{"id":331,"date":"2018-06-21T14:36:12","date_gmt":"2018-06-21T14:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=331"},"modified":"2018-06-21T14:36:12","modified_gmt":"2018-06-21T14:36:12","slug":"ebola-outbreak-this-time-its-different","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/331\/ebola-outbreak-this-time-its-different\/","title":{"rendered":"Ebola outbreak \u2013 this time it\u2019s different"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>by Gary Finnegan<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"dotted\"><strong>Lessons learned from past Ebola epidemics are helping to combat a fresh outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Investing in new vaccines, diagnostic tests and laboratories is paying off as expert networks spring into action.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div class=\"field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field-items\">\n<div class=\"field-item even\">\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">A new Ebola epidemic in the DRC has killed at least 28 people since April but a\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/apps.who.int\/iris\/bitstream\/handle\/10665\/272859\/SITREP_EVD_DRC_20180619-eng.pdf?ua=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">situation report<\/a>\u00a0from the World Health Organization (WHO) on 19 June says they are monitoring the outbreak with cautious optimism.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">The\u00a0contrast with the 2013-16 outbreak in West Africa is stark. That epidemic killed more than 11,000 people and prompted criticism of local and global health organisations for taking too long to get the outbreak under control.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">This time, when Ebola struck, the world was better prepared. Over the past two years, networks of researchers and health workers have been established, lab infrastructure has been built up, and vaccines have been fast-tracked through research and development and the regulatory system, helped by a global network of funders in preparedness research called GloPID-R.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">However, the\u00a0danger has not yet passed. Just a week earlier, when visiting Kinshasa, capital of the DRC, on 12 June, WHO Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said: \u2018Even if one case \u2026 gets to an urban area, that could trigger another epidemic.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">The big fear is that the virus could reach Kinshasa \u2013 home to around 10 million people \u2013 or the nearby city of Brazzaville in the neighbouring Republic of Congo. These populous cities would give the virus an opportunity to quickly infect large numbers of people and to spread through transport networks to other parts of Africa. Experts who have traced\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/article\/virus-hunters-tracking-down-next-pandemic_en.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the spread of HIV in the 20<sup>th<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0century found that Kinshasa\u2019s railways played a key role in the explosive spread of the disease.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">The previous West African epidemic prompted much soul-searching among global health figures and the research community. This spurred renewed investment in networks of scientists tasked with preparing the region for future outbreaks of Ebola and other infectious diseases. Not only have research teams been developing the vaccines, tests and treatments needed to curb the spread of disease, they are a standing army of experts ready to react when a crisis breaks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">For the newly established PANDORA network, their first crisis came earlier than expected. \u2018We formally launched our consortium on 8 May \u2013 the day the Ebola outbreak in DRC was officially declared to be an epidemic,\u2019 recalled Professor Francine Ntoumi from the Fondation Congolaise pour la Recherche M\u00e9dicale, Republic of Congo, who jointly leads PANDORA.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\"><strong>Baptism of fire<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">It was a baptism of fire, but showed the value of mobilising networks in an emergency. \u2018The Ebola outbreak is near the border of the DRC and Republic of Congo. We immediately organised in the DRC and engaged with our contacts in the Republic of Congo, including ethics committees and regulatory authorities,\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">The goal was to secure swift approval for the steps to take in managing Ebola cases and to mobilise the funds needed to train health professionals. A workshop attracted experts from both sides of the Congo River, as well as from Gabon, Cameroon and the Central African Republic. Healthcare workers were trained in the use of new diagnostic tests and infection control measures \u2013 essential skills if the virus spreads to neighbouring countries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">After the current epidemic has passed, the EU-funded network will continue its work, collecting data on human and animal health, building capacity in laboratories and health systems, and further expanding the availability of diagnostic tools. For Professor Ntoumi, this is a radical shift from the fire-fighting approach of the past.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">\u2018When there is a fire, international agencies come to help \u2013 then they go,\u2019 she said. \u2018But if local people are not trained in how to stop the next fire, there will be another crisis. I see our network as a way to stop fires from developing in the first place. It\u2019s a long-term, more sustainable solution.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">Europe has set up its own network of clinical research sites, primary care clinics and hospitals to prepare for new and re-emerging health threats. PREPARE was launched in 2014 and connects more than 1,000 sites across the EU.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">Now a new network \u2013 the African coalition for Epidemic Research, Response and Training (ALERRT) \u2013 aims to build on this model for sub-Saharan Africa. Professor Peter Horby, from the UK\u2019s Oxford University, a member of PREPARE and coordinator of ALERRT, said the challenges facing Europe and Africa are significantly different.<\/p>\n<div class=\"quote-view quotesBlock quote_horizontal\">\n<blockquote>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">&#8216;It\u2019s almost impossible to start a trial from scratch during an outbreak.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">Professor Peter Horby, Oxford University, UK<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">\u2018The difference is quite stark in terms of the outbreak frequency that we will face in ALERRT,\u2019 he said. \u2018The PREPARE network has helped to ready Europe for future outbreaks but has yet to face a major epidemic crisis. In contrast, ALERRT was launched last December and, before we held our kick-off meeting in March, we had outbreaks to deal with.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\"><strong>Plague<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">The first was an epidemic of plague in Madagascar, followed closely by a Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria, and then Ebola in DRC. \u2018Sub-Saharan Africa is always in outbreak mode,\u2019 Prof Horby said. \u2018This brings different challenges but ensures the motivation of clinicians, officials and regional partners is always strong.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">Research facilities and capabilities in many parts of Africa are less developed than in Europe. One of the consortium\u2019s first tasks is to establish a clinical research network, build data management infrastructure, and get scientists working together.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">In the past, clinical research was seen as luxury but is now viewed as a core pillar of outbreak response plans. This supports the control of current outbreaks and improves preparedness for the next.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">\u2018It\u2019s now accepted that we need people in place with the tools and skills to respond quickly,\u2019 said Prof Horby. \u2018It\u2019s almost impossible to start a trial from scratch during an outbreak, you need to have protocols, ethical approvals and logistics in place in advance.\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">The ALERRT network will be ready to respond to any infectious disease threat. \u2018It\u2019s not just about Ebola \u2013 we have to avoid falling into the trap of being prepared for the last outbreak. We need to be ready for anything.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><em>Originally published on <a href=\"https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\">Horizon<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Gary Finnegan Lessons learned from past Ebola epidemics are helping to combat a fresh outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Investing in new vaccines, diagnostic tests and laboratories is paying off as expert networks spring into action. A new Ebola epidemic in the DRC has killed at least 28 people since April &#8230; <a title=\"Ebola outbreak \u2013 this time it\u2019s different\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/331\/ebola-outbreak-this-time-its-different\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Ebola outbreak \u2013 this time it\u2019s different\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":332,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[164,37,95,79,24],"class_list":["post-331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-ebola","tag-health","tag-medicine","tag-research","tag-science"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ebola outbreak \u2013 this time it\u2019s different - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/331\/ebola-outbreak-this-time-its-different\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ebola outbreak \u2013 this time it\u2019s different\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"by Gary Finnegan Lessons learned from past Ebola epidemics are helping to combat a fresh outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Investing in new vaccines, diagnostic tests and laboratories is paying off as expert networks spring into action. A new Ebola epidemic in the DRC has killed at least 28 people since April ... 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Health workers must act quickly not only to contain and treat an emerging or re-emerging disease, but also to use this window to evaluate potential treatments and vaccines. 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By\u00a0\u00a0ANTHONY KING A 62-year-old man was bitten by a tick while hiking through fields in Spain. Two days later he began to feel ill\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Health&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/04\/13-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/04\/13-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/04\/13-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/04\/13-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/04\/13-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/04\/13-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1204,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1204\/covid-19-how-unprecedented-data-sharing-has-led-to-faster-than-ever-outbreak-research\/","url_meta":{"origin":331,"position":2},"title":"Covid-19: How unprecedented data sharing has led to faster-than-ever outbreak research","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"March 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by\u00a0Ian Le Guillou Advances in gene sequencing have allowed scientists to trace and monitor the COVID-19 pandemic faster than any previous outbreak. However, gaps in our knowledge of how coronaviruses work has made it difficult to understand what makes the new coronavirus special. When the new coronavirus (formally known as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Health&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Online tools such as NextStrain are helping to track the spread of coronavirus in real time. 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