Writing Assignment: The Plague Fighters
I. Introduction
Ebola is a disease that strikes terror across the world and causes “hysteria” not unlike that observed in the 1950s with polio. This assignment will help you to understand the emergenceof the disease from animal reservoirs in the late 20th Century and how, at the cost of many lives, the medical establishment came to understand the best methods to combat the disease.
II. Instructions
1) View the videoentitled The Plague Fighters. It is about an hour long. The video is a documentary about the first urban outbreak of Ebola-in a remote Africa city called Kikwit.
2) Use the discussion questions and discussion points given below to guide your viewing and be prepared to discuss the questions and points in class and to use them in the writing assignment on this video.
3) To receive credit for this assignment you must complete the writing assignment as explained in Section V below.
III. Discussion Questions and Points on The Plague Fighters:
1)Why did the American CDC get involved in the efforts to control the Kikwit outbreak? What is the Special Pathogens Branch of the CDC? What is USAMRIID and why was this American organization involved as well?
2)What is meant by the term “Patient Zero” and who filled this role in the Kikwit outbreak?
How did Patient Zero become the focus of further cases of the disease?
3)What features of the Kikwit outbreak made it iatrogenic?
4)What sorts of medical questions and problems does the science of epidemiology deal with?
5)What is bushmeat and how was it thought to figure into Ebola transmission in Kikwit?
6)The video describes one terrifying mode of transmission of virus in the Hot Zone monkey house outbreak (different from Kikwit). What was that mode?
7)What cultural practices helped to spread disease in the Kikwit outbreak? Did these practices have to change in order to halt the outbreak? If so-how did they change?
8)What precautions against infection did medical personnel take as they cared for Ebola patients or investigated the transmission of the disease during the Kikwit outbreak?
9)Why did a western medical team rush to investigate the Kikwit outbreak? In your opinion, did the members of the team behave as “disease cowboys”?
10) Why is deep burial (e.g. in a latrine) an acceptable way to dispose of Ebola-contaminated material?
11)What was meant by the term “chain of death” in the Kikwit outbreak?
12)C.J. Peters explained that he sees every epidemic in two ways. What are those two ways and do you agree with his point of view?
13)The Zairean doctors had a different approach to the outbreak compared to the western team. What were some of the differences and how did they play out?
14)Near the end of the video, a Zairean nurse received special treatment for the disease. What was this treatment? Did it work? Was it justified?
IV. Other interesting and helpful sites and resources.
Here is C J Peters on bioterror and biosafety (BSL 4) labs:
Also, here is a link to a journal article describing the Kikwit outbreak:
This article is also posted as a pdf on the course web site.
Here is a site that reviews known Ebola outbreaks through about 1996 (including Kikwit)
Ebola lesson learned from Kikwit:
Additional reminiscences on Kikwit:
V. Writing Assignment
Writing:After you have viewed the assignment and thought about your answers to discussion questions, write a brief summary of the video. Approximately one-half of a standard page is sufficient (approx. 250 words). Write your brief summary as though it is intended for a group of IUP students at about your own level of education. Use complete sentences organized in paragraph format for your summary. Write your summary to briefly explain the key points of the video as if you were presenting them to someone who had not viewed it. In order to receive full credit your summary must be scientifically accurate and backed up by specific examples from the video. There is no right or wrong way to write or organize the summary. Use your own words. Your grade for this part of the assignment will depend on your accuracy and how well you use examples.
In addition to your brief summary, address the following question in your writing assignment. An additional minimum of 350 words should be sufficient for the answer to the following question, bringing the overall writing assignment including both parts to a total of approximately 600 words at minimum. The question has four parts, each dealing with an aspect of the developed world’s attitude toward emerging disease and to the societies in which emerging diseases occur.
Question: The Kikwit outbreak of Ebola in 1995 galvanized a quick reaction from the western medical community. (1) Why did the community have such a strong reaction? (2) What were their attitudes to the disease, to the patientsand to the society in Central Africa? (3) Did they accomplish any lasting positive outcome or merely halt the outbreak for the moment? (4) Have events subsequent to Kikwit (ie the 2015-15 Ebola outbreak) justified the quick reaction of 1995? There is no right or wrong answer to any aspect of the question. Your grade will depend on how well you use facts and examples to back up your answer.
Write your answer as though it is intended for a group of IUP students at about your own level of education. Use complete sentences organized in paragraph format for your answer.
Grade: The written part of the assignment will count toward the “Writing” component of your grade as outlined in your semester syllabus with the summary and the answer to the question weighted equally in the grade.
The assignment is due in hard copy format only on Wednesday November 8, 2017 at 505 PM.
VI. A Final Note
Make sure that you save a copy of your answers and discussion notes.
Some version or form of the discussion questions above is likely to appear on a course exam.