Clinical Trial by April Christofferson - Book Report/Review Example

s Clinical Trial by April Christofferson a. What was the main plot of the book (250 words maximum)?  April Christofferson’s medical thriller titled “Clinical trial” is based on the plight of the Native Americans, who are afflicted with a deadly virus called Hantavirus. Though there seems to be a cure for the virus but the conflict arises when both sides start to doubt the merits of each other’s position. The plot is set in Montana where the main protagonist Dr. Isabel McLain starts working in Montana Blackfoot reservation, in order to provide treatments to the Native American people there. They are low on funds and there are numerous difficulties they have to face; especially when the Hantavirus claims some of McLain’s patients. However, soon after the tragic turn of things, a leading pharmaceutical company reveals that they have found a cure for the Hantavirus. The increased towards the virus is well-received by McLain, but soon an activist brings to her notice that the drug is to be used on the Blackfoot reservation first and in order to test the drugs viability, the tribe is to be used as guinea pigs. There are a number of other sub-plots within the story such as Isabel’s frictional relationship with her husband; who want to tear down the tribal land for profit. An activist’s struggle to make sure the drug is safe to be used on human beings. The plot also conveys a strong message about how major organizations manipulate people for the sake of profit. However the strongest element of the plot involves the divide within the American society and the treatment of Native Americans. b. What infectious organism was the centerpiece of the book?  i. name of organism in book  ii. Description of organism’s characteristics  iii. Description of infection caused by organism (using stages of infectious disease to illustrate your points)  iv. Description of treatment and/or prevention methods described in the book to prevent and treat the disease caused by the organism. The infectious disease that is the centerpiece of the novel is the deadly “hantavirus” that has afflicted numerous members of the tribes and claimed the lives of three of Christofferson’s patients. The infectious organism is believed to enter the body of human beings through rodents and the initial symptoms are like that of influenza. Though, the deadly virus was only an epidemic amongst the Native Americans and the only form of prevention was to stay away from infected rodents but this was impossible given the impoverished and unhygienic lifestyle of the Native Americans. The flu symptoms include fever, chills and muscle aches. The virus then causes major problems for the suffering in his respiratory functioning and often leads to complete lung failure. After the initial symptoms the individual’s condition does seem to get slightly better but soon after, the condition exacerbates drastically. Along with ample amount of difficulty in breathing, it also leads to headaches, nausea and vomiting. The individual then feels a general feeling of sickness or malaise and then the patient may succumb to the deadly virus as it completely afflicts the pulmonary functioning in the human body. In the book, the virus is only found amongst Native American people and is not that contagious, but die to the fact that there is no known cure for the disease the prime focus of the medical practitioners was to alleviate or suppress the symptoms in order to slow down the progress of the disease. This would in turn give the clinician ample amount of time to wait for a cure to be discovered. And largely the doctors relied heavily on the medication and drugs that were given to an individual suffering from flu. c. Was the infectious organism described in the book a real organism or a fictional organism?  i. If the organism is real, research the most current disease statistics for that organism and describe them in your report (CDC and WHO).  ii. If the organism is fictional, which real organism(s) was the fictional organism modeled after? Support your ascertains with microbiological facts.  The infection discussed in the novel is not a fictional but a real virus known as the Hantavirus but there are certain differences that are introduced for literary purposes by the author. The Hantavirus is a real virus that starts off with flu-like symptoms and then gradually develops in to a deadly virus that gives rise to several respiratory problems, which in turn results in complete lung failure that brings about instant death. The only difference in how the virus is portrayed in the book lies in the fact that Christofferson has shown that the virus has only been afflicting a certain Native American tribe. This was meant to shed light on some underlined themes in the society and show the pitiable conditions in which the Native Americans are living. Like the Hantavirus that was discussed in the story, there is also no known cure or vaccine in the real world either. Since, there is no known cure or vaccine for the disease; the only way an individual can be treated effectively if he or she is diagnosed with the virus during its early stages. There is ample amount of data is gathered regarding the prognosis of the virus and the epidemiology of it. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), there are around 20 cases of Hantavirus that are reported to the medical care unit annually. The disease is largely found in four states that is Washington, Colorado, Arizona and California. (CDC, 2011) The report further states that the Hantavirus has largely targeted young children between the ages of 8 and 15, most of the patients were residents of the states mentioned above. The CDC further reported that since 1993 there has been an increase in the number of people suffering from Hantavirus and they further stated that the Hantavirus was not only caused by coming in contact with infected rodents but were also caused by infectious sprays containing aerosols. (CDC, 2011) There are a number of ways through which people can save themselves from falling prey to this deadly virus. The CDC recommends that in order to protect oneself against this disease, it is important to live in a house that is rodent- free and use aerosol-free items around the house. It is essential to control rodent activities around the house and use disinfectant or bleaches to make sure that the house is safe and thoroughly cleaned so that young children can lead a healthy life. (CDC, 2011) d. Was the book realistic?  i. If so, research the disease and describe a similar outbreak/scenario that has occurred recently.  ii. If not, discuss some of the scenarios in the book that might not be realistic and explain why those scenarios are not realistic.  The book is highly realistic in the way it has portrayed the events that lead to clinical trial of drugs and though the character and the setting may be fictional but the events take inspiration from real-life incidents. The history of civilization is full of disease epidemic all around the world; however the substance of this prose will highlight a disease epidemic that afflicted a huge segment of the population and similarly, there were number of organizations that tried to take advantage of such a situation. The most recent incident is that of the outbreak of the H1N1 virus throughout the world and the greatest afflicted region was none other than the United States of America. The symptoms closely resemble that of influenza; just like in the case of Hantavirus. Like the Hantavirus, H1N1 virus was known to have transmitted into humans from pigs and as a result it was alos known as ‘Swine flu’. Now the main premise of the novel around which the plot is built is to show the greed of large medical organizations. They use incidents like these in order to create panic and gather huge amounts of money. Similarly, in case of the swine flu there were a number of large organizations, who put pressure on the World Health Organization to declare a false pandemic to sell huge amounts of vaccines to the people. This particularly so in Mexico, where a number of people exhibited flu-like symptoms and were then diagnosed with H1N1 virus; despite the fact that there was not enough medical evidence to make the diagnosis. There was immense amount of speculations as a result of the behavior of the pharmaceutical companies, as they were known to use the epidemic to rake in high profits. (Godlee, 2010) Many eminent medical researchers had criticized the World Health organization, and one of such critic was Fiona Godlee. She wrote in the British Medical Journal that the WHO had made deals with countless pharmaceutical companies that were working to develop an antiviral and vaccines for the virus. Though the threat of the virus to the people was very much real but the WHO was accused of putting excessive amount of pressure on the people to get the vaccine in order to boost profits of the pharmaceutical companies. These were then subsequently denied by the World Health Organization; however, the speculations did not stop. (Godlee, 2010) Furthermore, there was immense amount of criticism when the viability and efficacy of the antiviral were questioned in treating the virus. Many medical professional stated that the drug was only viable in treating pneumonia; which was one of the many symptoms that the sufferer had to endure. Therefore, it was clear that the treatment that was suggested by the Pharmaceutical Companies was only suppressing the symptoms and was largely ineffective in treating the virus completely. These were the issues that were faced by the people as a result of the organization’s behavior. Even the story highlights this fundamental aspect of the real world and the pharmaceutical companies that do not have the right sources but still launch a number of cures and vaccines in the market without providing any real evidence of its viability to the people. Even the antiviral that was made available after the outbreak of swine flu had detrimental repercussions on the health of pregnant women and children under the age of 5. (Jonathan, 2010) Medical field is a highly complex part of the society because any action can have a serious repercussion on the individual’s health. Therefore, it is required for organizations and pharmaceutical companies to adopt a moral approach and refrain from launching untested vaccines and cures just to make extra profit. The book has taken this very serious issue and has tried to educate the people about the debilitating consequences these things can have on them. (Jonathan, 2010) The events in the books may not be an exact representation or depiction of the real-life incidents that took place during the outbreak of the H1N1 virus, but essentially they all carry the message. The novel just tries to propagate that message using the fictional setting of the book and the protagonist’s struggle to bring the vaccine to a fair trial in order to make sure that it is safe to be used on human beings. e. What did you think of the book? “Clinical trial” by April Christofferson may be a medical thriller but embodies a number of themes in its plot that makes it a great read. Not only the theme is a novel one but Christofferson has shed light on the dubious means through which the large pharmaceutical companies and large health organizations manipulate the people in order to make huge amounts of profits. They show how people in the position of authorities have no respect for the sanctity of life and use epidemics and outbreaks of diseases for their own advantage. Furthermore, the fact that the Native American people were used as guinea pigs does show discrimination and racism that pervades in most of these huge organizations. Even Isabel McLain’s husband, a former doctor and now the CEO of a huge mining corporation was trying to take away the land of the tribe in order to exact revenge on his wife who had ruined his career by exposing his medical malpractices. These sub-plots really give great amount of insight in to the mindset of the people running these corporations. Christofferson has described the fine line that is between morality and wrong, and further states that it is the choices of the people that truly define who they are. The altruism that her protagonist exhibits as she exposes her own husband for his illegal practices and then standing her ground when he wishes to take away the land from tribal people, makes her a true hero. The plot also discusses the rich heritage of the Native American people that is on verge of extinction and the problems faced by the Native American activist to get equality in the American society. These sub-plots actually make the novel even more dramatic and the ending makes a whole lot more sense to its reader when the right choice is made and the drug is put through tests in order to test its viability. It makes people realize that despite the differences in anyone’s racial background, every individual has equal rights, which also include the right to a healthy life. Christofferson has included all these aspects in her that makes the book a highly enjoyable one. The melodramatic twists is highly engaging and as for me, who read Christofferson’s work for the first time was left completely satisfied with it powerful plot and a level-headed protagonist and extremely entertaining. Works Cited Christofferson, April. “Clinical Trial”. Forge Books. 2001 Godlee, Fiona. “Conflict of interests and Pandemic Flu”. British Medical Journal. 2010 Jonathan, Lynn. “WHO to review its handling of H1N1 flu Pandemic. Reuters. 2010 Center of Diseases Control and Prevention (CDCP). “All About Hantavirus”. National Center of Infectious Diseases. 2011 Read More