Ebola Strikes Again; Virus In Africa Takes 660 Lives

Yonhap News reported that the Ebola Virus that broke out in early March this year in western Africa is spreading at a remarkable pace throughout Liberia, Nigeria, Ghana and other African states, taking the lives of over 660 people. It has been over 40 years since this virus was known to scientists but there has been almost no further development in its treatment and there is no known cure.

The death rate of those who are contaminated with the Ebola virus is almost 90 percent. Because there is no real cure or vaccine, the only thing doctors could do for their patients is to stem the symptoms such as vomiting, fever, headaches and diarrhea. The reason why 40 years of research has not led to any progress is because the virus is so lethal that scientists find it extremely difficult to handle in a laboratory. As a result, research is conducted in only a few facilities where complete safety could be guaranteed.

In addition, the Ebola Virus is so rare that it is almost impossible to predict when and where it would break out. This makes it even harder for researchers to conduct experiments and tests for vaccines even if they did manage to develop a treatment.

So far, only 5 or 6 types of Ebola vaccines are being developed. The research is being funded by the United States and other countries that fear the Ebola virus might be turned into a biological weapon when in the wrong hands. Most pharmaceudical companies however, have expressed that they are not participating in this research because they lack the financial capabilities.

Tekmira, a pharmaceudical company in Canada had signed a 140 million dollar contract with the U.S. government to develop a vaccine and had even tried to conduct human testing for some of their samples, but the project was recently disbanded. However, the U.S. Army managed to develop a drug that revealed promising results after a test on a monkey. However, scientists are not yet sure whether the vaccine would work on humans.

While many scientists, considering the speed at which the virus is spreading throughout Africa, that researchers should be granted permission to use experimental drugs on patients. At the same time however, the medical and scientific community stated that using uncertified medicine on patients is unethical and could be the cause of yet another biological catastrophe.