The Virus Within: A Coming Epidemic

John H. Gryfe is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon practising in
Toronto.

Health-care professionals have been repeatedly warned of the emergence
of superstrains of microbiologic agents resulting from injudicious
prescribing practices, especially with respect to antibiotic usage.
Controlling viral infections, most of which are antibiotic-insensitive,
usually demands creation of an agent-specific antiserum. A virus could
therefore become an epidemic long before its successful control could be
achieved.

The author, a journalist, identifies Human Herpes Virus-6 (HHV-6) as
one possible renegade. Along with such “helpers” as Ebola and HIV
(The AIDS virus), HHV-6 has been implicated in numerous deadly
infections. Disturbingly, efforts by individuals within the research
community to study the virus have been thwarted. Funding has been
withdrawn, employment positions have been made to evaporate, and
investigative sites have been converted to other projects with
inappropriate warning—all because results have not been forthcoming as
quickly as desired or because personalities have become more important
than research projects. For nearly a decade, research scientist Donald
Carrigan has faced many such obstructions in his pursuit of HHV-6.

Written in the style of a novel rather than as a scientific paper or
editorial condemnation, The Virus Within provides a fascinating look
into the world of science—a world that, Regush says, “often punishes
people for pursuing the truth.”