A review of THE COMING PLAGUE: NEWLY EMERGING DISEASES IN A WORLD OUT OF BALANCE by Laurie Garrett, published in 1994. Chapter 5: Yambuku – EBOLA
The syringe containing Ebola-infected guinea pig blood jammed into the tip of his thumb
For nearly a month Platt had toiled with caution and deliberation in his laboratory at Porton Down, trying to learn quickly as much as possible about the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus. On the morning of November 5 1976 he was working in the toxic Animals Wing of Porton Down, passing Ebola samples from one guinea pig to another to see if the virulence of the virus was diminished as it went through successive generations of animals. As always, he was wearing a respirator, protective lab clothes, and three layers of latex gloves. His hand slipped. The syringe containing Ebola-infected guinea pig blood jammed into the tip of his thumb, just above the nail. He took precautions but could feel his heart pounding hard against his chest and feared the adrenaline-propelled organ was all too efficiently pumping Ebola virus throughout his body. Carefully following lab exiting procedures, Platt left the Toxic Animals Wing and reported to the Laboratory Safety Office where he was examined briefly, given a thermometer, and sent home with instructions to report any sudden rise in his temperature.
The dreaded “???? virus” was there
At midnight on November 11, Platt’s temperature suddenly jumped, and he felt the chills of a fever. The following morning he reported to the Porton Down safety office. By then his fever was over 100°F, and the staff was very worried, not only on Platt’s behalf but also for everyone with whom he’d had contact. They immediately took a blood sample from Platt, examining a droplet under an electron microscope. The dreaded “???? virus” was there. Platt donned a respirator to protect others from his virus, and a special ambulance staffed by volunteer drivers and guided by a police escort took the English scientist to North London’s Coppetts Wood Hospital. While Platt was placed inside a new Trexler negative-pressure plastic isolator, the 160 other patients then in the hospital were hastily packed off to alternative medical facilities. For forty-nine days Platt languished inside his plastic environment, which was, in turn, inside an otherwise empty hospital. The large medical staff that tended to him, led by Dr. Ronald Edmond, was placed under quarantine. Platt’s wife, Eileen and the kids were under house quarantine, forced to constantly check their own temperatures, and terrified that Geoffrey would die.
Nobody at Porton Down or in the Platt family had become infected
The British government’s reaction to Platt’s illness was rapid and severe. Porton Down was immediately shut down, all its employees sent home and placed under surveillance. Several friends of the Platt family were also put under home quarantine and 300 people were monitored for possible Ebola infection. As Platt’s fever climbed to over 104°F, his hair fell out and he passed blood in his stools and vomitus. Dr. Edmond’s team attacked the virus with every weapon available. Forty-seven hours after his fever began, Platt was infused with Sophie’s plasma, flown in from Kinshasa. Following the Ebola plasma treatment Platt’s condition worsened. Most alarming to Edmond was Platt’s mental state as he was losing his memory and could not finish reading a sentence. By November 20, nine days into his illness, Platt began to shed his confusion and shortly before Christmas the British government was pleased to conclude that nobody else at Porton Down or in the Platt family had become infected.