Viruses v Humans — a fair fight?
C.J. Peters
... has worked with infectious diseases for three decades with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the U.S. Army and the U.S. Public Health Service. He was the Chief of Special Pathogens at the CDC from 1992 to 2000. He was formerly the Chief of the Disease Assessment Division at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) which established The C.J. Peters Award in his honor. The Award says, in part, "In the inception and granting of this award, we honor Colonel C.J. Peters, Medical Corps, a brilliant and innovative scientist, scholar and physician...whose work is a lesson not only in science, but in humanity". Dr. Peters was the head of the unit that contained the Ebola virus outbreak in Reston, Virginia, about which The Hot Zone was written. Dr. Peters co-authored Virus Hunter. He is now at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
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There is a real danger -- right now -- that a viral epidemic could spread worldwide, virtually overnight. Unsuspecting humans traveling from one part of the globe to another could easily be the carriers. A pandemic could come from a familiar virus we've lulled ourselves into thinking is conquered. Or it could come from one of a host of new viruses which are emerging worldwide. Even more chilling is the danger that terrorists might use biological agents to devastating effect. It wouldn't be hard. Dr. C.J. Peters, Chief of Special Pathogens at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, is no alarmist. But he worries that people think viruses will somehow "just go away" with the advance of medical science and technology. The AIDS epidemic has taught us such assumptions are dead wrong. There are people alive today who remember when a worldwide influenza outbreak killed more people in one year -- 1918 -- than any other single event of the twentieth century (including two World Wars, the Holocaust and Stalin's purges). Today, infectious diseases are the number one killers in the world. Even when a virus is not lethal or only affects other species, it can have catastrophic effects on a community's life, economy and public welfare. Dr. Peters is America's leading virus hunter. He headed the unit that contained the outbreak of the Ebola virus in Reston, Virginia. It's just one of the very scary stories he tells in his riveting book Virus Hunter. He compares hunting viruses to being a homicide detective, citing the ability to listen as the epidemiologist's greatest single talent. Get the right clues and gather the samples systematically. Then the lab can solve the mystery. The disease itself is the best teacher. It takes more than hood lines, space suits and blowers to make a safe working environment. "You need people with the understanding, preparation and experience to conduct themselves effectively in the presence of potential killers." Of all the sophisticated medical techniques in use today, simple barrier nursing -- always wearing a mask, gown and glove while attending the sick -- is among the most important. Be Prepared sums up Dr. Peters' call. "We can't afford to be arrogant as a species." [This Program was recorded in 1997 before an invited audience at The Commerce Club in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.]
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Edited Excerpts of the Conversation:
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