Preview

The Hot Zone Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
874 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Hot Zone Analysis
Virus Outbreaks
Everyone is always fearful when they hear about an infectious virus outbreak. For example, the Bubonic Plague and Ebola, created a frantic scare all around the world. The author, Richard Preston, depicts and describes the many different filovirus outbreaks that were exposed, taking over the human race throughout the entire book. The novel illustrates how the virus outbreaks had its outbursts, rapidly demolishing and destroying the human population gradually as there is no known cure and control over the destruction. Richard Preston discusses in The Hot Zone, the different factors that contribute to those outbreaks, such as hygiene and the lack of knowledge about the virus. Even a slight lack of hygiene can possibly contribute to the vital outbreaks in numerous ways.
One of the major factors that contribute to numerous virus outbreaks is the insufficient amount of hygiene. Due to the lack of hygiene, the instability of the virus has been constantly spreading and has progressed to the point of being uncontrollable. The author, Richard Preston, writes, “Apparently the medical staff had been giving patients injections with dirty needles” (Preston 98), which is an example in relation to the lack of sanitation. This illustrates how the medical staff
…show more content…
In this case, Ebola and other filoviruses are exposed by blood to blood contact and by reusing the contaminated needles, it increases the possibility of getting infected. In the article, “What Factors Might Have Led to the Emergence of Ebola in West Africa?”, PLOS states, “...in association with unsterilized needle that were reused ...fatality rates also differed by exposure route, with 100% mortality among those exposed through injection (85 out of 85) and 80% among cases with known contact (119 of 149).” In emphasis, just one slight mistake and lack of sanitation can cause the virus to easily spread, making the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    A highly infectious, deadly virus from the central African rainforest suddenly appears in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. There is no cure. In a few days 90 percent of it’s victims are dead. A secret military SWAT team of soldiers and scientist is mobilized to stop the outbreak of this “hot virus”. The Hot Zone tells this dramatic story, giving detail accounts of this rare and lethal virus and how it crashes into the human race. This book proves that truth is really scarier than fiction.…

    • 2240 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Virus--an enemy whom causes impenetrable death before the victim can even blink. The mere thought of a virus is already spine-chilling, and Richard Preston manages to write a book intensifying that feeling by tenfold. In The Hot Zone, author Richard Preston successfully establishes an overarching grim mood by using different types of figurative language, such as imagery and foreshadowing.…

    • 525 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Suzanne Austin Alchon’s book “A Pest in the Land”, she explains the history behind epidemics and how they’ve altered our globe’s past. Epidemics generally begin when foreign nations set out…

    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Chapter 11 shows the powers of diseases and where they came from. Diseases were spread from domesticated and wild animals. Every disease had their own symptoms and their way of spreading. It leaves many with severe illness and the people who survive it become immune to it. They are able to spread the disease by sneezing, coughing, etc. The disease differs depending on what animal it is coming from. Diseases wiped out a significant amount of the population, more than weapons or combat.”…

    • 1352 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It was then that a secret military lab went to work to attempt to stop the spread and outbreaks of Ebola in its tracks. Lab specialist much like Nancy Jaax, set up an experiment where they observed the destruction of the Ebola virus through monkeys. This story is one that tells the traumatizing stories of the mysterious and deadly Ebola virus and its sudden appearance in the human race. It tells the stories of many people’s hopeless fight to survive against Ebola, while it ponders the origin of the hot agent that slowly destroys human existence.…

    • 1875 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Thursday September 19th Film and Discussion: Sick Around the World Reading Assignment: The Secret Epidemic, Pp. 57-125…

    • 1690 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In the workplace employees need to put these safe ways of working into practice; for example by effective hand washing, not coming into work when you’re not feeling well as you will be putting others at risk, by not wearing jewellery when cooking or supporting service users in other activities as jewellery carries many pathogens, by always wearing protective clothing; as a support worker wearing an apron and gloves for procedures will reduce the spread of infection by preventing infection passing on from me to others and from getting it on my clothes and spreading it onto another person I come into contact with. It is also important that all equipment is cleaned correctly to avoid cross infection this is because infection can also spread from one person to another through instruments, linen and equipment.…

    • 3379 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Hot Zone

    • 1423 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Hot Zone is a best-selling 1994 non-fiction bio-thriller by Richard Preston about the origins and incidents involving viral hemorrhagic fevers, particularly Ebola viruses and Marburg viruses. This book is based upon an outbreak of the Ebola virus in a monkey house located in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Reston, Virginia. The author weaves together the tales of several previous outbreaks in Africa to describe clearly the potential damage such an outbreak could cause. The first appearance of an Ebola-like virus takes place in Kenya and costs the life of a French emigrant named Charles Monet. His bloody, painful death is re-told in graphic and terrifying terms. Hospital personnel treating Monet become ill as well, demonstrating the extreme danger of exposure to this disease. Through this thriller story, many interesting details take place and the reader might not realize the parts of biology in this book.…

    • 1423 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    When we are talking of the possibility of a global pandemic it is not so hard to imagine as it is a current reality, the risk and rate of infection seems to be steadily on the increase. A pandemic is a worldwide epidemic that, according to the World Health Organisation, (WHO) has to meet three conditions; the infectious microbe infects and causes serious illness to humans and humans don’t have immunity against the Virus. This virus can also be spread from person to person and survives within humans[1].…

    • 1704 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Greg Graffin Ebola

    • 389 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Ebola virus increasingly gained strength and has spread quickly throughout the human population in the epicenter of Africa. Although populations have natural boom and bust periods, Ebola has been dangerously contagious due to the “doubling rate of the viral population” that continued to increase from 2013 to 2016. Because the book was not updated since the author began writing this text and then published it, the Ebola topic has changed. Graffin left off describing that the Ebola virus is extremely contagious in a corpse as the virus settles in the body’s fluids. Poor sanitation and containment of bodies during burial allowed Ebola to spread. The corpses were overly exposed to healthy individuals during traditional burial practices in Africa because family members and friends all touched the corpse before it was laid down to rest. Thus, Graffin suggested that better containment of the bodies and keeping in mind to ensure the safety of the whole population would effectively maintain the outbreak. In today’s recent news, the book was unable to cover the fact that the Ebola virus has been significantly contained due to improves sanitary practices and burial…

    • 389 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Throughout the years, health care has changed and developed into this vase source of information. Historically, health care has derived from the simplest form to the advanced sciences. With the ideas of health and illness always changing the methodology of the health care process must change as well. Throughout the history of health care there has been a multitude of events that have changed the course of the process of diagnosing and curing infectious diseases as well as viruses. For example, in the twentieth century there were trends that began such as life expectancy increases which meant that the people had to recognize the necessity to take better care of themselves to promote a lasting, healthy life.…

    • 1323 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Healthcare associated infections measures the transmission of diseases and/or bacteria between healthcare professionals and their patients. The measurement of transmissible infection diseases does not eliminate the chances in a hospital setting; rather, the day to day interaction with all healthcare workers. Hand hygiene contributes significantly to keeping patients safe regardless if the patients are humans and animals. Washing hands is a simple, inexpensive, and an effective action to prevent the spread of microbes that cause healthcare associated infection. The most common transmissible disease in any hospital, dental, or veterinary cleaning is Staphylococcus aureus. The task of proper hygiene in-between patients’ care enhances patient safety…

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Communicable Diseases Branch develops policy to help with the surveillance, prevention, and control of communicable diseases. As well as advising the Government about individual diseases and immunisation. The branch also works to ensure the safety of donated blood supplies, to prepare disease outbreak plans, and to monitor disease levels elsewhere in the world. The prevention of infection includes, standards precautions such as; Hand Hygiene, Use of personal protective equipment (PPE): gloves, aprons, eye protection, face masks etc.Handle and dispose of sharps safely, Dispose of contaminated waste safely, managing blood and body fluids: spillages etc, and Place patients with infections in appropriate accommodation. These are some prevention methods which could be used to control infections from spreading. Controlling communicable diseases is important to public based individuals in improving their health by keeping them away from spreading germs and illnesses. Also, the government and the local authorities as it is their job to ensure that the public is protected from such infectious diseases which are becoming a major of the illnesses.…

    • 578 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Chasing zero

    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In theory, preventing infections in health care facilities is easy, while in reality, it is difficult to get people to wash their hands properly. There are many ways to help in preventing the spread of infections in hospitals, clinics, and communities. Most importantly, safety measures or standard precautions must be used with all patients at all times. These safety measures may include hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, and wearing protective clothes. Following these standard precautions would help greatly in stopping the spread of germs from one person to another.…

    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    To be able to minimise the spread of infection in the environment, all members of staff have to be trained in all aspects of infection control and the methods of waste management. National standards apply to all areas of infection control and the hospital environment by providing the staff with updated training, carrying out cleaning schedules using the correct methods and materials for each task. All staff members are responsible for reducing the risk of infection and contamination…

    • 2397 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays