Two researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have been named Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellows, an award intended to “support the work of exceptional young researchers early in their academic careers, and often at pivotal stages in their work.”

Dr. Jennifer Kohler and Dr. Joseph Ready were honored for their work in chemistry. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation recognizes excellence in physics, chemistry, computational and evolutionary molecular biology, computer science, economics, mathematics and neuroscience.

Dr. Kohler, assistant professor of internal medicine, and Dr. Ready, associate professor of biochemistry, each will receive $50,000 over two years. Sloan Fellows may pursue whatever line of research they wish, and the funds may be used in a wide variety of ways.

“It was a bit of a surprise to me, because I thought they’d forgotten about me,” said Dr. Kohler, who was originally nominated last year.

Her research involves carbohydrates on cell surfaces, which interact with other cells and the environment in many tasks. These often-fleeting interactions, however, are difficult to study. She and her colleagues make “unnatural sugars” that, when exposed to light, permanently bind to whatever they’re contacting.

“It’s like a snapshot of what’s going on,” she said. Her group plans to focus on enzymes that remove cell-surface carbohydrates from various types of human cancer cells. This interaction appears to be involved in resistance to some chemotherapies and radiation treatments.

Dr. Ready, a synthetic chemist, works with naturally occurring molecules from algae and soil bacteria to search for antibiotics and anti-cancer agents.

“It’s been known for a long time that natural sources represent a wonderful supply of antibiotics and other drugs,” he said. “And bacteria generate a great variety of small, biologically active molecules.”

Once a potentially useful compound is identified, Dr. Ready and his colleagues find ways to synthesize it in large quantities. In addition, they may modify it chemically to make it more effective, or to make the synthesis easier.

Previous fellowship winners from UT Southwestern are Dr. Jef DeBrabander, professor of biochemistry, 2001; and Dr. Patrick Harran, former professor of biochemistry, 2002. The Sloan Research Fellowships have been awarded since 1955.

Notes:

The Sloan Foundation is a philanthropic, not-for-profit grant making institution based in New York City. It named 118 fellows from 61 colleges and universities this year. Established in 1934 by Alfred Pritchard Sloan Jr., then-President and Chief Executive Officer of the General Motors Corporation, the Foundation makes grants in support of original research and education in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and economic performance.

University of California, Irvine infectious disease researchers have shown the effectiveness of a potential alternative to the existing smallpox vaccine that can replace the current biodefense stockpile for this lethal virus.

Philip Felgner and Huw Davies with the Department of Medicine found that the modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) produced the same antiviral response in human and animal studies as the current smallpox vaccine, Dryvax. The study is part of a national effort to develop a replacement for the Dryvax vaccine, which causes serious complications in some people. The results are published in the Journal of Virology.

“Studies have shown MVA to be a much safer vaccine product that takes advantage of modern technology,” Felgner said. “We are pleased that our advanced analytical methods may help to bring an effective and safer vaccine to the public.”

Smallpox was declared eradicated worldwide in 1980; the last naturally occurring case in the world was in Somalia in 1977. Routine vaccination against smallpox in the U.S. stopped in 1972, and Dryvax production was halted in 1982.

Both Dryvax and MVA are strains of vaccinia virus, which is related to the smallpox virus. The antibodies created by vaccinia virus infection protect a person against a lethal smallpox infection, making it suitable for use as a vaccine. Unlike smallpox virus, vaccinia creates a very mild infection and is completely safe for healthy individuals.

Although Dryvax was effective during the eradication campaign in the 1960s and ’70s, its manufacturing methods are outdated by today’s standards, and it is also associated with significant risk of adverse reactions for immune-compromised individuals.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, identified MVA as a possible candidate to replace Dryvax. MVA was first developed in the 1970s and has been administered to animal species and humans with little or no adverse side effects.

In the study, Felgner and Davies applied blood serum samples taken from both humans and animals given the MVA or Dryvax vaccines to “microarray” chips containing more than 200 vaccinia virus proteins, on which they simultaneously studied how the serum antibodies responded to all the vaccinia proteins.

The researchers found that these antibody responses were similar in both the animal and human subjects regardless whether they were given MVA or Dryvax, suggesting that MVA contains antiviral properties similar to those in Dryvax.

This similarity is vital, Davies says, because if a vaccine initiates an immune response in humans that matches the one in animals that are protected against lethal pox viruses, then public health officials will have more confidence that the vaccine will be effective in humans.

“This is particularly important for vaccines against lethal infections like smallpox, where human clinical trials cannot be done,” he added.

Two deadly and highly infectious viruses — both potential bioterror threats — may have met their match in a new drug developed by scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.

Hendra and Nipah viruses are related, newly recognized zoonotic viruses that can spread from their natural reservoir in fruit bats to larger animals — including pigs, horses and humans.

The mode of transmission isn’t clear, but is thought to be relatively easy — either by close contact with an infected host or by breathing in the microscopic pathogens. Infection often leads to a fatal encephalitis, and there is currently no effective treatment against these illnesses.

However, in breakthrough research conducted last year, researchers at Weill Cornell manipulated a peptide (protein) related to a third pathogen, parainfluenza virus, that appeared to block “pseudo” Hendra and Nipah viruses from entering and infecting human cells.

Now, this “entry inhibitor” approach has proven effective in blocking the infection of live virus in animal cells, pointing the way to a drug that could be stockpiled to help stop an outbreak in humans.

Those findings appeared recently in the Journal of Virology.

“We have now tested the peptide-based entry inhibitor in monkey cells to show that it does effectively block infection with both live Hendra and Nipah,” explains study senior researcher Dr. Anne Moscona, a professor of pediatrics and of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College, and an attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Public health officials have sounded alarm bells ever since Nipah virus first emerged in pigs and then humans living in Southeast Asia. More recently, cases of Hendra virus began to show up in horses and their human handlers in Australia.

Experts who drew up the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ Biodefense Research Agenda have included both viruses as potential bioterror agents.

“Theoretically, it’s possible to go out into the field and collect Hendra virus from bats, for example,” Dr. Moscona says. “We’ve been urgently working on this because right now there’s absolutely nothing that can be done to stop this fatal, transmissible illness.”

Luckily, prior research at Weill Cornell had laid out some important groundwork. The study’s lead author, Dr. Matteo Porotto, has worked for years studying these types of microorganisms, using the parainfluenza virus as his model.

“We were able to develop the strategy that we describe in this paper because our work on parainfluenza had already helped us understand how these viruses fuse with host cells,” says Dr. Porotto, assistant professor of microbiology in the Department of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Based on that work, Drs. Porotto and Moscona knew that when the receptor-binding molecule on the virus — simply called “G” — binds to the surface of the cell, it activates a special “fusion protein.” This fusion molecule has to then undergo some shape changes to turn itself into a six-helix bundle. Once that’s done, it helps the virus fuse with, and enter, the cell, Dr. Porotto explains.

However, the Weill Cornell team discovered that a peptide specific to the parainfluenza virus “fusion protein” (“F”) can inhibit this shape-changing step — stopping fusion cold.

“Surprisingly, this parainfluenza F-peptide turned out to be even more effective at inhibiting Hendra virus fusion than peptides derived from the Hendra virus itself,” Dr. Moscona says. “It also appears to do much the same thing with the Nipah virus, inhibiting fusion there, too.”

The team discovered just why the F peptide works so well in a collaboration with Dr. Min Lu, associate professor of biochemistry at Weill Cornell. “These peptides act like door jambs — their particular shapes prevent ‘doors’ in the viral ‘fusion protein’ from closing as they should. The parainfluenza peptide’s shape simply makes it a better door jamb,” Dr. Porotto said.

Much of this research is modeled on insights gained from two decades of investigation into another lethal virus, HIV. In fact, T-20, or Fuzeon — one of the earliest effective HIV-suppressing drugs — acts on a similar principle to block that virus’ entry into cells.

The next step, according to the researchers, is to use what they’ve learned to design even more effective peptides that should work even better.

“However, one issue with peptides is that you have to be concerned about how long they are going to last in the bloodstream,” Dr. Moscona says. “So, we are also developing methods of sustained-release — for example, encasing the peptide in a polymer pellet that would be injected under the skin. The pellet would then release the drug slowly over the course of a week. That could form a viable method suitable for stockpiling,” she says.

This research was supported by a Public Health Service grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s NorthEast Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infections Disease Research.

Collaborators included Paolo Carta and Dr. Yiqun Deng of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City; Dr. Michael Whitt, of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis; Glenn E. Kellogg, of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va.; and Dr. Bruce Mungall, of the Australian Animal Health Laboratory, CSIRO Livestock Industries, Geelong, Australia.

Weill Cornell Medical College

Weill Cornell Medical College — Cornell University’s Medical School located in New York City — is committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care and the advancement of the art and science of medicine, locally, nationally and globally. Weill Cornell, which is a principal academic affiliate of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, offers an innovative curriculum that integrates the teaching of basic and clinical sciences, problem-based learning, office-based preceptorships, and primary care and doctoring courses. Physicians and scientists of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in cutting-edge research in such areas as stem cells, genetics and gene therapy, geriatrics, neuroscience, structural biology, cardiovascular medicine, infectious disease, obesity, cancer, psychiatry and public health — and continue to delve ever deeper into the molecular basis of disease in an effort to unlock the mysteries behind the human body and the malfunctions that result in serious medical disorders. The Medical College — in its commitment to global health and education — has a strong presence in such places as Qatar, Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. With the historic Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, the Medical School is the first in the U.S. to offer its M.D. degree overseas. Weill Cornell is the birthplace of many medical advances — from the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer to the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., the first clinical trial for gene therapy for Parkinson’s disease, the first indication of bone marrow’s critical role in tumor growth, and, most recently, the world’s first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally-conscious brain-injured patient. For more information, visit http://www.med.cornell.edu.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
425 East 61st St., Fl. 7
New York, NY 10021
United States

http://www.nyp.org

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) has announced a series of new educational initiatives aimed at eliminating healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), which include Clostridium difficile-associated disease and the three infections that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have classified as preventable occurrences: catheter-associated urinary tract infections (UTIs), central line catheter-associated blood stream infections, and mediastinitis (a deep infection following coronary artery bypass surgery). The APIC programs will provide a comprehensive package of education, research and guidance for infection prevention and control professionals.

“As the nation’s largest infection prevention organization, we are leading an effort to eradicate these infections,” said Kathy L. Warye, Chief Executive Officer of APIC. “The Targeting Zero Campaign is intended to accelerate both learning and the delivery of practical tools for infection prevention professionals. In keeping with our efforts to create a culture of zero tolerance for non-compliance with measures proven to prevent HAIs, this program will clearly demonstrate to healthcare administrators and clinicians how they can implement effective strategies and simpler systems for protecting patients from these deadly infections.”

Launching in January 2008, APIC’s comprehensive program to address C. difficile will include a prevalence study to gain a better understanding of the scope of the problem. C. difficile is a bacterium that causes diarrhea and more serious intestinal conditions such as colitis. Over the past two years, a new strain of C. difficile has caused hospital outbreaks in several states.

APIC also intends to develop a Guide to the Elimination of C. difficile, including strategies for controlling transmission; an educational Webinar series, and a conference in the fall of 2008, featuring results of the prevalence study, along with the latest science, epidemiology and best practices in the elimination of C. difficile transmission.

To help infection prevention and control professionals address new changes to the CMS regulations which eliminate or reduce payments for three hospital-acquired infections, APIC will offer comprehensive educational programs on each of the three infections, using nationally recognized clinicians to discuss elimination strategies. APIC will also develop an elimination guide with practical implementation strategies for each infection.

“We want to prepare infection prevention and control professionals to more effectively educate and influence front-line healthcare teams about process improvements that could ensure safe patient outcomes,” said Denise Murphy, president of APIC and Vice President of Safety and Quality, and Chief Patient Safety and Quality Officer at Barnes-Jewish Hospital at Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis. “Leveraging the new CMS Guidelines, we hope to heighten awareness among clinical and administrative leadership about the value of infection prevention. Responding to this challenge requires a blend of research, education and practice guidance — a combination of activities that APIC is uniquely positioned to undertake. Following our positive experience taking a very comprehensive approach to MRSA in 2007, we plan to launch an aggressive fight against these deadly infections on multiple fronts in 2008.”

A new study into the way in which parasites interact with each other could help predict when infectious diseases are likely to break out.

A group of scientists in the UK and the US has been studying the behaviour of infectious parasites in rabbits. The findings could lead to us being able to predict more successfully when infectious cyclical diseases in humans are likely to occur.

The team from Cardiff University’s School of Biosciences, University of Stirling, University of Liverpool and Penn State University, Pennsylvania, have discovered that when rabbits are infected with more than one disease at a time, the diseases can interact with each other, changing their courses and potentially resulting in a more severe infection.

Most animals including humans are infected with more than one disease at any one time.

The research findings point to the possibility that any disease which follows a natural cycle could have that cycle changed by an interaction with another disease.

Dr Joanne Lello, Cardiff School of Biosciences, said that the findings provide a new way of looking for interactions between organisms which cause disease and provides another piece in the puzzle in terms of understanding how pathogens behave.

She said: “There has been a long standing debate as to whether co-infecting organisms interact with one another or whether interactions matter in natural pathogen systems. The debate continues because these interactions are so hard to detect in nature.

“What this study has provided us with is a new method of detection. For example, when we test this method on real data, such as where we examine changes in parasitic worm numbers in rabbits, it reveals changes in seasonal patterns of one type of worm when another type is present.

“Many diseases show cycles and if interactions change these cycles then there could be wide-ranging consequences and understanding this can help us better understand pathogen patterns. For example it could help scientists to predict more clearly when parasite outbreaks may occur.”

“The whole subject of co-infection biology is very exciting as it has implications for everything from theoretical biology to how we treat infectious diseases.”

A new study into the way in which parasites interact with each other could help predict when infectious diseases are likely to break out.

A group of scientists in the UK and the US has been studying the behaviour of infectious parasites in rabbits. The findings could lead to us being able to predict more successfully when infectious cyclical diseases in humans are likely to occur.

The team from Cardiff University’s School of Biosciences, University of Stirling, University of Liverpool and Penn State University, Pennsylvania, have discovered that when rabbits are infected with more than one disease at a time, the diseases can interact with each other, changing their courses and potentially resulting in a more severe infection.

Most animals including humans are infected with more than one disease at any one time.

The research findings point to the possibility that any disease which follows a natural cycle could have that cycle changed by an interaction with another disease.

Dr Joanne Lello, Cardiff School of Biosciences, said that the findings provide a new way of looking for interactions between organisms which cause disease and provides another piece in the puzzle in terms of understanding how pathogens behave.

She said: “There has been a long standing debate as to whether co-infecting organisms interact with one another or whether interactions matter in natural pathogen systems. The debate continues because these interactions are so hard to detect in nature.

“What this study has provided us with is a new method of detection. For example, when we test this method on real data, such as where we examine changes in parasitic worm numbers in rabbits, it reveals changes in seasonal patterns of one type of worm when another type is present.

“Many diseases show cycles and if interactions change these cycles then there could be wide-ranging consequences and understanding this can help us better understand pathogen patterns. For example it could help scientists to predict more clearly when parasite outbreaks may occur.”

“The whole subject of co-infection biology is very exciting as it has implications for everything from theoretical biology to how we treat infectious diseases.”

On November 29, the Ugandan Ministry of Health confirmed a case of Ebola in the western region of the country. On December 1, after carrying out a rapid assessment, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) set up isolation units in the Kikyo health center and the Bundibugyo hospital.

Currently, two outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever have been identified in Kikyo and Bundibugyo, Uganda. The extent of the epidemic is not yet known.

As of December 6, 93 cases have been recorded at the Bundibugyo hospital and the Kikyo health center. Of those, 22 people have died, including four health care workers. The virus was confirmed in nine cases through laboratory tests.

No treatment is yet available for this highly contagious illness. The viral strains known today cause death in 50-90 percent of cases. Suspected cases must be isolated and health care workers must implement strict barrier nursing techniques.

On December 1, an MSF team composed of 12 specialists in hemorrhagic fever set up two isolation units in the area. On December 5, 25 patients were treated in the Bundibugyo hospital unit. From December 1 to 5, nine new patients were admitted and the number of hospitalized cases is increasing. Fifteen patients were hospitalized in the Kikyo isolation unit on the same date.

MSF is organizing community awareness and information campaigns in the affected areas to reduce contamination risks, particularly during funerals of deceased patients.

Additional medical and non-medical staff will arrive to support the MSF team in the next few days. The team will then be able to expand its activities to persons who have had contact with patients and to monitor suspected cases in neighboring towns.

MSF is working closely with the Ugandan Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization. The organization also took part in treating people infected during an Ebola epidemic in Gulu, Uganda in 2000.

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org

A newly released software program will let health authorities at the site of an infectious disease outbreak quickly analyze data, speeding the detection of new cases and the implementation of effective interventions.

The program, called TranStat, was developed by a team of epidemiologists and computer scientists from the Models of Infectious Disease Agent Study (MIDAS), an international program supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to build computational models for studying disease spread.

“A main goal of MIDAS is to make the models developed by the researchers available to the public health community and policymakers,” said Jeremy M. Berg, Ph.D., director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the NIH component that funds MIDAS. “TranStat is a great example of how MIDAS is providing tools to help communities prepare for emerging infectious disease outbreaks.”

Available for free and downloadable at http://www.midasmodels.org, TranStat can be used by public health officials to systematically enter and store infectious disease data. These data include details about the infected individuals, such as their sex, age, and onset of symptoms; their close contacts; and any interventions they might have received. The program also prompts the field personnel to enter details about exposed but uninfected individuals. The system does not collect names or other personally identifying information.

The computer program uses this information to statistically determine the probability that people contracted the disease from each other, a driving factor in the spread of infections. TranStat also estimates in real time the average number of people an individual could infect and the rate at which that infection occurs in a particular setting. This information can help health officials develop and swiftly implement strategies that thwart further spread while they conduct additional studies.

“We’ve made TranStat portable and easy to use, so field officers can enter, edit, and analyze data as an outbreak progresses,” said Diane Wagener, Ph.D., a program manager at RTI International, an independent, nonprofit research organization in Research Triangle Park, N.C., which helped develop the user interface.

Ira Longini, Ph.D., a biostatistician at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington in Seattle, directed the research behind TranStat. He and his research team have used the underlying methods and software to determine that the H5N1 avian flu virus probably spread between members of an extended family in Indonesia in 2006. According to the results published in the September 2007 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, the transmission was not sustained.

“The faster we learn about emerging infectious diseases and their characteristics, the quicker we can contain and mitigate them,” said Longini. “TranStat will help us do this by standardizing data collection and analysis.”

Future software enhancements that will allow field personnel to enter more refined data about the affected population and their social networks are under way.

As global progress in reducing Measles deaths was announced this week (68% death decline worldwide and 91% decline in Africa), Government of Lesotho (GOL), through the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) released the official results of the Nationwide Measles campaign that was held from 9-19 October 2007. The campaign successfully reached 92.2% of the target population aged between 9 and 59 months.

The Campaign comprised a massive civil activity. Over 1,000 health workers were trained, and support was galvanized from over 2,000 social mobilizers from GOL, NGOs, churches, teachers, volunteers, community health workers and civil society who went door-to-door informing and educating people about the need to vaccinate children. The latter spread out using cars, trucks, planes, and helicopters as part of the campaign that also provided vitamin A (to boost the immune system) and de-worming tablets in addition to the measles vaccine.

A total of 196,490 (92.2%) out of the targeted 213,032 children were vaccinated against Measles; they were reached through 1,802 vaccination sites established in all the ten districts. Vitamin A was provided to 85.5% of targeted children, while 81% of targeted children received Albendazole (de-worming).

The last major campaign of this nature was held in Lesotho in 2004 when about 83% of children between 6 – 59 months were reached and routine immunization figures were just 78%. Since then, routine vaccination coverage had consistently remained below 80%.

“Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known. It remains a leading cause of death among young children, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine. Reaching over 92% of the targeted children with measles vaccination is a milestone achievement and will contribute significantly in reducing child mortality in Lesotho”, said Aichatou Diawara-Flambert, UNICEF Country Representative.

A Measles post-campaign evaluation survey was carried out, with support from UNICEF and WHO. It revealed administrative national measles immunization coverage of 89%. The report cited main reasons for non vaccination being: unknown place of immunization (16%); mother too busy (16%); unaware of the need for immunization (15%). The report’s main recommendations were to provide training for village/community health workers; to expand outreach services in hard to reach areas so as to raise the level of routine immunization; and increase Health Education for communities to prioritize immunization.

The Lesotho National Measles Campaign is part of a larger global effort to cut global measles deaths by 90 percent in the period 2000-2010. The Measles Initiative is a long-term commitment to control measles deaths in Africa by vaccinating 200 million children and preventing 1.2 million deaths. Leading this effort are the American Red Cross, United Nations Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, WHO and the Pan American Health Organization.

“This campaign and its success were made possible by the firm commitment of the Government of Lesotho to fully implement the measles initiative strategy, which includes vaccinating all children against measles before their first birthday via routine health services and providing a second opportunity for measles vaccination through mass vaccination campaigns” said Dr. Angela Benson, WHO Representative.

The Honourable Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Mphu Ramatlapeng, highlighted the staggering planning that went into rolling out a campaign of this size and commended all partners on mounting a remarkable logistical, social mobilisation and training operation to ensure that most children under the age of five were reached. She also highlighted the need to maintain high coverage through a strengthened routine immunization programme, in order to ensure that all children are vaccinated against immune preventable diseases.

UNICEF Lesotho has been instrumental in providing technical and financial support for the campaign including more than $ 240,000 in cash and supplies such as all vaccines and related equipment – including with Vitamin A and de-worming tablets. Support was also provided in the area of advocacy and social mobilization as well as development of the post campaign evaluation survey.

WHO provided technical support at all levels of health care services, through quality micro planning, implementation, supervision, advocacy, social mobilisation and post campaign evaluation, thus using the extended programme of immunization to strengthen the health system.

Ugandans are beginning to feat that the latest cases of Ebola fever may spread – so far there are 101 reported suspected case, as well as 338 other patients who are being monitored, say authorities.

There have been 22 deaths so far, as well as 11 health workers who have become ill, says Dr. Emmanuel Otaala, Minister of State for Primary-Health. Pay rises have been approved for health workers who are in contact with sick people.

The 338 people are being monitored because they were in physical contact with those who are known to have been infected. Nearly all the cases are in the Bundibugyo district, plus two in the capital, Kampala.

Panic is starting to spread among health workers, officials and health care unions. In fact, union officials are telling their members not to touch a sick patient unless they have been provided with protective clothing.

Ebola fever is thought to originate in the Ebola river, the Congo. The region of Uganda where the latest outbreak is occurring is near the Congo border, and near the Ebola River. The local press informs that the Congo has closed its border with Uganda – this is strongly denied by Congolese authorities. Reuters informs that Congolese authorities told them that the people of Congo have bee told to be extra vigilant, nothing else – no borders have been sealed.

Rwanda, which also borders with Uganda, has set up mobile clinics at strategic points just in case the illness spreads. Western Uganda borders with Kenya, where authorities say they are screening people who come over from Uganda.

Ugandan authorities are being accused in some quarters of covering the outbreak up. The outbreak started four months ago. They say it was covered up so as not to affect the meeting of the Commonwealth Summit last month – visitors included 53 heads of governments, as well as the UK’s Queen Elizabeth. Authorities say this is not the case.

In 2000 about 425 people in Uganda caught Ebola and half of them died.

What is Ebola?

It is a deadly virus that originated in Africa. Like Marburg fever, Lassa fever, and Dengue fever, it is a hemorrhagic fever.

There are four types of Ebola

– Ebola Zaire (known to cause serious illness)
– Ebola Cote d’ivoire (known to cause serious illness)
– Ebola Sudan (known to cause serious illness)
– Ebola Reston (does not cause serious illness)

Ebola is contagious, and is passed on through bodily fluids, such as blood and secretions. If you touch other infected primates you run the risk of becoming infected yourself. You are also at risk if you touch an infected corpse, infected patients – in both cases if you do not exercise proper caution. Some experts say the disease may be transmitted through airborne particles, but there is not proof of this.

When there is an outbreak health care workers/professionals are at particular risk of infection. Unfortunately, Ebola breaks out in nations where crucial protective garments and sterilization procedures are scarce, making doctors and nurses very vulnerable to infection.

Myth – It does not kill in hours

Ebola does not kill within hours of infection. The incubation period can be up to a couple of weeks.

Symptoms

– Fever, which rises rapidly
– Extremely severe muscle pain
– Severe weakness, such that the patient is completely debilitated
– Diarrhea, vomiting, internal bleeding, external bleeding (less common)

The media, and film industry, have led us to believe that symptoms develop quickly and the patient looks horrific. In fact, the symptoms develop gradually and often there is no external exhibition of the virus. Less than half of all infected people develop hemorrhaging. However, when hemorrhaging does occur, the patient’s mouth, nose, genitals, and parts of the skin can bleed.