Research

The antibody, known as mAb114, was effective even when given five days after exposure to Ebola virus, researchers said. Although several clinical trials are in progress, there are currently no licenced therapies against Ebola virus.

When the Ebola outbreak was confirmed in Guinea two years ago, one of the reasons the virus spread so quickly was due to the high amount of people traffic across the borders of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. To mitigate the introduction of new Ebola cases or other diseases by cross border travellers, the Red Cross has introduced a community event-based surveillance system. It is successful, in large part, due to the engagement of community members.

Although Ebola virus RNA was detected at low levels, more evidence is needed to better understand the duration and infectivity of the virus in breast milk, the guidance stated. Spontaneous galactorrhea also was reported in female survivors up to 9 months after symptom onset. Studies assessing the viruses’ persistence are ongoing.

Guinea reports 5th Ebola death as Liberia closes border

A fifth person has died from Ebola virus infection in southeast Guinea in recent days—raising fears of geographic spread—as the country monitors more than 800 possible contacts and Liberia closed its border with Guinea, Reuters reported in separate stories.

The latest case was detected in Macenta prefecture, about 125 miles from the village of Koropara where the four other recent Ebola-related deaths occurred, said Fode Sylla Tass, a spokesman for the country's Ebola response efforts, Reuters reported today.

The man had recently visited Koropara and had been in direct contact with the first patients, Tass said. He was buried in the village of Makoidou without proper disease-control measures.