Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2014/08/ebola-scan-aug-26-2014
Ebola Scan for Aug 26, 2014
Postmortem Ebola guidance; Ebola vaccine trial
Filed Under:
Ebola; VHF
CDC posts guidance for safe Ebola postmortem care
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday released guidance for handling the bodies of patients who die from Ebola infections. The advice is aimed at those performing postmortem care in US hospitals and mortuaries.
The document is part of a series tackling a broad range of Ebola virus disease medical care issues. Though the risk of disease transmission in the United States is very low, the CDC is preparing health officials for any case-patients that may arrive in or be detected in the country.
In Ebola infections, virus levels are thought to be highest around the time of death, and mortuary procedures and funeral customs in some African countries pose a high risk of transmitting the virus.
The CDC said autopsies should be avoided, and it spelled out bagging and decontamination steps for medical, transport, and mortuary teams. It said bodies should not be removed from the bag, should not be embalmed, and should be placed immediately in a hermetically sealed casket for either burial or cremation.
The guidance also describes when personal protective equipment is needed and how to coordinate transport with local and state authorities.
Aug 25 CDC guidance
Ebola vaccine shows promise in monkey study
An Ebola virus vaccine developed by Canadian company showed promising results in a small study on cynomolgus monkeys, which are especially sensitive to the virus, Immunovaccine, Inc., based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, announced yesterday.
The vaccine was given to four animals, which received two doses, one when the study started and the second at day 56. Scientists challenge the monkeys at day 70 with a lethal dose of the Zaire Ebola strain, the same type responsible for West Africa's outbreak.
More than 2 weeks after exposure to the virus all vaccinated animals were alive and without symptoms. Two control animals died from their infections within 7 days.
The study was conducted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the US National Institutes of Health. The Ebola virus vaccine is formulated with Immunovaccine's DepoVax technology, which has also been used by the NIAID to study an experimental one-dose anthrax vaccine. DepoVax is designed to provide controlled, prolonged exposure to antigens and adjuvant for potential single-dose use, with the goals of being commercially scaleable and having a long shelf life, according to the company.
A World Health Organization (WHO) ethics panel recently said experimental drugs and vaccines could be used to help curb West Africa's Ebola outbreak, though supplies are scarce. Some companies are speeding up their clinical trials, and on Sep 4 and 5 the WHO will host a meeting in Geneva to discuss issues surrounding some of the most promising therapies.
Aug 25 Immunovaccine press release
Ebola Scan for Aug 26, 2014
Postmortem Ebola guidance; Ebola vaccine trial
Filed Under:
Ebola; VHF
CDC posts guidance for safe Ebola postmortem care
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday released guidance for handling the bodies of patients who die from Ebola infections. The advice is aimed at those performing postmortem care in US hospitals and mortuaries.
The document is part of a series tackling a broad range of Ebola virus disease medical care issues. Though the risk of disease transmission in the United States is very low, the CDC is preparing health officials for any case-patients that may arrive in or be detected in the country.
In Ebola infections, virus levels are thought to be highest around the time of death, and mortuary procedures and funeral customs in some African countries pose a high risk of transmitting the virus.
The CDC said autopsies should be avoided, and it spelled out bagging and decontamination steps for medical, transport, and mortuary teams. It said bodies should not be removed from the bag, should not be embalmed, and should be placed immediately in a hermetically sealed casket for either burial or cremation.
The guidance also describes when personal protective equipment is needed and how to coordinate transport with local and state authorities.
Aug 25 CDC guidance
Ebola vaccine shows promise in monkey study
An Ebola virus vaccine developed by Canadian company showed promising results in a small study on cynomolgus monkeys, which are especially sensitive to the virus, Immunovaccine, Inc., based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, announced yesterday.
The vaccine was given to four animals, which received two doses, one when the study started and the second at day 56. Scientists challenge the monkeys at day 70 with a lethal dose of the Zaire Ebola strain, the same type responsible for West Africa's outbreak.
More than 2 weeks after exposure to the virus all vaccinated animals were alive and without symptoms. Two control animals died from their infections within 7 days.
The study was conducted by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the US National Institutes of Health. The Ebola virus vaccine is formulated with Immunovaccine's DepoVax technology, which has also been used by the NIAID to study an experimental one-dose anthrax vaccine. DepoVax is designed to provide controlled, prolonged exposure to antigens and adjuvant for potential single-dose use, with the goals of being commercially scaleable and having a long shelf life, according to the company.
A World Health Organization (WHO) ethics panel recently said experimental drugs and vaccines could be used to help curb West Africa's Ebola outbreak, though supplies are scarce. Some companies are speeding up their clinical trials, and on Sep 4 and 5 the WHO will host a meeting in Geneva to discuss issues surrounding some of the most promising therapies.
Aug 25 Immunovaccine press release