Sierra Leone's chief Ebola doctor contracts the virus

[n2doc]

Source: Reuters

The head doctor fighting the deadly tropical virus Ebola in Sierra Leone has himself caught the disease, the government said.

The 39-year-old Sheik Umar Khan, hailed as a "national hero" by the health ministry, was leading the fight to control an outbreak that has killed 206 people in the West African country. Ebola kills up to 90 percent of those infected and there is no cure or vaccine.

Across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, more than 600 people have died from the illness, according to the World Health Organisation, placing great strain on the health systems of some of Africa's poorest countries.

Khan, a Sierra Leonean virologist credited with treating more than 100 Ebola victims, has been transferred to a treatment ward run by medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, according to the statement released late on Tuesday by the president's office.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/23/uk-health-ebola-africa-idINKBN0FS11520140723

[Diclotican]

14. lostincalifornia

lostincalifornia

The shance of surviging Ebola - is slim - rather slim to non to be honest.. I know some have survived - bu no one is really sure why they survive ebola. And the sad part is - He KNOW how it wil end.... Horribel disase.. Horrible way to die...

Dicloticna

[uppityperson]

2. Being a health care worker is risky. Best wishes for healing to him.

[LeftishBrit]

3. How terrible. I hope he pulls through.

[TygrBright]

4. I will be holding him in the Light.

I hope he pulls through. His life and work are a beacon that could and should illuminate the health care profession.

somberly,
Bright

[dbackjon]

5. May he pull through

He is greatly needed

[cosmicone]

6. I hope he makes a full recovery

For centuries, doctors and other health care workers have risked their lives in combating TB, smallpox, plague etc. and their contributions are forgotten now that we are safe from those diseases. I wish all of them are remembered somehow with a plaque in the CDC lobby or WHO lobby.

[DhhD]

7. Antigenic Subversion: A Novel Mechanism of Host Immune Evasion by Ebola Virus

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3521666/

Abstract.

In addition to its surface glycoprotein (GP1,2), Ebola virus (EBOV) directs the production of large quantities of a truncated glycoprotein isoform (sGP) that is secreted into the extracellular space. The generation of secreted antigens has been studied in several viruses and suggested as a mechanism of host immune evasion through absorption of antibodies and interference with antibody-mediated clearance. However such a role has not been conclusively determined for the Ebola virus sGP. In this study, we immunized mice with DNA constructs expressing GP1,2 and/or sGP, and demonstrate that sGP can efficiently compete for anti-GP12 antibodies, but only from mice that have been immunized by sGP. We term this phenomenon “antigenic subversion”, and propose a model whereby sGP redirects the host antibody response to focus on epitopes which it shares with membrane-bound GP1,2, thereby allowing it to absorb anti-GP1,2 antibodies. Unexpectedly, we found that sGP can also subvert a previously immunized host's anti-GP1,2 response resulting in strong cross-reactivity with sGP. This finding is particularly relevant to EBOV vaccinology since it underscores the importance of eliciting robust immunity that is sufficient to rapidly clear an infection before antigenic subversion can occur. Antigenic subversion represents a novel virus escape strategy that likely helps EBOV evade host immunity, and may represent an important obstacle to EBOV vaccine design.


It is a long study to read, but apparently there is hope.

[GeorgeGist]

10. God works in mysterious ways.

Intelligent Design my ass.

[BrotherIvan]

8. The Ultimate Sacrifice helping your fellow humans

A very great man.

[dembotoz]

9. i sell phone stuff - safe,easy phone stuff--and other people risk their lives every damn day

i stand in awe

[stevenleser]

11. The word is overused, but this Doctor is a HERO. nt

[TubbersUK]

12. The epitome of heroism. n/t

[The Second Stone]

13. All the health care people on the front line of an Ebola

outbreak are amazing people, heroes and frankly, saints. I wish them all the best.

[shireen]

15. There is hope

NPR aired a story of a medical worker in the Ebola frontlines who survived it.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2014/07/18/332569411/an-overhappy-survivor-a-semihopeful-forecast-reporting-on-ebola

[tblue37]

17. From the NPR article:

The MSF people say getting people in early [for treatment] gives them about a 10 percent better chance of surviving. You basically treat it like influenza. You rehydrate patients. If people have a fever, you knock it down with Tylenol.

Since he is one of the main doctors and an expert on the disease, I am hoping that means they caught it early enough to give him a chance of surviving.

[Control-Z]

18. Tylenol and hydration.

With all the advanced pharmaceuticals in the world, it is Tylenol and fluids. It seems so primitive and it makes the virus even scarier, if that's possible.

If I believed in a god, I would pray for his recovery. I can hope.

[Strelnikov_]

16. Sheik Umar Khan is truly a hero n/t