Ebola: The Natural and Human History of a Deadly Virus

by David Quammen

In 1976 a deadly virus emerged from the Congo forest. As swiftly as it came, it disappeared, leaving no trace. Over the four decades since, Ebola has emerged sporadically, each time to devastating effect. It can kill up to 90 percent of its victims. In between these outbreaks, it is untraceable, hiding deep in the jungle. The search is on to find Ebola’s elusive host animal. And until we find it, Ebola will continue to strike. Acclaimed science writer and explorer David Quammen first came near the virus while he was traveling in the jungles of Gabon, accompanied by local men whose village had been devastated by a recent outbreak. Here he tells the story of Ebola—its past, present, and its unknowable future.


Extracted from Spillover by David Quammen, updated and with additional material.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, History, Medicine, Biology, Africa, Medical

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 2, 2014

About the author

David Quammen (born February 1948) is an award-winning science, nature and travel writer whose work has appeared in publications such as National Geographic, Outside, Harper's, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times Book Review; he has also written fiction. He wrote a column called "Natural Acts" for Outside magazine for fifteen years. Quammen lives in Bozeman, Montana.

Reviews

[B Schrodinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the last few months now our news cycles have always had a little snippet of Ebola news hidden somewhere between the wedding of George Clooney and a dog that got stuck up a tree. The only visuals are dusty hut, a dirty warehouse that is supposed to be a hospital and some people with paper face masks. And while it seems like a big story, you know that it is being downplayed because it is in Africa, still the dark continent in the 21st century. Yet the story has been there for months. Enough for some alarm bells to ring, hey this might be serious. But oh wait, Miley Cyrus just did something.
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Usually by this time I'd be Googling Ebola, or buying a New Scientist with a special set of articles on the subject, but I haven't. But luckily I had a quick browse on NetGalley and came across this book. So I approached this volume hoping that all my curiosities would be quelled; what is Ebola exactly? How is it transmitted? What effects does it have on the body? Where does it hide in it's downtime?

Were my questions answered? Not exactly. But through no fault of the author's at all.

I had no idea how little we know about Ebola.

David starts his new book acknowledging that it is a rehash of a section from his previous book from 2012 'Spillover' that looks at zoonoses or an infection that is transmissible from animal to human. The majority of this book is not new material and is taken heavily from the aforementioned volume, but it has some small sections updated until early September 2014 regarding the new outbreaks. And while cynics will see this as a cash in on a new range of deaths I saw this as being far from it as it was an informative piece of writing that answered all the questions that it could regarding Ebola and introduced me to a writer who I had never read before and will probably go on to read in the near future.

The small book takes us through a short history of Ebola outbreaks ever since the first recorded outbreaks in the 1970s. It is also interspersed with a first hand account from David when he traveled through one region that had previously had outbreaks with a biological survey. So not only was the overview of the history of outbreaks fascinating, but it had personal stories from the people affected inbetween.


But the most astonishing aspect of the disease is how little is known about it for various reasons. When you have a virus that stays dormant for years in a non-human host, and then sudden outbreaks happen in the most remote places of Africa, where there are minimal survivors, and those that are infected die very quickly you have a very hard virus to study. Not only that but it is one of the most deadly viruses known and studies done with samples in laboratories require large amounts of risk minimisation and therefore large amounts of funding. So while a known set of symptoms are present the exact mechanism of how the virus interacts with the body still requires a great deal of work. It is known to devastate the patients immune system and also cause uneven clotting in the cardiovascular system so that clots appear in some areas while other bleed uncontrollably from the slightest rupture say of a needle.


David presents a short volume that is engrossing, horrific and truthful. I have come away with a much greater understanding of the complexities of the situation in these west-African countries and how their political and belief systems are exacerbating the situation. However I also know that the rest of the world could be putting in a greater effort and not dismissing it as yet another plight of the African or having undue panic and believing that it is a sign of the oncoming apocalypse.

[Rodrigo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy instructivo para aprender un poco sobre este virus que cuando surge un brote en Africa hace estragos. Me ha gustado como introducción además hace poco leí "la zona caliente" de Richard Preston el cual me encantó pero puede que ese libro fuera mas sensacionalista, según comentan en este libro.
Aquí se van explicando los distintos brotes que han surgido de ébola a lo largo del tiempo. Tien un aire mas científico, con muchas referencias a distintos trabajos. 7/10.

Sinopsis: Desde el primer brote registrado en el bosque del Congo en la década de los setenta, hasta el más reciente en el oeste de África, aquí se cuenta la historia completa del Ébola: su pasado, su presente y su futuro insondable. A lo largo de estas páginas, el rigor científico se entremezcla con una narrativa aguda que muestra a la enfermedad en su dimensión real, estableciendo una distancia con la percepción limitada y muchas veces exagerada de los medios.
Los virus en general, y el Ébola en particular, son una amenaza silenciosa e impredecible. ¿Dónde está el virus? ¿Dónde se aloja el Ébola? En la respuesta a esta pregunta se halla la clave para encontrar el origen de la enfermedad y las causas de su propagación. Cuál es el animal portador y cómo se transmite al hombre, motivó a David Quammen, bajo la guía de biólogos inmunólogos, infectólogos y veterinarios, a emprender la búsqueda de la especie huésped, el eslabón perdido que ha provocado tanto pánico en la comunidad internacional.

[Kali · Rating 5 out of 5]

from kalireads.com:

Spillover vs. Ebola: Which David Quammen Book Should You Buy?

A few months ago, Africa’s Ebola epidemic was the worst in history and infected physicians were being moved to America for treatment. My Facebook feed was filled with trending topics and endless questions about Ebola, and I wrote a post recommending David Quammen‘s enlightening Spillover as the important book of the day.

Spillover focuses on zoonotic diseases, those which make the jump from animals to humans in events called spillovers, thus the title. Ebola is one of these, as are Rabies and Lyme Disease. In Spillover, Quammen clearly weaves an in-depth narrative through rough African terrain, seeking the history of the Ebola virus in small villages and sick apes.

Now, as Ebola has made it to America in a less controlled setting, David Quammen has released a second book, called Ebola: The Natural and Human History of a Deadly Virus. It is explained as “extracted from Spillover by David Quammen, updated and with additional material.”

So, which should you buy? If you’ve already read Spillover, is Ebola worth buying for the additional information?

The short answer is: no. If you’ve read Spillover, don’t spend your money on Ebola. You’ve already read it. It is more than 80% of the exact same material, edited slightly so as to not be in discord with current events. If you haven’t read anything yet, however, Ebola has all the information you need on this history of and basic information surrounding Ebola, without all the other zoonotic disease information of Spillover.

Ebola contains a new introduction and epilogue that are, as rapidly as things are changing, now out of date. The epilogue does contain a brief history of outbreaks in Africa (Quammen traces them back to December 2013, in the Guéckédou prefecture of Southern Guinea), but it doesn’t contain any information about the events in Dallas. The summaries here are nothing like the research done examining previous outbreaks, and Quammen makes it clear in a disclaimer that he hasn’t traveled to the areas experiencing the epidemics currently.

If you want to learn about the Ebola virus and diving into Spillover‘s nearly 600 page, detailed history of zoonotic diseases doesn’t sound appealing, then Ebola is the perfect book for you. It is the ideal book for the non-reader and the person in a rush, as Spillover‘s very long chapters have been broken up into very brief chapters. All the necessary information is there, in digestible bites, in a brief 128 pages.

[Bettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Gabyal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buen libro!! fue bastante instructivo y nada tedioso, se lee rápido y aprendes bastante sobre los brotes que ha habido a lo largo del tiempo y aunque aun no hay cura, te explica los avances que han hecho; es científico pero sin toda la jerga científica que pudiera tener.

[Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesantísima lectura, no sólo hace referencia al virus ébola, sino que habla de otros virus, incluido el SARS y de como el peligro va a estar siempre ahí latente mientras que sigamos alterando los ecosistemas y el medioambiente.

[Repix Pix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro muy interesante deslucido por la malísima traducción.

[Xfi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un buen libro sólo deslucido por una traducción pésima. A veces hasta costaba comprender algún párrafo.
Traducción aparte, el único pero que puedo encontrar es que se ha quedado anticuado en el sentido de que abarca hasta 2014 y tengo la impresión (o eso espero) que la investigación sobre los ebolavirus ha avanzado algo más.
Es un libro de divulgación en el que se cuenta el proceso de descubrimiento e investigación sobre uno de los virus más destructivos y sobre todo su impacto en África, continente que los "ricos" del planeta hemos utilizado a nuestro capricho y dejado de lado en el progreso.
Una de las tesis principales que se defienden es que la repentina aparición de esos "nuevos" virus es provocada por la manipulación y degradación del medio ambiente, por romper la cadena natural, exterminar especies animales y modificar los habitats. Deberíamos aprender algo alguna vez sobre esto.
También pone el acento sobre esas personas que siguen dedicando su vida, su comodidad y asumiendo riesgos para investigar y hacer que la ciencia avance.
Interesante e instructivo.

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger warnings: a metric fuckton of animal death, also some human deaths, medical crises, and discussion of pandemics.

This is a tiny little book that's basically an updated chapter from Quammen's previous book about diseases that pass to humans from wild animals. It's a fascinating examination of the history of ebola, as well as the investigation to discover its vector. It's definitely not for the fainthearted, but it was INCREDIBLY interesting and full of random little facts. Exhibit A: 25% of mammal species on the planet are bats. There, that's a thing you know now. You're welcome.

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tema muy interesante narrado de una forma ligera y amena. Lo malo es que al finalizar el último estudio plasmado en sus páginas, todavía quedan muchas preguntas sin respuesta. Te quedas con ganas de saber más.

[Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

I like microbiology, as in I like to learn about it (not I like the diseases). For me it's one of the most interesting fields of biomedical sciences. So I've chosen all extra microbiology courses, like Virology and Advanced Microbiology, but did I learn about Ebola?

During my first course Microbiology, back in 2013, about two sentences were spent on the subject of Ebola. It's a virus like Marburg in Africa. And, if you get it, it sucks, because you'll die of it. (This was a lesson where at least 20 viruses were discussed, so real depth was impossible, though Ebola was discussed only very briefly). Because during that time, Ebola was still something far away. I doubt many people knew what it was.

I was wondering how this book would tackle Ebola, as I was afraid that any information given would be outdated as soon as it could be printed, but the problem is solved quite well: It's not about the recent outbreaks. Instead it gives an overview of earlier outbreaks in Africa and outbreaks of similar diseases like Marburg to help understand the nature of the disease. It focuses on the importance of identifying the animal reservoir of the virus (viruses that are very deadly need to be able to replicate/survive in an animal species without killing that species or the virus would go extinct). Like with birdflu (where we know it's certain birds).

Ebola is an extract of Quammen's bigger book Spillover, completely focussed on zoonosis (catching a disease from an animal). I haven't read that book, but reading this part on Ebola made me want to read Spillover as well. What I really liked was the balance in this book. What I find in most (biomedical) non-fiction, is that it is to easy for people who know already about the subject, and not easy enough for people who are new to it. This book was different. It was still very interesting for me, but things where explained very understandably, I believe, for people who only have a very basic knowledge about microbiology. I would recommend.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two years ago this month was the worst outbreak of Ebola in known human history. What made the 2014 outbreak so different? Ebola has been documented since 1976 (and undoubtedly there were decades of cases before, left unrecorded), specifically affecting small villages throughout central Africa. This time, Ebola made its way into urban centers, bringing the exposure and casualties much higher.

This book, excerpted from Quammen's larger work Spillover, and updated to include info about the 2014 outbreak, gives a 'boots on the ground' version of the scientists who are working to fight and prevent another outbreak. The search for the reservoir species is of particular importance: where is Ebola living while not spreading into other species / lying dormant? Countless animals have been tested, and while the silver bullet of a 'live virus inside a species' has not been discovered yet, Quammen and many researchers believe Ebola lives in certain species of bats (edited to add: researched this more and WHO's website says that it has not been truly discovered yet, but bats are suspected) who then feed on fruit, infecting it with saliva and guano, in turn infecting primates who also eat these fruits and/or bats, and come into contact with droppings (or humans who eat bush meat of monkeys who ate the fruit...) The link to bats is further bolstered by the discovery that a similar filovirus, Marburg virus, lives inside this specific species of bat in Central Africa.

Quammen's analysis and storytelling are top notch - fascinating and high caliber science writing.

4.5 stars

[March · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha sorprendido este libro, ya que no tiene nada novelado, es una investigación pura y dura, escrito de una documentación impresionantes, con datos, fechas y entrevistas a médicos, supervivientes y familiares. Un viaje al pasado para conocer los orígenes de los Ebolavirus, desde 1976 hasta el último susto de 2014, de una manera clara, que los profanos, como yo, podemos entender fácilmente.
Se me ocurrió la genial idea de leerlo en plena pandemia por el coronavirus y me di cuenta de lo poco que hemos aprendido los humanos, seguimos matando y comiendo todo lo que se menea, sin control veterinario ninguno. No hablo sólo de los típicos países de Asia o África, también conozco algunas familias que continúan alimentándose de la matanza anual, sin pagar al veterinario de turno. Así nos va.
La lectura de este libro, en los tiempos que corren, es muy recomendable, pero si lo que se busca es novela, ahí tenéis a Preston (Zona Caliente).

[Michelle Adler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the direction David Quammen took in presenting the information about Ebola virus and other filoviruses. There was no flashiness, no melodramatic tension, no nightmarish gore that was seeping throughout The Hot Zone (which I loved), but instead he presented the information matter of factly and without prejudice. In taking this route he let nature create its own drama as the scientists desperately hunt for the elusive Ebola/Marburg reservoir. This primarily ecological focus is something that I feel is often understated in popular epidemiological novels, but so vital in understanding the nature of the virus and how problematic it has become for humans to continue to encroach deeper and deeper into these delicately balanced ecosystems.

Given the current state of the world, I can’t wait for his inevitable book on Covid-19 🦠

[Anne-Marie Archer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars. Pretty streamlined history of Ebola. Nothing special, but there was nothing wrong with it either. Just a short, informative little book.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Quammen's Ebola is basically an updated extraction from his award-winning Spillover, which has long been on my "To Read" list. However, after having read this brief (111 pages) but psychologically exhausting book, I don't think I could handle another nearly 500 pages of similar material, (Spillover is 590 pages).

For anyone who's read Richard Preston's The Hot Zone (whose events took place less than 15 miles from where I currently live), Ebola presents a less dramatic but equally spellbinding and more scientific overview focusing on the history of this horrendous disease, from its initial breakout in the late 70's to its most recent explosion in 2014, (hence the updates, as Spillover was published in 2013). Despite it's dark subject matter, Quammen writes with an elegant and light touch so that the whole book reads like one long National Geographic article. In fact, Quammen does write for Nat Geo, and back in 1999-2000 wrote the excellent 3-part series on Michael Fay's epic 2,000 mile survey across Central Africa eventually known as the "Megatransect," which also plays an important role in this book.

As so many writers dealing with life-and-death issues, Quammen occasionally displays a welcome if warped sense of humor:

"One animal died, and forty-nine others housed in the same room were "euthanized" as a precaution. Ten employees who had helped unload and handle the monkeys were also screened for infection, but none of them were euthanized."

"...If the reservoir is a rodent that lives in the forests of Southwestern Sudan, then the goat herders of Niger can relax. They have other things to worry about."

Judging by the titles alone - Natural Acts, The Flight of the Iguana; The Song of the Dodo; Wild Thoughts From Wild Places; The Chimp and the River: How AIDS Emerged from an African Forest; The Boilerplate Rhino: Nature in the Eye of the Beholder; Monster of God : the Man-Eating Predator in the Jungles of History and the Mind; The Kiwi's Egg: Charles Darwin and Natural Selection; and his soon-to-be-published The Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life - Quammen has had a long and fascinating literary/scientific career, and I look forward to adding a few more of his books to my "To Read" list, (if nothing else than to fill the hole left by the removal of Spillover).

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is actually an excerpt from the excellent book Spillover, with a few details added because it was published slightly later, as the ebola epidemic really kicked off. It doesn’t contain anything new that wasn’t in Spillover, and I actually ended up asking for a refund because that wasn’t clear up-front.

However, it’s a great excerpt, and I do strongly recommend Quammen’s writing on diseases — just don’t be fooled into getting the excerpts of Spillover instead of just buying the whole book. It’s a crafty idea by his publishers, but it’s just annoying. The full book links up the various diseases and expands on themes they share; this mostly comes across from Ebola on its own, but you get a much fuller picture with the rest of the book to refer to.

Information: good, packaging: disingenuous.

Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is hardly a more relevant book you could be reading right now. Imagine Michael Crichton at his most thrilling (Jurassic Park, Prey), give him a PhD in evolutionary biology or epidemiology and elevate his writing style to the very heights of journalistic eloquence, and you might have something approaching David Quammen’s brilliance. This is an updated extract from his 2012 book Spillover, where it formed one of the most gripping chapters.

(See my full review of Spillover at Nudge.)

[Chrisl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating.

Here's a quote:

"The two men went to work, collecting. They stuffed dead bats into bags. They caught a few live bats and bagged them too. Then, back down on their bellies, they squooched out through the low gap. "It was really unnerving,' Amman told me. 'I'd probably never do it again.' ...

"Wait a minute, lemme get this straight: You're in a cave in Uganda, surround by Marburg and rabies and black forest cobras, wading through a slurry of dead bats, getting hit in face by live ones like Tippi Hedren in The Birds, and the walls are alive with thirsty tick, and you can hardly breathe, and you can hardly see, and ... you've got time to be claustrophobic?"

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excerpt from Spillover, with additional information added. If you never read Spillover or if it's been a while since you have, this is a great short book that tells an amazing story of a virus. Quammen is simply the best at writing about pandemics. He provides a rich history along with a solid scientific understanding of the virus in question. In this book, he focuses on Ebola. If you want to know about the many other incredibly interesting viruses waiting to infect people, I highly recommend Spillover. Quammen's writing style makes even a book about viruses a page turner.

[Vicky Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why Are Ghastly Diseases So Intriguing?
Probably because we have no answers.

An exploration of the forms of the Ebola Virus, and its origins and virulence; Quammen's book asks the questions that we still hope to answer about this still mysterious disease. In the process of discussing various outbreaks, he reveals what we know at this point. Covering the gamut of African countries in the path of the virus, he tracks the victims: Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Uganda, Gabon, Cote d'Ivoire, Republic of the Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He also follows Ebola outbreaks around the world. He provides statistics and sometimes a bit of humor to balance a grave topic.

I read this book for my stop in Gabon on my Journey Around the World in 2019 in the Audible format, narrated by Mel Foster. It is definitely intriguing. And, it is a short, simple read in easy to follow format. My next stops will be Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda, and Rwanda with the following books:

[Keli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, another non-fiction I thoroughly enjoyed. I might have to stop saying, “I don’t really like non-fiction,” at this rate. The writing was far from dry or overly academic, though it didn’t feel too lay either. Quammen treats the subject with the seriousness it deserves by sticking to the facts and not sensationalising something already horrific and devastating. I was tempted to read The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus but after reading this, will defo pass. If the leading virologists, epidemiologists, veterinarians and other leading medical experts call bs on the book, I’ll avoid. But the community did get an increase in funding in thanks to the popularity of that book. I thought eyes bled and organs liquified! Turns out they don’t, but on average more than 53% still die horribly and painfully. I learned a great deal from this book. But I was so chuffed when I knew things that he explained. Since Covid certain term have become common parlance like PCR. Unfortunately, we are in the same boat at the end as when we started. Not a fault of the author. Sadly, science doesn’t move like in the movies. No matter how many THOUSANDS of animals that have been caught and killed, they’re still not closer to finding the reservoir. Did learn that term from this.

[Adrián Aiquipa zavala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Llegue a Quammen gracias Lo Viral de Jorge Carrión y no me he defraudado al terminarlo. No es un libro académico-cientifico sino de divulgación que habla sobre cómo los científicos intentan entender un problema, en este caso el ébola. Es así que el libro se vuelve en una de aventuras, exploración y muchas dudas.
Lo cierto es que su este libro se hubiera vuelto un best seller en su tiempo nadie estaría hablando sobre el actual de covid que es hecho en laboratorio o parte del plan de una nueva orden mundial.
Mientras pasan las páginas uno va descubriendo más dificultades para estudiar los virus, el paso de un brote a una epidemia, los vectores portadores que ayudan a expandir al virus y el peligro de los murciélagos al ser uno de esos portadores.
Es un excelente libro para conocer sobre los virus de origen zoonotico ya que, como dice el autor, ser la característica de nuestro siglo. ¿Se equivocó al escribirlo en 2014? A nuestro tiempo podemos darle toda la razón.

[skips · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this book thinking it would be similar to The Hot Zone by Richard Preston, but I was pleased that Quammen takes his own route. His writings give a more practical overview of ebola and its history in a way that is most useful for layman in 2014. He acknowledges the importance of Preston's work in the public's understanding of ebola, but does not try to garner readership through anything other than the facts. This is no thriller novel and I appreciate that Quammen does not fearmonger, which is so dangerous in these troubling times.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A highly informative little book. Well maybe not 'highly' but as informative as it is possible to be as we still know so very little about this frightening, horrific virus. David gives us a detailed history of the origins and outbreaks of Ebola and I haven't been so afraid for mankind since reading Richard Preston's The Hot Zone.

Highly recommended.

April 2020: Originally read in 2014/15 but noticed no star rating and re added. Now looks like I’ve just read it 🥴

[Estcavi · Rating 4 out of 5]

El virus del ebola ha masacrado africa como ningún otro continente, pero su pesadilla puede llegar a extenderse a otros lugares, saber la causa es fundamental para prevenir nuevos casos.
Que contagia el ebola es primordial para los científicos.
En este libro se descubre los primeros infectados y la lucha por buscar el remedio.

[Dee Eisel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was given to me as a gift by a friend who knows I love books and bats. It may seem like an odd choice for a gift for people who don’t know me, but it was really thoughtful! And the book itself is thoughtful and informative. Quammen eschews the lurid descriptions of Ebola victims to tell the story of how researchers are seeking more information on the virus and those related to it, and their impact on the outbreak areas.

The most heartbreaking part of the book for me is the way that investigators keep finding that areas formerly known to house chimps and gorillas are empty of our closest relatives. I was completely unaware of the toll that Ebola has taken on the great apes, although it makes total sense - we’re so similar that it is logical that the virus would devastate their populations. There aren’t so many left in the world that we can afford to have them killed off in their family groups. But they’re not the reservoir where the virus hides, and that brings up the bats.

I am afraid that if we do find that the bats carry filovirii (the family that contains the Ebola strains, Marburg, and Taī Forest germs) that there will be a huge cull of vulnerable species of bats. That said, the work to find the reservoir is important. Many people are trying to figure out what species of animal houses the virus without being killed, so that we can save people (and now the great apes). Many researchers are capturing different species of rodents and birds and bats and trying to find out of there is any link between them and the outbreaks. And many of them are not happy with earlier books on the topic.

I personally found “The Hot Zone” to be a cheesy potboiler, and apparently the author was fast and loose with his descriptions of the effects of the filovirii. Over half of the people with these diseases do not hemorrhage, and those that do are not necessarily the ones who die. If all you’ve read is “The Hot Zone,” do yourself a favor and seek out more information. It will both reassure you and sadden you.

I loved Quammen’s work! Five of five stars.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zoonosis for dummies.

I don’t mean dummies in a rude way; I just mean that this is a very simple introduction to a complex topic of viral infections spreading from animals to humans. And it’s very well written and simply presented. I do think this would benefit from a much longer length, including more detail about the 2014 outbreak. Right now, it’s just a bare outline, but it’s not bad.

[Lauren Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a gift after I have read Richard Preston’s “Hot Zone” and “Crisis in the Red Zone”. As David mentions in the book, Preston paints a more exaggerated picture and so I enjoyed reading a scientifically accurate version. This book is very enlightening on the realities of Ebola outbreaks and the dangers of zoonotic diseases. After experiencing COVID-19, I have been fascinated with zoonotic illnesses and their effects! I cannot wait to read “Spillover” next!

[Book Shark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ebola: The Natural and Human History of a Deadly Virus by David Quammen

“Ebola: The Natural and Human History of a Deadly Virus" is a very interesting behind-the-scenes look at the quest to find the host animal carrying this devastating virus. This brief book is a product of sections of his 2012 book Spillover and recent events. Accomplished author and science journalist, David Quammen takes the reader on a journey through the jungles of Africa in search of the reservoir host. This exciting 128-page is broken out into 21 chapters.

Positives:
1. Solid science writing. Well researched and engaging.
2. The hot-button topic of the day.
3. Quammen has a good grasp of the topic and writes with skill. It feels more like an action book than a standard-of-the-mill popular science book.
4. Like a good philosopher Quammen asks the right questions and its science’s quest to get the answers.
5. A partial view of the history and science of Ebola. It’s very accessible and focuses more on the quest to find the host.
6. Introduces and explains terms in an accessible manner. “A reservoir host is a species that carries the pathogen, harbors it chronically, while suffering little or no illness.”
7. Does a great job of capturing the difficulties associated with tracking down the sources of viruses and in particular the Ebola virus. “Zoonotic pathogens can hide. That’s what makes them so interesting, so complicated, and so problematic.” Ebola is a zoonosis.
8. Provides many examples of other viruses that shed light on the Ebola virus. “Johnson had helped solve the Machupo crisis by his attention to the ecological dimension—that is, where did the virus live when it wasn’t killing Bolivian villagers? The reservoir question had been tractable, in that case, and the answer had quickly been found: A native mouse was carrying Machupo into human households and granaries.”
9. Provides fascinating facts such as the fatality rates for various infections. Find out the total number of fatalities from the discovery of the first ebolavirus in 1976 through the end of 2012.
10. Explains the different strains of ebolaviruses. “What can be said, though, is that Ebola virus appears to be the meanest of the four ebolaviruses you’ve heard about, as gauged by its effect on human populations.” “IN LATE 2007 a fifth ebolavirus emerged, this one in western Uganda.”
11. Always interesting how religious and cultural beliefs intersect with science. “He found that the predominant ethnic group there, the Acholi, were also inclined to attribute Ebola virus disease to supernatural forces. They believed in a form of malign spirit, called gemo, that sometimes swept in like the wind to cause waves of sickness and death. Ebola wasn’t their first gemo.”
12. Puts Ebola virus in perspective. “If you want a really bloody disease, he said, look at Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever. Ebola is bad and lethal, sure, but not bad and lethal precisely that way.”
13. Describes how the Ebola virus infects the human body. “It’s not very contagious but it’s highly infectious.”
14. Some captivating stories that stand out, Dr. Kelly Warfield.
15. Shows some insight on how science works in the field.
16. How RNA viruses evolve. “Rates of replication and mutation of an RNA virus, differential success for different strains of the virus, adaptation of the virus to a new host—that’s evolution.”
17. Theories on the reservoir host of the Ebola virus. “And the evidence on Ebola virus, though not definitive, as I’ve mentioned, suggests that it too very possibly comes: from bats.”
18. The links between the Marburg and Ebola virus.
19. An excellent Epilogue.
20. Source notes and select bibliography provided.

Negatives:
1. Lacked visual material that would have complemented the excellent narrative. A timeline graph would have been very helpful and added value. A chart or table depicting the various viruses and sources are sorely missed here.
2. Not as technical as I would have hoped. I understand that the book is for the masses but an appendix or supplementary material to appease those seeking more info would have been welcomed.
3. Lacked insight on the government institutions responsible to handle these epidemics.
4. Don’t purchase this book if you already own Spillover. It’s basically the same book with some minor updates. This book’s impetus was to take advantage of the high interest of this subject.

In summary, a very good brief book on the Ebola virus. If you are looking for an accessible book that reads more like an adventure than a standard pop-science book you have found your match. It’s interesting, engaging and provides some interesting insights on what it takes to track down a reservoir host. Perhaps a bit rushed to take advantage of the interest of the topic and lacking visual supplements but a worthwhile read. I recommend it.

Further recommendations: “Spillover” by the same author, “The Hot Zone” by Richard Preston, “The Coming Plague” by Laurie Garrett, “Level 4: Virus Hunters of the CDC” by Joseph B. McCormick and Susan Fisher-Hoch, “The Great Influenza” by John M. Barry, “Killer Germs” by Barry and David Zimmerman, “Rabid” by Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy, “A Planet of Viruses” by Carl Zimmer, and “Zoobiquity” by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers.