Whitehead Institute scientists have determined how to use alpaca-derived, single-domain antibody fragments (also called VHHs or nanobodies) to perturb cellular processes in mammalian cells, including the infection of human cells by influenza A virus (IAV) and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). With improved knowledge of protein activity, scientists can tease apart the roles individual proteins play in cellular pathways, understand how … Read More
How do you Prevent #measles?
It’s simple: Get vaccinated. You get two doses of the MMR vaccine. Children usually get the first dose when they are 12 months old, and a second before kindergarten. On its web site, the CDC calls the vaccine “very effective” and states that “one dose is about 93% effective at preventing measles and two doses about 97% effective.” Before the … Read More
#PTSD Prevention
Those most at risk for developing PTSD are the survivors of trauma, of course. The next most vulnerable are the rescue workers and volunteers at disasters, untrained in psychological techniques. They are seeing and smelling and feeling vivid, unimaginable horrors and fearing for their lives working in unstable structures. Firefighters and police officers, doctors, nurses, and EMTs may have more … Read More
#Ebola Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention
Diagnosing Ebola: Ebola is diagnosed based on travel history, symptoms and laboratory testing. Ebola Treatment: Although they are currently working on a vaccine trial, there is no known cure or licensed treatment for Ebola. Patients are treated for their symptoms and made as comfortable as possible. supportive care in an intensive care unit maintenance of fluid levels and electrolytes maintenance … Read More
#Ebola Symptoms
If you look at different studies of symptoms of people who are infected with EVD they vary almost as much as each individual person. The most common symptoms of Ebola mimic the flu. Initial symptoms include: sore throat fever chills headache muscle pain and weakness Additional symptoms include: rash nausea, vomiting and diarrhea hemorrhaging (bleeding from inside and outside the … Read More
Where Did #Ebola Come From?
It is suspected that the original virus transfer was “Zoonosis” which is passed from an infected animal to a human being. Bats, monkeys, gorillas, pigs etc. have been found to carry the virus. As we discussed in yesterday’s post, any contact with the dead body, blood or bodily fluid from an infected human or animal can put you at risk … Read More
Ebola Parallels with Medieval Plague
As Ebola Deaths Rise, Researcher Sees Parallels with Devastating Medieval Plague If you think that Ebola is bad – and it is – the current outbreak in West Africa is small compared with another deadly epidemic that engulfed much of the globe centuries ago. It is realistic to estimate that during the Middle Ages, plague – also known as the … Read More
About Ebola
The current outbreak of Ebola is located in Central and West Africa. There have been no confirmed cases of Ebola in Canada. The Ebola Virus can be spread through the following: Contact with a dead body that has been infected (human or animal) Contact with blood, bodily fluids or tissue of a human or animal that has been infected. Contact with … Read More
Let’s Talk About Ebola
News this morning is that there is an Ebola Vaccine Trial starting today in Liberia. This is great news for the people in Central and West Africa. Fewer than 100 cases were reported last week, which has not happened since June of 2014. This outbreak was the worst that the world has ever seen. For further information on the Ebola … Read More