Scivillage.com Casual Discussion Science Forum

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/31/health...index.html

never heard of it before, so im reading up a little.

i expect we may see new outbreaks of diseases that do better in wetter warmer climates as climate change really kicks in.
my general expectation is with increasing humidity the tropical diseases will become common place in the USA.

Quote:The WHO, which is working with Ugandan health authorities to contain the outbreak, has followed up with 135 contacts of the patients, Jašarević said. Some positive news has come of these investigations: Blood tests showed no infection in two health care workers who had previously been classified as suspected cases.

Still, several hundred people may have been exposed to the virus at health facilities and at traditional burial ceremonies in the Kween district, according to the WHO.

---

https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/marburg/resource...table.html

Quote:*Numbers reflect laboratory confirmed cases only.

1998-2000 Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) death rate 83%
2004-2005 Angola Uige Province, Angola              death rate 90%

thats quite a mind boggler, specially considering that is only the lcinically confirmed cases and there would have probably been atleast another 25% of deaths on top.

Egyptian Fruit bats seem to be quite common.

---

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marburg_virus#Ecology

Quote:Experimentally infected bats developed relatively low viremia lasting at least 5 days, but remained healthy and didn't develop any notable gross pathology. The virus also replicated to high titers in major organs (liver and spleen), and organs that might possibly be involved in virus transmission (lung, intestine, reproductive organ, salivary gland, kidney, bladder and mammary gland). The relatively long period of viremia noted in this experiment could possibly also facilitate mechanical transmission by blood sucking arthropods or infection of susceptible vertebrate hosts by direct contact with infected blood.[citation needed]

"Don't Eat the Fuit !"   ?????????????

---

Quote:The Marburg strains had a mean root time of the most recent common ancestor of 177.9 years ago (95% highest posterior density 87–284) suggesting an origin in the mid 1800s.

From Dr. Ustinov's corpse the Soviet scientists isolated a strain of Marburg that was especially deadly in airborne form; the strain was named Variant U in Dr. Ustinov's honor. According to Dr. Alibek, as of 1991, the Soviets were ready to manufacture Marburg Variant U in large amounts to be place into MIRVs (Multiple Independent Re-entry Vehicles) with 10 separate targeted warheads. Once completed, such weapons were designed to be part of the Soviet strategic/operational arsenal. [globalsecurity.org]

Ken Alibek (AKA Kanatjan Alikbekov) seems to be the sole source for this Cold War account and other bio-weapons on the Soviet side. Still, Malthusian catastrophists can probably look forward to various contemporary regimes having covert programs that might eventually contribute to either remedying or relaxing the former's population concerns / phobias.

- - -

- - -

(Nov 3, 2017 06:02 PM)C C Wrote: [ -> ]

From Dr. Ustinov's corpse the Soviet scientists isolated a strain of Marburg that was especially deadly in airborne form; the strain was named Variant U in Dr. Ustinov's honor. According to Dr. Alibek, as of 1991, the Soviets were ready to manufacture Marburg Variant U in large amounts to be place into MIRVs (Multiple Independent Re-entry Vehicles) with 10 separate targeted warheads. Once completed, such weapons were designed to be part of the Soviet strategic/operational arsenal. [globalsecurity.org]

Ken Alibek (AKA Kanatjan Alikbekov) seems to be the sole source for this Cold War account and other bio-weapons on the Soviet side. Still, Malthusian catastrophists can probably look forward to various contemporary regimes having covert programs that might eventually contribute to either remedying or relaxing the former's population concerns / phobias.

- - -

- - -

im not up on bio-weapons or virology
that said the life cycle and contagious process looks ideal for a weapon as it would die off by its self in a matter of days or lack of contact while being highly contagious.
Given the discovery date back in the 80s or earlier i expect most modern countrys were in full swing making & researching biological weapons.
so i would not be surprised by any such story containing atleast some half truths.

my thought is that if it is soo virulent & in populations with no health care access(where 1st world tourists go to on a daily basis), it only takes 1 plane to land in a big city & its all on.

and the big issue of the potential of it being in fruit in places where food is scarce.
simply poor/starving people picking wild fruit catch it & pass it on to tourists in a local market and the tourist catches a flight directly to a big city...


how do you tell poor/starving 3rd world people to not eat bush meat or wild fruit ?