Comments on: Ebola Outbreak in West Africa: Some basic information (Updated)

By: Wading through myths and facts of Ebola – Uniting Distant Stars

Wading through myths and facts of Ebola – Uniting Distant Stars — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 22:02:52 +0000

[…] example, in Greg Laden’s July 27, 2014, ScienceBlogs post “Ebola Outbreak in West Africa: Some basic information (Updated),” he reviews the statistics of all cases since 1976. Within his research, he debunks the […]

By: tamale bruce

tamale bruce — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 17:21:02 +0000

i personally, have been reading strongly about this african ebola and wondering exactly how it so fast it is spread and how so fast can it be contained. pliz help and update me.

By: Stephen Katona

Stephen Katona — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 23:43:00 +0000

Greg, this more recent article in the Lancet suggests that these asymptomatic patients are perhaps the first good news we have heard about Ebola. Their presence is likely to slow down the spread of Ebola, and if identified by testing then they are a potential source of health workers who would not be in danger of becoming unwell from Ebola. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(14)61839-0/fulltext

By: dean

dean — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 19:39:12 +0000

Has there been a recent comment on the progress (or lack of progress) toward gettings slowed down in the hardest hit regions of Africa?

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 18:42:42 +0000

In reply to Stephen Katona. Stephen, yes, that is interesting.

By: Stephen Katona

Stephen Katona — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 18:30:45 +0000

Figures from a study by the Lancet in 2000 suggest there may be 1 patient with Ebola who remains asymptomatic for approximately every 10 patients who have symptoms. These patients appear to have low viral loads and so are likely to be less infectious to others, but their impact should be considered.
http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140673600024053.pdf

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 19:12:01 +0000

In reply to Melanie. All viruses mutate, but getting Ebola probably gives you an immunity to Ebola.

By: Melanie

Melanie — Wed, 24 Sep 2014 18:51:17 +0000

Is there lifetime immunity to this virus? Does the virus mutate?

By: Greg Laden

Greg Laden — Tue, 19 Aug 2014 15:28:55 +0000

In reply to Shayna Cooke.

The statements on the Canadian site are at odds with WHO and CDC, but overlap with some real info; the monkey and pig cases are irrelevant to the human cases. There really is no evidence of a truly aerosolized version of the virus in the African outbreaks.

The mortality rate for this outbreak is not going up. The most recent report has a high rate (74%) but the average over the last month is close to 50. Don’t put any weight on one report’s rate.

By: Shayna Cooke

Shayna Cooke — Tue, 19 Aug 2014 15:17:20 +0000

Does anyone have the specific R0 data for the 3 African strains of Ebola (Zaire, Sudan, & Bundibugyo)? I can’t find that data anywhere.
Also, understandably the mortality rates at the beginning of an epidemic will be inflated and then decrease with proper medical care. Any speculation as to why the mortality rate seems to be increasing again so significantly aside from the expected spread of the disease? Is the R0 changing? Are more people coming “out of hiding” so to speak and seeking aide?

Finally, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada, there is some belief that Ebola can indeed be spread via aerosols, this is the first I have heard of this but seemingly with the infective nature of this viroid that is feasible (full site here:http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/lab-bio/res/psds-ftss/ebola-eng.php). Has that been 100% disproven anywhere to date?