A new study on the Ebola virus says that if temperatures are close to freezing such as in the winter months the virus can live for two months outside of the body.
The study showed the virus lived over seven weeks on glass surfaces at temperatures around 39 degrees. The UK’s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory found the Zaire strain of the virus could live 50 days on glass surfaces.
The tests were reportedly carried out before the current outbreak, in 2010, but the results had not been released to the public.
‘This study has demonstrated that filoviruses are able to survive and remain infectious, for extended periods when suspended within liquid and dried onto surfaces,’ explained the researchers to the Daily Mail. ‘Data from this study extend the knowledge on the survival of filoviruses under different conditions and provide a basis with which to inform risk assessments and manage exposure.’
The CDC has said the virus can live for hours on doorknobs or other dry surfaces and they reiterated the importance of using an alcohol based hand sanitizer and to not touch any surface that may have come in contact with someone who has Ebola.
Nina Pham, the first of the two Dallas nurses to contract Ebola from Liberian Thomas Eric Duncan, has been declared virus free and has left the hospital where she had been treated.
The 26-year-old Pham was released Friday morning from the National Institutes of Health hospital near Washington.
“I am fortunate and blessed to be standing here today,” Pham told reporters as she left the hospital. “I would first and foremost like to thank God, my family and friends. Throughout this ordeal I have put my trust in God and my medical team.”
She thanked Dr. Kent Brantly for donations of plasma to help her strengthen her body’s response to the virus.
“I believe in the power of prayer because I know so many people all over the world have been praying for me,” Pham said. “I do now know how I can thank everyone enough for their prayers and expressions of concern, hope and love.”
Pham said she’s looking forward to going home and hugging her dog Bentley.
A New York doctor who had been treating Ebola patients in Guinea has been confirmed to have contracted the virus.
Dr. Craig Spencer was rushed to isolation after reporting to the hospital with a fever on Thursday.
New York health officials are trying to calm the public after news that Dr. Spencer was seen out on the town with friends the night before the reported to the hospital, had taken a cab, visited a bowling alley and rode two subway lines.
“He did not have a stage of disease that creates a risk of contagiousness on the subway,” Dr. Mary Bassett, the city health commissioner, said. “We consider it extremely unlikely, the probability being close to nil, that there will be any problem related to his taking the subway system.”
The concern is that doctors can not say for sure that Dr. Spencer did not have a fever when he was out on the town, and if he had the fever then he could have been infectious with the virus.
At least three people have been placed into isolation because of close contact with Dr. Spencer. The subway he rode, the cab and the bowling alley are all undergoing intense sanitization.
I’ve written before about how God inspires prophetic utterances, and how they sometimes startle me. But, the truth is that I’ve learned to distinguish God’s voice and trust Him when He says something. That comes with years and years of having my senses trained by the Holy Spirit to know when something is an important message for others in the Body of Christ.
The Bible says that your senses are trained with use. If you refuse to use what He gives you, you could lose the ability to hear, i.e. if you don’t use it, you lose it! You must always be willing to “stick your neck out” because if you hold back on what the voice of the Lord gives you, you could eventually lose the ability to discern His voice, or He would simply go on to someone else who would be obedient to speak what He gives you. Continue reading →
Ashoka Mukpo, the NBC freelance cameraman who contracted Ebola while working with NBC’s medical reporter in Africa, has been declared free of the virus.
Mukpo announced the news via Twitter.
“Just got my results. 3 consecutive days negative. Ebola free and feeling so blessed. I fought and won, with lots of help. Amazing feeling,” Mukpo tweeted. “Recovering from Ebola is a truly humbling feeling. Too many are not as fortunate and lucky as I’ve been. I’m very happy to be alive.”
Mukpo spent two weeks in a biocontainment unit. He said despite his ordeal he had no regrets about covering the outbreak in Liberia.
“For the record – no idea how I got it. It was something fluky. My best guess is I touched a surface and didn’t chlorinate fast enough,” he tweeted. “I was around a lot of sick people the week before I got sick. Thought I was keeping a good distance, wish I knew exactly what went wrong.”
Two other Americans with the virus are still fighting the disease. The National Institutes of Health is treating nurse Nina Pham and upgraded her condition from fair to good.
The United States will force all flights from countries that have Ebola outbreaks to five airports to allow more through screening for the virus.
Anyone flying into the U.S. from Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea will now have to travel through JFK in New York, Newark in New Jersey, Dulles in Washington, D.C., Atlanta or Chicago. The move goes into effect immediately according to the Department of Homeland Security.
“We are working closely with the airlines to implement these restrictions with minimal travel disruption,” Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement. “If not already handled by the airlines, the few impacted travelers should contact the airlines for rebooking, as needed.”
Johnson said that 94% of passengers from those areas reportedly already come through those airports, so it should have minimal impact on the worldwide airline flight schedules.
“We currently have in place measures to identify and screen anyone at all land, sea and air ports of entry into the United States who we have reason to believe has been present in Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea in the preceding 21 days,” Johnson said.
A Washington-based travel group told Reuters that an average of 150 per day come into the U.S. from those countries.
The long fight against the Ebola virus received very good news Tuesday when two African nations were declared free of the virus.
Nigeria and Senegal, who both combined had 20 cases of the virus and 7 deaths (all in Nigeria), have been free of any new cases for six weeks.
“This is a spectacular success story,” World Health Organization Representative Rui Gama Vaz told Reuters. “It shows that Ebola can be contained, but we must be clear that we have only won a battle, the war will only end when West Africa is also declared free of Ebola.”
The government of Nigeria was given praise considering the virus was discovered in Lagos, a city of 21 million where tracing contacts of residents can be almost impossible.
“Nigeria was not really prepared for the outbreak, but the swift response from the federal government, state governments (and) international organizations … was essential,” said Samuel Matoka, IFRC Ebola operations manager for Lagos. “The swiftness and fastness of the reaction from all parties, helped to contain Ebola in Nigeria.”
The World Health Organization says Nigeria could be a model for nations around the world in dealing with Ebola.
Concerns over Ebola have shut down schools in two states.
Two public schools in Ohio are closed because staff members were on the same flight as Amber Vinson, the second nurse who contracted Ebola and flew from Ohio to Texas with a low grade fever.
An e-mail was sent to parents of children at Solon Middle School and Parkside Elementary School.
“This circumstance came to light late in the day and we have been working since then to get as much information as possible from public health authorities,” the district’s email read.
“Although we believe what the science community and public health officials are telling us about the low risk of possible transmission of the virus through indirect contact, we are nonetheless taking the unusual step of closing the dual school building for Thursday so that we can have the schools cleaned and disinfected.”
The Belton Independent School District in Texas closed all three schools because of two students who were on the flight.
“Canceling classes at the three campuses will allow us to thoroughly clean and disinfect the schools and buses that served them this week. It will also allow health officials additional time to re-assess the health risk to passengers on the plane,” said Belton Superintendent Susan Kincannon in a statement. “I’m frustrated that we didn’t learn until late tonight that the CDC was re-evaluating the health risk. The health and safety of our students is my first priority.”
Yet the CDC allowed the latest American to be infected with the virus to fly on an airplane after showing a low-grade fever.
The Centers for Disease Control admits they allowed Amber Vinson of Dallas to fly from Cleveland to Dallas with a fever of 99.5.
“Although she did not report any symptoms and she did not meet the fever threshold of 100.4, she did report at that time she took her temperature and found it to be 99.5,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden. “I don’t think that changes the level of risk of people around her. She did not vomit, she was not bleeding, so the level of risk of people around her would be extremely low.”
However, the CDC is contacting everyone who was on the flight about their possible exposure to Ebola.
“Those who have exposures to Ebola, she should not have traveled on a commercial airline,” said Dr. Frieden. “The CDC guidance in this setting outlines the need for controlled movement. That can include a charter plane; that can include a car; but it does not include public transport. We will from this moment forward ensure that no other individual who is being monitored for exposure undergoes travel in any way other than controlled movement.”
The plane was used for five additional flights before it was taken out of service.
The second nurse infected with Ebola after treating Thomas Eric Duncan has been taken to Emory University in Atlanta to be placed in isolation.
The Centers for Disease Control confirmed they have flown Amber Vinson to Emory University Hospital because the hospital has successfully treated two other Ebola patients, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol.
“She was rapidly isolated, tested, and the presumptive test was positive. Fellow nurse Nina Pham, who is improving, will remain at Texas Health Presbyterian,” CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said.
Dr. Frieden said that while ill, Vinson is clinically “stable”.
Texas Governor Rick Perry praised the doctors and those treating the victims.
“This is the first time that our nation has had to deal with a threat such as this,” Perry said. “Everyone is working on this challenge — from the medical professionals at the bedside to the public officials addressing containment of the infection — is working to end the threat posed by this disease. These individuals are keeping the health and safety of Texans and the needs of the patients as their most critical tasks. Every relevant agency at the local, state and national levels is working to support these individuals.”