The Ebola and Marburg viruses are extremely lethal viruses that have placed repugnant
thoughts on the
minds of many people that have any background knowledge on this field of viral
infections. Where does it
come from? Where does it hide? What could it do to me? As these questions burn holes
in the minds of
many people, something should be done to learn more about these horrendous viruses.
People sometimes
become scared stiff from the thought of the bone-chilling effects from these viruses, and
had good reason
to. "Ebola, the slate wiper, did things to people that you did not want to think about.
The organism was
too frightening to handle even for those who were comfortable and adept in space suits."
(paperback
pg.63-64 - Project Ebola).
A large, shy man by the name of Gene Johnson was the first pioneer to venture out to
find the
roots of the Ebola and Marburg viruses. Gene spent many years in Central Africa looking
for these
viruses. After digging up virtually every piece of land in Central Africa, Gene Johnson
wound up without
a single case or report of a virus. A man by the name of Charles Monet and a young boy
referred to in this
book as Peter Cardinal both contracted the same level 4 hot virus. There is only one
connection between
Charles and Peter. "The paths of Charles Monet and Peter Cardinal had crossed at only
one place on earth,
and that was inside Kitum Cave." (pg. 140 - Cardinal). Kitum Cave is where the virus
is expected to be
living or where the history of the Ebola virus lays. So Kitum Cave is where the search
for the deadly virus
begins. Led by Gene Johnson, the team members on the Kitum Cave expedition set up many
differing
animals inside the cave with the hope that one of the animals would contract the virus.
Even though the
expedition's results came out negative, Kitum Cave is still the only logical place where
the virus thrives.
There have been a handful of outbreaks as the cause of a shipment of monkeys to a
civilized
community. For example, this occurred from a monkey shipment to an old city in central
Germany.
Killing 7 out of the 31 people it infected, this virus would later be named after the
city it erupted in,
Marburg. The monkeys posed as the host in this terrifying disaster. The possibility
that humans are the natural host is very, very unlikely.
"...its original host was probably not monkeys, humans, or guinea pigs but some other
animal or insect that
it did not kill. A virus does not generally kill its original host." (pg. 139 -
Cardinal). It is almost like man
carrying a bomb that will go off no matter what. He is not immune to that bomb, it will
destroy him. It is
not possible that he could have been the natural host to that bomb. It is the same story
with Marburg and
Ebola. You can't carry a bomb with you and not let it do its damage. There are also
theories as to where
the virus lives. Most of the theories coming from Kitum Cave. Just as these quotes from
the book suggest.
"Maybe the virus lives in nettles." (pg. 392 - Camp). Inside the cave, theories
included insects. "The
insects floated like snow blown sideways. The snow was alive. It was a snow of hosts.
Any of them might
be carrying the virus, or none of them." (pg. 393 - Camp). The Marburg and Ebola
related viruses are
scary enough to scare a small speedo off a two ton elephant. As the hunt continues, the
mystery lurks deep
in the forests of Africa.
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