What did the two sick monkeys make scientists think about Ebola? What made them
special? How were they used as a control in this experiment? What was the concern about
this within the experimental procedure? What was Nancy’s conclusion about this?
The two control monkeys who had become infected with the Ebola virus made scientist and Nancy conclude that the virus was airborne. The control and the experimental monkey were held in separate cages in separate areas of the room, to prevent any spreading by way of bodily fluids. These two monkeys were used as controls because they weren't deliberately injected with the Ebola virus and were healthy. The experimental were injected with the Ebola Zaire which resulted in the dead monkeys with “no facial expression” (Preston 79). The concern within the experimental procedure was the washing down of the cages of the infected monkeys. Nancy felt that when the caretakers would wash down the cages of the dead monkeys, they created “an aerosol of droplets” (Preston 94), which would have then traveled through the air and reached the control monkeys. The Ebola virus may have been airborne only in the fact that it was traveling in “aerosolized secretions” (Preston 94), but other than that, Ebola isn't airborne and can only be transmitted through blood and body fluids of one who is already showing symptoms (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2015). If the scientists took so much care in preventing splatter of any bodily fluids during surgery, they should have realized that water hoses splatter the fluids and they should have taken the same precaution in washing protocol as they did with surgery protocol.
To add to what Cassandra stated, this new conclusion scared scientists very much. This is how Ebola was different from the AIDS virus because the AIDS virus would not be able to “drift across the room” (Preston 93) to infect a healthy person. That was very impossible. In this case with the healthy monkeys, the Ebola virus had quickly and destructively moved through the air to infect them cause these healthy monkeys to develop “red eyes and bloody noses” (Preston 94) which made them eventually crash out because of all the bleeding. To any other bystander, they wouldn't think these monkeys were healthy, instead they would think they were infected with the Ebola virus.
Adding on to Cassandra, the lack of travel in the Ebola virus is why the body explodes, in a way, and blood and bodily fluids spill out in an attempt to infect another host. The monkeys’ cough could also hold blood and they may unknowingly spread the disease without meaning to. The primates do not understand disease like humans, but even then some humans do not know how to deal with medicine, as the hospital in Maridi used dirty needles and spread the disease unknowingly (Preston). The best way to prevent the further spread of Ebola and any disease is to inform the public of how the disease is passed and how the people can prevent its spread. The knowledge would also prevent mass hysteria when an unknown disease hits and no one knows how to react.
Preston, R. (1994). The hot zone. New York, New York: Random House.
The two control monkeys who had become infected with the Ebola virus made scientist and Nancy conclude that the virus was airborne. The control and the experimental monkey were held in separate cages in separate areas of the room, to prevent any spreading by way of bodily fluids. These two monkeys were used as controls because they weren't deliberately injected with the Ebola virus and were healthy. The experimental were injected with the Ebola Zaire which resulted in the dead monkeys with “no facial expression” (Preston 79). The concern within the experimental procedure was the washing down of the cages of the infected monkeys. Nancy felt that when the caretakers would wash down the cages of the dead monkeys, they created “an aerosol of droplets” (Preston 94), which would have then traveled through the air and reached the control monkeys. The Ebola virus may have been airborne only in the fact that it was traveling in “aerosolized secretions” (Preston 94), but other than that, Ebola isn't airborne and can only be transmitted through blood and body fluids of one who is already showing symptoms (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2015). If the scientists took so much care in preventing splatter of any bodily fluids during surgery, they should have realized that water hoses splatter the fluids and they should have taken the same precaution in washing protocol as they did with surgery protocol.
ReplyDeleteTo add to what Cassandra stated, this new conclusion scared scientists very much. This is how Ebola was different from the AIDS virus because the AIDS virus would not be able to “drift across the room” (Preston 93) to infect a healthy person. That was very impossible. In this case with the healthy monkeys, the Ebola virus had quickly and destructively moved through the air to infect them cause these healthy monkeys to develop “red eyes and bloody noses” (Preston 94) which made them eventually crash out because of all the bleeding. To any other bystander, they wouldn't think these monkeys were healthy, instead they would think they were infected with the Ebola virus.
DeleteAdding on to Cassandra, the lack of travel in the Ebola virus is why the body explodes, in a way, and blood and bodily fluids spill out in an attempt to infect another host. The monkeys’ cough could also hold blood and they may unknowingly spread the disease without meaning to. The primates do not understand disease like humans, but even then some humans do not know how to deal with medicine, as the hospital in Maridi used dirty needles and spread the disease unknowingly (Preston). The best way to prevent the further spread of Ebola and any disease is to inform the public of how the disease is passed and how the people can prevent its spread. The knowledge would also prevent mass hysteria when an unknown disease hits and no one knows how to react.
DeletePreston, R. (1994). The hot zone. New York, New York: Random House.
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