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Finding the Ebola virus’ vulnerable points

Wed, 2014-12-03 12:25 — Norea

Three copies of the Ebola glycoprotein (blue) with antibodies (yellow) latched on to them. Picture by Stanford by Shalini Saxena - Nov 30 2014 - http://arstechnica.com

We know what antibodies stop it in its tracks—we now know where they attach.

The latest Ebola outbreak has dwarfed any that have occurred since the discovery of the virus in 1976; previous outbreaks have had lethality rates of up to 90 percent. Yet no vaccines or therapies are currently approved for human use, which limits our ability to treat patients and contain the outbreak. Mixtures of monoclonal antibodies (see sidebar) are a potential treatment option that has been used experimentally.

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WHO Says Liberia, Guinea Meeting Ebola Targets

Wed, 2014-12-03 11:57 — Norea

In this file photo taken Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014, a healthcare worker in protective gear is sprayed with disinfectant after working in an Ebola treatment center in the west of Freetown, Sierra Leone

GENEVA — Dec 1, 2014 - by JOHN HEILPRIN Associated Press

Liberia and Guinea have met a Dec. 1 target for isolating 70 percent of people infected with Ebola and safely burying 70 percent of those who die but Sierra Leone has not, the World Health Organization said Monday.

Only last week, the U.N. health agency said only Guinea was on track to meet the targets for getting the Ebola outbreak under control in the three hardest-hit West African countries.

But at a news conference in Geneva, WHO's Dr. Bruce Aylward said the organization had revised its conclusion based on more analysis of its data. Sierra Leone also probably met the targets in the west of the country, he said, and likely will improve to the 70 percent target nationwide "in the coming weeks."

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/29/health-ebola-mali-idUSL6N0TJ0AC20141129

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No more Ebola cases in Mali after patient cured

Sat, 2014-11-29 21:46 — Norea

DAKAR - Nov 29, 2014 - reuters.com

Nov 29 (Reuters) - Mali has no more confirmed cases of Ebola after the last patient known to be suffering from the virus was cured, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said on Saturday.

Mali has registered eight cases of Ebola - seven of them confirmed and one probable - after the virus spread from neighbouring Guinea, the World Health Organization (WHO) said this week.

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http://www.bbc.com/news/health-30260532

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Ebola outbreak: West Africa death toll nears 7,000

Sat, 2014-11-29 21:42 — Norea

29 Nov 2014 - BBC

Protective measures are key to stopping the spread of the virus The number of people killed by the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has risen to 6,928, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says.

The toll has increased by over 1,000 since the WHO's last report on Wednesday, but it includes unreported deaths from earlier in the outbreak.

Experts say the infection rate is more significant that the death toll, as it reflects how the virus is spreading. Infection rates are decreasing in Liberia, but are high in Sierra Leone.

There have been over 16,000 reported cases in Guinea, Sierra and Liberia.

Latest Ebola death tolls

Liberia: 7,244 cases, 4,181 deaths

Sierra Leone: 6,802 cases, 1,463 deaths

Guinea: 2,123 cases, 1,284 deaths

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African Stars Give ‘Band Aid 30’ Ebola Track Cool Welcome

Fri, 2014-11-28 13:05 — Norea

voanews.com - by Henry Ridgwell - Nov 28, 2014

Dozens of British music stars have come together to record a new version of the song ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ to raise money for the fight against Ebola. But as Henry Ridgwell reports from London, the song has not been universally welcomed in Africa - where local music stars have recorded their own Ebola single.

http://www.voanews.com/media/video/african-stars-give-band-aid-thirty-ebola-track-cool-welcome/2538714.html

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/sierra-leone-physician-who-treated-martin-salia-diagnosed-with-ebola/2014/11/27/af1fbd54-7627-11e4-a755-e32227229e7b_story.html

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Sierra Leone physician who treated doctor with Maryland ties is diagnosed with Ebola

Thu, 2014-11-27 12:19 — Norea

Physician Komba Songu M’Briwa recently contracted Ebola. He is being cared for at Hastings Ebola Treatment Center in Freetown, Sierra Leone. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post) By Kevin Sieff - November 27 2014 - washingtonpost.com

The doctor who treated Martin Salia, the Sierra Leonean physican who died of Ebola last week after being transported to Omaha, has contracted the disease himself.

Komba Songu M’Briwa cared for Salia, his colleague and former professor, at Freetown’s Hastings Ebola Treatment Center before Salia, whose family lives in New Carrollton, was transported to the United States.

After Salia’s initial Ebola test came back negative, M’Briwa said employees “were celebrating” by embracing him. Salia’s subsequent test came back positive, meaning they had been unknowingly exposed to the virus.

It’s not certain that was how M’Briwa contracted Ebola.

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Ebola Is Changing Course In Liberia. Will The U.S. Military Adapt?

Tue, 2014-11-25 12:06 — Norea

A helicopter's eye view of a new ETU, funded by USAID and built by Save the Children. November 25, 2014 - by Kelly McEvers - npr.org

The Ebola outbreak started in rural areas, but by June it had reached Liberia's capital, Monrovia.

By August, the number of people contracting the Ebola virus in the country was doubling every week. The Liberian government and aid workers begged for help.

Enter the U.S. military, who along with other U.S. agencies had a clear plan in mid-September to build more Ebola treatment units, or ETUs. At least one would be built in the major town of each of Liberia's 15 counties. That way, sick patients in those counties wouldn't bring more Ebola to the capital.

But it's taken a long time to build these ETUs; most won't be done until the end of the year. And now the spread of Ebola changing — clusters are popping up in remote rural areas. So building a huge treatment center in each county's main town may no longer make sense.

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http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/11/liberia-end-ebola-state-emergency-201411145555126551.html

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Liberia to end Ebola state of emergency

Fri, 2014-11-14 13:13 — Norea

Sirleaf said her country would not become complacent after the gains made in fight against Ebola [Getty Images] 14 Nov 2014 07:54 aljazeera.com

President Sirleaf says while country has made progress against virus, more still needs to be done to end the epidemic.

Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said that she would not seek an extension to a state of emergency imposed in August over Ebola.

Her announcement on Thursday is a sign of progress in the fight against the disease, which has killed more than 2,800 people in Liberia since breaking out in West Africa in March.

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