My favorite chapter so far has been chapter two. Ebola has always been fascinating to me because I was a freshman in high school living in metro Atlanta when they brought the Ebola patients to the CDC just thirty minutes down the road. While this was happening, in my ninth-grade biology class we read “The Hot Zone” and this just added to my fascination. It was so exciting to be studying things that were on the news and learn about experimental medicine. This time period is probably the reason I decided to study biology in college and hope to go into medicine someday.
I think the topic we discussed that has had the biggest impact on me is the idea that most of our modern disease epidemics are occurring as a result of human encroachment on the natural ecological boundaries of the animal kingdom. The part of this conversation that really stuck out to me was when we discussed how this happens today through tourism when people handle monkeys or bats, and how dangerous this could be for not only the person doing it, but it could cause a spillover that leads to a major impacts for everyone. I had never considered how harmful doing something like this could really be, but after reading these chapters and learning more about the situation I will definitely be extremely when traveling especially when animals are involved. On a more large-scale note, I will be cautious any time I enter the animal kingdom whether it be for research or any other situation. I think it is extremely important that people consider the true magnitude of their actions when they enter places with potential for spillover.