The Ebola Virus

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Often people are reluctant to become involved in a situation unless it directly affects them. This paper will prove that the Ebola virus is a serious problem facing the world’s population. In the United States today, we are not at risk for being infected; however, it is better to be prepared for the worst than to be caught off guard. AIDS was the first of these African viruses to escape the wilds of the Third World and harm others in the world. AIDS was ignored for too long before it began its' global rampage. Ebola, which was first encountered by humans in 1976, has slowly been weaving its way into the human race. In 2014, Ebola began to strike humans outside of Africa. This is a scary time for Americans as well as all inhabitants of our global community. When Kimfumu, a 36 year old lab technician, became sick in Kikwit around the beginning of April, 1995, the hospital personnel treating him were puzzled (Brownlee 59). After operations on both April 9th and 10th, the doctors continued to mull over what was causing Kimfumu’s uncontrollable hemorrhages. Four days later Kimfumu died (59). Both nurses and nuns who cared for Kimfumu fell ill shortly following his death, and soon all died (Cowley 49). Suddenly messages went out to all the major health organizations around the world, primarily the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta and the World Health Organization (WHO) (Cowley 48). The doctors in the city of Kikwit, the viruses epicenter, knew something was terribly wrong as more and more people began exhibiting the same symptoms. The CDC identified the virus causing this devastating illness to be Ebola. However, this was an entirely new strain, not Ebola-Zaire or Ebola-Suda... ... middle of paper ... ...ow before we are on the brink of destruction. Bibliography: Brownlee, Shannon, and others. “Horror in the Hot Zone.” U.S. News and World Report 22 May. 1995: 52-63. Brownleek, Shannon. “The Most Persistent Virus.” U.S. News and World Report 29 May. 1995: 43-49. Caldwell, Mark. “Ebola Tamed-for Now.” Discover January 1996: 16-21. Contreras, Joseph. “On Scene in the Hot Zone.” Newsweek 29 May. 1996: 49-51. Cowley, Geoffrey. “Outbreak of Fear.” Newsweek 22 May. 1996: 48-53. Guntheroth, Horst. “Ebola: Death in the Jungle.” World Press Review August. 1995: 36-38. Hamilton, Joan. “The Point Man in Germ Warfare.” Business Week 21 August. 1995: 72-74. Morell, Virginia. “Chimpanzee Outbreak Heats up Search for Ebola Origin.” Science 19 May. 1995: 974-976. Purvis, Andrew. “Where does Ebola Hide?” Time 4 March. 1996: 59-60.

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