With talk of monkeypox on the news, it reminds me of a very scary episode of Reston’s past, a hot zone. This was back in 1989, when Reston Ebola or Reston Virus (RESTV) incident happened in an Isaac Newton Square laboratory.
Reston Virus (RESTV) or Reston Ebola
Initially, the Reston laboratory imported monkeys and held them for a month before sending them to various research labs. Suddenly, the monkeys became very ill and eventually tested positive for the contagious Ebola virus.
To stop the tropical Ebola virus outbreak, the Army came in and euthanized the 450 monkeys who lived in the biological testing laboratory.
Fortunately, for mankind, the Reston virus which causes Ebola virus in non-human primates, was not known to cause disease or spread to humans. None of the people exposed to the Ebola virus came down with the disease.
What Happened to the Building?
The building was thoroughly decontaminated in an 11-day process with bleaching and sterilization.
At the time, people still feared the Reston virus stigma and did not want to own or go into the building. The building eventually fell into disrepair.
Then, the building went through a bankruptcy reorganization and was sold.
So in June, 1995, the building was taken down and a new building built in the same location.
Visiting the Site Today
Currently, the building is the site of child care center. I actually remember being in the building over 20 years ago and found it to be quite nice.
Isaac Newton Square also has a health club plus other businesses. It is in a very pleasant older area of Reston with a large parking lot.
It’s hard to believe that Reston’s Past a “hot zone” incident ever happened, but this is also one of those strange but true facts about Reston.
Ending Comments on Reston, Past, a Hot Zone
in 1990, the Reston outbreak was first described as a new strain of the Ebola virus.
A book was written on the subject by Robert Preston entitled, The Hot Zone” which details the unique biological scare in Reston. At the time, this was the only U.S. outbreak of the Ebola virus.
For Your Information – What is a Hot Zone?
A hot zone in a hazardous materials and biohazard laboratory refers to where the materials are located.
To enter a hot zone area one needs permission, protective equipment, and, of course, specialized training.
Disclaimer: I am blogger not a scientist or medical technical writer, so please forgive any misinformation or errors in today’s blog.
Research Sites:
www.bing.com, Wikipedia, “The Hot Zone” by Richard Preston, www.insidenova.com, boundrystones web site, and The Washington Post article by M. Haggerty.