Importance of Peter Piot

Peter Piot first handled the Ebola virus unknowingly when he examined samples sent from Zaire. After completing a series of tests on the viruses, and he eventually found the virus resembled small question marks. After being told to stop working on the project, Piot offered to go to the zone instead, allowing him to work on the issue live. Once he arrived, Piot realized he was woefully unprepared for the situation, as he and his colleagues lived daily with death from Ebola. When Piot refused to fly with drunk pilots to meet with US Embassy officials, he was spared, since the helicopter crashed on the way. He was accused by the government, however, of sabotaging the craft, and was sent to retrieve the bodies. Piot's experience showed the massive problems of the government of Zaire at the time, which contributed to the spread of the disease.