Ebola Virus

In 1976 the first Ebola outbreak was reported in Zaire, Africa (now the DRC) with the virus infecting 318 people out of which there were only 38 survivors.  In March 2014 there was an outbreak of Ebola in Sub Saharan West Africa that has claimed 11,173 lives as of June 2015.  In 2014 there also occurred a much smaller unrelated outbreak in the DRC.   The West African epidemic is under control at this time, but announcements that Ebola was no longer present in Liberia and Sierra Leone have proven to be premature.  The latest such announcement by the WHO was last Thursday that West Africa was Ebola-Free

 (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2016/ebola-zero-liberia/en/) 

and was followed in just a few hours by the sad news of a new fatality, as a 22 year old woman had fallen victim to the virus in Sierra Leone.  Viruses such as Ebola can persist even after a patient is apparently cured.  They find hiding places in the body and can still be transmitted through bodily fluids.  In laboratories around the world, research is making progress, there are vaccines currently available.  A 2014 document on potential therapies and vaccines may be viewed here  It is interesting to note that Marburg virus is similar enough to Ebola that any outbreak of Marburg could likely be controlled with the same or like therapies and vaccines used against Ebola.

NML is also conducting research that may eventually add a useful medicine to combat the future spread of Ebola.  We'll keep you updated here.  For more information about other research and development please visit: 

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/ebolamarburg/research/pages/default.aspx

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-01/aeco-eiz010716.php

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/video/2016-01/16/c_135015519.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160111152819.htm

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/ebolamarburg/pages/maskingtechnique.aspx

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/ebolamarburg/pages/rabiesvaccebola.aspx

https://idsa.confex.com/idsa/2015/webprogram/Paper54208.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brincidofovir

http://investor.arbutusbio.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=918694