Health officials unveil plan to test multiple Ebola drugs at once

[uppityperson]

Source: AP via fox

The quest for an Ebola treatment is picking up speed. Federal officials have unveiled a plan to test multiple drugs at once, in an umbrella study with a single comparison group to give fast answers on what works.

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Ten potential vaccines have been developed, and two should enter mid- to late-stage testing in December or January, Dr. Cathy Roth of the World Health Organization told the conference via Skype from Geneva. GlaxoSmithKline's is one of them, and it's too soon to say when it could be ready for wide use or what it would cost, said the company's Dr. W. Ripley Ballou.

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At least 30 scientists were barred from the conference because Louisiana state officials told attendees to stay away if they had traveled to certain West African countries or had contact with an Ebola patient in the last 21 days, Ebola's maximum incubation period. One was Dr. Amanda Tiffany of Doctors Without Borders, who was to have given a talk on how to limit the spread of Ebola, based on her work on some of the very first cases in Guinea. "The stigma American and other colleagues are now facing is great," she said in a statement read by a colleague. "We need information disseminated through the media based on science and medicine and not on fear."

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Ebola is setting back even the crude health care available in West Africa. In Sierra Leone, there now are no doctors willing to do Caesarean sections on pregnant women — whether they are known to have Ebola or not — because of the fear of exposure to so much blood, said Dr. Lina Moses, another Tulane researcher who works in that country. "Maternal health is a serious issue right now," she said. "We're expecting maternal mortality to skyrocket."..(more@ link)

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/11/06/health-officials-unveil-plan-to-test-multiple-ebola-drugs-at-once/

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Due to copyright restrictions, I had to pick and chose and missed a lot of interesting info, including they are finding age plays a big role in who survives, over 40 you are nearly 4 times likely to die. It is an interesting article with a lot of good info.

[C Moon]

1. Good news. I think the lack of replies here is because of the news source. Just a guess.

[rocktivity]

2. It's equally important to find a way to detect Ebola during its incubation period

which would allow for the development of an antidote as well as a vaccine:
http://yourHHRSnews.com/quick-cheap-ebola-tests-could-be-key-to-halting-virus


rocktivity

[LeftInTX]

3. Hopefully an improvement in contact tracing too

Having a treatment to offer could help doctors trace contacts of patients to limit the disease's spread. People "may be more willing to open the door" and answer questions if there is a drug that can help, Sprecher said.