WHO: Ebola Spreads Exponentially in Liberia, Many More Cases Soon

a reply to: negue

I've wondered, have they tried making a vaccine using Ebola Reston? Ebola Reston is a strain that infects humans, but is asymptomatic. It only kills monkey's. I am sure they have tried it, but I haven't heard about it. It would be cool if becoming infected with Ebola Reston saved the world from the spread of this mutation of Ebola Zaire (or Ebola Guinnea or whatever it's called).

a reply to: GogoVicMorrow

I don't think that would work. It's a different strain, like you said. A vaccine with Ebola Reston would only provide immunity against this Reston strain. It would be ineffective against the Zaire/Guinea strain active now. That's my personal opinion, I'm not a doctor (and given this Ebola outbreak, I'm not sure I'd want to be one).

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In other news, also about Liberia:

Ebola Seriously Threatens Liberia's National Existence: National Defense Minister

Liberia's national existence is "seriously threatened" by the deadly Ebola virus that is "spreading like wild fire and devouring everything in its path," the country's national defense minister told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday.

U.N. special envoy to Liberia Karin Landgren told the council that at least 160 Liberian health care workers had contracted the disease and half of them had died. She described the spread of Ebola as "merciless" and warned that the reported cases and deaths in Liberia "understate Ebola's true toll."

"The speed and scale of the loss of lives, and the economic, social, political and security reverberations of the crisis are affecting Liberia profoundly," she said. "Liberians are facing their gravest threat since war."

"The pandemic has mushroomed into a health emergency exceeding the government's response," he said. "Liberia lacks the infrastructure, logistical capacity, professional expertise and financial resources to effectively address this disease."

Source

This does not look good. Or is it just more fearmongering, like some ATS members here have said?

Yes western countries would jump on the 1st case they see.

BUT

What if the 1st case they see is a boss gang who 'handles' 5 'gang ldrs' who 'employ' 10-20 'illegal immigrant trapped in slavery' How many people in the subculture all around us would already have it and be spreading it by the time it got to the boss?

Or it's a weighbridge operator 21 days(and 1000's of other customers later) after catching from the lorry driver coming back into the country?

There are many other ways if the right or wrong person brings it in and gives it to another multi contact person at a key hub that it would not already be extremely difficult to contain before they realise it is here.

All we can do is hope that does not happen.

Also if it is in Nigeria and being covered up, then it won't be long before it is everywhere, will it not?

originally posted by: negue
a reply to: GogoVicMorrow

I don't think that would work. It's a different strain, like you said. A vaccine with Ebola Reston would only provide immunity against this Reston strain. It would be ineffective against the Zaire/Guinea strain active now. That's my personal opinion, I'm not a doctor (and given this Ebola outbreak, I'm not sure I'd want to be one).

---

In other news, also about Liberia:

Ebola Seriously Threatens Liberia's National Existence: National Defense Minister

Liberia's national existence is "seriously threatened" by the deadly Ebola virus that is "spreading like wild fire and devouring everything in its path," the country's national defense minister told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday.

U.N. special envoy to Liberia Karin Landgren told the council that at least 160 Liberian health care workers had contracted the disease and half of them had died. She described the spread of Ebola as "merciless" and warned that the reported cases and deaths in Liberia "understate Ebola's true toll."

"The speed and scale of the loss of lives, and the economic, social, political and security reverberations of the crisis are affecting Liberia profoundly," she said. "Liberians are facing their gravest threat since war."

"The pandemic has mushroomed into a health emergency exceeding the government's response," he said. "Liberia lacks the infrastructure, logistical capacity, professional expertise and financial resources to effectively address this disease."

Source

This does not look good. Or is it just more fearmongering, like some ATS members here have said?

Are we sure though? The first vaccine for small pox was using a different virus completely, cow pox. So if Reston created antibodies to ebola that might make someone better equipped to survive a strain that affects humans, even if it just lowers the mortality rate.

I don't know, but it's an interesting idea that i've never heard mentioned. It doesn't have to be the same virus to evoke an immune response that would be effective (against several virus of similar types).

I think that the missing link to a vaccine/cure are the Ebola survivors. Obviously they have something that most others do not.