An epidemic strikes the United States, plunging the country into chaos. New York Times medical reporter Denise Grady uses this terrifying scenario, taken from the pages of a U.S. government report on the potential outcome of a pandemic, as the starting point for a journey into the gripping world of emerging diseases.
In search of a better understanding of these often deadly diseases, Grady heads to Angola, the site of the 2005 Marburg virus epidemic, a disease closely related to Ebola. On the ground, and sometimes frighteningly close to victims of the disease, Denise explores the realities of health care in the developing world, and its potential effects on our own welfare.
With supplemental sidebars that explain key scientific and social issues and in-depth chapters on the origins and spread of Marburg, avian flu, HIV, SARS, West Nile virus, hantavirus, and monkeypox, this is a fascinating look at the health dangers we face in a global society.
Chapter One
180 miles (290 kilometers) north of us, the province of Uige (pronounced Weej) was in the grip of the world's largest epidemic ever of Marburg fever.
The outbreak had taken Angola by surprise, and no one knew exactly how,
where, or when it had started.
malaria, diarrheal infections, and yellow fever are just a few examples—that it is easy for a new illness to sneak in and gain a foothold. That is precisely what Marburg did: it blended in and got such a head start on doctors and health officials that suddenly, before they even knew what was happening,
they had an epidemic on their hands. The disease was still spreading. Virus experts had flown in from all over the world to try to stop it. Tomorrow, I would fly to the center of the outbreak, Uige.
and urging (some might call it pestering) the paper to cover it. American newspapers were not writing much about the disease. Finally, when I sent around an e-mail noting that the outbreak had officially become the largest known Marburg epidemic ever, one of my editors said, "Do you want to go?"
"Sure," I said—and wondered immediately what I had volunteered for. But, I must admit, the disease fascinated me. I was a biology major in college, and the student in me wanted to know more. The reporter in me wanted to tell the story of the crisis in Angola.
and friends asked if I wasn't afraid I would catch the disease myself.
incurable, and usually fatal disease, in an isolated part of a poor, crumbling nation with a shaky health-care system. At least one doctor and several nurses in Uige had caught the disease from their patients and died. The incubation period—the time between when a person is infected and when he or she becomes sick—is short, between three and ten days. I knew that if I became infected in Angola, I would probably die there, too.
Corpses, teeming with the virus, are especially dangerous, and some Angolans got sick and died from washing the body of a dead relative to prepare it for burial.
Even without Marburg, Angola wasn't the safest place. It had been torn apart by civil war from 1975 to 2002, and the countryside was still littered with land mines, so there were many areas where you simply couldn't walk or ride.
Outside Luanda, you weren't even supposed to drive up on the shoulder of the road to pass another car, because the shoulders had been planted with land mines. Medical care was poor, except in Luanda. Law and order were sketchy. The U.S. State Department Web site warned that bandits might stop cars along roads outside Luanda, especially at night, and that the police had been known to rob people. The State Department also said, "Police and military officials are sometimes undisciplined, and their authority should not be challenged." Even getting in and out of Angola could be tough, because there had been incidents in which officials at the airport pulled scams,
detaining travelers or threatening to vaccinate them with unsterilized needles unless bribes were paid.
except, perhaps, my own common sense.
"Fortunately," he said, "I've always been able to avoid Angola."
When I received my copy of DEADLY INVADERS, I had every intention of focusing on two of the diseases I was most familiar with--Avian (Bird) Flu and West Nile Disease. I had never actually heard of Marburg Fever, but quickly realized that a large portion of the book was devoted to this disease, and became intrigued. <BR/><BR/>The Marburg Story is broken down into six sections: Luanda, Angola; The Hot Zone; Arrival in Uige; Claudia's Funeral; The Outbreak Ends, and Animal Origins. So what is Marburg Fever? The Marburg virus is found in Africa, Asia, and South America, and is called a viral hemorrhagic fever. Outbreaks tend to erupt without warning, and although they cause rapidly fatal diseases, the illnesses start out with ordinary flu symptoms--headache, fever, aches and pains, an occasional rash, diarrhea and vomiting. What causes Marburg Fever to become deadly, though, is the fact that about half of the victims who suffer from the flu-like symptoms then begin to bleed, both internally and externally. What often follows is a breakdown of vital organs like the heart, kidneys, and liver from the fluid that is leaking out of the blood vessels. <BR/><BR/>Sounds horrifically painful, doesn't it? It is, and although right now it's only been found in the aforementioned countries and has come to an end, it could arise again, and even be spread to other parts of the globe. One of the most important things I learned by reading DEADLY INVADERS is how easily a virus, whether one that is air-born or one that can only be contracted through direct contact of bodily fluids, can be spread. With the ease of travel from one country to another, and with short incubation periods for viruses with little or no obvious symptoms in the beginning, it is not unlikely that an epidemic of some sort will one day spread across the Earth. <BR/><BR/>Besides Marburg Fever, there are six other diseases profiled in DEADLY INVADERS: Avian (Bird) Flu, HIV and AIDS, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, West Nile Disease, SARS, and Monkeypox. Each virus has specific symptoms, and none have cures. It is up to medical professionals across the world to work together to find vaccines for these diseases, so that we're prepared in the face of eventual outbreaks. <BR/><BR/>This is definitely an informative book. If you've ever wondered about the likelihood of outbreaks of Bird Flu or West Nile Disease in the United States, or if diseases that thrive in third-world countries will ever be a threat to those in the developed world, you need to read DEADLY INVADERS. The threat is there, and it's up to all of us to get ready.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 25, 2006
When I received my copy of DEADLY INVADERS, I had every intention of focusing on two of the diseases I was most familiar with--Avian (Bird) Flu and West Nile Disease. I had never actually heard of Marburg Fever, but quickly realized that a large portion of the book was devoted to this disease, and became intrigued. The Marburg Story is broken down into six sections: Luanda, Angola The Hot Zone Arrival in Uige Claudia's Funeral The Outbreak Ends, and Animal Origins. So what is Marburg Fever? The Marburg virus is found in Africa, Asia, and South America, and is called a viral hemorrhagic fever. Outbreaks tend to erupt without warning, and although they cause rapidly fatal diseases, the illnesses start out with ordinary flu symptoms--headache, fever, aches and pains, an occasional rash, diarrhea and vomiting. What causes Marburg Fever to become deadly, though, is the fact that about half of the victims who suffer from the flu-like symptoms then begin to bleed, both internally and externally. What often follows is a breakdown of vital organs like the heart, kidneys, and liver from the fluid that is leaking out of the blood vessels. Sounds horrifically painful, doesn't it? It is, and although right now it's only been found in the aforementioned countries and has come to an end, it could arise again, and even be spread to other parts of the globe. One of the most important things I learned by reading DEADLY INVADERS is how easily a virus, whether one that is air-born or one that can only be contracted through direct contact of bodily fluids, can be spread. With the ease of travel from one country to another, and with short incubation periods for viruses with little or no obvious symptoms in the beginning, it is not unlikely that an epidemic of some sort will one day spread across the Earth. Besides Marburg Fever, there are six other diseases profiled in DEADLY INVADERS: Avian (Bird) Flu, HIV and AIDS, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, West Nile Disease, SARS, and Monkeypox. Each virus has specific symptoms, and none have cures. It is up to medical professionals across the world to work together to find vaccines for these diseases, so that we're prepared in the face of eventual outbreaks. This is definitely an informative book. If you've ever wondered about the likelihood of outbreaks of Bird Flu or West Nile Disease in the United States, or if diseases that thrive in third-world countries will ever be a threat to those in the developed world, you need to read DEADLY INVADERS. The threat is there, and it's up to all of us to get ready.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Overview
An epidemic strikes the United States, plunging the country into chaos. New York Times medical reporter Denise Grady uses this terrifying scenario, taken from the pages of a U.S. government report on the potential outcome of a pandemic, as the starting point for a journey into the gripping world of emerging diseases.
In search of a better understanding of these often deadly diseases, Grady heads to Angola, the site of the 2005 Marburg virus epidemic, a disease closely related to...