Preston Essay, Research Paper
Book Report: The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
In October of l989, Macaque monkeys, housed at the Reston Primate
Quarantine Unit in Reston, Virginia, began dying from a mysterious disease at an
alarming rate. The monkeys, imported from the Philippines, were to be sold as
laboratory animals. Twenty-nine of a shipment of one hundred died within a month.
Dan Dalgard, the veterinarian who cared for the monkeys, feared they were dying
from Simian Hemorrhagic Fever, a disease lethal to monkeys but harmless to
humans. Dr. Dalgard decided to enlist the aid of the United States Army Medical
Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) to help diagnose the case.
On November 28th, Dr. Peter Jahlring of the Institute was in his lab testing a
virus culture from the monkeys. Much to his horror, the blood tested positive
for the deadly Ebola Zaire virus. Ebola Zaire is the most lethal of all strains
of Ebola. It is so lethal that nine out of ten of its victims die. Later, the
geniuses at USAMRIID found out that it wasn’t Zaire, ! but a new strain of Ebola,
which they named Ebola Reston. This was added to the list of strains: Ebola
Zaire, Ebola Sudan, and now, Reston. These are all level-four hot viruses. That
means there are no vaccines and there are no cures for these killers.
In 1976 Ebola climbed out of its primordial hiding place in the jungles
of Africa, and in two outbreaks in Zaire and Sudan wiped out six hundred people.
But the virus had never been seen outside of Africa and the consequences of
having the virus in a busy suburb of Washington DC is too terrifying to
contemplate. Theoretically, an airborne strain of Ebola could emerge and circle
the world in about six weeks. Ebola virus victims usually “crash and bleed,” a
military term which literally means the virus attacks every organ of the body
and transforms every part of the body into a digested slime of virus particles.
A big point that Preston wanted to get across was the fact that the public
thinks that the HIV virus is quite possibly the most horrible virus on Earth,
when no one takes into mind the effects and death of the victims of Ebola.
Preston shows how Ebola and Marburg (a close relative of Ebola) is one hundred
times more contagious, one hundred times as lethal, and one hundr! ed times as
fast as HIV. “Ebola does in ten days what it takes HIV ten years to accomplish,”
wrote Richard Preston. The virus, though, has a hard time spreading, because the
victims usually die before contact with a widespread amount of civilians. If
there were to be another outbreak in North America, the results would be
unspeakable.
Upon reading The Hot Zone, one could easily believe that this compelling
yet terrifying story sprang from the imaginations of Stephen King or Michael
Crichton. But the frightening truth is that the events actually occurred and
that “could-be-catastrophe” was avoided by the combined heroic efforts of
various men and women from USAMRIID and the Center for Disease Control. Preston
writes compassionately and admiringly of the doctors, virologists and
epidemiologists who are the real-life Indiana Jones’ of the virus trail. Some
like Dr. Joe McCormick, Karl Johnson, and CJ Peters spent years tracking down
deadly viruses in the jungles of South America and Africa, some narrowly
escaping death. Their work is filled with courage, brilliance and sometimes
petty rivalries. Others, like Dr. Nancy Jaax have lived rather conventional
lives, aside from the fact that they don a space suit and work with highly
lethal viruses on a regular basis.
Preston has written a fast-paced and fascinating novel of medical panic.
His gripping narrative is filled with horrifying and gore-filled descriptions
and tension-building plot turns. From depictions of events at a Belgian Hospital
in Africa to the nerve-racking laboratory scenes in Virginia, he is adept at
keeping the reader riveted. At the conclusion the reader is left with the
chilling and fact based haunting after thought “what if?”
Другие работы по теме:
Richard Iii Essay Research Paper Richard IIIIn
Richard Iii Essay, Research Paper Richard III In Richard III, Shakespeare invites us on moral holiday. The early part of the play draws its readres to identify with Richard and thereby to participate in a
JDSalinger
’s Book Catcher In The Rye Essay, Research Paper Book Report Jamie Soetaert March 3. 2000 Catcher In The Ryeby J.D.Salinger J.D.Salinger’s book Catcher In The Rye, is important because the book makes you feel why you are important in life. It also make you feel that life is not as complicated as in the book. I’m glad I don’t have to go through what Holden Caulfield had gone through.
Black Boy Essay Research Paper Black BoyWhen
Black Boy Essay, Research Paper Black Boy When a person thinks about hunger, food comes to mind. We never think of hunger as anything else. In Richard Wright’s book Blackboy, a young boy faces many different types of hunger. He refers to the phrase “American Hunger” throughout his book. I feel that the “American Hunger” which he is referring to is the hunger to be considered an American and be treated as an equal.
Mafia History Essay Research Paper Book Report
Mafia History Essay, Research Paper Book Report NO. 4 The Freedom Trap A letter to the author, Desmond Bagley Dear Mr. Bagley, I must tell you, that I really enjoyed readind your book. It was full of imagination, sophistication and it ended with a perfect interesting end.
Medical Advancement Essay Research Paper
“This could be revolutionary in terms of environmental health,” Richard Jackson, director of the National Center for Environmental Health, told reporters. “For the first time, we’ve profiled what is in people.”
Richard Cory Essay Research Paper In the
Richard Cory Essay, Research Paper In the poem ?Richard Cory? by Edwin Arlington, the theme of the poem is just because a person is rich does not make that person happy. When Richard Cory goes down town every person on the pavement looks at him. Somehow Richard seems to be a gentleman all the time and Richard is always clean and slim.
Does Richard III Deserve His Reputation Essay
, Research Paper Richard III, a wicked tyrant, an unscrupulous murderer, a deformed hunchback. Just some of the reputations and images that have been associated with this notorious king ever since his death on the fields of
Magic Johnson Essay Research Paper Report 1
Magic Johnson Essay, Research Paper Report 1. Give the name of the book underlined, the author, publisher, and original date of publication. A. Magic Johnson Court Magician, by Richard Levin.
Black Boy Essay Research Paper Most young
Black Boy Essay, Research Paper Most young people have a dream of what they want to become. Maybe it doesn’t have to be a dream, but some kind of goal that they reach for. In the book, Black Boy, Richard, the main character, also had a dream, even though he lived in the South with strong white discrimination, pressure and a bad relationship with his relatives.
The Terrible Trins Essay Research Paper What
The Terrible Trins Essay, Research Paper What the book is about: The book is about a mother mouse named Dolly and three baby mice named Thomas, Richard and Henry. Together they try to defeat the cats in the farmhouse where they live. The mice are taught by their mother on what not to get into like mouse traps and poison.
Black Boy Essay Research Paper Richard has
Black Boy Essay, Research Paper Richard has many different ideas on how to deal with racism. Throughout the entire first part of the book he makes many references as to what he believes could help the problem. Although the most frequent method he practiced to deal with racism was acceptance, Richard does not believe this is the best way to handle it.
Richard Cory Essay Research Paper EssayIn the
Richard Cory Essay, Research Paper Essay In the poem, ?Richard Cory?, Robinson describes the character, Richard Cory, as being wealthy, generous, handsome, and courteous. Regardless of his social status,
Richard Corey Essay Research Paper Money can
Richard Corey Essay, Research Paper Money can t buy happiness and “You can’t judge a book by its cover” are two old adages that echo through time; however, they seem to echo so softly that they are quite often disregarded. For men, in their search for contentment and fulfillment, only see money as the main vehicle.
Watership Down 2 Essay Research Paper Watership
Watership Down 2 Essay, Research Paper Watership Down as Good Literature Watership Down, by Richard Adams, is considered good literature because of the literary techniques and because of the plot. Several literary techniques are used to pull the reader in and the plot is a well constructed to hold their attention.
Flowers For Algernon By Daniel Keys Essay
?, Research Paper CHARLY The book “Flowers For Algernon”, by Daniel Keys was written in 1961. Later, Richard Heynes decided to produce the movie in 1968 properly called “Charly”. There are both similarities and differences between the two. However, the differences play a more crucial role between the two rather then the similarities.
Contrast Of Richard
’s Homes Essay, Research Paper This diorama is a contrast between Richard?s original home, at his grandma?s house, and where he moves to later, with Mr. and Mrs. Moss and their daughter Bess.
Quality Report Essay Research Paper Main characters
Quality Report Essay, Research Paper Main characters: The main characters are Uncle Beazley the dinosaur, Nate Twitchel the owner of the dinosaur and Doctor Ziemer the scientist. The setting is in Freedom New Hampshire and it is summer there.
Shampoo Planets 2
Shampoo Planets – Book Report Essay, Research Paper Shampoo Planets – book Report The book I chose is Shampoo Planet, writen by Douglas Coupland. I chose to read this particular book because it was written by an author of my generation; generation X. Most books that were on the list were book written by people that were either dead or very old.
Hot Zone Essay Research Paper Nature s
Hot Zone Essay, Research Paper Nature s Wrath Nature is our host and we are the parasite. In the book, The Hot Zone, Mr. Preston has explained one of the most feared things known to mankind, the virus. Even though as small as a needle head, it can kill humans faster than any weapon ever made. The actual virus itself, the host, and the organizations that spent years trying to figure out a cure are all examples shown in both The Hot Zone and the film, Outbreak.
Book Report On Novel
“Uh-Oh” By Robert Fulghum Essay, Research Paper Uh-Oh SOME OBSERVATIONS FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE REFRIGERATOR DOOR Book By Robert Fulghum Report by (Your Name Here)
The Hardy Boys The Secret Panel Essay
, Research Paper Book Report The book I chose to read is called The Hardy Boys: the Secret panel. The main characters in this novel are the two Hardy Boys, Frank and Joe. Frank is a year older than Joe, and makes much smarter decisions. Joe likes to take risks and do things without thinking first.
Black Boy Paper Essay Research Paper Black
Black Boy Paper Essay, Research Paper Black Boy Paper When put into a foreign environment animal s adept, so do humans when they need to learn they ways of life. Richard Wright, due to his surroundings, had to adapt and become independent early in his life. In the book, Black Boy, Richard shows how he progressively became independent in his writings.
Richard Rodriguez Essay Research Paper Close ReadingIt
Richard Rodriguez Essay, Research Paper Close Reading It mattered that education was changing me. It never ceased to matter. My brother and sisters would giggle at our mother s mispronounced words. They d correct her gently. My mother laughed girlishly one night, trying not to pronounce sheep as ship. From a distance I listened sullenly.
Richard Rodriguez Essay Research Paper 2
Richard Rodriguez Essay, Research Paper Close Reading "It mattered that education was changing me. It never ceased to matter. My brother and sisters would giggle at our mother?s mispronounced words. They?d correct her gently. My mother laughed girlishly one night, trying not to pronounce sheep as ship.
Zone Dieting Essay Research Paper ZONE DIETINGProtein
Zone Dieting Essay, Research Paper ?ZONE? DIETING Protein, protein, protein-that?s all I hear at my 24 hours gym. I thought that people in my gym talked about it because protein is what you need to take in order to build muscles. However, people used those proteins to lose weight. I was astonished about this ?ZONE? dieting.
Black Boy And Th Struggle For Finding
A Figure Of Manhood To Emulate Essay, Research Paper Black Boy is an autobiography about Richard Wright’s life, and his struggle for freedom. Throughout this book, Richard strives to find a model of manhood to emulate, but ultimately fails.
Black Boy 2 Essay Research Paper Black
Black Boy 2 Essay, Research Paper Black Boy Essay In the book Black Boy Richard had a bad upbringing. He had to deal with many negativities with his father abandoning him, his mother abusing him, the anxiety moving from place to place and the racial prejudice of his time. Richard grew up in the 1900 s in the most racially separated part of America, the South.
Black Boy Analysis Essay Research Paper Black
Black Boy Analysis Essay, Research Paper Black Boy From the early days of Richard s childhood, Richard was always alienated from his environment. Even though he tried to distance himself from the prejudice all around him, the white people still tried to turn him into the stereotypical southern black person.
Black Boy Essay Essay Research Paper English
Black Boy Essay Essay, Research Paper English 9/23/01 Discrimination against Black and Whites (essay topic #8) This story, Black Boy is a great book that describes how the author, Richard Wright, suffered in the South of the United States during the time when there was still a lot of discrimination throughout the country.
We Speak No Treason Essay Research Paper
Gloucester: You may partake of any thing we say; We speak no treason, man; we say the King Is wise and virtuous….. Shakespear: Richard III: Act I, Sc I. He was the youngest brother of the King of England. He was the Duke of Gloucester and the Lord of the
Volcanoes Essay Research Paper My Report is
Volcanoes Essay, Research Paper My Report is on Volcanoes. For a starter, I have a lay out of the plan for my report. Also I would like to follow a volcano in it’s path. Right now here is part of my report.
Elizabethan Views Of Richard Iii Essay Research
Paper Douglas Starliper 4/18/00 LT. Kullman My Essay on Whether What Richard III did was Right, or Wrong King Richard III, in my opinion, was a greedy, yet determined man who would do whatever it took to achieve the position of king of England. What he did to get to this position was wrong, however, how he went about achieving what he wanted shows that he had intelligence.