How a Veterinarian Saved the World
Thirty years ago, scientists working at a lab facility in Reston, Virginia, scrambled to contain a deadly virus: Ebola. Monkeys that had been shipped to the lab from the Philippines were testing positive for the illness, which had never before been detected in the United States. As the monkeys became sick and began to die, officials established a protocol to try to prevent a deadly outbreak.
U.S. Army veterinary pathologist, Dr. Nancy Jaax, played a key role in managing the situation, which inspired the 1994 book The Hot Zone and has now been adapted into a six-part miniseries premiering on National Geographic on May 27. National Geographic spoke with Dr. Jaax about her military career, what happened in Reston, and what lessons people can take away from the incident.
Read the interview here: