Anna Petrov’s Reviews > Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds: Ebola and the Ravages of History > Status Update

Marburg Virus? First identified member of the filovirus family, don’t know what this is

Imprimatur (noun): A mark of approval or distinction.

Specious (adj): Having a false look of truth or genuineness.

The Kissi Triangle, made up of the eastern aspect of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, is widely known to be the starting point of West Africa’s largest recorded Ebola outbreak.

Oubliette (n): A dungeon with an opening only at the top.

“Down the oubliette had gone rich if confused colonial-era accounts of febrile disease, …”. … “historical understanding… can help us decipher unfamiliar and often hostile responses to disease-control efforts.” The author providing historical background introducing some reservations that public health staff face.

Paltry (adj): inferior or trashy, trivial, meager or measly.

“… the world’s largest public-health endeavor always remained a clinically paltry one.” Referring to the Ebola response in Upper West Africa lacking in staff, gowns and gloves, and Ebola Treatment Units.