THANK YOU ISRAEL!
Posted on 09/02/2003 6:21:40 PM PDT by yonif
Israeli microbiologists have developed the first passive vaccine, effective for six weeks, against the mosquito-borne West Nile virus, which has killed thousands and infected many more around the world. The vaccine is based on immunoglobulin taken from blood donors found to contain active antibodies against the virus, for which there is no available cure.
The team includes Prof. Bracha Rager, until recently chief scientist of the Health Ministry, who is also a veteran researcher at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev's microbiology and immunology department, and Dr. David Ben-Nathan of the Biological Institute in Ness Ziona.
The disease was eliminated in intentionally infected lab mice, and it has already promoted the recovery of a woman at Netanya's Laniado Hospital. As a result of their work, published in the July issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, the vaccine is about to undergo clinical trials at a number of American hospitals, under supervision of the US National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. The trials are being carried out in cooperation with the Israel biotechnology company Omrix, which purchased the rights.
The team is currently working on an active vaccine that would have a more lasting and powerful effect.
Until the late 1990s, West Nile virus was limited to Africa, East Asia, parts of the Middle East, and Europe. But in 2000, there were serious outbreaks in the US, Israel, and other countries. In Israel, a few dozen people died and hundreds were infected.
The disease appears as a flu-like condition, and is harmless to healthy people. But it can be deadly in individuals with weak immune systems, such as the chronically ill, the elderly, and young children. It has killed 282 and infected 4,156 in the US alone.
The virus is found mostly in wild birds and sometimes mammals. People become infected by mosquitos which bite them after biting the mammals or birds. Infected people are liable to die from complications such as meningitis and encephalitis. This year, despite the heavy rains, there have been only four reported cases of infection here. The authorities credit improved draining of standing water and insecticide spraying, as well as better protection (screens, mosquito repellant, proper dress) by those at high risk.
Rager said that the initial results elicited skepticism among doctors, because the vaccine was tried on only a few patients. But the recovery of the woman from a coma after being vaccinated, despite having contracted chronic lymphocytic leukemia, led to the decision to conduct clinical trials.
Six other very sick local West Nile virus patients have been treated, and two (including a lung transplant patient) improved.
"If the high incidence of severe West Nile virus observed in 2002 in North America is repeated in coming years, there may exist a unique opportunity to determine whether early treatment... with [the] specific antibody is beneficial," said NIH researchers.
Rager added that approval of the vaccine is likely to be swift, not only because immunoglobulins are well known and used for other diseases, but also because the virus is spreading rapidly around the world.
Arafat invented the modern terrorist method. That's his (and the Palestinians') claim to fame.
Indeed they are. But don't worry, many will claim that they're only able to do this because of the money we give them. If that's the case, why doesn't Egypt create anything but terrorists and dirty Nile water despite the $2 billion/yr we send them?
The reason: Israelis are smarter, and their culture is vastly superior.
Thank You Israel
THANK YOU ISRAEL!
And I'll wax less than spiritual by saying thanks Israel for being such an effective daily annoyance to the global neo-left and the terrorist culture, even more than America. 
If you'd like to be on or off this
Christian Supporters of Israel ping list,
please FR mail me. ~
Haa, haaa!! Amen! And there it is in a nutshell!
Although don't expect the multi-culturalists to ackowledge that truth. It'll really foul up their theories that all cultures have something good to offer, and offend the Arabs.
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