Ebola: The Natural and Human History of a Deadly Virus

I really didn't need any more sources for my Independent Research Project, but I found my topic so fascinating I sought out extra information. David Quammen experienced the power of an Ebola epidemic firsthand while in Central Africa. Quammen interviewed several of the crew working with him in the jungle and discovered how Ebola had affected their villages. Some lost whole families, others lost friends, and some were unaffected. I was amazed at how the disease could afflict the entire gorilla population of Africa. Quammen describes how gorillas typically roamed Central Africa, and the devastating feeling when the corpses of gorillas were seen by the riverside. The real fear comes from the virus' host, as the host remains unknown. Even if the carrier was identified, there would be no way to eradicate the disease without a vaccine, as the virus is a zoonosis, meaning it infects humans through animal contact. This was a thrilling piece of investigative-science reporting that kept me wanting more.