Viruses, Infections & Disease, features and articles | Educational Science

Jan 8, 2015

Ebola Vaccines: Here's a Look at the 3 Front-Runners

A vaccine against the Ebola virus is urgently needed, and several companies are racing to test their experimental vaccines in an effort to halt the spread of the deadly viral disease. Ebola has sickened more than 20,000 people in West Africa, and killed at least 8,200, according to the World...

Jan 13, 2015

Liberia's Ebola Epidemic Could End by Summer, Study Predicts

The Ebola outbreak in Liberia could be largely brought to an end by June — if the country stays on track with getting a high percentage of the people who are ill to hospitals, a new study predicts. Researchers found that if 85 percent of people with Ebola in Liberia...

Feb 12, 2015

Doctors Who Treat Ebola Feel More Socially Isolated

Doctors who take care of very sick Ebola patients may feel socially isolated, but surprisingly, they may not feel more stressed than usual, a new study from Germany suggests. Researchers surveyed 46 health care workers who treated Germany's first Ebola patient in August 2014, as well as 40 health care...

Feb 13, 2015

Ebola Virus Still Infectious for a Week After Death

The Ebola virus may still be able to cause disease a week after a person infected with the virus has died, a new study suggests. The study involved five macaque monkeys that had been infected with Ebola for previous research, and were euthanized after they showed symptoms of the disease....

Mar 5, 2015

What Are the Long-Term Effects of Ebola?

Texas nurse Nina Pham, who was infected with Ebola, says she has had ongoing health problems since being cured of the disease, and experts say this is not uncommon for Ebola survivors. Pham said this week that she has experienced hair loss, body aches and insomnia in the months following...

Mar 5, 2015

Doctor Who Was Possibly Exposed to Ebola Receives Experimental Vaccine

A U.S. doctor who was treating Ebola patients in Africa received an experimental vaccine after possibly being exposed to the disease, and he did not get sick, according to a new report of his case. When the man was working, a needle pierced his double layer of gloves, and penetrated...

Mar 12, 2015

US Ebola Patient to Be Admitted to Maryland Hospital

A U.S. health care worker who was volunteering in Africa has tested positive for Ebola, and is returning to the United States for treatment, health officials say. The patient will be admitted to the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland — a high-level containment facility — tomorrow...

Mar 17, 2015

Ebola Epidemic: Why a Few Cases Could Threaten Progress

Health officials have made tremendous progress in fighting the Ebola epidemic in West Africa in recent months, but continued efforts are still needed, experts say. That's because the cases that are happening now could be enough to restart the whole epidemic. Ebola cases in West Africa have, in general, been...

Mar 25, 2015

Ebola Cases in West Africa Reach Low for 2015

The number of new Ebola cases in West Africa last week was the lowest it has been in 2015, health officials said today. Between March 15 and March 22, there were 79 new Ebola cases in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to a new report from the World Health...

Mar 25, 2015

Ebola Death Rates Vary Widely by Age Group

Young children who are infected with Ebola may be more likely to die from the virus than older children or adults who are infected, according to a new study. In the study, researchers examined Ebola cases in children younger than 16 during the current outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra...

Mar 26, 2015

Ebola 'Supervirus' Is Unlikely, Experts Say

The Ebola virus that is causing the current outbreak in West Africa is not mutating as quickly as earlier reports had suggested, a new study finds. This finding helps allay fears that the virus could change into a more infectious or deadly form, the researchers said. In the study, published...

Mar 30, 2015

How Many Americans Could Get Ebola? Study Provides Estimates

The United States could have had more than a dozen Ebola cases monthly during the height of the epidemic in West Africa last year, and a half dozen cases in treatment simultaneously, according to a new study. Researchers estimated the potential highest number and lowest number of U.S. Ebola cases,...

Apr 14, 2015

Ebola Vaccine Starts Testing in Sierra Leone

A new Ebola vaccine study starting in Sierra Leone will test the vaccine in thousands of people who are working to fight the epidemic, health officials said today. For the study, called STRIVE, researchers will enroll about 6,000 people — all of them health care workers or others who are...

May 1, 2015

Ebola Survivors Should Use Condoms Indefinitely, CDC Says

The Ebola virus can remain in semen for longer than previously thought, and so men who survive the disease should always use a condom during sex until more information is known, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. This new recommendation follows the report of a woman in Liberia...

May 6, 2015

Ebola Virus Lives on Hospital Surfaces for Days

The Ebola virus can live on surfaces in hospitals for nearly two weeks, a new study suggests. Researchers tested how long the Ebola virus could survive on plastic, stainless steel and Tyvek, a material used in Ebola suits. The researchers also simulated different environmental conditions, including a climate-controlled hospital at...