The Ebola Thread
- Thread starter The Branch Manager
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Scientists say Ebola is now treatable thanks to 2 new experimental drugs
https://www.foxnews.com/health/ebola-treatment-drugs-congo
While more study is needed, researchers said significantly fewer people died among those given the Regeneron drug or the NIH's compared to those who received another treatment.
In fact, those treated with either drug within days of infection reported a 90 percent survival rate, according to Nature.
https://www.foxnews.com/health/ebola-treatment-drugs-congo
While more study is needed, researchers said significantly fewer people died among those given the Regeneron drug or the NIH's compared to those who received another treatment.
In fact, those treated with either drug within days of infection reported a 90 percent survival rate, according to Nature.
In September 2018, a 4-armed study of ebola treatments was started in the DRC, using actual Ebola patients.
A 4-armed study means they were trying out 4 different drugs on the ebola patients, not all 4 on each patient, but each patient received one of the 4 drugs on trial with neither the patient nor the medical staff knowing which one was being administered, there was just a control number assigned.
Two of the drugs way out-performed the other two so the trial was revised this month to make it a two-armed study of those two drugs. The study is being funded by the NIH (National Institutes of Health - i.e. you and I are paying for it) and by WHO (World Health Organization.) WHO has organized an independent board of scientists and specialists to monitor and review the trial, the DSMB (Data and Safety Monitoring Board.)
So this trial has been conducted on live patients in the field, with a 10 - 50% survival rate, depending on the strain of ebola in question and whether supportive care is utilized, a 90% survival rate is a HUGE improvement.
The strain of ebola in DRC this go round, the Ituri strain, is a variant of Ebola Zaire so the theory is that these treatments will be effective against the Zaire strain and one of the other strains that is a variant of the Zaire strain, which is the strain that caused the outbreak in 2014. The Zaire strain is the most deadly.
There are six known strains at this time, four of which can affect people. Reston has not been known to cross to people and it is unclear yet if the Bombali strain crosses to people.
A 4-armed study means they were trying out 4 different drugs on the ebola patients, not all 4 on each patient, but each patient received one of the 4 drugs on trial with neither the patient nor the medical staff knowing which one was being administered, there was just a control number assigned.
Two of the drugs way out-performed the other two so the trial was revised this month to make it a two-armed study of those two drugs. The study is being funded by the NIH (National Institutes of Health - i.e. you and I are paying for it) and by WHO (World Health Organization.) WHO has organized an independent board of scientists and specialists to monitor and review the trial, the DSMB (Data and Safety Monitoring Board.)
So this trial has been conducted on live patients in the field, with a 10 - 50% survival rate, depending on the strain of ebola in question and whether supportive care is utilized, a 90% survival rate is a HUGE improvement.
The strain of ebola in DRC this go round, the Ituri strain, is a variant of Ebola Zaire so the theory is that these treatments will be effective against the Zaire strain and one of the other strains that is a variant of the Zaire strain, which is the strain that caused the outbreak in 2014. The Zaire strain is the most deadly.
There are six known strains at this time, four of which can affect people. Reston has not been known to cross to people and it is unclear yet if the Bombali strain crosses to people.
Reston - members of the ape family. It was discovered in crab-eating macquees in a lab in Reston, VA, thus the "Reston" name. This one has not crossed the ape - human line since its discovery in 1989.
Bombali - two kinds of bats in Africa, named after Bombali, Sierra Leone. The bats range includes several countries, Guinea, Kenya, and Angola, along with Sierra Leone. This one has shown to be able to cause illness in humans but has not crossed the bat - human line at this time. It was identified in 2018.
Bombali - two kinds of bats in Africa, named after Bombali, Sierra Leone. The bats range includes several countries, Guinea, Kenya, and Angola, along with Sierra Leone. This one has shown to be able to cause illness in humans but has not crossed the bat - human line at this time. It was identified in 2018.
Rebel attackers kill Ebola aid workers in eastern Congo
This was an advisory accompanying the delivery of a new kind of Ebola test kit that they are issuing. A supply of test kits and information was sent to all 50 state health departments, along with some of our territories. The actual advisory explains the background of ebola, the use of the test, and the fact that since the DRC outbreak began, there have been 49 possible cases in the U.S. reported to CDC of ill travelers returning from the DRC and surrounding areas. Of those, 48 were completely not ebola symptoms at all, and one was tested. It tested negative for ebola, positive for malaria.
The guy who posted the "20 cases" is a flake if you look at his other stuff. I'm always suspicious of anyone who posts everything twice like he does on twitter, it's almost always someone who really shouldn't be let out without a leash and a keeper...
The guy who posted the "20 cases" is a flake if you look at his other stuff. I'm always suspicious of anyone who posts everything twice like he does on twitter, it's almost always someone who really shouldn't be let out without a leash and a keeper...
Here's a link to the advisory:
https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/HAN00423.asp
https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/HAN00423.asp