Ebola Virus Disease News and Research

Latest Ebola Virus Disease News and Research

Traces of Ebola can linger in semen for nine months

Fragments of the Ebola virus can persist in the semen of survivors for as long as nine months after symptoms first develop, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

15 Oct 2015

Global Health Film Festival programme published for 30 and 31 October

The full programme has been published for the first Global Health Film Festival to be held on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 October at the Royal Society of Medicine, 1 Wimpole Street, London, W1G 0AE. A collaboration between the Royal Society Medicine, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the festival aims to use film and media as a catalyst to inspire change in health and development.

15 Oct 2015

Ebola virus can linger in semen of some men nine months after onset of symptoms

Preliminary results of a study into persistence of Ebola virus in body fluids show that some men still produce semen samples that test positive for Ebola virus nine months after onset of symptoms.

15 Oct 2015

Introduction of Ebola treatment beds reduces large number of deaths, Ebola cases in Sierra Leone

The introduction of thousands of Ebola treatment beds by the UK and Sierra Leone governments and NGOs prevented an estimated 57,000 Ebola cases and 40,000 deaths in Sierra Leone, according to new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

14 Oct 2015

Investigational antiviral drug effectively treats Lassa virus infection in guinea pigs

Favipiravir, an investigational antiviral drug currently being tested in West Africa as a treatment for Ebola virus disease, effectively treated Lassa virus infection in guinea pigs, according to a new study from National Institutes of Health scientists and colleagues.

13 Oct 2015

RE.WORK showcases future technology and innovations in deep learning software

The future of technological innovation is a broad topic with endless opportunities in every scientific field. RE.WORK’s two most recent concurrent conferences ‘RE.WORK: Future Technology’ and ‘RE.WORK: Deep Learning’, in part focussed on putting healthcare in the context of the wider technological revolution.

13 Oct 2015

Antiviral agent protects rhesus monkeys from deadly Ebola virus

Rhesus monkeys were completely protected from the deadly Ebola virus when treated three days after infection with a compound that blocks the virus's ability to replicate. These encouraging preclinical results suggest the compound, known as GS-5734, should be further developed as a potential treatment, according to research findings to be presented tomorrow at the IDWeek conference.

12 Oct 2015

Safety and immunogenicity clinical trial of Ebola vaccine regimen starts in Sierra Leone

Johnson & Johnson today announced the start of a safety and immunogenicity clinical trial in Sierra Leone of a preventive Ebola vaccine regimen in development at its Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies.

9 Oct 2015

Volunteer nurse back in isolation with Ebola complications

This morning Pauline Cafferkey, the nurse who survived infection with the Ebola virus, was airlifted to an isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London after the Ebola virus was detected in blood samples.

9 Oct 2015

High Sierra Leonean maternal and newborn death rates attributed to women’s fears of contracting Ebola while giving birth at health centres

Despite adequate numbers of maternal health workers showing up to work, new research published on October 6th reveals it was the patients who stayed away at their own peril for fear of catching the disease.

6 Oct 2015

UIC selected as one of six research centers to help control infectious diseases in health facilities

The University of Illinois at Chicago has been selected as one of six research centers in the U.S. to help develop a comprehensive new strategy to control Ebola and other emerging infectious diseases in health facilities.

6 Oct 2015

New test capable of detecting all viruses that affect people and animals

A new, super-sensitive test has been developed that can detect virtually any virus that causes illness in humans and animals, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

1 Oct 2015

Health Partnership Scheme funds project dedicated to viral haemorrhagic fever

A team from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry and Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust has received funding of £136,000 from the Health Partnership Scheme to develop a training programme to help the Sierra Leonean Health Service to fight future outbreaks of viral haemorrhagic fever.

1 Oct 2015

Generex agrees to acquire 51% equity interest in Hema Diagnostic Systems

Generex Biotechnology Corporation today announced that it has entered into a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) with Hema Diagnostic Systems, LLC (HDS), a Florida company that designs and manufactures proprietary infectious disease detection technologies.

30 Sep 2015

New test identifies viruses that infect people and animals

A new test detects virtually any virus that infects people and animals, according to research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, where the technology was developed.

30 Sep 2015

Real-time blood test based on DNA sequencing can rapidly diagnose Ebola and other acute infections

Using technical advances not yet developed when the 2014 Ebola outbreak began, UC San Francisco-led scientists completed a proof-of-principle study on a real-time blood test based on DNA sequencing that can be used to rapidly diagnose Ebola and other acute infections. The researchers said that the test can be used even where lab space and medical infrastructure are scarce.

From Oxford Nanopore Technologies 29 Sep 2015

Specialized proteins can inhibit HIV

There is little doubt that the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV, is devastating. More than 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV and more than 47,000 people are diagnosed annually. Now, University of Missouri researchers have made a discovery in how specialized proteins can inhibit the virus, opening the door for progress in the fight against HIV and for the production of advanced therapeutics to combat the disease.

29 Sep 2015

New partnership aims to support countries in improving performance of primary health care

Underscoring the urgent need to transform how essential health care is delivered in low- and middle-income countries, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, World Bank Group and World Health Organization today are launching a new partnership to support countries in improving the performance of primary health care.

26 Sep 2015

Researchers develop chip-based instrument for reliable detection of Ebola virus

A team led by researchers at UC Santa Cruz has developed chip-based technology for reliable detection of Ebola virus and other viral pathogens. The system uses direct optical detection of viral molecules and can be integrated into a simple, portable instrument for use in field situations where rapid, accurate detection of Ebola infections is needed to control outbreaks.

25 Sep 2015

UC San Diego, TSRI form new consortium to map cells in space and time

Drawing on complementary strengths of two San Diego institutions, The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) have formed a new consortium with a big mission: to map cells in space and time.

18 Sep 2015