U.S. military brings scientists closer to Ebola cure

Modbert

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Sep 2, 2008
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U.S. military brings scientists closer to Ebola cure | FP Passport

If you know anything about the Ebola virus, you're terrified by it. The disease, euphemistically dubbed a haemorrhagic fever, essentially causes one's innards to turn to mush, and blood begins to leak out of a patients eyes, nose, ears -- everywhere. It's only turned up sporadically in remote Africa in humans, but when it does, it has a fatality rate of up to 90 percent.

Yesterday, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and a private firm, AVI BioPharma, published the results of studies that show that their treatment does have a helpful effect in monkeys. That's a huge leap, particularly since the reserachers were given clearance to start limited human testing. The partnership won a Defense Department grant of up to $291 million last month for that phase.

More good news on the disease curing front.
 
U.S. military brings scientists closer to Ebola cure | FP Passport

If you know anything about the Ebola virus, you're terrified by it. The disease, euphemistically dubbed a haemorrhagic fever, essentially causes one's innards to turn to mush, and blood begins to leak out of a patients eyes, nose, ears -- everywhere. It's only turned up sporadically in remote Africa in humans, but when it does, it has a fatality rate of up to 90 percent.
Yesterday, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and a private firm, AVI BioPharma, published the results of studies that show that their treatment does have a helpful effect in monkeys. That's a huge leap, particularly since the reserachers were given clearance to start limited human testing. The partnership won a Defense Department grant of up to $291 million last month for that phase.
More good news on the disease curing front.


a promising treatment, not a cure.

good news, but headlines can mislead. closer? how closer? been hearing about treatments that are closer to curing cancer and hiv/aids for decades. :lol: but still good news.

Treatment of Ebola virus-infected primates with AVI-6002 led to 60% survival, and treatment of Marburg-infected primates with AVI-6003 conferred 100% survival, compared to control groups where both viruses were universally lethal. In addition to survival, AVI-6002 and AVI-6003 demonstrated improvements in levels of viremia, harmful inflammatory indicators and measurements of virus induced liver damage. Nature Medicine Publishes AVI BioPharma Preclinical Studies Demonstrating Post-Exposure Efficacy of PMOplus(TM) Oligomers Against Ebola and Marburg Viruses - MarketWatch
 
a promising treatment, not a cure.

good news, but headlines can mislead. closer? how closer? been hearing about treatments that are closer to curing cancer and hiv/aids for decades. :lol: but still good news.

Treatment of Ebola virus-infected primates with AVI-6002 led to 60% survival, and treatment of Marburg-infected primates with AVI-6003 conferred 100% survival, compared to control groups where both viruses were universally lethal. In addition to survival, AVI-6002 and AVI-6003 demonstrated improvements in levels of viremia, harmful inflammatory indicators and measurements of virus induced liver damage. Nature Medicine Publishes AVI BioPharma Preclinical Studies Demonstrating Post-Exposure Efficacy of PMOplus(TM) Oligomers Against Ebola and Marburg Viruses - MarketWatch

Well I say disease curing front because that's the eventual goal of all this hard work I'd hope.
 
a promising treatment, not a cure.

good news, but headlines can mislead. closer? how closer? been hearing about treatments that are closer to curing cancer and hiv/aids for decades. :lol: but still good news.

Treatment of Ebola virus-infected primates with AVI-6002 led to 60% survival, and treatment of Marburg-infected primates with AVI-6003 conferred 100% survival, compared to control groups where both viruses were universally lethal. In addition to survival, AVI-6002 and AVI-6003 demonstrated improvements in levels of viremia, harmful inflammatory indicators and measurements of virus induced liver damage. Nature Medicine Publishes AVI BioPharma Preclinical Studies Demonstrating Post-Exposure Efficacy of PMOplus(TM) Oligomers Against Ebola and Marburg Viruses - MarketWatch

Well I say disease curing front because that's the eventual goal of all this hard work I'd hope.

Is a cure always the goal or is treatment?
 
a promising treatment, not a cure.

good news, but headlines can mislead. closer? how closer? been hearing about treatments that are closer to curing cancer and hiv/aids for decades. :lol: but still good news.

Treatment of Ebola virus-infected primates with AVI-6002 led to 60% survival, and treatment of Marburg-infected primates with AVI-6003 conferred 100% survival, compared to control groups where both viruses were universally lethal. In addition to survival, AVI-6002 and AVI-6003 demonstrated improvements in levels of viremia, harmful inflammatory indicators and measurements of virus induced liver damage. Nature Medicine Publishes AVI BioPharma Preclinical Studies Demonstrating Post-Exposure Efficacy of PMOplus(TM) Oligomers Against Ebola and Marburg Viruses - MarketWatch

Well I say disease curing front because that's the eventual goal of all this hard work I'd hope.

Is a cure always the goal or is treatment?

If you treat someone with Ebola and they gain a 60% chance of survival vs an 100% of dying I think they would call that a cure.
 
Granny says dey better hurry up with dat cure - If it keeps doublin' every week, she says it gonna spread all over the world...
:eek:
Suspected Ebola Deaths Double in DRC
September 13, 2012 - The World Health Organization says suspected Ebola deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo have doubled in just over a week.
The WHO says the figure has risen from 14 to 31 since September 5. All of the cases are in Orientale Province in northeastern Congo. WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic says the outbreak zones remain in the Haut-Uélé territory, in the towns of Isiro and Viadana. In an interview with VOA on Thursday, Jasarevic described the outbreak as "very active." However, he noted, most of the latest deaths involved people who were previously infected. “We are seeing more cases," he said. "There are also some new cases. But most of these cases of these additional deaths are no new alert cases but are those that have been traced and that have happened before.”

Five of the latest deaths involve health workers. The World Health Organization is working with Congolese health workers to find active Ebola cases and trace people who may have had contact with an infected person. The coordinated effort to contain the outbreak involves educating people about how the highly-contagious virus is spread.

The disease is spread through direct contact with the blood, saliva, sweat or other bodily fluids of sick individuals. Handling the corpses of those who have died from the disease can also spread infection. Humans can contract the virus if they eat infected forest animals, such as monkeys and antelope which are often killed for meat.

Jasarevic said the virus can incubate for up to 21 days and the death rate can be as high as 90 percent. Symptoms include a sudden onset of fever, extreme weakness and muscle aches. Vomiting and diarrhea may occur. In rare cases of so-called Ebola hemorrhagic fever, patients suffer from internal and external bleeding. Currently, there is no cure for Ebola, nor are there any specific treatments.

Suspected Ebola Deaths Double in DRC

See also:

Ebola Death Toll Climbs in Congo
Sep 13, 2012 - The death toll from the Ebola virus has doubled within a week in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the outbreak may continue spreading, the World Health Organization cautioned on Thursday.
The Ministry of Health has confirmed 18 deaths among 41 cases of the highly contagious virus. “Up to 90 percent of those who are infected may die,” said Tarik Jasarevic, a spokesman for the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. “That’s why every outbreak is serious.” Outbreaks tend to be localized because victims of the virus are generally too ill to travel, so the risk of exposure in the United States is extremely unlikely, Jasarevic said. Reaching epidemic levels in northeastern Congo, the Ebola virus has stricken people in the towns of Isiro and Viadana in Orientale province, which borders southern Sudan and northern Uganda.

Its incubation – the time between infection and appearance of symptoms – lasts between two and 21 days. Death can occur within a few days. “The incubation period can be long,” Jasarevic said. “But once you start showing symptoms, it goes very fast.” Onset of illness may manifest in the form of fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, sore throat and weakness. Other early symptoms, such as red eyes and a skin rash, are nonspecific to the virus and can be present in diseases that occur much more commonly, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The illness progresses quickly to diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, impairment of kidney and liver function, and internal and external bleeding, which is why it is also called “hemorrhagic fever.”

Ebola outbreaks have been documented since 1976. In addition to the Congo, they have struck in Uganda this year. In other years, outbreaks have occurred in Sudan, Gabon and the Ivory Coast. “In Uganda, the outbreak is coming to an end,” Jasarevic said. The Ebola virus takes its name from a river in the Congo (formerly Zaire), where it was first identified. In collaborating with the World Health Organization, the CDC has developed practical, hospital-based guidelines for infection control in the African health care setting. The manual recommends using common and low-cost supplies, such as household bleach, water, cotton cloth and plastic sheeting to curb infection. It is available in English, French and Portuguese.

Anyone – from the very young to the very old – can be infected with Ebola. The virus is first transmitted from animals to humans, typically by hunters who kill primates in the jungle and then consume infected meat, Jasarevic said. Carriers of the virus can infect others through bodily fluids, including saliva, sweat, nasal drip and blood. There is no standard treatment and no vaccine. Patients receive supportive therapy to balance their fluids and electrolytes, control blood pressure and oxygen levels, and manage any infections that may occur, according to the CDC. Researchers do not know why a small percentage of people recover from Ebola while others do not. Those who die usually have not developed a significant immune response to the virus.

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/09/13/ebola-death-toll-climbs-in-congo/
 
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