Ebola: Outbreak out of control

The World Health Organization asked the researchers to assess and develop eight treatments and two experimental vaccines against the Ebola virus.

So far, the existing therapeutic methods are in the experimental stage and have not yet been approved for widespread use.

Who, in this week's balance of hemorrhagic fever, announced that have already been recorded over 1900 killed between 3500 cases confirmed or probable. A clear increase compared to the previous week's numbers that were killed in 1552 3069 account cases.

The countries of West Africa for help. Health systems aren't prepared to face an epidemic of this order. Lacking proper facilities, medicines and specialized medical personnel. The Ebola epidemic caused, I, 120 deaths among health-care professionals.

The situation is getting out of hand. On Monday, a patient infected with the virus fled from a hospital in Monrovia, the Liberian capital, where he was quarantined.

The countries where the outbreak is most intense are: Liberia, Guinea Conakry and Sierra Leone. There were also isolated cases of Ebola virus in Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Senegal.

The African Union will meet emergency, next Monday, to define a strategic continental to combat epidemic. The organization said that the Member States are concerned that the border closure and suspension of air services, determined by some African countries, increase the suffering already caused by the Ebola virus.

Edward Wright of the University of Westminster is an expert in Ebola. These experts are meeting in Geneva, and there are reports saying that the infection rate is accelerating. This Conference does not happen a little late?

Edward Wright: "Surely it's not too late. Any additional measures that may be implemented to limit the spread of the virus and the causes of disease, it's obvious that something good will come out of this Conference. It must be said, however, that this is an unprecedented outbreak. The number of deaths caused by this virus more than doubled from this that was identified for the first time in 40 years. We didn't have before, to deal with an outbreak like this. We are all, as scientists, clinicians, doctors and public health experts, learning to cope with this outbreak and we're trying our best to control the disease. "

and: is very concerned, as a scientist, with this crisis, as you say, unprecedented?

EW: "when you put it in the same context of other diseases such as malaria, which kills 800 thousand people per year, HIV-Aids, which kills 1.6 million people every year, really, we realize that we must have this virus into account and, obviously, it's a devastating disease. But simple strategies of intervention and control of infection can master the spread of infection. "

and: what are the risks involved in vaccines fast procedure? It is worth taking them, in this case?

EW: "all vaccines, all drugs that appear on the market, and that are used in the treatment of infections and human disease, undergo a process of regulating strictly controlled. Now, in the case of a public health emergency, such as the one we are facing as the Ebola virus, sometimes we implemented the so-called vaccines fast procedure, of medicines and vaccines being developed for years. We already know a lot about these antiviral drugs and vaccines that can be used to judge the speed with which we can use them in human tests. "

and: you know the treatment that was administered in British nurse who just have high, after contracting the Ebola. What can you tell us about his treatment and how effective is it?

EW: "Fifty percent of people in Africa who have contracted this disease survived due to basic rehydration and palliative care measures and supportive. The British patient, William Pooley, who had recently released from the Royal Free Hospital, in London, was called secret serum, which is a ' cocktail ' of antibodies that target the virus. In the current outbreak, seven people received this treatment, five survived and two not resisted infection. But as I mentioned, we're having a survival rate of 50 percent of people who do not receive this treatment, so it still is, a matter that is open to discussion. What is the effectiveness of this treatment of map-z, or these possible vaccines are being developed. "

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