Machupo, Bolivian Hemorrhagic Fever

I've begun independently studying some fields of interest; for the moment, that means infectious disease. This first case study totally blows my mind. I've been thinking quite a bit lately about the best way to fight illness/infection. Machupo virus is a good example of what happens when humans mess too much with science...

Here is what happened: around 1962, an epidemic broke out in eastern Bolivia that they called "Hemorrhagic Fever". Microscopic holes in the veins and capillaries of the body allowed blood to drain into the tissues, preventing proper blood flow to major organs, sending the body into shock. Electrolytes and liquids in the body became imbalanced; clear cerebrospinal fluid became tainted with blood; the eyes and skin would fill up with blood, and the patient would eventually die. The virus caused intense pain, and had a 50% death rate, an almost Roman decimation, which was incredibly dangerous to the population and the researchers themselves.
NIH dispatched a team of three scientists to study the outbreak, and after a year or so of research, they found that the disease (Machupo, or Bolivian Hemorrhagic Fever) was carried in a certain type of field mouse, known as the Calomys mouse. These mice had literally overrun small towns in Bolivia, especially San Joaquin, in the past decade or so. Their ecosystem had been upset by the agricultural push from the natives, as they cleared fields for harvesting crops, the mice were forced to move elsewhere and provided with an easy source of food. They invaded the towns and feasted on leftover bits of food, nesting in the homes.
The virus was passed from the mice to the humans by way of urination. The mice urinated almost pure samples of the Machupo virus, which was highly contagious and became airborne, infecting the humans who shared their environment. They could pass it on to their families by physical contact OR the families could also become infected via mouse piss.
However, for the first several years of the agricultural boom (which began in 1952), no epidemic occurred. The mouse population was kept at bay by domestic cats who prevented them from entering homes and contaminating them.
The outbreak did not occur until around 1962. This year the government began dusting villages with DDT in an attempt to kill off the Anopheles mosquito population, essentially halting malaria. But the DDT residue (which was so thick in places that it looked like a coating of white flour had fallen over everything) had the unfortunate effect of killing off the entire domestic cat population in San Joaquin.
Rather than treat hemorrhagic fever with medicinal elements, the team of researchers brought in several hundred cats, and provided the town with a steady supply of mouse traps. It literally stopped the disease cold.

If it weren't for the use of DDT in the first place, the epidemic might not have ever started. If the mouse had not been removed from its natural habitat or provided with fast access to unlimited food resources, virtually without predators, the population would not have expanded so rapidly or contaminated humans.
Just a little something to think about... although I do like the fact that, in this case study, they sought to eradicate the illness by restoring the original predator/prey relationship... rather than by introducing a new predator (a chemical "solution") and further distorting the natural flow of things.

ANYWAY. I'm exhausted. I just wanted to talk about that a little before I went to bed, because I knew I would probably lose the ability to explain it tomorrow. I wish I knew someone who liked to discuss these things. =(