Presentation

“Our findings counter the idea that Ebola virus infection is immunosuppressive, at least in the patients we were able to study,” Anita McElroy, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine, said in a press release. “They also demonstrate the value that supportive care may have in enabling the immune system to fight back against Ebola virus infection.”

McElroy and colleagues examined the T- and B-cells of four Ebola survivors to gauge the immune system’s response to Ebola virus infection. Using the CDC’s biosafety level-4 laboratory space, they determined the frequency of activated immune cells, phenotyped activated CD8 T-cells, and measured the kinetics of each patient’s response.

Special consideration is merited for procedures that create the opportunity for contact with certain bodily fluids and tissues in which Ebola virus may persist, the CDC said. These include:

With two new cases of Ebola virus disease recently confirmed in Guinea, and three probable and two suspect cases identified, the Red Cross Society of Guinea, with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), has mobilized teams of trained volunteers to aid in the response.

“The confirmation of new cases is a vivid reminder of the need to maintain a fast and efficient response capacity in all three West African countries which were affected by the Ebola outbreak,” said Norbert Allale, head of IFRC regional Ebola operations. “In Guinea, we have provided refresher training to some of our safe and dignified burial volunteers who are now on standby to respond should the number of confirmed cases increase.”

Forty beneficiary communications volunteers also received refresher training and have been deployed to the affected community and surrounding area to actively look for potential Ebola cases and to reinforce to residents how they can protect themselves from Ebola through proper hygiene.