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Ebola In Richard Preston's The Hot Zone

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The average fatality rate of patients infected with Ebola is around 50% according to the World Health Organization. The nonfiction book titled The Hot Zone by Richard Preston takes readers through true events pertaining to an outbreak of Ebola in the late 1980’s at a monkey testing facility in Reston, Virginia. The author heavily emphasizes the danger surrounding ignorance and uncertainty in regard to the viral and morbid Ebola at the conclusion of the book. While Preston makes this point evident countless times, three particular quotes give a clear example of Preston’s intention. Characters and civilians that are depicted in this book show their fear of the virus, which subsequently brings about danger in many situations. When telling of the thoughts and emotions of workers in contact with the virus, the author provides this example to show the level of fright in these researchers. “The organism was too frightening to handle, even for those who were comfortable and adept in space suits.” This example explains the mentality of those working with the virus, and the great risk placed upon them. Furthermore, Preston shows how fear of this …show more content…

It was a challenge for researchers to find a cure because of how new these strands were, and there was also pressure to find these cures soon due to how fast this virus could have, and in some cases did, move through populations. Shortly after his expedition to Kitum Cave, Gene Johnson says this quote from Louis Pasteur, a 19th century microbiologist, “Chance favors the prepared mind.” This quotation applied to the situation because those who knew how to handle this virus ended up being far more successful than those with no experience. Therefore, the author aims to point out that those who treated the virus with ignorance had created danger by approaching their situations with carelessness, which ultimately leads to

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