Initially not discovered until 1976 in Sudan, Africa, the Ebola virus was named after the Ebola River near where its first outbreak occurred. Belgian doctor Peter Piot, a 27-year-old scientist and medical school graduate training as a clinical microbiologist, was sent to the region nearly forty years ago to find out why people were dying of a mysterious illness. He uncovered the Ebola virus, yet averted his attention to the virus of the hour, AIDS upon return, so his research abruptly stopped on Ebola. Now Director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, he discusses the initial 1976 strain of Ebola and how it has evolved into the 2014 strain it is today. Virology, epidemiology and outbreaks, Reston and Marburg virus comparisons, research and vaccines, and current death count and outlook are also examined in this handy survival guide to the 2014 Ebola Virus Disease (EBOV) pandemic.
About the Author
Gwendolyn Olmsted, MBA, the former Washington DC microbiologist and research scientist, who conducted graduate level research at major universities as well as United States federal governmental facilities, moved to Florida in 2010. She has a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Business Finance, as well as a second Bachelor's and Master's degree in Environmental Sciences & Sustainability from both private and public universities, now writes stories from the Investigative True Crime, Romance, Biographical, Documentary, and Investigative Journalism genres.
