I participated in a project from my company (in fact, I proposed the idea) to collect blood plasma with antibodies to Ebola from surviving patients during the 2014 epidemic in Liberia and Sierra Leone. The plan was to provide these antibodies as a treatment, after appropriate generic virus inactivation procedures, to patients with ongoing infection and disease. I had the chance to meet an EBOLA researcher from the U.S. army at Fort Detrick, a frequent traveler to Uganda. He explained to me that Uganda was the highest-risk area for future epidemics. Apparently, there is increasing mining there, with the help of China, if I recall right. Ebola-contaminated bats seek refuge in mines, and they bite miners. Alternatively, miners catch, kill, cook, and eat bats, a practice common in Africa. Miners bring the disease home and start the epidemic. This one appears to be quite dangerous because of the lack of vaccines and therapeutics, as you have heard for sure.
You’ve led a very interesting career, Juan. I’m always pleased to get in-depth comments from you. Your posts in general, including on your publication, ground science and research in the tangible. The “here and now” is so oppressively distracting under the attention economy that we lose sight of what we are, where came from, and one of the most obvious threats to our survival as a species: viruses. Your proactivity and that of the researcher you mentioned is encouraging, but the lack on the part of so many others feels quite the opposite.
What I’ve heard about this outbreak in Africa sounds inexcusable. Ludicrous resources have been expended by governments for concentrating power and concretizing control. Example: non-violent people who are superficially different from others are considered more seriously as threats than our oldest foe. Had the same resources ever been directed to virology, this particular outbreak in Africa probably wouldn’t have happened in the first place. And on the off-chance it did, there would’ve at least been treatment options available. I’m hesitant to share my opinion on just how much of this situation is ignorance versus malice.
Thanks for your comment, Juan, and also for regularly communicating about science and what that means for us.
I participated in a project from my company (in fact, I proposed the idea) to collect blood plasma with antibodies to Ebola from surviving patients during the 2014 epidemic in Liberia and Sierra Leone. The plan was to provide these antibodies as a treatment, after appropriate generic virus inactivation procedures, to patients with ongoing infection and disease. I had the chance to meet an EBOLA researcher from the U.S. army at Fort Detrick, a frequent traveler to Uganda. He explained to me that Uganda was the highest-risk area for future epidemics. Apparently, there is increasing mining there, with the help of China, if I recall right. Ebola-contaminated bats seek refuge in mines, and they bite miners. Alternatively, miners catch, kill, cook, and eat bats, a practice common in Africa. Miners bring the disease home and start the epidemic. This one appears to be quite dangerous because of the lack of vaccines and therapeutics, as you have heard for sure.
Thank you, Reese, for your kind words. I also enjoy very much the irony in your posts! Best wishes.
You’ve led a very interesting career, Juan. I’m always pleased to get in-depth comments from you. Your posts in general, including on your publication, ground science and research in the tangible. The “here and now” is so oppressively distracting under the attention economy that we lose sight of what we are, where came from, and one of the most obvious threats to our survival as a species: viruses. Your proactivity and that of the researcher you mentioned is encouraging, but the lack on the part of so many others feels quite the opposite.
What I’ve heard about this outbreak in Africa sounds inexcusable. Ludicrous resources have been expended by governments for concentrating power and concretizing control. Example: non-violent people who are superficially different from others are considered more seriously as threats than our oldest foe. Had the same resources ever been directed to virology, this particular outbreak in Africa probably wouldn’t have happened in the first place. And on the off-chance it did, there would’ve at least been treatment options available. I’m hesitant to share my opinion on just how much of this situation is ignorance versus malice.
Thanks for your comment, Juan, and also for regularly communicating about science and what that means for us.