Lauren's Hot Zone Reaction - Part 3

After reading about the whole process of studying, terminating the monkeys, and decontaminating the place, I feel like I had been standing there during every step and procedure taken. To be in these officer's shoes sounds exhausting and frightening. It was shocking to hear that one girl working on the case looked as young as 18 years old (318). To think that if someone begins to feel just ever so slightly tired, that it can ruin everything and cause so much damage. Also, I was very intrigued as to know that there are two different strands of Ebola, one causing very little harm, and the other being disastrous. The chilling thing to see on page 368, was that there was no difference whatsoever and could easily be mistaken, but could either be not to worry or cause a frenzy. This book was so captivating, I was so glad to read that it did become under controlled and that the town of Reston could go another day.

Lauren's Hot Zone Reaction - Part 2

A car accident can happen in a matter of seconds. One second you can be driving down the road, then next look down for a millisecond to turn down the AC and BAM. You hit the car in front causing you to be late to an event and pray that your car isn't totaled. Ebola virus is similar in the way that it can happen any time, anywhere causing chaos and affecting everyone around you. With a car accident, evidently there will be some slight to major traffic, causing not only yourself, but everyone else to be late to work or wherever they're suppose to be. So when reading about the Ebola virus had surfaced in a monkey house in Reston, VA run by Dan Dalgard, it was terrifying to read how Ebola was so close to coming out into the open in the United States and causing epidemic. Having something like this hit so close to home really puts things in perspective as to what could have happened if Dalgard wasn't serious about his position and didn't put too much thought as to how the monkeys were dying and what was causing it to spread into the other monkeys, in some cases ones that weren't even held in the same area.
As I read on, I'm glad to see characters in the book who already have experienced handling the situation seriously and carefully as well as keeping it away from the media in order to not start a panic. It's so interesting to read about the steps taken in order to control this virus and keep it from spreading around into the outside world. Personally, when it mentioned the children outside playing nearby, it really just showed how close the Ebola was to causing a crisis that could have almost completely wiped out the area. With the continuation of reading, I'm interested as to read how the Jaaxes among the Army find a way to control the situation and decontaminate the area. But it also crosses my mind that hopefully no one working on the project will fall ill causing it to spread like wildfire. With that, I look forward to reading about the precautions and hearing witnesses story as to being so close to touching death.

Christina's Hot Zone Reaction: Part 4

Part Four

Kitum Cave

This part had a lot of interesting facts about Africa and AIDS. I had never heard of this “AIDS highway” and the percentages that he gives in this part are unbelievable. “Local doctors say think that as many as 30 percent of all men and women of childbearing age who live in the vicinity of Mount Elgon are infected with HIV” (382). His talking about AIDS definitely brings Ebola into perspective. AIDS “has already cost at least 10 million lives” (383). AIDS has destroyed so many more lives, and Ebola could do the same, it would just be much faster.

His descriptions of the African rainforest are so beautiful. It seems weird and out-of-place that a deadly virus would live there. After many sentences of the rainforest getting back at the human race. He gives the readers a terrifying statement/prediction as the last sentence of his novel, “It will be back” (411).

Christina's Hot Zone Reaction: Part 3

Part Three

Smashdown

All I could think about in this part of the Hot Zone was the fact that there was a children’s day care center was so close to the Ebola infested Monkey House. I thought that there would at least be someone to say, “Hey! How about we let the kids not die if something goes wrong.” Yes, the soldiers were coming face-to-face with Ebola but they are in spacesuit-like outfits. This part has a lot of action and definitely some close calls. The monkey escaping was very worrisome because one does not need a lot of the filovirus to be infected. This mission was so important and so risky that having a monkey escape is a big deal. One thing that was rather strange was the fact that the CDC put the man who seemed to have Ebola in Fairfax hospital. I found myself agreeing with the army in that he should go to the Slammer because you do not know that no one will get sick from him. Nancy’s father dying was also sad but I admire her sense of duty and sticking to finding out what kind of Ebola this is. And in the end everyone involved ends up surviving making this ending much happier than I was expecting.

Lauren's Hot Zone Reaction - Part 1

Usually when someone begins to experience a headache, they massage the temples, take a few ibuprofens and attempt to continue on with their daily lifestyle whether it be work, school, or simply just living on throughout the day. That’s why when reading of Charles Monet, Dr. Shem Musoke, Sister M.E., and Nurse Mayinga’s beginning stages of the Ebola virus taking over their body, it’s very easy to be put in their decision of is simply being something minor. The Ebola virus seems to disguise itself in the beginning as a virus infection, with possible flu like symptoms. But as the body is overcome with the terrifying virus, it then becomes this bleeding vessel while the virus destroys it’s host with the intention of searching for a new one to take over and destroy which then becomes this deadly endless cycle.
As I was reading about the victims from this potential weapon, it was disturbing and nauseating to believe that this actually happened to an innocent person who couldn’t look twice to see what had hit them. But as it continued through the experimentation and studies, it was interesting to have read in a scientist point of view who is studying animals affected by Ebola. As the description of something so tiny yet complicated, could completely mutilate and destroy a living creature was fascinating and exhilarating as to how it functions. But with the simple yet petrifying incident as to her suit having a small crack that could lead to disaster allowed me to quickly snap back to reality and realize the power it has over anything or anyone in its way. I discussed with my mother if she had ever heard of such a virus that could lead to complete destruction. As strange as it seemed to me, she said no and was curious to know all about it. I was surprised to hear that something this serious was never publicized so much to let the public become more aware like the recent swine flu scare that is still talked about today occasionally on the news.
While I continue to read on, I hope that there is some way a cure or antidote found to bring this horror to rest. Unlike bacteria though, viruses cannot be completely removed from the living organism, but can be halted and put in a “resting mode”. I just hope that as I continue to read, someone as willing as the Jaax couple working with the Ebola virus, will eventually find a cure or way of ending its infected route.

Christina's Hot Zone Reaction: Part 2

Part Two

The Monkey House

Reading about monkeys dying in tremendous numbers and in odd ways is never a good sign. While this part of the story was not as gruesome and cringe-worthy as the first, the fact that it was in Virginia made it a little more real because it is closer to home. One of the worst things about reading a book like this is that the reader knows what is going on when the people in the story do not. I knew that it is an Ebola virus of some kind and when Jahrling and Geisbert smell it, I was in shock. I was scared for them even though this event took place 20 years ago. Also, after seeing what Ebola Zaire could do to humans, the way that they were handling the monkeys when they meet at the gas station was unbelievable. Then when I read the line, “to his horror, the Mayinga glowed brightly, ” I couldn’t put the book down (217). A couple of things that I did find interesting about this part of the book were the diamond knife, and the Slammer. After finished this section, I became amazingly thankful for the C.D.C. and USAMRID because without their courage to save people from things that cannot be seen, whose knows where we would be today. Hearing their plans to nuke the Monkey House and kill all the monkeys was scary, especially because there were a lot of young people on that team and 500 angry and terribly infectious monkeys is never a great thing.

Christina's Hot Zone Reaction: Part 1

Part One

The Shadow of Mount Elgon

Before Preston even starts “The Hot Zone,” he gives the readers a quote from Apocalypse. “The second angel poured his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a dead man.” I am sure that I, like other readers thought, “What a way to start a book! What is Mr. Bryant making us read?” At the end of Chapter One, I realized that this was not going to be an even remotely pleasant book. The description of Charles Monet dying was graphic and horrifying. One such quote from his death sticks in my mind is, “having destroyed its host, the hot agent is now coming out of every orifice, and is “trying” to find a new host” (24). After reading the vivid descriptions of the infected peoples deaths, I was having a hard time thinking this was real and it actually did happen. It seemed so science fiction that even though on the cover it says “a terrifyingly true story,” I just could not think of it as one. The readers also meet Nancy Jaax and Level 4. This information was very interesting, especially learning about all the procedures and conditions of Level 4. The fact that such a thing as Level 4 has to exist was also frightening. I imagined myself in Jaax’s place and I knew that if my suit had been ripped and how much of a close call I was to being infected by this virus, I doubt that I would want to have anything to do with Ebola or other hot agents. I admired everyone’s courage for putting themselves in ultimate danger in order to save other people’s lives.