Hot Zone : Part 3

September 26th, 1983 (page 55)

Johnson had infected the monkeys with strains of Ebola and he is trying to
use different drugs to see if he can find a cure. If a monkey died, I would
look into its death. Two monkeys bled to death yesterday night, so I must
do an analysis. I will be required to wear a biohazard space suit. We
transported the first dead monkey to the necropsy room, and got ready for
dissection. I tried very hard not to get any blood on my blood, as I knew
what a biosafety level 4 agent could do to me. I continued with the
dissection and handed johnson the pliers, to open the monkey's skull. After
opening the skull, we took out the brains and eyes, and put them in an a
safe area for later use. Suddenly I noticed a tear in my glove! I immediately
go to the decontamination shower. After the shower I took off the space
suit. To my horror, there was blood on my hand. But soon I realized that
the blood was not of the monkeys, but from my own cut. I sighed in relief.
- Nancy Jaax

Friday, November 17th, 1984

(Page 125)
I had taken a few samples from the monkeys, and let it stay overnight.
With the use of a diamond knife and a machine, I carefully cut the monkey
body. Then I used an electron microscope to take a closer look and also

to obtain some photographic evidence. The microscope was huge, and

after looking through the microscope, I had made a discovery. With a deep
gut wrenching feeling, I saw the signature snake like structures of marburg,
a filovirus which is only in looks to that of ebola. A cold tingle went up my
spine, as I remembered I had sniffed the virus. But so far, I have not been
infected with it. I will continue with my research
- Tom Geisbert

Thursday, November 16, 1989 (Page 178)

I started examinations of the monkeys after the outbreak at the Reston
facility. I realized that the monkeys in room F started to die, fast. I received
a call from Peter Jahrling. He assured me that the tentative diagnosis of
simian hemorrhagic fever, was harmless to humans, but extremely lethal to
monkeys. I acted in seconds and had begun my procedure to contain the

outbreak. I first injected all the monkeys with anesthetic to put them down,
the most humane way possible. Then I went in with scalpels and opened
up eight carcasses to check for any signs of the deadly virus. The
carcasses appeared to be healthy to the naked eye. To avoid any chance
of an outbreak, the dead monkeys were put in clear plastic bags and stored
in a chest freezer, where they could not contaminate other monkeys. I
have done my best to take to procedures to ensure that there will not be
an outbreak.
- Dan Dalgard

Wednesday , 1989 November 29th, Page (252256)

I began by going into the biosafety lab with Nancy Ajax. We then went into
a room where there is a supply air lock, and as we walked in we noticed
dead monkeys in garbage bags. Their was a sign above the garbage bags
that said to take the organisms. We proceeded to do so. We then went into
the airlock door that lead to the chemical shower. After the chemical
shower finished, we placed the dead monkeys in garbage bags in a

refrigerator. We took a single monkey to the necropsy room. We then

plugged in our air hoses, and took the dead monkey out of the garbage
bag. After placing the monkey out on the table, we had taken out certain
organs with the blunt scissors, and scalpel. As we were inspecting the
organs, we were a bit confused as there were no signs of the virus. And
seemed healthy, we concluded the monkey died of simian flu, or something
similar.
- Lieutenant Colonel Ron Trotter