This piece in the Lancet, authored by Cowling and Yu, discusses issues of Ebola dissemination and means to reduce spread to other countries.  Its final paragraph discusses what we do not yet know, but need to learn: There are several important near-future research needs. Perhaps most urgent is a better understanding of the effectiveness of…

From CDC regarding how one must handle laboratory specimens from someone with Ebola: “Clinical specimens [such as blood or urine] from persons suspected of being infected with one of the agents listed in this summary (Ebola is listed as BSL-4 on page 251) should be submitted to a laboratory with a BSL-4 maximum containment facility.”…

Ebola is killing 60-70% of those affected, even with treatment.  Manufacturers say it will take quite a while to produce sufficient supplies of a vaccine, and that bulk manufacturing will only begin after one of several vaccine candidates is chosen. This makes no sense. The US government spent $440 million to help 3 companies develop…

On Sept 30 I wrote a blog post about how CDC’s Director Frieden was wrong to claim that any US hospital could manage an Ebola patient.  Circumstances sadly proved me right in the case of Dallas, Texas.  Has that changed now that we have had more time to prepare? After the death of Thomas Eric…

This article discusses literally a couple dozen vaccines and drugs that are in development for Ebola.  How is their testing being fast-tracked ? BioDrugs. 2013 Dec;27(6):565-83. doi: 10.1007/s40259-013-0046-1. Choi JH1, Croyle MA. Author information Abstract Ebola is a highly virulent pathogen causing severe hemorrhagic fever with a high case fatality rate in humans and non-human primates (NHPs)….

J Appl Microbiol. 2010 Nov;109(5):1531-9. The survival of filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg) in liquids, on solid substrates and in a dynamic aerosol Piercy TJ1, Smither SJ, Steward JA, Eastaugh L, Lever MS. Author information Abstract AIMS: Filoviruses are associated with high morbidity and lethality rates in humans, are capable of human-to-human transmission, via infected material such as blood, and are…

CDC issued a new poster Friday night October 24, which admits Ebola may in fact be airborne. But CDC says it doesn’t travel farther than 3 feet.  Well, at least CDC is starting to move the narrative.  Maybe tomorrow it will be 5 feet.  Then 10.  Maybe next month they will tell us why all…

The following paper was written by CDC scientists in 1999. J Infect Dis. 1999 Feb;179 Suppl 1:S92-7.  Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever, Kikwit, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1995: risk factors for patients without a reported exposure.  Roels TH1, Bloom AS, Buffington J, Muhungu GL, Mac Kenzie WR, Khan AS, Ndambi R, Noah DL, Rolka HR, Peters CJ, Ksiazek TG. Author information Abstract In 1995, 316 people became…

A quarantine will help stop cases appearing in the US in the near-term, but may mean that fewer medical professionals will volunteer to work in Africa, making control of Africa’s epidemic harder, thus making things worse for the US in the long-term.  (Only 0.5% of MSF staff or less have developed Ebola.) From today’s WaPO:…

Ebola is a designated BSL-4 (Biosafety Level 4) virus.  It requires the maximal level of containment possible.  [Anthrax, by the way, is less dangerous, requiring less containment (BSL-3) than Ebola.]  Ebola’s mortality rate is the highest I know of, for any infectious disease. CDC acknowledges (below, in a 2009 publication on page 45) that Ebola requires…

From CBS: But unfortunately, Ebola survivors do often develop certain chronic inflammatory conditions that affect the joints and eyes, problems that can follow a survivor through the remainder of their life. Dr. Amar Safdar, associate professor of infectious diseases and immunology at NYU Langone Medical Center, told CBS News these chronic conditions are a result…

When did pharmaceutical manufacturers demand to be indemnified by governments, when previously asked to produce vaccines? First time:  1976 swine flu.  One soldier died of swine flu at Fort Dix, the virus never did spread through the US population, but 45 million Americans were vaccinated with an unecessary vaccine, several hundred developed Guillain Barre syndrome…

Not sure why this is still a subject for debate.  Animal models establish that Ebola can be transmitted via aerosol secretions under lab conditions.  The question remaining is how often this happens in humans. Maybe it does; maybe it doesn’t. Despite CDC protestations regarding airborne spread, the new guidelines for personal protective equipment issued by…

Below are excerpts from a longer discussion here.  As one of the main providers of Ebola treatment in West Africa, MSF has chosen to take an active role in trialling experimental treatments. We add value to the trial process as we have access to large numbers of patients and therefore potential recipients of the experimental…

I read the full text but can’t post it due to copyright.  The first review is from U Texas.  BioDrugs. 2013 Dec;27(6):565-83. doi: 10.1007/s40259-013-0046-1. Emerging Targets and Novel Approaches to Ebola Virus Prophylaxis and Treatment Choi JH1, Croyle MA. Abstract Ebola is a highly virulent pathogen causing severe hemorrhagic fever with a high case fatality rate in humans…

Here are CDC’s definitions for the different modes of spread of infectious agents.  Scroll down to IB3b and c and you will see that CDC has defined droplet transmission as a form of contact transmission. This may be CDC’s technical justification for insisting that Ebola does not spread via the airborne route, when there is ample evidence…

The West Africa Ebola mortality rate with treatment is very high. Normally, mortality drops when doctors gain experience with new diseases and learn how best to care for patients. This seems not to be the case with this Ebola. West African Ebola may be spreading more easily than other Ebola outbreaks.  [Thanks to Washington’s Blog…

From NBC news today:   A helicopter landed aboard a cruise ship Saturday to pick up a blood sample from a passenger who may have handled fluids from an Ebola patient, ahead of the Carnival Magic’s planned docking at Galveston, Texas, Sunday. Carnival said Texas health officials requested that a sample be taken from the…

Here is a book compiled by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in 2008 to explain the clinical care of Ebola and other filovirus patients:

Because there is so much confusion about the issue of airborne spread of Ebola, this article should clarify the fact that our premier biodefense lab clearly shows that transmission through air may cause infection.  The article is titled, “Development of a Murine (mouse) Model for Aerosolized Ebolavirus Infection Using a Panel of Recombinant Inbred Mice.”…

My thoughts on handling Ebola, which garnered so much interest that I have expanded the original ideas, including updates and links: 1. Personal Protective Equipment Even the best containment gear, combined with a diluted bleach solution to spray down workers as layers are removed, and a buddy system that requires another healthcare professional to watch…

I will post this article in its entirety, but will put the most interesting bits in red so readers can skim the piece for these if they wish–Meryl COMMENTARY: Health workers need optimal respiratory protection for Ebola cidrap.umn.edu /news-perspective/2014/09/commentary-health-workers-need-optimal-respiratory- protection-ebola Lisa M Brosseau, ScD, and Rachael Jones, PhD | Sep 17, 2014 Editor’s Note: Today’s…

Have you ever been face to face with a doctor dressed in rubber boots, a rubber suit, 2-3 pairs of gloves, 2 pairs of goggles and a hood?  I haven’t.  Doctor journalist Richard Besser described the get-up he had to wear in an Ebola ward in Liberia.  I would faint if I had to wear all…