After reading the first three chapter of the book, my favorite chapter so far would have to be chapter two, Thirteen Gorillas. I feel like this chapter was my personal favorite so far because the stories it told made it very interesting. Although most of the stories were very terrifying and horrible that people had to endure this virus, it was also very eye-opening and showed the readers how quickly Ebola can spread. The one story that really caught my attention is when one lab researcher, Platt, accidentally poked a needle in his thumb with the Ebolavirus. It was a very little amount and he ended up getting very sick to the point of almost death (Quammen 98-99). This really shows how little it takes for someone to get Ebola.
One topic that has stuck with me is the idea that most of our disease epidemics spillover from the animal kingdom into humans. It has been said that 60% of infectious diseases are classified as a zoonotic disease (CDC). This has a huge impact on me because I am a very big animal lover and, in the future, especially in other countries I will for sure be more cautious in the animals I touch. I will do this because one bite or scratch and I could get the disease that the animal has. I feel like after learning about zoonotic diseases, especially Ebola, I do see the world a bit differently. I think this disease has really shown us how we should really be cautious and careful before we eat anything, especially meat.
“Zoonotic Diseases.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14 July 2017, www.cdc.gov/onehealth/basics/zoonotic-diseases.html.
Quammen, David. Spillover. The Bodley Head Ltd., 2012.