Dr Jeremy Rossman, School of Biosciences Lecturer in Virology, was recently interviewed on BBC Radio Kent about the deadly Ebola virus.
Western Africa is currently experiencing the world’s worst documented outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus, with over 1700 suspected cases and 932 deaths. Ebola is a highly pathogenic virus that can kill up to 80 % of the people it infects, though it is only spread by direct blood or bodily fluid contact. Presently there are no approved vaccines or therapeutics for Ebola infection and current medical practice is limited to quarantine and supportive care.
Since Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976 there has been much research aimed at understanding the virus works and how it causes disease. However, this research has yet to translate into any licensed treatments because research on Ebola virus is hindered by safety concerns and a broad lack of funding. Whilst, many laboratories can work with individual components of the virus, research on live virus is limited to a select few high-containment laboratories around the world. Even for those select laboratories, there is a shortage of research funding as the virus is considered low risk and thus a low priority funding area for many developed counties.
Despite these limitations, there are currently several vaccines that have been developed that may prevent infection or mitigate the disease if given post-exposure. There are also multiple new therapeutic agents in various stages of development, including a treatment from the Canadian company Tekmira that has been undergoing initial human safety trials in the US. It is unlikely that any of these vaccines or therapeutics will be ready for use during this current outbreak. However, many developed countries are now questioning the risk Ebola virus poses and what can be done to enhance security. With additional research funds, it is likely that we will have several vaccines or therapies available to treat Ebola virus infections in the decade to come. These treatments may not completely cure the virus, but it may be possible to significantly reduce the loss of life in a future outbreak.
image of an Ebola virus by courtesy of Frederick A. Murphy and the US CDC