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EBOLA VIRUS, LABORATORY ACCIDENT - USA (MARYLAND)

Ebola Virus Laboratory Accident; Patient Symptom-free

A civilian scientist at Fort Detrick remained free of Ebola symptoms on Thu
18 Feb 2004, 8 days after accidentally grazing her hand with a needle while
injecting mice infected with a weakened form of the deadly virus, the Army
said. The unidentified researcher is in a biosafety containment care suite
known as "the slammer" that was last used for patient care in 1985,
spokeswoman Caree Vander Linden said. The 2-bed suite, rated BSL-4, the
highest biosafety level, is at the U.S. Army Institute of Infectious
Diseases at Fort Detrick, about 45 miles northwest of Washington DC. Based
on preliminary lab tests, officials said they believe the risk of Ebola
infection is low.

Ebola hemorrhagic fever has an incubation period ranging from 2 days to 21
days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is a
severe, often-fatal disease in humans and nonhuman primates that has
appeared sporadically since its initial recognition in 1976.

The patient was doing postdoctoral virology work at USAMRIID, where she has
worked as a National Research Council fellow since June 2002, Vander Linden
said. She grazed her hand on 11 Feb 2004 while studying potential
treatments for Ebola, the Army said. The mice she was treating were
infected 2 days earlier with a low dose of the weakened virus, the Army
said. Vander Linden said the woman slept at home the night of the accident
and entered the suite on 12 Feb 2004 for a stay of up to 30 days. "We
concluded on the evening this occurred that she needed some time to get her
personal things together," she said. "Due to the incubation period, there
was no risk to the community."

The suite is called the slammer because the metal door to a shower that
must be used before leaving the area makes a loud noise when it's closed,
Vander Linden said. She said the woman wears scrubs inside the chamber and
is tended by nurses wearing gowns, gloves, surgical masks, and face
shields. Her food goes in on trays, Vander Linden said. The containment
consists of 2 hospital-like rooms each 180 square feet and a
300-square-foot treatment room. The air is exchanged up to 15 times an hour
and is filtered coming in and going out, leaving it cleaner than when it
entered, Fort Detrick spokesman Charles Dasey said. Vander Linden said the
suite was last used for patient care in 1985, for observation of a lab
worker after a possible finger puncture while working with the virus that
causes Argentine hemorrhagic fever. No illness resulted.

The biggest USA Ebola exposure incident occurred at a primate facility in
Reston, Virginia, in 1989. 4 people were exposed to the virus but did not
get sick. [However, this was a different strain that is not as virulent as
the African strain being used for vaccine development. - Mod.JW]

Ebola's onset is abrupt and characterized by fever, headache, joint and
muscle aches, sore throat, and weakness, followed by diarrhea, vomiting,
and stomach pain. A rash, red eyes, hiccups, and internal and external
bleeding may be seen in some patients, according to the CDC.

[Byline: David Dishneau]
http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/health/wire/sns-ap-ebola