In 2005, famed medical writer and epidemiologist Dr. Richard Preston authored The Hot Zone: Cucumber Illness and How We Can Stop It, a book about a deadly cucumber plant that was threatening to destroy the American diet.
The cucumber plant is a small vine that grows up to two feet in length. When it is mature, it can yield as much as seven pounds of cucumbers per year. Its thin skin makes it easy to season quickly, so white cucumbers are frequently tossed early on in preparation.
By using them before they turn soft and stringy, people could prepare themselves for possible food safety issues or natural pest resistance.
This was Dr. Preston’s primary purpose in writing the book: To encourage readers to be more aware of their food sources and toucremove health risks.
Learn about Ebola
Despite being one of the most dreaded viral diseases in history, we still don’t know a lot about Ebola. Even today, there are many unanswered questions.
For example, how does it spread? Where does it live? How much does it cost to study it? These questions need to be answered in order for us to understand what its effects are and what treatments we should create if someone gets infected.
These unanswered questions are valuable information to have as readers because they can help create more secure healthcare systems and individuals preventative measures. When readers understand this information, they can make better decisions about their own health.
Along these lines, read the book so you can learn more about the therapies that have been proven so far and how they work.
Recognize that viruses can be used as weapons
While most people believe that a virus can’t be used as a weapon, that is still highly likely. After all, if you can find a way to infect someone with your virus, then they can use you as a personal PUBERNINER!
Unfortunately, this seems to be the realm of fiction for now. Most stories about viruses focus on how great they are at diagnosing and treating illness. This is definitely recognition of their value.
But there are some stories that do point out the downside of viruses. For example, one book points out that while animal viruses such as rabies or Ebola aren’t prevalent in the United States, they do happen.
This book points out how important it is to know how to recognize and treat them.
Recognize that the Hot Zone is a realistic portrayal of what could happen if a virus got out of control
While there are many stories about the Ebola virus, there are also many stories about the outbreak of Cholera. Both outbreaks were serious, requiring extensive care for both patients and infrastructure.
In the case of Ebola, organizations struggled to identify and notify people in time. In the case of Cholera, communities could not be relied on to respond quickly or accurately.
This was true even though most stories about Cholera attributed great suffering to poor public health systems. People did not receive timely and accurate notifications, facilities were ill-equipped to handle such a large scale emergency, and those who did respond were commonly overwhelmed.
Both Ebola and Cholera are serious infections that can cause significant pain and suffering. However, in comparison to other viral infections, they are less serious.
In contrast to pandemics like HIV which can spread easily through sexual intercourse, or tuberculosis which can be spread through air-borne transmission, viruses cannot be diagnosed until they have caused symptoms.
Realize how close we are to disastrous diseases
We face an unprecedented global call to action to prevent and treat disease. Over the past few decades, we have developed successful treatments for almost all diseases, making them relatively easy to diagnose and treat.
Considerable advances have also been made in diagnostics, preventing disease is becoming more of a “technology-based” rather than “disease-based” priority.
Almost every country is engaged in some kind of disease prevention effort, with notable successes in recent years in China and the United States.
More people are living with HIV/AIDS and non Hiv infections than ever before, thanks to new drugs and treatment protocols. We are seeing an increase in chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and respiratory issues because of our growing population.
These changes are being driven by political forces and demands rather than a change in culture or beliefs about health.
Learn about how scientists work to contain viruses
The idea of containing a virus in a small, circular piece of tissue to prevent it from spreading is novel. This technology was developed to help contain Ebola in Africa.
It was only recently that this containment technology was introduced into medical practice and it has proven successful.
There were many reasons that Dr. Preston included new information about this technology in his book, including the fact that news stories about viruses are common and readers may be interested in how they work.
Another purpose of the book was to increase awareness of pandemics and how quickly they can happen. Many people do not realize just how quickly a virus can spread when it is hot, especially if there is no air conditioning nearby to block the heatstroke effect.
To further his goal of increasing awareness, Dr. Preston wrote articles for The New York Times and The Washington Post exposing the importance of properly preparedness as part of a disaster plan.
See how human nature impacts the containment efforts
As is the case with many survival manuals, primary purpose is covered in short, snappy bullet points. These make it easy for readers to get quick feedback on the document and for future editors to build on it.
But this factor was integral to the text and must be recognized when reading alongside other components.
For instance, there was a discussion of health aspects of living in the Zone, including ways to prevent illness and treat illness when it occurs. There were also references to technology that people might need to have while in the Zone, such as satellite television or books on primitive culture techniques.
These elements did not replace or take away from the primary purpose of reading the book: To inform readers about what they can do if they are evacuated and how long they will need to stay protected.
Understand the impact viruses have on our health
While most people hear the word virus and start thinking about contagious bacteria, viruses are a much larger category of organisms.
Viruses seek out their victims by working with cells to grab a new set of DNA. This process is called genetic modification.
Once it enters a cell, the virus copies its DNA into new genes and sets them to work. These genes change the appearance, behavior, or function of the cell.
This new version of the cell is known as a viral cellular “outpost” or “station.” The new genes create a mechanism for replication, transportation, display, or “modification” of proteins and organelles.
Although most viruses do not pose any threat to humans, there are some strains that do harmful things inside our bodies.
Learn how close we are to developing a cure for deadly viruses
In the late 1980s, doctors began to develop a cure for several viral infections, including Ebola. This was a major breakthrough in medicine, as it returned human health to the forefront of medical research.
Since that time, new cures for viral infections have come and gone, but the basic knowledge that one can be treated with medications is still right here in The Hot Zone.
This is why The Hot Zone is such an important book — it brings back much of the basic knowledge about Nip/Tuck syndrome, a rare but highly infectious skin condition that affects around 1 in 10,000 people.
It also brings back much of the knowledge about VX-10 and its suspected role in several military accidents.
