The Hot Zone - 9599 Words

The Hot Zone Summary | Part 1, Chapter 1 Something in the Forest Summary Chapter one introduces the reader to Charles Monet. He is a French expatriate working on a sugar plantation in western Kenya. The story begins on New Years Day, 1980, when Charles and a woman take an overnight trip to Mount Elgon, a formerly active volcano. During their trip, they visit Kitum Cave. After returning to his quiet life, Monet becomes ill. The reader knows that he is experiencing a catastrophic illness, but Charles and those who treat him are unaware of how serious it truly is. He experiences headaches and backaches for several days before spiking a fever and vomiting violently for a long period of time. His eyes turn red, his face becomes†¦show more content†¦The author also creates an effective atmosphere of fear by showing that doctors, who are almost always viewed as being superhuman, can so easily contract this virus. The Hot Zone Summary | Part 1, Chapter 3 Diagnosis Summary Several years later, the author visits with Dr. David Silverstein, who has gained a huge reputation in Nairobi. Silverstein relates a 2 a.m. phone call that informed him that Dr. Musokes blood tested positive for Marburg, a virus about which little is known. It was named after a town in Germany where, in 1967, citizens contracted the virus from monkeys transported from Uganda to a local laboratory. Many of the monkeys had been brought in by a trader who was more interested in money than the health of the animals. The virus is different from most because rather than being ball-shaped, it is a filovirus, or has tendrils like hair or worms that tangle together. They can also roll up into loops, a very unique trait. The other well-known filovirus is Ebola. Marburg kills one in four humans who receive medical treatment and is so dangerous that the international community immediately tries to identify the source. The best they can do is to hypothesize that it was a hot island in western Africa populated by sick monkeys that were trapped and sold in other countries. This is also a popular theory about the origin of HIV and AIDS. The viruses mutate enough to spread from monkeys to humans and can have a catastrophic effect.Show MoreRelatedThe Hot Zone By Richard Preston2745 Words   |  11 Pages Introduction With horrifying details and graphic evidence that could scare even the toughest of people, Richard Preston tells the story of any American’s worst nightmare in his nonfiction novel; The Hot Zone. The words on the cover, â€Å"A Terrifying True Story†, make it more than clear to the reader that what they are about to read are some true facts that most would be hesitant to believe. Preston uses various shocking tales and interweaves factual information and scientific jargon to present hisRead MoreArgumentative Essay On The Hot Zone706 Words   |  3 PagesRichard Preston, the author of The Hot Zone, wanted us to believe two things. The first is that the viruses explained throughout the novel, such as Marburg and Ebola, are nature’s defense against the â€Å"infectious parasite† that the human race is on this planet. He emphasizes that the horrible viruses are the earth’s way of punishing the human race for taking over and for preventing their future expansion. The second thing he wanted us to believe is the idea that the Ebola virus could spread very rapidlyRead MoreEssay on The Hot Zone1049 Words   |  5 Pages AUTHOR: Richard Preston PUBLISHER: Random House DATE OF PUBLICATION: 1994 Setting: The setting g takes place in two major places. Reston Maryland which is a suburb of Washington DC. and the second major area is in Kenya Africa. The story takes place in the 1980s. Main Characters: Since this story is a true story there is no one character that is a main character. The author does not create the story around any one main character so Ill just list every character I can remember from the book. 1Read MoreThe Hot Zone by Richard Preston1041 Words   |  4 Pages 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. Charles Monet was a Frenchman who moved to western Kenya, Africa, and worked for a sugar factory. Monet mostlyRead MoreThe Hot Zone By Richard Preston Essay1498 Words   |  6 Pages My unwavering interest in infectious diseases began in middle school when I read the book, The Hot Zone, by Richard Preston that intricately describes the Ebola virus. While the description of how the virus destroys the human body are unpleasant, this virus fascinated me. Consequently, in my spare time I read about other infectious diseases, such as cholera and tuberculosis, on Wikipedia and other web pages for my personal enjoyment. Years later, I participated in Princeton Model Congress in highRead MoreEssay about The Hot Zone1234 Words   |  5 Pages In 1980 a man named Charles Monet went on a trip with a girlfriend up to Mountain Elgon in West Kenya. They spent the night there and went to a large cave called Kitcum cave. Three days after his return home, Charles began to have a headache. A few days later he went to the doctors and they told him he should go to a bigger/better hospital in Nairobi. So Charles flew to Nairobi. During the flight to Nairobi Charles found himself vomiting blood with a black liquid. Charles finally reached the hospitalRead MoreWe Must Stop The Emergency Responders1471 Words   |  6 PagesGuidebook gives information that diagrams how hot zones should be developed, and the base safe detachments from a spill or discharge. Ensuring the range around the event site is secured is a basic limit of the individual accessible as needs be. This is basic in restricting the introduction of the risky material to near to work compel, along these lines reckoning further damage or cross pollution. At in the first place, it may not be clear as for the measure of a zone should be secured. For this circumstanceRead MoreBook Report: the Hot Zone by Richard Preston Essay684 Words   |  3 PagesBook 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 harmlessRead MoreMabry Agency Case Study984 Words   |  4 Pagesthe perfect technique for equally distributing effected resources to advance hot spots. The Mabry agency which is in Harmony, Florida is no different, since their crime rates are on the rise. Which is why we are implementing a new policing program that involves hot spots, and a planned outcome evaluation. The purpose for using hot spot policing in the town of Mabry is to simply cut down the amount of crime in those hot spot areas and the surrounding areas, by adding additional patrol vehicles andRead MoreThe Sun As A Medium Sized Star Measuring The Earth1374 Words   |  6 PagesFebruary 2015 The Sun The sun is actually a star just like the stars that shine throughout the night. The sun is a medium-sized star measuring 864,948mi (1,392,000km) across--100 times the diameter of the earth (Farndon 47). The core, the convection zone, and the photosphere are four main layers of the sun. The core makes energy from hydrogen for the world’s sight (Elvis 12). About 99 percent of the energy generated by the sun through nuclear fusion is produced in its core (Koehler 14). Photons transport