Part 1, Chapter 7 Ebola River Summary

The story shifts to the summer of 1976 and follows the progression of the Ebola Sudan and Ebola Zaire strains of the virus. The latter is the one injected 7 years later into the monkeys at USAMRIID. It begins with the death of a storekeeper in a cotton factory in southern Sudan. He is known at Mr. Yu. G., and is considered the "index" case. A few days later two of his coworkers die, but not before at least one spreads the agent by touching and sexual contact. It passes through 16 generations and kills 50 percent of those infected. Ebola Zaire hits the hospital in the town of Maridi, where it kills patients and medical personnel alike. Perhaps because it kills its host so quickly, before they can infect others, the virus suddenly vanishes.

Two months later and 500 miles away...