Origins of the Ebola Virus - Essay Example

            The movie Outbreak helps explain epidemiology in significant ways worth noting. After a serious outbreak of a virus similar to Ebola in Zaire, a few scientists make vain attempts to contain the situation. The virus is called Motaba and it is critical for scientists to identify the infectiousness and pathogenesis of the disease. Additionally, in terms of epidemiology, mutations are determined and classified in order to control the Ebola-like virus before it spreads further. Therefore, the focus of epidemiology includes transmissions, existing environmental conditions that increase transmission, and geographic prevalence (Preston, 2012). Other epidemiological factors depicted in the movie entail succeeding infected-host pathogenesis and mutations that are often transmitted via feces, blood, oral, or saliva contact including 1-micron aerosolized droplets. Overall, epidemiology in the movie enables viewers to understand the causes and effects of Ebola particularly when it affects ill-equipped countries.

            Among other notable film stars starring in the movie Outbreak, there is also Jane Jenkins Hoffmann who acts as Nurse Jane. She has several roles in advancing the plot development of the film. For instance, she collaborates with other medical personnel such as doctors Benjamin Iwabi, Lisa Aronson, Ruiz, and Raswani to contain the Motaba virus because it wreaks havoc in the entire Zaire region.  When a vial breaks accidentally and its contents instantly kill those around, Nurse Jane and others devise mechanisms to prevent the mutation of the virus into a new strain. It means she is tasked with running constant blood tests that are compared to other collected blood samples in the laboratory. Consequently, her efforts together with others result in the production of a serum meant to prevent the spread of the Ebola-like virus. However, another mutated strain emerges that now threatens the country’s national security because Motaba has been transformed into a biological weapon.

            It is, therefore, fundamental to identify ways of improving epidemiology in the movie because a reflection of reality would help its viewers especially in West Africa. Approximately 2,000 citizens in West Africa have died as a result of the Ebola virus outbreak according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It implies that investigating the causes and effects of the virus including its mutations into new strains would assist the medical personnel in the film to protect others from re-infections. Another process involves conducting intensive disease surveillance, etiology, transmission, and biomonitoring. In other words, the epidemiological study should use the clinical trials collected to understand disease transmission, statistics, and even processes (Preston, 2012). The steps will aid in determining risk factors for medical personnel such as doctors Iwabi, Ruiz, and Raswani and finally suggest preventive healthcare.

            It is, thus, paramount to engage dedicated doctors with adequate skills and knowledge of controlling a deadly virus such as Ebola in African regions. This is because such countries often lack resources for preventing new infections.