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An ordinary blue thermos holding blood samples from a sick nun in Zaire reached Belgiums Institute of Tropical Medicine in September 1976. From the samples, researchers discovered a new virus, which they named the Ebola virus after a river in Central Africa. The virus killed two hundred eighty people before it seemingly disappeared into the jungle. No one suspected the virus would erupt in West Africa nearly four decades later to cause an unprecedented epidemic. Ebola has riveted -- and terrified -- the world since its reemergence from the jungle, killing more than eleven thousand people in West Africa since December 2013. Transmitted through bodily fluids -- blood, saliva, sweat, vomit, feces, and semen -- the disease causes high fever, widespread pain, nausea and vomiting, and severe diarrhea. Patients may develop dangerous bleeding and organ failure. With no effective treatment available, about 40 percent of infected people die within days. Using proper protective gear, safe burial protocols, cleansing techniques, and educational outreach, the disease has been slowed in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone -- at least temporarily. Can researchers develop vaccines quickly enough to prevent new outbreaks? Will Ebola move beyond West Africa? Readers will hear from Ebola survivors, learn what experts say about this devastating disease, and draw their own conclusions about whether another epidemic can be prevented. Read more Continue reading Read less REVIEW "Welcome to the you-better-be-Brave New World of emergent viruses. Much of this crisp and informative book chronicles the Ebola outbreak that savaged Liberia and parts of neighboring countries in September 2014. Goldsmith, a veteran health/science writer, knows how to invest readers in her story. Here, with the help of a swarm of photographs and maps, she explains how the virus found its way to Liberia -- an engrossing story in itself -- which necessitates a little background information. Goldsmith delivers science in a serious yet welcoming tone (no one gets talked down to) ; pathology can be fascinating in its own right, but Goldsmith makes the development of vaccines and rapid-result Ebola tests just as absorbing. There is good material on Doctors without Borders as well as on the locals who took part in the effort to educate people about the nature and transmission of the virus. There is also a pithy explanation of viruses -- Not really alive, yet not quite dead, viruses are the zombies of the microscopic world -- including their ability to shift shape, which makes designing a vaccine so difficult. Meanwhile, a creepy image of the virus snakes across the pages, innocent-looking as spaghetti or yarn, deadly as a blue-ringed octopus. An arresting, illuminating, and unlikely-to-be-forgotten story." -- starred, Kirkus Reviews "Goldsmith, a health care practitioner and experienced science writer, begins her investigation of Ebola with the 1976 outbreak in Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and scientists realization that they were dealing with a new type of incredibly deadly hemorrhagic fever. Subsequent chapters explain how the virus works so effectively to sicken its human hosts and shed light on the recent 2014 epidemic in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. The efforts of health care workers and humanitarian organizations to care for the sick and contain the spread of the disease are described, as is the unfortunately less-than-adequate response of the World Health Organization. Particularly interesting is the information about the development of medical advancements in response to the epidemic. Quick and cost effective screening tests, various curative medications, a vaccine, and even innovative personal protective gear are in the works. Goldsmith also addresses the ethical questions accompanying the rapid development of new medicines: Who should receive the medication first? Is informed consent (necessary to implement clinical trials) even possible when Western doctors are working with patients in developing countries? Chapters are well organized, and the writing style is clear and direct -- compelling without resorting to sensationalism. Sidebars with related facts as well as photographs add visual interest, and the back matter is thorough. VERDICT: It is safe to say that all libraries currently lack up-to-date material on Ebola. Those looking to rectify the situation and update their teen nonfiction collections should add this title." -- School Library Journal "The 2014 outbreak of Ebola in West Africa may have caused widespread -- and, in some areas, overblown -- panic about the disease, but in many ways, medical response to the epidemic was underwhelming. This comprehensive guide begins with the story of the initial discovery of the virus, in 1974, and elaborates on the nature and dangers of the disease before going into the most recent occurrences and their aftermaths. Though it doesnt make light of the very real and devastating effects Ebola can have on families and entire communities, this is also careful not to contribute to sensationalism: Ebola is a dangerous virus, yes, but not a particularly efficient one, with diseases like the flu killing many more people each year. Goldsmith cites an editorial that compared the Ebola paranoia in the U.S. to that of fearful attitudes during the AIDS crisis before discussing the initial, inefficient international response to the incident and the ongoing search for a cure. A solid, valuable look at a still-mysterious illness and a tumultuous time in recent history." -- BOOKLIST ABOUT THE AUTHOR Connie Goldsmith writes books about history, health, and science for older children. A retired RN with a masters degree in health, Ms. Goldsmith lives near Sacramento, California. Read more Continue reading Read less
About the Author
Connie Goldsmith writes nonfiction books about history, health, and science for teens. She has twenty-three children's books (two coming out in fall 2018 and one spring 2019) to her credit, all but one with Lerner Publishing. Her works include books about military working dogs, suicide, addiction/overdose, the U.S. nuclear testing program in the Marshall Islands, traumatic brain injury, malaria, influenza, antibiotic resistant infections, and the California Gold Rush, among others. Currently, she is working on several nonfiction and fiction projects.She is a big fan of today's young adult and middle-grade novels and reads one or two of them each week. Over the past fourteen years, she has reviewed more than 800 children's books for a regional parenting publication, and many others for the New York Journal of Books. She has more than 200 articles published in various genres. These include California Kids, the children's magazines Cricket and Highlights, the SCBWI Bulletin, and Children's Writer's and Illustrator's Market.As an RN with a master's degree in health, Ms. Goldsmith has also written continuing education articles for nurses and other health care professionals on a wide variety of topics, and has written a pediatric health column for a regional parenting publication. Visit her at www.conniegoldsmith.com and www.bombsoverbikini.com. Ms. Goldsmith is a member of the Authors Guild and a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators in the SCBWI California North/Central region. She lives near Sacramento, California where she hikes along the American River, sweats out the miles on her treadmill, plays with her crazy cats, and visits with family and friends between bouts of frenzied research and writing.
