Search - NOVA: Ebola - The Plague Fighters on DVD

Christa P. (romeo) from GIDDINGS, TX
Reviewed on 5/10/2010...

I found this a very fascinating documentary.

0 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Puts you in the Hot Zone

Stephan Bullard | Hartford, CT USA | 07/31/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is truly an incredible piece of film. I teach biology at a medium-sized university and purchased this video to show as part of my immunology section. I was expecting a documentary-like video covering the history of Ebola with a few graphic scenes of the 1995 Kikwit outbreak. Instead, I was incredibly excited to discover that almost all of the film comes directly from Kikwit and was shot during the actual outbreak (i.e., when no one knew how large an outbreak it would become, and when the cameramen themselves were in grave danger). The video follows the efforts of international and Zairian doctors as they work to contain the outbreak. Unlike many similar videos, however, Ebola: The Plague Fighters does not gloss over the social aspects of the epidemic. Rather, the video also documents the upheaval and fear that Ebola causes in the Kikwit community. One particularly human scene involves student doctors who discover the body of a victim, realize they have to do something immediately to protect the community, yet have to deal with the situation even though they lack the proper equipment to safely approach the body. Overall this video provides a unique perspective into modern disease fighting. Literally every scene seems to be more interesting and compelling than the last. Some scenes are graphic, so it is probably not appropriate for young audiences. However, assuming students are warned in advance, this is an excellent video to show high school and college students. It is also a must for anyone interested in emerging viruses and epidemiology."

ONE outbreak

Jeffery Mingo | Homewood, IL USA | 12/19/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This documentary never mentions "globalization." However, by showing that there had been outbreaks among people in Europe and monkeys in the US, it did show that this could happen outside of Africa, though it only happened to those working with primates. Without being preachy, the work suggests that ebola is a problem for all of humankind.

This work allayed fears as much as it tried to prove that the disease was a serious problem. When the outbreak became noticeable, experts from around the world came to help out. The work stated that there hadn't been an outbreak in 20 years. One out of five people infected survived. Unlike diseases where a response is too little, too late, it seemed like informed people and agencies took the threat very seriously, very early.

This documentary showed diverse experts who were concerned about the affected people in Africa. Those experts were of several races, different lingual backgrounds, and both genders. One doctored seemed to have a rainbowflag persona; another was a member of the American military. There did come a point where Zairian physicians disagreed with non-Zairian ones. They chose a tactic that could have caused much litigation in the US, but I guess not over there and in a time of crisis.

The camera showed one man eating a rat's head; I do think it was placed in the documentary for shock value. Still, I was proud that none of the villagers said it was witchcraft. None tried to ignore the problem. People tried to change their customs quickly in order to respond effectively to this medical crisis."