Many in W. Africa thought to be immune to Ebola

telegram.com ^ | Saturday, September 6, 2014 | Donald G. McNeil Jr.

[BenLurkin]

... part of the population in West Africa is immune to the Ebola virus, according to virologists who specialize in the disease.

Assuming they are correct, and if those people can be identified... Immune persons could safely tend the sick and bury the dead just as smallpox survivors did in the centuries before smallpox vaccine.

...antibodies could be harvested from their blood to treat new Ebola victims.

But many factors remain unclear, including which Africans have antibodies and how much antibody is needed to be protective....

“It's fair to say that some people are immune,” said Robert F. Garry Jr., a Tulane University expert in hemorrhagic fevers who works in Sierra Leone. “But we don't know if it's 1 percent or 2 percent or 20 percent.”

Right now, there are about 1,800 survivors of the current West African outbreak, all of whom are now immune, of course. But there may be many thousands more.

Small studies of household contacts of Ebola victims show that some people are infected without ever falling ill — perhaps because of some unknown genetic advantage.

But many Africans who have never seen a victim also have antibodies.

It is possible that some get low doses of virus by eating infected monkeys or bats that are undercooked.

“If someone got just two or three or four virus particles, if it enters through the mucus membranes in the mouth, yes, it's plausible,” said Thomas W. Geisbert, a hemorrhagic fever expert at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. "... The immune system gets a chance to fight it off.”

...

One of France's leading Ebola experts says he believes that many rural villagers are “vaccinated” by eating fruit gnawed on by bats and contaminated with their saliva.

[BenLurkin]

Eeeee-Bollll-Aaaaa

[Black Agnes]

R0 may be entirely different in this particular population than in an urban one or one of another race.

[null and void]

Eeeee-bolllll-aaaaaa ping!

Bring Out Your Dead

We’re NOT gonna

need a bigger cart!

Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.

The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.

So far the false positive rate is 100%.

At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.

*sigh* Such is life, and death...

[greeneyes]

I was just thinking about this and wondering if there were survivors who were immune, or others who for some reason were immune.

[Paladin2]

Cool.. West Africa privelige.

[Mercat]

I surfed into a show last night where a very sympathetic interviewer was interviewing the doc who recovered in Atlanta. I enjoyed it until I started thinking about his bloody diarrhea going out into the sewage system. Anyone know whether those rooms have holding tanks?

[Svartalfiar]

“It's fair to say that some people are immune,” said Robert F. Garry Jr., a Tulane University expert in hemorrhagic fevers who works in Sierra Leone. “But we don't know if it's 1 percent or 2 percent or 20 percent.”

I would say it's fair to say that ANY viral or bacterial infection has a portion (small or large) of the populace that is immune to it. Every single individual is in some tiny way different, and some of those differences will make the difference in whether or not you can be susceptible to, a carrier thereof, or completely immune to, any particular infection. Whether it is, like the expert says, 1 percent or 2 or 20. If anyone knows of anything, I'd love to be informed.

[Slambat]

“Many in W. Africa thought to be immune to Ebola’

“thought”?

Well bring on the monkey poop and lets find out.

[piytar]

Problem is, they are contagious for up to 6 months after being infected even if they never show symptoms.

[cripplecreek]

Stands to reason.

[Former Proud Canadian]

Some homo sapiens have to be immune. Some people have to be immune to a virus or the entire species is at risk.

[reg45]

Unfortunately, the only way to find out if someone is immune is to expose them to the virus.

[Paladin2]

THAT,s a problem.

[ansel12]

At the 4 special centers in the U.S, they treat the body wastes to sterilize it.

[jiggyboy]

I think a blood sample would show if you already have the known antibodies from a previous exposure.

[jiggyboy]

It is possible that some get low doses of virus by eating infected monkeys or bats that are undercooked.

Coming soon to elementary school cafeterias and Obamacare websites from coast to coast.

[greeneyes]

Well yes, that’s true, but I don’t know of any natural law that exists to say that humans won’t or can’t become extinct.

So of course, one does have a certain curiousity to know more about such a deadly virus.

[Mercat]

Oh good. Thanks.

[Vermont Lt]

They do here. It gets incinerated.

West Africa? It flows into the nearest reservoir or river.