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| Author | Richard Preston |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subjects | Virology, Ebola Virus, Medical, Epidemiology |
| Genre | Nonfiction |
| Publisher | 1st Anchor Books Edition Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group |
Publication date | September 20, 1994 |
| Publication place | South Africa, United States |
| Media type | Print (paperback andhardback) eBook and audiobook |
| Pages | 368 |
| ISBN | 0-385-47956-5 |
| OCLC | 32052009 |
| 614.5/7 20 | |
| LC Class | RC140.5 .P74 1994 |
| Website | https://richard-preston.net/book/the-hot-zone/ |
The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story is abest-selling 1994nonfiction thriller byRichard Preston about the origins and incidents involvingviral hemorrhagic fevers, particularlyebolaviruses andmarburgviruses.[1][2] The basis of the book was Preston's 1992New Yorker article "Crisis in the Hot Zone".[3]
Thefiloviruses—includingEbola virus,Sudan virus,Marburg virus, andRavn virus—areBiosafety Level 4 agents, extremely dangerous to humans because they are very infectious, have a high fatality rate, and most have no knownprophylactic measures, treatments, or cures. Along with describing the history of the devastation caused by two of theseCentral African diseases,Ebola virus disease andMarburg virus disease, Preston described a 1989 incident in which a relative of Ebola virus,Reston virus, was discovered at a primate quarantine facility inReston, Virginia, less than 15 miles (24 km) away fromWashington, D.C.
The book is in four sections:
The book starts with "Charles Monet" visiting Kitum Cave during a camping trip to Mount Elgon in Central Africa. Not long after, he begins to suffer from a number of symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhea and red eye. He is taken to Nairobi Hospital for treatment, but his condition deteriorates further, and he goes into a coma while in the waiting room. This particular filovirus is called Marburg virus.
Nancy Jaax had been promoted to work in the Level 4 Biosafety containment area at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, and is assigned to research Ebola virus. While preparing food for her family at home, she cuts her right hand. Later, while working on a dead monkey infected with Ebola virus, one of the gloves on the hand with the open wound tears, and she is almost exposed to contaminated blood, but does not get infected.Nurse Mayinga is also infected by a nun and goes to Ngaleima Hospital inKinshasa for treatment, where she succumbs to the disease.
In Reston, Virginia, less than fifteen miles (24 km) away from Washington, D.C., a company called Hazelton Research once operated aquarantine center for monkeys that were destined for laboratories. In October 1989, when an unusually high number of their monkeys began to die, their veterinarian decided to send some samples to Fort Detrick (USAMRIID) for study. Early during the testing process inbiosafety level 3, when one of the flasks appeared to be contaminated with harmlesspseudomonasbacterium, two USAMRIID scientists exposed themselves to the virus by wafting the flask. The virus found at the facility was a mutated form of the original Ebola virus and was initially mistaken forsimian hemorrhagic fever virus. They later determine that, while the virus is lethal to monkeys, humans can be infected with it without any health effects at all. This virus is now known as Reston virus.
Finally, the author goes to Africa to explore Kitum Cave. On the way, he discusses the role ofAIDS in the present, as theKinshasa Highway that he travels on was sometimes called the "AIDS Highway" after its early appearance in the region. Equipped with ahazmat suit, he enters the cave and finds a large number of animals, one of which might be the virus carrier. At the conclusion of the book, he travels to the quarantine facility in Reston. He finds the building abandoned and deteriorating. He concludes the book by claiming that Ebola will be back.
The discovery of the Reston virus was made in November 1989 by Thomas W. Geisbert, an intern at United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. Peter B. Jahrling isolated the filovirus further. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted blood tests of the 178 animal handlers. While six tested positive, they did not exhibit any symptoms. The Reston virus was found to have lowpathogenicity in humans. This was further supported later when a handler infected himself during anecropsy of an infected monkey, as the handler did not show symptoms of the virus after the incubation period.[4]
The Hot Zone was listed as one of around 100 books that shaped a century of science byAmerican Scientist.[5] Many reviews ofThe Hot Zone exemplify the impact the book had on the public's view ofemerging viruses. A review in theBritish Medical Journal captures the paranoia and public panic described in this book. The reviewer was left "wondering when and where this enigmatic agent will appear next and what other disasters may await human primates".[6] This can also be seen in a review in thePublic Health Reports which highlights the "seriousness of our current situation" and "our ability to respond to a major health threat".[7]
The Hot Zone was described in an academic journal covering research in the history of science as a "romantic account of environmental transgression".[8] Reactions to this book could be seen not only in the public's view of emerging viruses, but in the changes in theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition to the funding of public health infrastructure during the early 1970s, there were many public discussions of biodefense. This book continued to fuel the emerging diseases campaign. By connecting international health tonational security, this campaign usedThe Hot Zone to justify increased intervention in the global phenomena of disease.[9]
The Hot Zone elicited a major response by theWorld Health Organization (WHO) by shedding light on theZaire ebolavirus.[clarification needed] Teams of experts were immediately released.[clarification needed] Many countries tightened their borders, issued warnings to customs officials, quarantined travellers, and issued travel advisories.[10]
In hisblurb, horror writerStephen King called the first chapter "one of the most horrifying things I've read in my whole life".[11] When asked whether any book "scared the pants off you" writerSuzanne Collins answered "The Hot Zone, by Richard Preston. I just read it a few weeks ago. Still recovering."[12]
The Hot Zone has received criticism for sensationalizing the effects of Ebola virus.[13] In their memoirLevel 4: Virus Hunters of the CDC (1996),[14] former CDC scientistsJoseph B. McCormick andSusan Fisher-Hoch lambasted Preston for claiming that Ebola dissolves organs, stating that although it causes great blood loss in tissues the organs remain structurally intact. McCormick and Fisher-Hoch also dispute Preston's version of the CDC's actions in the Reston virus incident.[citation needed] In an interview about his bookEbola: The Natural and Human History of a Deadly Virus (2014),David Quammen claimed thatThe Hot Zone had "vivid, gruesome details" that gave an "exaggerated idea of Ebola over the years" causing "people to view this disease as though it was some sort of preternatural phenomenon".[15]
In January 1993,20th Century Fox producerLynda Obst won a bidding war for the film rights to Preston's 1992New Yorker article, which was still being transitioned into book form.[16] In response to being outbid,Warner Bros. producerArnold Kopelson immediately began working on a similarly themed production. This competing film,Outbreak, would ultimately be a factor in the collapse of Fox's planned production,Crisis in The Hot Zone.[17]
Directors considered forCrisis in The Hot Zone includedWolfgang Petersen (who would later directOutbreak),Michael Mann, andRidley Scott. Scott eventually signed on to direct the film in February 1994.[18] ScreenwriterJames V. Hart was also signed to adapt the book. In late April 1994, Fox announced they had signedRobert Redford andJodie Foster to star in the film.[19]
Crisis in The Hot Zone, however, was never made. Foster dropped out of the film two weeks before filming was to begin having not been satisfied by her character as written in the script.[20] Production was delayed, withMeryl Streep,Sharon Stone, andRobin Wright touted as possible replacements.[citation needed] In August 1994, Redford also dropped out of the film;[21] a few days after Redford left it was announced that pre-production had been shut down.[22]
On October 16, 2014,The Hollywood Reporter announced that Ridley Scott again planned to adapt the book, this time as atelevision miniseries forNatGeo. Kelly Souders,Brian Peterson, andJeff Vintar wrote the pilot.Julianna Margulies starred as Nancy Jaax. Filming began in September 2018.[23] Lynda Obst again produced the series.[24] Theseries first aired from May 27 to May 29, 2019,[25] and was later renewed for a second season.
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