS, Marburg is passed to humans by monkeys. Governments restricted international travel, closed borders, and built isolation units.
This virus could be something closely related—something new and unknown. Retrieved October 20, 2014. In a 2015 memoir scientists for the Center of Disease Control, Joseph B. Retrieved June 16, 2021. So where did it come from? The symptoms included a strange skin rash and bleeding. Just one single drop of blood can carry more than enough virus particles to infect another person.
Marburg, Richard Preston, the author, tells us, kills one in four of its victims—an immense percentage. The result is a fast-paced scientific thriller that, while lacking the traditional narrative of a fictional work, is all the more terrifying because it describes factual events. Checking for contamination, they take a whiff of the culture, but smell nothing. The first appearance of an Ebola-like virus takes place in Kenya and costs the life of a French expatriate named Charles Monet. Lesson 2: One African cave may be the source of the Ebola virus. A few days later, Monet begins to feel sick, so he goes to The Hot Zone The Hot Zone Summary Part 1, Chapter 1 Something in the Forest Summary Chapter one introduces the reader to Charles Monet. Unfortunately for the U.
I just read it a few weeks ago. I learned that a hot agent is a deadly virus which has no vaccine or cure. The Hot Zone Summary 1987: The Case of Peter Cardinal In September 1987, a 10-year-old Danish boy died at Nairobi Hospital after traveling around Kenya with his parents and sister. Not long after, he begins to suffer from a number of symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhea and red eye. Charles was a French expatriate who worked on a sugar factory in western Kenya.
Ready to learn the most important takeaways from The Hot Zone in less than two minutes? The first segment of The Hot Zone is the story of a man Preston has given the pseudonym Charles Monet, a French expatriate who begins exhibiting symptoms of Marburg Disease MARV just a few days after visiting Kitum Cave on Mount Elgon in Kenya. A USAMRIID team picks up samples and corpses from the monkey house, and then returns to the Institute. Nancy Jaax had been promoted to work in the Level 4 Biosafety containment area at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, and is assigned to research Ebola virus. As the deadly virus rages on and we grapple with the loss of life, we can learn from looking to other disease outbreaks the world has seen previously. They explore Kitum Cave, which contains crystals and mummified animals among other things. Note: This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on a link and purchase an item, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Ebola Zaire is the most aggressive of the filoviruses.
The Hot Zone Book Summary (PDF) by Richard Preston
In 1980, a man became ill and died of Ebola shortly after visiting the cave. Russell, who oversees the Institute. Mayinga is at first in denial about her symptoms and spends two days in the city, before returning to the hospital, putting an unknown number of people at risk of infection. Our referral links allow us to earn commissions at no extra cost to you and keep the site running. Dan Dalgard decides that he must give the Army permission to euthanize all of the monkeys in the house, since any of them might be infected.
The Hot Zone Summary Part 4: 1993—Visiting Kitum Cave Four years after Ebola Reston hit the monkey house, the author, Richard Preston, took his own journey to Kitum Cave. He explores the cave and is awed by the wonder and the mystery of the place, yet at every turn, he sees the potential for infection. The Hot Zone is described as a "romantic account of environmental transgression". This is particularly dangerous for places that hold monkeys of different species. The Reston facility is marked as a hot zone but a SWAT team is placed with entering the building and killing hundreds of monkeys and collecting The Hot Zone Summary Summary The Hot Zone by Richard Preston can be summed up in just a few words; intriguing and captivating, yet extremely alarming and fairly terrifying. The book begins by introducing Charles Monet, a factory-maintenance worker in Western Kenya. Jaax makes it safely through this incident and is eventually promoted to chief of pathology for USAMRIID US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases.
An earlier scientific expedition to the cave had been unsuccessful in identifying the source of the virus. Eventually, the entire building is decontaminated, and the personnel return to their regular lives. Ebola Reston Looks Like Ebola Zaire But Acts Differently As the CDC tried to track down the origin of this. Ebola virus has appeared only a handful of times and, despite being highly infectious, it has never spread to become a full-blown epidemic. Scientists are not sure why this is.