Thursday, 15 October 2015
Ebola survivor relapse
Ebola research enters completely new territory with UK nurse previously infected and cleared, relapsing and in critical condition. News of this is troubling with respect to the survivors of the 2014/15 outbreak. Interesting however is how this relapse fits in to the bigger picture of previous outbreaks where relapses have not been documented to have occurred - once cleared, individuals seems to stay clear of the virus. That begs the obvious question as to what's different about this UK case?
Tuesday, 23 December 2014
Ebola vaccine trails (appear) safe for human use
The DailyMail isn't a fountain of good journalism so take with a pinch of salt. Headline reads "First Ebola vaccine is safe for human use...". The organisation referenced is the NIAID the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. They've conducted a number of previous studies (including limited human trails) that appear to show sign of efficacy (although it should be noted that according to the article, trails related to the touted 'vaccine' mentioned in the article were conducted in 2009/2010, four+ years ago, and well before the current outbreak). But the study referred to in the above linked article does not appear to be available on their website at time of writing. The CDC still states there are no effective measures to treat/cure Ebola.
Monday, 8 December 2014
Where's Ebola gone?
It seems Ebola is out of fashion and might be said to no longer be an issue, this despite the CDC originally suggesting there would be some "1.4 million cases by January 2015" (the CDC has since backed away from the claim to a more conservative estimate in line with others). That's the three-day news cycles for you, or the easier sell of Ferguson and Police Brutality taking up the charge to the front page.
The question remains though; what happened to all those potential cases on the CDC's Ebola watch list (not available to the public it seems) - about 1000 at its height mid-November. One reasonable idea is that anyone showing symptoms has been whisked away and sequestered as part of the human trails of the soon-to-be-released Ebola Vaccines. There are a few on the market but given the actual rarity of Ebola in North America and Europe, it stands to reason infected individuals are a pretty valuable resource.
Additonal Reading
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/situation-reports/en/?m=20141126
https://www.internationalsos.com/ebola/index.cfm?content_id=438&language_id=ENG
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/11November/Pages/Ebola-vaccine-shows-promise-in-human-trials.aspx
The question remains though; what happened to all those potential cases on the CDC's Ebola watch list (not available to the public it seems) - about 1000 at its height mid-November. One reasonable idea is that anyone showing symptoms has been whisked away and sequestered as part of the human trails of the soon-to-be-released Ebola Vaccines. There are a few on the market but given the actual rarity of Ebola in North America and Europe, it stands to reason infected individuals are a pretty valuable resource.
Additonal Reading
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/situation-reports/en/?m=20141126
https://www.internationalsos.com/ebola/index.cfm?content_id=438&language_id=ENG
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/11November/Pages/Ebola-vaccine-shows-promise-in-human-trials.aspx
Sunday, 2 November 2014
Thursday, 30 October 2014
Useful Government Links on Ebola
(US) CDC Ebola (Ebola Virus Disease)
(Int) WHO Global Alert and Response (GAR)
(UK) NHS Ebola virus disease
(UK) PHE Ebola virus disease: clinical management and guidance
(EU) EHC Outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in Western Africa
(Int) UN Global Ebola Response
(Int) UNICEF Ebola Crisis in West Africa
(AUS) DoH Ebolavirus disease (EVD) outbreaks in West Africa
(CAN) PHA Canada's Public Health Response to Ebola
(NZ) MoH Ebola updates
(links may be updated as needed)
(Int) WHO Global Alert and Response (GAR)
(UK) NHS Ebola virus disease
(UK) PHE Ebola virus disease: clinical management and guidance
(EU) EHC Outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in Western Africa
(Int) UN Global Ebola Response
(Int) UNICEF Ebola Crisis in West Africa
(AUS) DoH Ebolavirus disease (EVD) outbreaks in West Africa
(CAN) PHA Canada's Public Health Response to Ebola
(NZ) MoH Ebola updates
(links may be updated as needed)
Saturday, 25 October 2014
Executive Order 13295 "Symptoms of... other respiratory illness" = catch-all?
Does the change mean anything beyond the practicalities of mitigating, monitoring or managing an outbreak. Does it provide a catch-all to withhold anyone for any reason? It's not supposed to apply to common flu, but the initial stages of many infections, Ebola included, are similar to those of the common cold, so some determination process has to be performed to filter one from the other which might include (require) quarantine.
• Executive Order 13295: Revised List Of Quarantinable Communicable Diseases (CDC)
• Executive Order -- Revised List of Quarantinable Communicable Diseases (White House)
"(b) Severe acute respiratory syndromes, which are diseases that are associated with fever and signs and symptoms of pneumonia or other respiratory illness, are capable of being transmitted from person to person, and that either are causing, or have the potential to cause, a pandemic, or, upon infection, are highly likely to cause mortality or serious morbidity if not properly controlled. This subsection does not apply to influenza." [emphasis added]Additional links
• Executive Order 13295: Revised List Of Quarantinable Communicable Diseases (CDC)
• Executive Order -- Revised List of Quarantinable Communicable Diseases (White House)
Sunday, 19 October 2014
Colloidal Silver, a cure for Ebola?
Question: Is Colloidal silver a cure/treatment/vaccine for Ebola?.
Short Answer: "no".
Long Answer: Colloidal, or nano-particulate, silver is being researched as part of a broader spectrum of investigation into the use of nano or microscopic particulate substances in many fields of interest, from the Military (e.g. weaponised nano-tech, etc.), Information Technology (e.g. nano-processors, etc.), to Medical (e.g. vaccines, treatments, etc.). With respect to colloidal, or nano-particulate, silver, some research into it's use as a possible/potential treatment for HIV/AIDS[cf. fn.] and other blood-born infections is ongoing, but as of writing there is simply not enough data available to say with any confidence that colloidal silver is a viable option in a curative sense (i.e. a viable vaccine protocol).
What this means is that current (at time of writing at least) ideas regarding Colloidal Silver being a 'cure', or a 'treatment' at least, for Ebola misrepresents current understanding of the available data - that is not to say nano-particulate silver may never be a treatment for Ebola, rather it's far too early to suggest this with any veracity. For example, a number of sources are actively misrepresenting data presented in a power-point presentation (allegedly) from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency/Air Force Research Laboratory; [sic] "Novel Nanotechnology-Based Antiviral Agents: Silver nanoparticulates neutralization of hemorrhagic fever viruses" ("Novel Nanotechnology-based Antiviral Agents: Silver nano-particulates neutralization of haemorrhagic fever viruses"). The research*, undertaken by Saber M. Hussain, Ph.d[1] & Janice Speshock, Ph.d[2], shows tentative explorative results on the interaction of colloidal (nano-particulate) silver on various pathogens, Ebola (EBV-Z, Ebola Zaire) being one. It was found that at certain ppms Ebola's ability to replicate or further 'infect' in-vitro samples was disabled/deactivated - note that Ebola was not killed.
Whilst there is potential in Colloidal or nano-particulate silver as a possible treatment** for Ebola and other infectious diseases then, proof-positive of this from the point of view of a vaccine or other one-shot kill treatment, is a long way off and requires extensive funding and research. It's simply too early to tell in other words.
Footnotes:
* awareness of silver as an antiviral agent against Ebola appears to emanate from the release of the above mentioned unclassified power-point presentation in 2009. Made available through a third-party (with potential conflicts of interest), the actual originating source of the document, i.e. the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, is unconfirmed at time of writing.
** it's vitally important to stress that ingestion of colloidal silver, whilst potentially beneficial for a number of other ailments, is unlikely to, if ever, be a direct treatment for Ebola; the mechanisms of immune system deployment differ a great deal, in essence Ebola, being blood-borne, is already in the body system and requires more direct action than might otherwise be had using indirect approaches.
Further Reading
[1] Saber M. Hussain Ph.d
• Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology profile
• Google Scholar profile
• Biomolecular Interactions of Nanoparticles
[2] Janice Speshock Ph.d
• Tarleton State University profile
Primary research by either/or/both Messers Hussain and Speshock in relation to the use of nano-particulates
• A Preliminary Assessment of Silver Nanoparticle Inhibition of Monkeypox Virus Plaque Formation
• Silver and Gold Nanoparticles Alter Cathepsin Activity In vitro
• Interaction of silver nanoparticles with Tacaribe virus
• Biological Interactions of Nanomaterials
Additional example of research on the use of nano-particulates
• Use of Silver Nanoparticles in HIV • Treatment Protocols: A Research Proposal
• Interaction of silver nanoparticles with HIV-1
• Potential Vaccines and Post-Exposure Treatments for Filovirus Infections
• Viral Therapy and Prophylaxis Using Nanotechnology Delivery Techniques
• Nanotechnology: A possible healer in drug delivery system
• Novel applications of nanotechnology in medicine
• Can biowarfare agents be defeated with light?
• Chimeric human parainfluenza virus bearing the Ebola virus glycoprotein as the sole surface protein is immunogenic and highly protective against Ebola virus challenge
Short Answer: "no".
Long Answer: Colloidal, or nano-particulate, silver is being researched as part of a broader spectrum of investigation into the use of nano or microscopic particulate substances in many fields of interest, from the Military (e.g. weaponised nano-tech, etc.), Information Technology (e.g. nano-processors, etc.), to Medical (e.g. vaccines, treatments, etc.). With respect to colloidal, or nano-particulate, silver, some research into it's use as a possible/potential treatment for HIV/AIDS[cf. fn.] and other blood-born infections is ongoing, but as of writing there is simply not enough data available to say with any confidence that colloidal silver is a viable option in a curative sense (i.e. a viable vaccine protocol).
What this means is that current (at time of writing at least) ideas regarding Colloidal Silver being a 'cure', or a 'treatment' at least, for Ebola misrepresents current understanding of the available data - that is not to say nano-particulate silver may never be a treatment for Ebola, rather it's far too early to suggest this with any veracity. For example, a number of sources are actively misrepresenting data presented in a power-point presentation (allegedly) from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency/Air Force Research Laboratory; [sic] "Novel Nanotechnology-Based Antiviral Agents: Silver nanoparticulates neutralization of hemorrhagic fever viruses" ("Novel Nanotechnology-based Antiviral Agents: Silver nano-particulates neutralization of haemorrhagic fever viruses"). The research*, undertaken by Saber M. Hussain, Ph.d[1] & Janice Speshock, Ph.d[2], shows tentative explorative results on the interaction of colloidal (nano-particulate) silver on various pathogens, Ebola (EBV-Z, Ebola Zaire) being one. It was found that at certain ppms Ebola's ability to replicate or further 'infect' in-vitro samples was disabled/deactivated - note that Ebola was not killed.
Whilst there is potential in Colloidal or nano-particulate silver as a possible treatment** for Ebola and other infectious diseases then, proof-positive of this from the point of view of a vaccine or other one-shot kill treatment, is a long way off and requires extensive funding and research. It's simply too early to tell in other words.
Footnotes:
* awareness of silver as an antiviral agent against Ebola appears to emanate from the release of the above mentioned unclassified power-point presentation in 2009. Made available through a third-party (with potential conflicts of interest), the actual originating source of the document, i.e. the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, is unconfirmed at time of writing.
** it's vitally important to stress that ingestion of colloidal silver, whilst potentially beneficial for a number of other ailments, is unlikely to, if ever, be a direct treatment for Ebola; the mechanisms of immune system deployment differ a great deal, in essence Ebola, being blood-borne, is already in the body system and requires more direct action than might otherwise be had using indirect approaches.
Further Reading
[1] Saber M. Hussain Ph.d
• Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology profile
• Google Scholar profile
• Biomolecular Interactions of Nanoparticles
[2] Janice Speshock Ph.d
• Tarleton State University profile
Primary research by either/or/both Messers Hussain and Speshock in relation to the use of nano-particulates
• A Preliminary Assessment of Silver Nanoparticle Inhibition of Monkeypox Virus Plaque Formation
• Silver and Gold Nanoparticles Alter Cathepsin Activity In vitro
• Interaction of silver nanoparticles with Tacaribe virus
• Biological Interactions of Nanomaterials
Additional example of research on the use of nano-particulates
• Use of Silver Nanoparticles in HIV • Treatment Protocols: A Research Proposal
• Interaction of silver nanoparticles with HIV-1
• Potential Vaccines and Post-Exposure Treatments for Filovirus Infections
• Viral Therapy and Prophylaxis Using Nanotechnology Delivery Techniques
• Nanotechnology: A possible healer in drug delivery system
• Novel applications of nanotechnology in medicine
• Can biowarfare agents be defeated with light?
• Chimeric human parainfluenza virus bearing the Ebola virus glycoprotein as the sole surface protein is immunogenic and highly protective against Ebola virus challenge
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