Taking gorilla health to heart Jun 11, 2008
The animals are hunted for their meat, and have been badly hit by the Ebola virus. They have been classified as "critically endangered" by the World Conservation Union, and at their current rate of decline could disappear from the wild by 2050. (Globe and Mail)
Invasion Strategy Of World's Largest Virus Revealed Jun 1, 2008
6, 2008) Veterinary researchers have identified a protein, ISG15, that inhibits the Ebola virus from budding, the process by which viruses escape from cells and spread to infect neighboring. . (Science Daily)
Scarred forever by a slip of the dial May 29, 2008
Afterwards, I decided I would sooner voluntarily expose myself to the Ebola virus than tune in again. Wallowing in a pool of sheep's brains while listening to a child learning to play the violin would be a more satisfying experience, and may also have a less damaging long-term impact on my psychology. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Marisela Raquel Rodriguez May 25, 2008
Her long term career goals are to study the immune responses of Ebola virus, and to create a graduate program geared at mentoring students in the field of infectious diseases. A member of Delta Beta Chi sorority, she has been involved in school as well as community programs and has been a member since starting school in 2001. (Petersburg Progress Index, VA)
Bush scales back McCain events at campaign's request... May 25, 2008
Bush is McCain's Ebola virus. You keep away from it as much as possible because (a) it is deadly and (b) it is very contagious. (The Drudge Report)
Open Court: This isn’t basketball (94) May 18, 2008
The Spurs flopping has infected the NBA like the Ebola virus, turning professional basketball into a depressing combination of flag football and soccer. The worst part. (Green Valley News & Sun, AZ)
Extinction Epidemic Apr 18, 2008
Ebola Virus Threatens Gorilla With Extinction ... The highly-infectious Ebola virus has decimated huge swaths of the already diminished western lowland gorilla population. (Fox News)
Scientists seek Ebola vaccine to save gorillas Apr 18, 2008
BEIJING, April 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Scientists are racing against time to find a vaccine for the highly-infectious Ebola virus that has decimated western lowland gorilla populations. Western lowland gorillas are the most common type, but even at that there are probably only between 50,000 and 100,000 remain in the wild, all of them in the forests of the Congo basin in central Africa. (Xinhuanet, China)
Migrations Disappear and Diseases Jump Species Apr 16, 2008
For example, wild fruit bats have proved to be the reservoir where the Ebola virus waits for a chance to infect people. At the same time, human activities such as deforestation are creating more habitat in which the mosquitoes that spread malaria can thrive, according to environmental health scientist Jonathan Patz of the University of Wisconsin Madison. (Scientific American)
The Asiatic vs. Italian fake hair showdown Apr 12, 2008
" Which raises a great existential dilemma: Is it better to be told to do something directly, or to be given the illusion that you are the master of your destiny? -- Andrew Leonard [13:31 EDT, April 7, 2008] (47) The silver lining of the credit crunch Some theories just won't die, even with multiple stakes through the heart and a thermonuclear explosion to boot. How the World Works was of the opinion that if the global credit crunch proved anything, it was the complete bankruptcy of the idea... (Salon)
Researchers Successfully Test Ebola Vaccines Apr 2, 2008
"The biothreat posed by Ebola virus cannot be overlooked. We are seeing more and more naturally occurring human outbreaks of this deadly disease. With worldwide air travel and tourism, the virus can now be transported to and from remote regions of the world. And it has huge potential as a possible weapon of bioterrorism. We desperately need a protective vaccine," Dr. Anthony Sanchez, of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a prepared statement ... "Ebola virus infection... (MEDLINEplus)
Vaccine For Ebola Virus Successful In Primates Apr 1, 2008
31, 2008) One of the world's deadliest diseases, caused by the Ebola virus, may finally be preventable thanks to US and Canadian researchers, who have successfully tested several Ebola vaccines in primates and are now looking to adapt them for human use ... "The biothreat posed by Ebola virus cannot be overlooked. We are seeing more and more naturally occurring human outbreaks of this deadly disease. With worldwide air travel and tourism the virus can now be transported to and from remote... (Science Daily)
Ebola Vaccine Works In Primates Apr 1, 2008
The Ebola virus, made famous in novels and movies as fast-spreading and deadly, may be prevented by a newly tested vaccine ... "The biothreat posed by Ebola virus cannot be overlooked. We are seeing more and more naturally occurring human outbreaks of this deadly disease. With worldwide air travel and tourism the virus can now be transported to and from remote regions of the world. And it has huge potential as a possible weapon of bioterrorism," Sanchez said ... Because Ebola virus is so... (Click2Houston, TX)
Fielder shakes off flu to start opener Apr 1, 2008
"I would have to have the Ebola virus," Fielder joked Monday morning. "Seriously, I don't like missing games. I would have to be really sick. I would have to be unable to help the team at all. If I can walk around at all, I'm going to play." Fielder first reported feeling aches and pains on Saturday, before the Brewers played the Royals to wrap up their Spring Training schedule. (MLB.com -- Milwaukee Brewers)
Vaccine for Ebola virus Mar 31, 2008
One of the worlds deadliest diseases, caused by the Ebola virus, may finally be preventable thanks to US and Canadian researchers, who have successfully tested several Ebola vaccines in primates and are now looking to adapt them for human use ... The biothreat posed by Ebola virus cannot be overlooked ... Because Ebola virus is so dangerous, producing and testing a vaccine is extremely challenging for the scientists. (EurekAlert!)
New Technique Will Speed The Development Of Vaccines, Study Shows Mar 28, 2008
Brown said the new technique also will be a boon to researchers working on vaccines against pathogens that are highly contagious or especially deadly, such as the Ebola virus and the bacterium that causes anthrax. She is using it to screen proteins from Coxiella, a bacterium that causes Q fever and is considered a possible bioterrorism threat. (Science Daily)
No Sex in the City Mar 27, 2008
Wise Diva I agree people think being single is some sort of Ebola virus. I personally am happy being single. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Living)
23 days to live Mar 23, 2008
L happens to meet them while researching a deadly virus that is 10 times more infectious than the Ebola virus. Pursued by the bioterrorism group, L flees with the boy and Maki, both of whom are keys to developing the vaccine, gradually opening his heart to them in his own shy way. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Keep your cool when your kid’s friends ditch their plans Mar 23, 2008
And while you feel badly that she s come down with a sudden case of ebola virus, you feel even worse when you run into her later that night when she s hanging out with friends. Her explanation that they all have ebola virus and have been quarantined together at their favorite pizza joint doesn t make you feel better. (Winona Daily News, MN)
Rwanda Conservation Effort To Link Isolated Chimps To Distant Forest Mar 21, 2008
14, 2001) The Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is working to prevent the recent Ebola virus outbreak from decimating wild populations of gorillas, chimpanzees and other wildlife in Gabon and. (Jan. (Science Daily)
Anger at school TB test delays Mar 7, 2008
It's only a matter of time before the Ebola virus makes its way here as well. I think it's time we made vaccinations mandatory for everyone regardless of their supposed belief systems. (NEWS.com.au)
Protein Inhibits Ebola From Reaching Out To Infect Neighboring Cells Mar 7, 2008
6, 2008) Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine have identified a protein, ISG15, that inhibits the Ebola virus from budding, the process by which viruses escape from cells and spread to infect neighboring cells. This study shows for the first time how ISG15 slows the spread of Ebola virus budding, an observation that could help explain how ISG15 successfully inhibits other viruses, including HIV-1 and herpes simplex virus type I. The findings offer the... (Science Daily)
Combination Vaccine Protects Monkeys From Ebola And Marburg Viruses Feb 28, 2008
30, 2000) A team of researchers led by scientists from the National Institutes of Health has developed a novel vaccine that prevents Ebola virus infection in monkeys ... 10, 2003) Scientists have successfully immunized mice against Ebola virus using hollow virus-like particles, or VLPs, which are non-infectious but capable of provoking a robust immune response. (Science Daily)
Pandemic Hot Spots Map a Path to Prevention Feb 23, 2008
Examples include the Ebola virus (1976) and HIV (1981) as well as the more recent (1999), SARS (2002) and H5N1 bird flu (1997). They compared the frequency of novel outbreaks with possible contributing factors such as population density and growth, latitude, and the diversity of wildlife. (Scientific American)
India hotspot for new infectious diseases: Report Feb 23, 2008
And most of these, including SARS and the Ebola virus, originated in mammals. "India risks new epidemics as the human population expands into natural wilderness, coming into contact with a diverse range of wildlife that harbour unusual diseases," Kate Jones, a biodiversity scientist at the Zoological Society of London and first author of the international study, told TOI.. (Times of India)
Find out if you’re heading into harm’s way Feb 23, 2008
For example, the most recent update on Congo notes that travelers are often detained by poorly disciplined security forces at road-blocks, that sometimes they have to pay unofficial ``special fees at the airport and that the Ebola virus was reported as recently as October. Boysen says the State Department should be taken seriously: ``If it makes it to the State Department Web site, it s pretty significant, he says, noting that there are political ramifications for what amounts to blacklisting a... (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
Scientists: India risks new epidemics Feb 22, 2008
And most of these, including SARS and the Ebola virus, originated in mammals. Worldwide, the study found that disease emergencies have roughly quadrupled over the past 50 years. (Xinhuanet, China)
Next human plague 'likely to come from animal contact' Feb 21, 2008
New zoonoses include AIDS, which is believed to have jumped from chimpanzees to humans, possibly through hunters who killed and butchered apes; SARS, whose natural reservoir is Chinese bats; and the Ebola virus, which holes up in three species of African fruit bat and infects animal primates and humans. "We are crowding wildlife into ever-smaller areas, and human population is increasing," said co-author Marc Levy of the Center for International Earth Science Information Network, affiliated to... (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Animal Viruses Threaten Human Plagues Feb 20, 2008
A three-year investigation has shown that since 1940 around 250 viruses such as HIV, Ebola Virus, SARS and H5N1 bird flu have jumped from wild animals to people. Presenting the first-ever map of "hotspots" of new infectious diseases in the British journal Nature, researchers from Columbia University and the New York Consortium for Conservation Medicine at Wildlife Trust predict that the next pandemic is likeliest to come out of poor tropical countries. (Sky News)
Uukuniemi Virus Helps To Explain The Infection Mechanism Of Bunyaviruses Feb 19, 2008
21, 2007) A topical respiratory tract vaccine tested for the first time in a primate model may protect against Ebola virus infection. Ebola virus is a highly contagious form of severe hemorrhagic fever with a ... 21, 2007) Ebola virus (EBOV) and Marburg virus (MARV) belong to the Filoviridae family and cause severe hemorrhagic fever in humans and nonhuman primates. (Science Daily)
Study garners unique mating photos of wild gorillas Feb 13, 2008
The western lowland gorilla is listed as Critically Endangered as a result of hunting by humans, habitat destruction, and health threats such as the Ebola virus. The female gorilla in the photograph, nicknamed Leah by researchers, made history in 2005 when she was observed using tools another never-before-seen behavior for her kind in the wild. (EurekAlert!)
Local student learns at Centers for Disease Control Feb 8, 2008
"It's very helpful and reassuring to see that the knowledge we acquire in many classes at BVU is applicable to real-world jobs." While Laura did not work in high-risk areas at the CDC, she did have the chance to put on one of the hazmat "space suits," which are required protection for scientists working in Biosafety Level 4 labs, where research is conducted on such dangerous agents as the Ebola virus and smallpox. "The suit was an XXL size, which was a little big on my 5 foot, 3 inch frame, so... (Storm Lake Pilot Tribune, IA)
Merck AIDS Failure Signals Doom for Africa, U.S. Projects to Prevent HIV Jan 31, 2008
Eight government-funded studies of vaccines against HIV, malaria and Ebola virus were halted or put on hold after the Merck results. The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, based in New York, has stepped up efforts to find a way to prevent the disease that doesn't depend on triggering protective T-cells. (Bloomberg -- US)
Cells Use Velcro-like Mechanism To Keep Viruses From Spreading Jan 29, 2008
By watching particles of HIV as well as virus-like particles made from Ebola virus structural proteins, Bieniasz and first author Stuart Neil, a postdoc in the lab, found that an immune protein, known as interferon, actually instructs cells to tether enveloped viruses to the cell membrane like Velcro ... To see whether interferon-induced virus retention was specific to HIV or whether it could work against other enveloped virus particles, Neil and Bieniasz used a protein from Ebola to create... (Science Daily)
The synthetic genome Jan 27, 2008
We could now probably also syn-thesise any virus with a genetic code of fewer than 10,000 letters of DNA in under a week in the lab, and larger viruses such as the Marburg or Ebola virus [both very unpleasant] in a month or so. For Marburger the implications were clear and, soon after, Venter s research was put under scrutiny by the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity which oversees research deemed potentially dangerous. (Times Online)
29 things to be happy about Yes, it's all doom and gloom and war and... Jan 27, 2008
29 things to be happy about / Yes, it's all doom and gloom and war and global warming and Bush. Except when it's not. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Crime)
Read This Before You Die Jan 27, 2008
If not from heart disease, the Ebola virus or mayhem-minded coyotes armed with anvils, then surely by being smothered under the avalanche of "Before You Die" books tumbling off the shelves these days. Blame it on Patricia Schultz. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Travel)
Great Apes Endangered By Human Viruses Jan 26, 2008
27, 2004) Scientists fear that emerging evidence may suggest a new outbreak of the Ebola virus, which, in addition to threatening human lives, would threaten tens of thousands of great apes in this. (Aug. (Science Daily)
New hope of developing Ebola vaccine Jan 25, 2008
SCIENTISTS have disarmed the Ebola virus by removing a single gene, providing a new laboratory tool that will help the development of drugs and vaccines against the lethal tropical disease ... "We wanted to make biologically contained Ebola virus," said study team leader Yoshihiro Kawaoka. (The Australian)
Disarmed Ebola virus to aid quest for vaccine Jan 22, 2008
Scientists disarmed the Ebola virus by removing a single gene, providing a new laboratory tool that will help the development of drugs and vaccines against the lethal tropical disease ... We wanted to make biologically contained Ebola virus, Yoshihiro Kawaoka, who led the study team, said. (Times Online)
'Safe Ebola' created for research Jan 22, 2008
We wanted to make biologically contained Ebola virus ... "We wanted to make biologically contained Ebola virus," said Yoshihiro Kawaoka. (BBC News -- Health)
'Safe' form of Ebola created Jan 22, 2008
Current work on Ebola viruses (EBOVs), which cause deadly haemorrhagic fever, is conducted in a small number of laboratories rated at biosafety level-4 (BSL-4) the highest level there is. "The lack of sufficient BSL-4 space and trained personnel and the rigors of working in BSL-4 laboratories have severely hampered basic research with EBOVs," Peter Halfmann, of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and his colleagues write in a paper describing the new Ebola virus in Proceedings of the... (Nature News Service)
Ebola virus disarmed by excising a single gene Jan 22, 2008
MADISON - The deadly Ebola virus, an emerging public health concern in Africa and a potential biological weapon, ranks among the most feared of exotic pathogens ... "We wanted to make biologically contained Ebola virus," explains Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a professor of pathobiological sciences in the UW-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine and the senior author of a paper describing the system for containing the virus published today (Jan ... The Ebola virus first emerged in 1976 with outbreaks in... (EurekAlert!)
Meet The Relatives Dec 30, 2007
In West Africa the Ebola virus killed 5,000 gorillas in just one corner of the Republic of the Congo. Chimpanzees are hunted for their meat, considered a luxury in some parts. (Forbes)
WHO lab at Haffkine to fight avian flu Dec 23, 2007
The laboratory will be equipped to fight even the deadliest of viral attacks, like that of Hantavirus (infectious respiratory disease), Ebola virus and most importantly the human transmission of avian influenza. The expertise of this laboratory will also help tackle bio-terrorism or an anthrax attack, said Dr Ranjana Deshmukh, Director, Haffkine Research Institute. (Daily News & Analysis)
* Johnny Neihu's NewsWatch: Dirty tricks are the stuff of legend Dec 22, 2007
Vote pan-blue and the ballot self-destructs once placed in the box -- but not before nanotechnology sensors release a mutated, non-contagious form of the Ebola virus (courtesy of pan-blue sympathizers at the Centers for Disease Control) into the voter's bloodstream. 2. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Designer drugs take aim at viruses Dec 21, 2007
WASHINGTON Carefully designed drugs may be able to treat a variety of new and dangerous viruses, including the Nipah, Hendra and Ebola viruses, researchers reported on Thursday ... Bats are also suspected of carrying Ebola virus, which has killed several hundred people in outbreaks across Africa -- most recently 35 in Uganda this month. (Globe and Mail)
Rainforest Return Policy Dec 16, 2007
Uganda: Some 116 people have caught the deadly Ebola virus in western Uganda's Bundibugyo district, bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo, and 30 have died. Wildlife officials in the popular Rwenzori region were quick to assure visitors that national parks and tourist areas are outside the danger zones, and tourist facilities in the parks are clean and use good sanitary practices. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Travel)
CDC tries to curb Ebola in Uganda Dec 13, 2007
CDC scientists have converted an avian influenza lab inside the Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe to help run diagnostic tests to determine whether illnesses are actually being caused by the Ebola virus ... Back at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, scientists are working to crack the genetic makeup of the new strain of Ebola virus that's causing the outbreak ... The Ebola virus, named after a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was first recognized in 1976. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Lawmakers, specialists debate AIDS prevention funds Dec 12, 2007
Piot, who co-discovered the Ebola virus in 1975 in then-Zaire and who has worked on AIDS since the mid-1980s, said he still believes that fighting the virus depended on using several intervention strategies at once. "You need to combine interventions. I'm deeply suspicious of the search for a magic bullet," he said. (Boston Globe)
Newsweek: At the Ebola outbreak Dec 12, 2007
But these aren't the best of times, and travelers here face a new risk: a mutated strain of the dreaded Ebola virus that has killed at least 28 people and is spreading panicand allegations of a government cover-upfar beyond this remote region of. Bundibugyo is at the , which began in August. (MSNBC -- International)
Uganda: Govt Steps Up Efforts to Curb Spread of Ebola Dec 12, 2007
KAMPALA City Council has put in place several measures, including the spraying of buses from western Uganda, in a bid to curb the spread of the Ebola virus ... Our enforcement officers are looking out for any defaulters," Mr Lule said in a telephone interview yesterday.The Ebola virus which is incurable, is transmitted through contact with an infected person, including sweat and saliva, but is not airborne.It appears that the Ebola spread toll is beginning to slow down. In yesterday's Ministry... (allAfrica.com)
FACTBOX - What is Ebola? Dec 9, 2007
Dec 6 (Reuters) - A new strain of the deadly Ebola virus is thought to have infected 93 people and killed at least 22 in Uganda, including a doctor and three other medical staff looking after patients, a health official said on Thursday ... -- The disease is caused by infection with Ebola virus, named after a river in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) in Africa, where it was first recognised ... -- The Ebola virus comprises four distinct subtypes: Zaire, Sudan,... (Reuters)
Newsweek: New strain of ebola hits Uganda Dec 8, 2007
By then Ssesabga had a bigger problem: he had contracted the new Ebola virus ... In the last week an outbreak of a new strain of the Ebola virus has ravaged villages across the rural districts of western Uganda. (MSNBC -- International)
Kenya moves to halt Ebola spread Dec 7, 2007
The Ebola virus is one of the world's most deadly. Kenya has set up screening centres on its borders with Uganda following an outbreak of the Ebola virus which has killed about 20 people. (BBC News -- Africa)
Ebola Kills Doctors As Death Toll Rises to 21 Dec 6, 2007
Two Ugandan doctors who had been helping in the fight against an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus have died, bringing the death toll to 21, officials said on 5 December. "The sad news today is that our doctor who was admitted to Mulago Hospital [in the capital, Kampala] died last night and a senior clinical officer who had been in a critical condition also died this morning," said Samuel Kazinga, resident district commissioner for Bundibugyo, the epicentre of the outbreak. (allAfrica.com)
More Cases Reported Dec 5, 2007
The Ebola virus was first identified in 1976 in Sudan and in a nearby region of DRC, then Zaire. Outbreaks of Ebola have also occurred in the Ivory Coast and Gabon. (allAfrica.com)
Uganda says suspected Ebola cases rise to 75 Dec 5, 2007
KAMPALA, Dec 4 (Reuters) - At least 75 Ugandans are now suspected to have contracted a previously unknown strain of the lethal Ebola virus, although the death toll in the east African country remains at 18, an official said on Tuesday. Uganda confirmed on Sunday it had 58 cases of the virus, which causes symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and bleeding. (AlertNet)
Uganda: Mulago Gets Ebola Case Dec 4, 2007
Health experts say the incubation period for Ebola virus ranges from two to 21 days, depending on the strain and this could mean that it is only safer for people living in affected regions not to have unprotected sex since infected persons, may in the early days of infection, not show the known Ebola symptoms of measles-like body rash, high fever, red eye, vomiting and bleeding through body orifices. Goat origin. (allAfrica.com)
Ebola outbreak spreads in Uganda Dec 4, 2007
CDC Special Pathogens Branch chief Thomas Ksiazek said it was not yet clear whether the Ebola virus causing the current outbreak was more or less deadly than the previously known strains ... The Ebola virus has remained rare and mystifying since it was first discovered in DR Congo and Sudan in 1976 and other outbreaks have since hit Ivory Coast and Gabon. (iAfrica.com)
Uganda: Ebola - Mbarara, Fort Portal Put On High Alert Dec 3, 2007
SIX more people have been confirmed infected with the deadly Ebola virus, health officials said yesterday. This puts the number of infected people at 58, sixteen of whom have died since the outbreak of the deadly disease in August. (allAfrica.com)
New subtype of Ebola suspected in Uganda Dec 3, 2007
GENEVA (AP) A new form of the deadly Ebola virus has been detected in an outbreak in western Uganda that has so far killed 16 people, the World Health Organization said Friday. Tests conducted by a national lab in Uganda and confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the virus belongs to a different subtype than the four already known, said WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl. (Herald Online, SC -- Health)
Outbreak Of Rare Ebola Virus In Uganda Worsens Dec 3, 2007
KAMPALA - The number of Ugandans infected by a new strain of the deadly Ebola virus has risen to 58, raising fears the death toll of 18 will also increase from the outbreak in a remote area near Democratic Republic of Congo. The half dozen extra infections in recent days include some medical staff who were treating victims of the haemorrhagic fever which has swept the western Bundibugyo region since August. (Planet Ark, United States)
Death-toll rises from Uganda's Ebola outbreak Dec 2, 2007
KAMPALA, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Two more Ugandans have died of a new strain of the deadly Ebola virus in an outbreak near the border with Democratic Republic of Congo, bringing the death-toll to 18, health officials said on Saturday. "We have had two more deaths in the last 24 hours, and the disease continues to spread," Sam Zaramba, the Ugandan Health Ministry's director of health services, told Reuters. (AlertNet)
WHO concerned at new Ebola strain in Uganda Dec 1, 2007
GENEVA, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation expressed concern on Friday about the emergence of a new strain of the Ebola virus that has infected 51 people and killed 16 in western Uganda. The outbreak, announced by U.S. and Ugandan health officials on Thursday, is in Bundibugyo, near the border with Democratic Republic of Congo. (AlertNet)
