Brief Summary Of The Hot Zone

Richard Preston’s The Hot Zone is about the Reston virus, one of the five strands of Ebola, and its outbreak in Virginia in 1989, which startled the eastern United States. The story begins with a hot zone of the Ebola virus, Kitum Cave, in order to provide background information towards the virus and its hunger to take hold of a host. Over the course of the story Preston depicts the viral effects, emphasizes the passion of the scientist, and conveys the bravery in an almost disastrous situation.

The novel begins with Charles Monet entering a cave in Kenya - January 1, 1980. Monet later begins to feel ill and purchases a plane ticket to a hospital located in Nairobi. During the trip, he begins to show the signs of the Marburg virus, as he throws up red and black specks. Following the arduous plain ride, Monet finally makes it to the hospital where later his doctor contracts the virus from coming into contact with the bodily fluids of his patient. However the attempt to save Monet was impossible and he

died of a complete body shutdown. Preston continues to provide background of the disease in depicting other outbreaks of Ebola, including the first outbreak of the Marburg Virus. Through describing the effects of the category 4 virus, Preston assist the reader in ascertaining the deadliness of Ebola and its rapid ability to spread.
In informing his audience of the potential risk of working with Ebola, Preston continually provides incite on the thoughts of the scientist working in a close proximity to the virus.

While performing research on sick monkeys, Lieutenant Colonel Nancy Jaxx notices a tear in her hazmat suit. Fearing contracted the virus, Jaxx rushes to her house, and notifies her husband who warned her to not study in a biosafety level four again. The fear of ebola took a major tool on the characters throughout the story; however, the desire to do their duties as army researchers motivated them to continue their experiments. With the goal of finding a cure to Ebola, the scientist work each day to solve the spreading global crisis. Preston also recognizes that despite the many precautions taken at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) facility, the virus still poses a threat and is under constant surveillance to prevent an outbreak on the U.S.

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While studying a monkey, Nancy Jaxx discovers the Reston Virus, a new strand of the Ebola. With the White House only miles away, USAMRIID decided to secretly euthanize the monkees containing the virus. During the operation a HAZMAT suit failed and caused a mass panic when an infected monkey got loose and nearly bit a woman. The mission was eventually complete, and the bravery of the researchers prevented a possible outbreak from the Reston hot zone, protecting eastern America from a mass devastation.
Throughout this book, Richard Preston emphasizes the deadly effects of an Ebola outbreak and the need for containment, bringing greater importance the heroic efforts of containing the Ebola Reston Virus that nearly devastated the nation. Preston later visits Kitum cave to reflect on the start hot zone that killed Charles Monet as pays tribute to those who have risked their lives to studying deadly viruses that have the goal of seeking vengeance on all who live.