Ebola Vaccine Used

[k9sarchik]

Yikes!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,511096,00.html

[Spirit Dancer]

Originally Posted by k9sarchik

Yikes!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,511096,00.html

I would not want to be her.

On a side note I know Ebola is a horrible, very serious disease. Don't you think a vaccine for a disease like this would be good for those in areas that are at risk? I mean I think vaccines are not worth the risk when
a) the disease is not commonly deadly or seriously disabling.
b) When there are effective ways to treat the disease
c) when there is not a high chance of catching the disease

SO what would be wrong with an Ebola vaccine for those in high risk areas or an Aids vaccine for those in high risk areas?

[just_lily]

Yeah, Ebola is something that I would prefer to avoid. I wouldn't have a problem with a vax being used in high risk populations.

If they ever develop an AIDS vaccine I don't think it would be recommended for just high risk groups. I don't have an issue with high risk individuals getting the Hep B vax, but think it is insane that we give it to healthy newborns. I think the AIDS vax would get lumped in with it just "in case" the mom has HIV. Ugh.

Am I reading the article correctly that they just made up the vax on the fly, or is it something that was already in development?

[JenBuckyfan]

I'm pretty sure it wasn't on the fly. The only issue is that they aren't positive she actually had Ebola which will make it hard to deem whether or not the vaccine worked or she if didn't have it in the first place.

I think that it would be great if they were able to come up with a vaccine for something like this - better yet something that people could have injected if they contracted it. Ebola is horrible. I read "Hot Zone" years and years and years ago and the virus outcomes are still in my head...

I'm not anti-vax and not totally pro-vax in all cases either, but in some cases where something Ebola breaks out, I definitely am pro 'if' it works. As mentioned by a pp, for AIDS, I would also fear that it would be used as a 'just in case' vaccine for a certain population profile. However, in countries where AIDS is present or rampant and in places where women are being raped as part of the culture, it makes sense to me to vax to help reduce the spread. If done right and then later not abused, eventually education would be able to outweigh the need for the AIDS vaccine amongst the same geographical area.

[spero]

I don't get how the vaccine is going to help her if she's already infected.

Crucell/NIH has been developing an Ebola vaccine since 2005 or 2006, I think (it's been on COG's list as "In development" for quite some time now).

[Delicateflower]

Originally Posted by spero

I don't get how the vaccine is going to help her if she's already infected.

Post exposure prophylaxis works by eliciting an immune response far quicker than normal. Or it could have been antibodies against Ebola, the same way the passive tetanus and RSV vaccines work.

[k9sarchik]

My YIKES is in reference to the fact that she stuck herself with Ebola on the needle.
Then she has been injected with this experimental vaccine never before given to a human.
Then it's gotta be some dead form of Ebola.

The thought of everything in this situation is YIKES!

[Sileree]

Originally Posted by Delicateflower

Post exposure prophylaxis works by eliciting an immune response far quicker than normal. Or it could have been antibodies against Ebola, the same way the passive tetanus and RSV vaccines work.

You mean immunoglobulins?

[gr8blessings]

Here is more information. The story was in the Canadian news last week:
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNew...90319/20090320

Information on the vaccine:
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/aug2003/niaid-06.htm

[AFWife]

I'll be honest. I've done some nerdy research on Ebola (I think it's a fascinating disease) and if I were going to an area known to have Ebola I would get the vax... It's not like mumps or something that you can recover from. The fatality rate is just TOO HIGH for my liking.

[gr8blessings]

There is a virus that are more deadly than Ebola (practically 100% whereas Ebola is only 50-80%) and is endemic in the US. We have a vaccine for it but it is not even part of the routine schedule. Yet illnesses like measles, chicken pox, mumps, rubella, rotavirus etc. which have very low kill rates are part of the routine schedule. Go figure.

gr8blessings

[spero]

Originally Posted by Delicateflower

Post exposure prophylaxis works by eliciting an immune response far quicker than normal. Or it could have been antibodies against Ebola, the same way the passive tetanus and RSV vaccines work.

What is "passive tetanus vaccine"? Are you speaking of TIG? That isn't a vaccine.

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by gr8blessings

There is a virus that are more deadly than Ebola (practically 100% whereas Ebola is only 50-80%) and is endemic in the US. We have a vaccine for it but it is not even part of the routine schedule. Yet illnesses like measles, chicken pox, mumps, rubella, rotavirus etc. which have very low kill rates are part of the routine schedule. Go figure.

gr8blessings

There's a strain of Ebola that is 90something% fatal (Zaire? I believe. I don't have "The Hot Zone" in front of me)
I'm not saying that to argue...I'm saying, that's close enough to 100 for me

[Delicateflower]

Originally Posted by spero

What is "passive tetanus vaccine"? Are you speaking of TIG? That isn't a vaccine.

Yes, but the person I was responding to may not have known what that or immunoglobulin was. Tossing around brand names and long words isn't helpful in explaining things.

[spero]

Originally Posted by Delicateflower

Yes, but the person I was responding to may not have known what that or immunoglobulin was. Tossing around brand names and long words isn't helpful in explaining things.

Well if you don't use the proper terms nobody learns anything here, kwim?

"Vaccine" and "immunoglobulin" are DIFFERENT things.

And ... you responded to me.

[gr8blessings]

Originally Posted by AFWife

There's a strain of Ebola that is 90something% fatal (Zaire? I believe. I don't have "The Hot Zone" in front of me)
I'm not saying that to argue...I'm saying, that's close enough to 100 for me

This virus is even more fatal than that, 99.999999999% (actually only 1 person has been known to survive without the vaccine) and it is present in the US. Ebola is not present in the US.

I just find it deliciously ironic that we have a vaccine for a virus that is that deadly, yet it isn't part of the routine schedule and the CDC makes such a big deal about how "deadly" measles, chicken pox, etc. is when the kill rates for these virus are less than 0.1%. I'm a virus nerd too.

gr8blessings

[libba]

Originally Posted by gr8blessings

There is a virus that are more deadly than Ebola (practically 100% whereas Ebola is only 50-80%) and is endemic in the US. We have a vaccine for it but it is not even part of the routine schedule. Yet illnesses like measles, chicken pox, mumps, rubella, rotavirus etc. which have very low kill rates are part of the routine schedule. Go figure.

gr8blessings

What virus are you talking about?

[seaheroine]

Originally Posted by libba

What virus are you talking about?

Yes, please share?

[spero]

Originally Posted by libba

What virus are you talking about?

Originally Posted by seaheroine

Yes, please share?

With links for all your stats as well, please?

[ursusarctos]

Originally Posted by k9sarchik

My YIKES is in reference to the fact that she stuck herself with Ebola on the needle.
Then she has been injected with this experimental vaccine never before given to a human.
Then it's gotta be some dead form of Ebola.

The thought of everything in this situation is YIKES!

I read in a news article (don't remember where or I would give the link) that the vaccine was made with another virus genetically engineered to look like the ebola virus. Not sure if it is alive or not.
Pretty scary situation, but I bet even she, as a scientist, is interested in the information to be obtained from this unique opportunity at human testing, now that it already happened. Even just seeing what kind of reaction she had (so far she had a brief fever).
Interestingly, the vaccine was 50% effective even when administered AFTER a deadly dose of ebola was injected into 8 chimpanzees (I know, for the animal testing, it's awful).
I'm also curious about this deadly virus that gr8blessings mentioned?