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ebola

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A Promising Ebola Vaccine

The West African Ebola outbreak is still going on as we sit here in our comfy chairs, sipping fancy coffee (I speak for myself of course).  Good news though, it’s starting to burn itself out.  Well, mostly.  Ebola is still going strong in Guinea, where recent cases of new infection have increased.  But in Sierra Leone new infections are on the decline, and there’s been no new infections in Liberia for several weeks. The rapid decline in Ebola in Liberia is thanks, in no small measure, to the efforts of your taxpayer dollars, and the U.S. military, the world’s largest humanitarian organization.… Read More »A Promising Ebola Vaccine

Divest and have a Happy(er) Valentine’s Day!

Today, just a quick post to say that Global Fossil Fuel Divestment Day has begun.  So why not take a look at your investments and see if you can switch to something less destructive.  Even if you are not an investor, there are still ways you can help. Check out these posts… Why Divest From Fossil Fuels – un-burnable fossil fuels, stranded assets, and corporate welfare Carbon Budgets Explored – how much can we safely burn?  I made some easy to look at graphs to help visualize this. Peak Oil Predictions — Only 50 Years Left?! – thoughts on fracking, Saudi Arabia, and just… Read More »Divest and have a Happy(er) Valentine’s Day!

More About Bats and Ebola…

A great article was recently published in the scientific literature called “Mapping the zoonotic niche of Ebola virus disease in Africa” by David Pigott and others.  This study used fancy mapping technology called geographic information systems (GIS), to map the concentration of the three species of bats known carry Ebola (check out our earlier post about bats).  The bat map is combined with a map of human populations to show the places of greatest risk.  The top part of the map shows the number of people at risk.  The Democratic Republic of the Congo has the most, with 11.7 million people.  The grey box… Read More »More About Bats and Ebola…

How NOT to DIE from Ebola! The key to Ebola treatment…

Wanna know how not to DIE from Ebola?  First off, try not to exchange bodily fluids with a floridly infected person (as we talked about in an earlier post).  However, if you do end up catching Ebola you probably got it by taking care of a sick family member or you are a healthcare worker taking care of the infected.  If you are youngish (under 45) and get medical care early, you have a good chance of  survival. The highly respected medical journal, The New England Journal of Medicine, recently published two very interesting articles on Ebola treatment in Africa.  One article… Read More »How NOT to DIE from Ebola! The key to Ebola treatment…

Bats, Ebola and Climate Change, Oh My!

The last time I studied Ebola was back in public health school many years ago.  At that time the reservoir was unknown, but scientists were closing in.  The reservoir is the place where the virus hides between outbreaks.  Turns out, in the case of Ebola, it hides out in fruit bats.  Three  different species to be exact: the hammer-headed bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus),  the little collared fruit bat (Myonycteris torquata), and Franquet’s epauletted fruit bat (Epomops franqueti). Fruit bats are, of course, mammals like you or I.  Some of them are sorta cute, looking like a chihuahua with wings (although some of them… Read More »Bats, Ebola and Climate Change, Oh My!