Hot Zone Summary

Hot Zone explicitly demonstrates the quick spread of the Ebola virus and human’s efforts to fight back the filoviruses (Ebola Zaire, Ebola Reston, Marburg, and Ebola Sudan).

Richard Preston, the author, starts the book with the story of Charles Monet, a Frenchman who lives near the Nzoia Sugar Factory in western Kenya. On New Year’s Eve, he takes a trip to Mount Elgon where Kitum Cave is located. After his trip, he acquires a severe headache, backache, and red eyes, he starts to vomit, and his personality begins to change. Monet’s co-workers, believing that he needs to be treated as soon as possible, take him to the hospital. At the Nairobi Hospital, Monet vomits blood all over Dr. Musoke and dies the next day. After few days, Dr. Musoke, showing

symptoms of Marburg, is treated by Dr. Silverstein who sends Dr. Musoke’s blood sample for testing purposes to the National Institute of Virology in South Africa and the Centers for Disease Control in the United States and persuades the hospital to shut down. Dr. Musoke survives unlike Charles Monet.
Preston then relocates the story to Maryland after 4 years of Charles Monet’s death. Major Nancy Jaax works with Gene Johnson on Ebola experiment at USAMRIID. They examine monkeys that are infected by Ebola Zaire by treating them with different drugs at the level 4 laboratory. During their experiment, she discovers that her suit glove is ripped but she mitigates her nerve after she realizes that her inner glove was not exposed to the virus.
The story shifts to 1976 when Ebola virus strikes the peaceful town of Nzara and the first victim, Yu G; the town of Maridi and abandoning of a hospital to hamper the spread; and the town of Bumba and use of infected needles by the nurses that helped to boost the spread of the virus at the Yambuku Mission Hospital. Ngaliema Hospital sends blood samples of some infected patients to the Centers of Disease Control where Patricia Webb and Frederick Murphy examines the blood and gives the virus its name, “Ebola.” At the end of the chapter, Gene Johnson visits Kitum Cave to find the foundation of Ebola virus, but they are incapable to figure out the source of the virus.
The fourth part of the book begins by illustrating the monkey house in Virginia in 1989 receiving wild monkeys from Philippines.

Bill Volt and Dan Dalgard, employees of the monkey house, could not figure out the cause of massive death of newly arrived monkeys and decide to send blood samples and spleen to USAMRIID for closer examinations. Tom Geisbert, an intern at USAMRIID, examines samples from the infected monkey and finds out that cells are covered with a rope-like virus. Therefore, Geisbert and Jahrling start to consider that the samples are contaminated with Ebola-virus. They ask Detrick if he could invite them to the monkey house for testing but he is reluctant to let them into the monkey house. Instead, he provides dead monkeys that are infected for them to examine. At the same time, meeting is being held by Colonel Peters, Dan Dalgard, Peter Jarling, Gene Johnson, and representatives from the C.D.C. and they concede to go in the monkey house, euthanize every monkey, and bring back samples to USAMRIID. Two of the employees start vomiting and show symptoms of Ebola. However, the virus turns out to be Ebola Reston, airborne Ebola that does not influence humans. While they euthanize the monkeys, specialist Rhonda Williams finds a hole in her space suit but she never develops any symptoms. At the end of the chapter, they successfully kill all of the

monkeys.
The last part of the book shifts to author’s own voice and he discusses his own visit to Mount Elgon and Kitum Cave. When Preston explores the cave, he sees everything as a possible source of the Marburg virus and he is very frightened if he would be infected with Ebola. After he gets out of the cave he is terrified that he would be contaminated with the virus. Preston ends his novel with his belief that the Ebola virus will come back soon.
After I finished the whole book, I was surprised by what author said in his very last page: “Ebola has already entered the net and has been traveling lately. The experts do not doubt that a virus can hop around the world in a matter of days. Perhaps Ebola came out of Africa and landed in Asia a few years back.” This is what is happening today in our world! Ebola virus has came back and before I read this book and searched some articles on Ebola virus, I did not consider it seriously. I should be awaken and be informed because nobody knows where Ebola has landed. Another thing that interested me greatly was that some scientists, taking their own risks, are dedicating their lives in dangerous work places for this world to be a better place. I am very thankful and I enjoyed reading Hot Zone as my summer assignment.