Crisis in the Red Zone: The Story of the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History, and of the Outbreaks to Come by Richard Preston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I came into this book with both curiosity and some slight trepidation that it might not quite mesh with my current active interest in the Coronavirus. Different kinds of sickness, speed, and symptoms. Ebola is much more deadly, while Coronavirus had the potential to spread across the world and kill even more.

Even so, I dove in and quickly fell into a story that was almost pure horror. It was worse because everything in it was true.

Do you want descriptions that would turn the stomachs of even the most hardcore horror fan? Look no further.

The late 70's started the outbreak but it wasn't until 2014 when a confluence of new strains and the lack of real support for the people attempting to contain it turned Ebola a nightmare scenario completely out of control.

The story ... is shocking. Tragic. Tragedy upon tragedy upon tragedy. And this was just a few years ago. Most of the crap could have been prevented with knowledge and actual physical and monetary support, but governments, incompatible ethical concerns, and fear made the entire event into a completely non-hollywood-ending story.

There are possible treatments possible, but they are still caught in red-tape.

Currently, the only thing that has worked is turning whole populations into cold, mercenary triage mentalities. Let the sick die. Avoid them. Avoid everyone. Cut all social ties. No longer touch other people.

This is the kind of thing that worked in Medieval times.

For better or worse, I got a better understanding of the possibilities that are open to us. And they aren't pretty.

The biggest tragedy is that there ARE options, but red-tape is clamping down on them.

The biggest lesson is that we must prepare to self-quarantine. Prepare for large outbreaks. Isolate yourself.

Are there obvious crossovers here? Yes. Unfortunately.

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