The Hot Zone Book Report

The Hot Zone, by Richard Preston, is a non-fiction story about the deadly virus (Ebola) spreading throughout the world. Certain strains of this virus are 90% fatal, and cause horrible symptoms, such as facial drooping, muscle aches, reddened eyes, and puking. The Ebola virus was traced back to a man named Charles Monet. After Monet, the virus spread rapidly, and it was leaving no survivors.

In his book The Hot Zone, Richard Preston accounts the journey of the hemorrhagic fevers from their first modern appearances in 1967 to 1993. Preston follows twelve characters along their journey working with or against Ebola. “Charles Monet” was a Frenchman who explored Kitum Cave on New Years eve 1980 and violently dies of Marburg 2 days later. He is the first case since the original outbreak in Germany in 1967, which was believed to be caused by the shipment of monkeys from West Africa. LTC Nancy Jaax was an Army veterinary pathologist who begins working with the Ebola virus in 1983, and then becomes chief of Pathology at USAMRIID in 1989, as such she is heavily involved in the Reston monkey house disaster. COL Jerry Jaax, husband to Nancy was chief of the veterinary division as USAMRIID. He also lead the SWAT team that took over the Reston monkey house. “Peter Cardinal” was a Danish boy who died of Marburg in 1987 after visiting Kitum Cave. Eugene Johnson was a civilian virus hunter, specializing in Ebola. In 1988 he lead an Army expedition to Kitum Cave following the death of “Peter Cardinal”. Dan Dalgard was lead veterinarian at the

The Hot Zone creates a sense of both vivdness and danger. Author Richard Preston creates an environment that draws the reader into his narrative, making us aware of the “non-fiction” aspect of the book and the consequences its contents might have on our own lives.

fast as HIV. "Ebola does in ten days what it takes HIV ten years to accomplish,"

Ebola is a serious, deadly disease that has taken too many lives. As of now there are no licensed vaccines for Ebola. However, two prospective vaccines are being tested for safety. Hopefully, we can find an effective vaccine for Ebola and eradicate the

The rVSV-ZEBVO (recombinant Vesicular Stomatitis Virus-Zaire strain of Ebola virus) vaccine is considered a live recombinant virus. The vaccine consists of a VSV strain Indiana, with a glycoprotein that is part of the ZEBOV Kikwit 1995 strain. This strain replaces the gene for the VSV envelope glycoprotein. The Public Health Agency of Canada is who developed the vaccine but is licensed and sponsored to BioProtection Systems. It is sub-licensed by a company called Merck. They are responsible for ongoing research and development. Human serum albumin and trisaminomethane(hyrdoxymethyl) buffer was used to formulate this vaccine and then was dispensed into a vial that contained 100 million plaque-forming units (PFU). They then diluted by normal saline to formulate the 3 million PFU dose and the 20 million

One specific trial emerging out of the 2014 Ebola outbreak is STRIVE. STRIVE stands for Sierra Leone Trial to introduce a Vaccine against Ebola. Sierra Leone is located on the west coast of Africa and is a country that was affected by the 2014 Ebola outbreak. The study of the STRIVE vaccine is said to be, “an unblinded, individually randomized trial with phased introduction of the vaccine”(www.cdc.gov). Patients were separated into two categories. One group received the vaccine immediately and were watched for six months, while about six months later, the second group received the vaccine. The groups were both observed for the amount of antibodies in their blood. A vaccine prepares the body for an infection. The vaccine is usually dead or

A solution to this problem is a new experimental drug called ZMapp has been shown to work on the few humans that it has been tested on and monkeys. ZMapp contains three antibodies that bind to proteins on ebola viruses. In the text Britannica School Ebola it states “In 2015 a drug targeting the Zaire ebolavirus was found to be highly effective in preventing the spread of ebola virus.” This just is one of the few few ways to help fight the ebola virus. An experimental vaccine was tested in 2015 in Guinea. In the article "Final Test Results Confirm Ebola Vaccine Highly Effective." it stated, “The experimental vaccine was given to about 5,800 people last year in Guinea, as the virus was waning. All had some contact with a new Ebola patient. They got the vaccine right away or three weeks later. After a 10-day waiting period, no Ebola cases developed in those immediately vaccinated,23 cases turned up among those with delayed vaccination.” These are two ways our world can help cure ebola and help those with the

The high mortality rate associated with this disease is largely due to the lack of effective preventive vaccines or therapeutic drugs. Despite that the fact that the virus was first discovered in 1976, very little research into developing a vaccine or a treatment to aid in recovery from Ebola has occurred since its discovery (3). Due to the most recent Ebola outbreak in western Africa, researchers are finally tackling the obstacle of finding a cure to ebolavirus. As a result of this, an urgent question that needs to be addressed is why no one has dedicated his or her focus on researching an Ebola vaccine or treatment until the current outbreak. However, there is no single answer to this question. The lack of research and an Ebola vaccine and/or therapeutic drug is the direct effect of the political, social, and ethical injustices that have plagued Africans for numerous decades. This research plans to address these various injustices that have been committed by pharmaceutical companies and the world on the citizens of Africa as well shed light on the virus, its history, and the current vaccine production

The Ebolavirus is a genus that currently consists of five different Ebola species. This group of viruses is highly dangerous in those it infects with mortality rates approaching 90%. In hierarchal order the genus, Ebolavirus belongs to the filoviridae family in which it is one of three members the others being Marburgvirus and Cuevavirus. Ebolaviruses each contain a single negative RNA strand for genetic transmission, these being transcribed into the positive RNA strand upon cell invasion. The Ebolavirus consists of long thin filamentous bodies that maybe branched and of varying lengths (see figure 1). The virus was originally identified in 1976 when an outbreak was dealt with in Zaire now known

Now, there is a medical breakthrough; a vaccine that could prevent Ebola. The current outbreak in West Africa has resulted in almost 16,000 cases and 6,000 deaths. Nearly 17,000 people are infected with Ebola. An experimental vaccine to halt the Ebola virus was well-tolerated and produced immune system responses in all 20 healthy adults who received

Brincidofovir shows activity against the Ebola virus in vitro. Trials are planned for its use in the future in West Africa.

The Marburg virus was founded in 1967 when outbreaks of haemorrhagic fever started in laboratories in Marburg. “A total of 31 people became ill, including 25 laboratory workers.”(Public Health England Marburg,2014) “The laboratory workers all had contact with the blood, organs or cell-cultures from imported African green monkeys.”(Public Health England Marburg,2014) Virus belongs to the Filovirus family.” Currently there is no vaccine for the virus.”(Public Health England Marburg,2014) The Marburg virus can be transmitted through body fluids, causes severe symptoms, has treatment and can be prevented . Marburg virus affects humans and non-human primates.

Since there are currently no approved vaccination methods for effectiveness against the virus, treatment depends solely on proper medical care, and the immune response of the patient. Once free of the illness, it is believed that the infection will confer immunity for about 10 years, however it is unknown if they can remain immune for life from other strains of the Ebola virus. In some cases, even after recovery the virus was still proven to be present in the semen of many men, from anywhere between 3 to 9 months. Once a vaccine for Ebola is approved, a form of herd immunity known as a “ring vaccination” may be implemented. This method encourages all individuals within a certain range of the virus to be vaccinated in order to prevent it from spreading and causing future epidemics. Currently, there are no approved vaccinations, however efforts to create successful experimental vaccines are in progress and in some cases have proven to be effective

Currently there is an epidemic of ebola occurring in Africa. It is spreading rapidly and coming up with an effective treatment or vaccine is important for curbing the disease. However, Ebola has the ability to mutate and would likely mutate around any potential treatment or vaccine developed. This raises important questions in the area of treatment. Generally, creating new medications takes many years and cannot hope to keep up with viral diseases.