“I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be mistaken.”
~Oliver Cromwell
CDC: Ebola is not a huge risk for U.S.
CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden talks to Dr. Sanjay Gupta about concerns over Americans with Ebola returning to the U.S.
2014 August 2 Breaking News Ebola Crisis Doctors Without Borders warns outbreak out of control
Fear Works Against Health Workers Trying To Contain Ebola
Unprecedented Ebola outbreak crosses borders in West Africa
More than 100 people have died so far in the worst outbreak of the Ebola virus in years, which began in Guinea before spreading to Liberia. Now health officials are investigating possible cases in Mali and Ghana. Jeffrey Brown talks to Laurie Garrett from the Council on Foreign Relations about past outbreaks and the current challenges for containment.
Global Health and Global Threats with Laurie Garrett — Atlantic Meets the Pacific 2013
Laurie Garrett, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Senior Fellow for Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations, shares her concerns about emerging public health threats, ranging from gain of function research to the effects of climate change on the human microbiome, in an interview with The Atlantic’s Corby Kummer. This program is part of The Atlantic Meets the Pacific 2013 conference presented by The Atlantic and UC San Diego. Series: “The Atlantic Meets The Pacific”
EBOLA: THE PLAGUE FIGHTERS – NOVA – Discovery/Science/History (documentary)
The world’s most dangerous Virus (full documentary)
Monkey Meat and the Ebola Outbreak in Liberia
Hospitals “Full-Up”: The 1918 Influenza Pandemic
The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 | Documentary on the Spanish Flu Pandemic in the United States
The Genesis of the 1918 Spanish Influenza Pandemic
Michael Worobey, Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Arizona
The Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918 was the most intense outbreak of disease in human history. It killed upwards of 50 million people (most in a six-week period) casting a long shadow of fear and mystery: nearly a century later, scientists have been unable to explain why, unlike all other influenza outbreaks, it killed young adults in huge numbers. I will describe how analyses of large numbers of influenza virus genomes are revealing the pathway traveled by the genes of this virus before it exploded in 1918. What emerges is a surprising tale with many players and plot lines, in which echoes of prior pandemics, imprinted in the immune responses of those alive in 1918, set the stage for the catastrophe. I will also discuss how resolving the mysteries of 1918 could help to prevent future pandemics and to control seasonal influenza, which quietly kills millions more every decade.
Laurie Garrett: What can we learn from the 1918 flu?
Directing evolution: Laurie Garrett at TEDxDanubia 2014
cnn – could a ‘contagion’ event really happen? – population control
Contagion (2011) Official Exclusive 1080p HD Trailer
Contagion Movie Review: Beyond The Trailer
After Armageddon (when deadly virus strikes) in HD & 3D
Outbreak Movie Trailer (1995)
Virus – Full Movie
NEIDL
NEIDL: Biosafety Level 3
NEIDL: Biosafety Level 4
MWV Episode 68 – Threading the NEIDL: TWiV Goes Inside a BSL-4
In the Hot Zone with Virus X – Richard Preston
Elbows-Deep in Ebola Virus – Richard Preston
FLOOD OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS NOT MEDICALLY SCREENED PROPERLY, & SPREADING DISEASE
Obama’s Illegal Immigrants Now Spreading Disease to Americans, Including Children
TB Return of the Plague BBC documentary 2014
Different Types of Tuberculosis and Its Symptoms and Treatment
Tuberculosis spreading at illegal immigrant camps
The Threat of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
A History of Tuberculosis | MSF |
How The Body Reacts To Tuberculosis | MSF |
The White Plague: A Social History of Tuberculosis – Professor Sir Richard J. Evans
1/3 TB or not TB: the Fate of Tuberculosis in the US and India
2/3 TB or not TB: the Fate of Tuberculosis in the US and India
3/3 TB or not TB: the Fate of Tuberculosis in the US and India
What’s The Most Dangerous Place on Earth?
LEAKED CBP REPORT SHOWS ENTIRE WORLD EXPLOITING OPEN US BORDER
A leaked intelligence analysis from the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reveals the exact numbers of illegal immigrants entering and attempting to enter the U.S. from more than 75 different countries. The report was obtained by a trusted source within the CBP agency who leaked the document and spoke with Breitbart Texas on the condition of anonymity. The report is labeled as “Unclassified//For Official Use Only” and indicates that the data should be handled as “Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU).”
The numbers provided are in graphics and are broken down into “OFO” and “OBP.” The Customs and Border Protection agency is divided into the Office of Field Operations (OFO) and the Office of Border Patrol (OBP). The OFO numbers reflect anyone either turning themselves in at official U.S. points of entry, or anyone caught while being smuggled at the points of entry. The OBP numbers reflect anyone being caught or turning themselves in to Border Patrol agents between the points of entry, or anyone caught at interior checkpoints by Border Patrol agents. The “OFO Inadmissible” designation to any individual from a nation other than Mexico or Canada means that U.S. authorities took the individuals into custody. Whether they were deported or given a Notice to Appear is unknown. It is important to note these numbers do not include data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The unavailable ICE data are in addition to these numbers.
The report reveals the apprehension numbers ranging from 2010 through July 2014. It shows that most of the human smuggling from Syria and Albania into the U.S. comes through Central America. The report also indicates the routes individuals from North Africa and the Middle East take into the European Union, either to illegally migrate there or as a possible stop in their journey to the United States. The data are broken down further into the specific U.S. border sectors where the apprehensions and contact occurred.
Among the significant revelations are that individuals from nations currently suffering from the world’s largest Ebola outbreak have been caught attempting to sneak across the porous U.S. border into the interior of the United States. At least 71 individuals from the three nations affected by the current Ebola outbreak have either turned themselves in or been caught attempting to illegally enter the U.S. by U.S. authorities between January 2014 and July 2014.
As of July 20, 2014, 1,443 individuals from China were caught sneaking across the porous U.S. border this year alone, with another 1,803 individuals either turning themselves in to U.S. authorities at official ports of entry, or being caught attempting to illegally enter at the ports of entry. This comes amid a massive crackdown by Chinese authorities of Islamic terrorists in the Communist nation.
Twenty-eight individuals from Pakistan were caught attempting to sneak into the U.S. this year alone, with another 211 individuals either turning themselves in or being caught at official ports of entry.
Thirteen Egyptians were caught trying to sneak into the U.S. this year alone, with another 168 either turning themselves in or being caught at official ports of entry.
Four individuals from Yemen were caught attempting to sneak into the U.S. by Border Patrol agents in 2014 alone, with another 34 individuals either turning themselves in or being caught attempting to sneak through official ports of entry. Yemen is not the only nation with individuals who pose terror risks to the U.S. that the report indicates travel from. The failed nation of Somalia, known as a hotbed of Islamic terror activity, was also referenced in the report. Four individuals from Somalia were caught trying to sneak into the U.S. by Border Patrol agents in 2014. Another 290 either turned themselves in or were caught attempting to sneak in at official ports of entry. This reporter previously covered the issue of illegal immigration into the U.S. from Somalia and other nations in the Horn of Africa.
The name Zaire ebolavirus is derived from Zaire (the country in which the Ebola virus was first discovered) and the taxonomicsuffixebolavirus (which denotes an ebolavirus species).[2]
The EBOV genome is approximately 19 kb in length. It encodes seven structural proteins: nucleoprotein (NP), polymerase cofactor (VP35), (VP40), GP, transcription activator (VP30), VP24, and RNA polymerase (L).[3]
Structure
Electron micrographs of EBOV show them to have the characteristic threadlike structure of a filovirus.[4] EBOV VP30 is around 288 amino acids long.[5] The virionsare tubular in general form but variable in overall shape and may appear as the classic shepherd’s crook or eyebolt, as a U or a 6, or coiled, circular, or branched; laboratory techniques, such as centrifugation, may be the origin of some of these formations.[6] Virions are generally 80 nm in diameter with a lipid bilayer anchoring the glycoprotein which projects 7 to 10 nm long spikes from its surface.[7] They are of variable length, typically around 800 nm, but may be up to 1000 nm long. In the center of the virion is a structure called nucleocapsid, which is formed by the helically wound viral genomic RNA complexed with the proteins NP, VP35, VP30, and L.[8] It has a diameter of 80 nm and contains a central channel of 20–30 nm in diameter. Virally encoded glycoprotein (GP) spikes 10 nm long and 10 nm apart are present on the outer viral envelope of the virion, which is derived from the host cell membrane. Between envelope and nucleocapsid, in the so-called matrix space, the viral proteins VP40 and VP24 are located.[9]
Genome
Each virion contains one molecule of linear, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA, 18,959 to 18,961 nucleotides in length. The 3′ terminus is not polyadenylated and the 5′ end is not capped. It was found that 472 nucleotides from the 3′ end and 731 nucleotides from the 5′ end are sufficient for replication.[10] It codes for seven structural proteins and one non-structural protein. The gene order is 3′ – leader – NP – VP35 – VP40 – GP/sGP – VP30 – VP24 – L – trailer – 5′; with the leader and trailer being non-transcribed regions, which carry important signals to control transcription, replication, and packaging of the viral genomes into new virions. The genomic material by itself is not infectious, because viral proteins, among them the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, are necessary to transcribe the viral genome into mRNAs because it is a negative sense RNA virus, as well as for replication of the viral genome. Sections of the NP and the L genes from filoviruses have been identified as endogenous in the genomes of several groups of small mammals.[11]
Entry
Niemann–Pick C1 (NPC1) appears to be essential for Ebola infection. Two independent studies reported in the same issue of Nature showed that Ebola virus cell entry and replication requires the cholesterol transporter protein NPC1.[12][13] When cells from Niemann Pick Type C patients were exposed to Ebola virus in the laboratory, the cells survived and appeared immune to the virus, further indicating that Ebola relies on NPC1 to enter cells. This might imply that genetic mutations in the NPC1 gene in humans could make some people resistant to one of the deadliest known viruses affecting humans. The same studies described similar results with Ebola’s cousin in the filovirus group, Marburg virus, showing that it too needs NPC1 to enter cells.[12][13] Furthermore, NPC1 was shown to be critical to filovirus entry because it mediates infection by binding directly to the viral envelope glycoprotein.[13] A later study confirmed the findings that NPC1 is a critical filovirus receptor that mediates infection by binding directly to the viral envelope glycoprotein and that the second lysosomal domain of NPC1 mediates this binding.[14]
In one of the original studies, a small molecule was shown to inhibit Ebola virus infection by preventing the virus glycoprotein from binding to NPC1.[13][15] In the other study, mice that were heterozygous for NPC1 were shown to be protected from lethal challenge with mouse adapted Ebola virus.[12] Together, these studies suggest NPC1 may be potential therapeutic target for an Ebola anti-viral drug.
Replication
Being acellular, viruses do not grow through cell division; instead, they use the machinery and metabolism of a host cell to produce multiple copies of themselves, and they assemble in the cell.[8]
Encapsidated, negative-sense genomic ssRNA is used as a template for the synthesis (3′ – 5′) of polyadenylated, monocistronic mRNAs
Using the host cell’s machinery, translation of the mRNA into viral proteins occurs
Viral proteins are processed, glycoprotein precursor (GP0) is cleaved to GP1 and GP2, which are heavily glycosylated. These two molecules assemble, first into heterodimers, and then into trimers to give the surface peplomers. Secreted glycoprotein (sGP) precursor is cleaved to sGP and delta peptide, both of which are released from the cell.
As viral protein levels rise, a switch occurs from translation to replication. Using the negative-sense genomic RNA as a template, a complementary +ssRNA is synthesized; this is then used as a template for the synthesis of new genomic (-)ssRNA, which is rapidly encapsidated.
The newly formed nucleocapsids and envelope proteins associate at the host cell’s plasma membrane; budding occurs, destroying the cell.
Types
The five characterised Ebola species are:
Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV; previously ZEBOV)
Also known simply as the Zaire virus, ZEBOV has the highest case-fatality rate of the ebolaviruses, up to 90% in some epidemics, with an average case fatality rate of approximately 83% over 27 years. There have been more outbreaks of Zaire ebolavirus than of any other species. The first outbreak occurred on 26 August 1976 in Yambuku.[17] The first recorded case was Mabalo Lokela, a 44‑year-old schoolteacher. The symptoms resembled malaria, and subsequent patients received quinine. Transmission has been attributed to reuse of unsterilized needles and close personal contact.
Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV; previously SEBOV)
Like the Zaire virus, SEBOV emerged in 1976; it was at first assumed identical with the Zaire species.[18] SEBOV is believed to have broken out first among cotton factory workers in Nzara, Sudan (now South Sudan), with the first case reported as a worker exposed to a potential natural reservoir. The virus was not found in any of the local animals and insects that were tested in response. The carrier is still unknown. The lack of barrier nursing (or “bedside isolation”) facilitated the spread of the disease. The most recent outbreak occurred in May, 2004. Twenty confirmed cases were reported in Yambio County, Sudan (now South Sudan), with five deaths resulting. The average fatality rates for SEBOV were 54% in 1976, 68% in 1979, and 53% in 2000 and 2001.
Reston ebolavirus (RESTV; previously REBOV)
Discovered during an outbreak of simian hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV) in crab-eating macaques from Hazleton Laboratories (now Covance) in 1989. Since the initial outbreak in Reston, Virginia, it has since been found in non-human primates in Pennsylvania, Texas and Siena, Italy. In each case, the affected animals had been imported from a facility in the Philippines,[19] where the virus has also infected pigs.[20] Despite having a Biosafety status of Level‑4 and its apparentpathogenicity in monkeys, REBOV did not cause disease in exposed human laboratory workers.[21]
Also referred to as Taï Forest ebolavirus and by the English place name, “Ivory Coast”, it was first discovered among chimpanzees from the Taï Forest in Côte d’Ivoire, Africa, in 1994. Necropsies showed blood within the heart was brown, no obvious marks were seen on the organs, and one necropsy showed lungs filled with blood. Studies of tissue taken from the chimpanzees showed results similar to human cases during the 1976 Ebola outbreaks in Zaire and Sudan. As more dead chimpanzees were discovered, many tested positive for Ebola using molecular techniques. Experts believed the source of the virus was the meat of infectedWestern Red Colobus monkeys, upon which the chimpanzees preyed. One of the scientists performing the necropsies on the infected chimpanzees contracted Ebola. She developed symptoms similar to those of dengue fever approximately a week after the necropsy, and was transported to Switzerland for treatment. She was discharged from the hospital after two weeks and had fully recovered six weeks after the infection.[22]
Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV; previously BEBOV)
On 24 November 2007, the Uganda Ministry of Health confirmed an outbreak of Ebolavirus in the Bundibugyo District. After confirmation of samples tested by the United States National Reference Laboratories and the CDC, the World Health Organization confirmed the presence of the new species. On 20 February 2008, the Uganda Ministry officially announced the end of the epidemic in Bundibugyo, with the last infected person discharged on 8 January 2008.[23] An epidemiological study conducted by WHO and Uganda Ministry of Health scientists determined there were 116 confirmed and probable cases of the new Ebola species, and that the outbreak had a mortality rate of 34% (39 deaths). In 2012, there was an outbreak of Bundibugyo ebolavirus in a northeastern province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There were 15 confirmed cases and 10 fatalities.[24]
History
Zaire ebolavirus is pronounced /zɑːˈɪər iːˈboʊləvaɪərəs/ (zah-eeree-boh-lə-vy-rəs). Strictly speaking, the pronunciation of “Ebola virus” (/iːˌboʊlə ˈvaɪərəs/) should be distinct from that of the genus-level taxonomic designation “ebolavirus/Ebolavirus/ebolavirus”, as “Ebola” is named for the tributary of the Congo River that is pronounced “Ébola” in French,[25] whereas “ebola-virus” is an “artificial contraction” of the words “Ebola” and “virus,” written without a diacritical mark for ease of use by scientific databases and English speakers. According to the rules for taxon naming established by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), the name Zaire ebolavirus is always to be capitalized, italicized, and to be preceded by the word “species”. The names of its members (Zaire ebolaviruses) are to be capitalized, are not italicized, and used without articles.[2]
The species was introduced in 1998 as Zaire Ebola virus.[29][30] In 2002, the name was changed to Zaire ebolavirus.[31][32]
Previous names
Ebola virus was first introduced as a possible new “strain” of Marburg virus in 1977 by two different research teams.[26][27] At the same time, a third team introduced the name Ebola virus.[28] In 2000, the virus name was changed to Zaire Ebola virus,[33][34] and in 2005 to Zaire ebolavirus.[31][35] However, most scientific articles continued to refer to Ebola virus or used the terms Ebola virus and Zaire ebolavirus in parallel. Consequently, in 2010, the name Ebola virus was reinstated.[2]Previous abbreviations for the virus were EBOV-Z (for Ebola virus Zaire) and most recently ZEBOV (for Zaire Ebola virus or Zaire ebolavirus). In 2010, EBOV was reinstated as the abbreviation for the virus.[2]
it has a genome with two or three gene overlaps (VP35/VP40, GP/VP30, VP24/L)
it has a genomic sequence that differs from the type virus by less than 30%
A virus of the species Zaire ebolavirus is an Ebola virus if it has the properties of Zaire ebolaviruses and if its genome diverges from that of the prototype Zaire ebolavirus, Ebola virus variant Mayinga (EBOV/May), by ≤10% at the nucleotide level.[2]
EBOV is one of four ebolaviruses that causes Ebola virus disease (EVD) in humans (in the literature also often referred to as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, EHF). In the past, EBOV has caused the following EVD outbreaks:
A biosafety level is a level of the biocontainment precautions required to isolate dangerous biological agents in an enclosed facility. The levels of containment range from the lowest biosafety level 1 (BSL-1) to the highest at level 4 (BSL-4). In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have specified these levels.[1] In the European Union, the same biosafety levels are defined in a directive.[2]
History
The first prototype Class III (maximum containment) biosafety cabinet was fashioned in 1943 by Hubert Kaempf Jr., then a U.S. Army soldier, under the direction of Dr. Arnold G. Wedum, Director (1944–69) of Industrial Health and Safety at the United States Army Biological Warfare Laboratories, Camp Detrick, Maryland. Kaempf was tired of his MP duties at Detrick and was able to transfer to the sheet metal department working with the contractor, the H.K. Ferguson Co.[3]
On 18 April 1955, fourteen representatives met at Camp Detrick in Frederick, Maryland. The meeting was to share knowledge and experiences regarding biosafety, chemical, radiological, and industrial safety issues that were common to the operations at the three principal biological warfare (BW) laboratories of the U.S. Army[4][5] Because of the potential implication of the work conducted at biological warfare laboratories, the conferences were restricted to top level security clearances. Beginning in 1957, these conferences were planned to include non-classified sessions as well as classified sessions to enable broader sharing of biological safety information. It was not until 1964, however, that conferences were held in a government installation not associated with a biological warfare program.[6]
Over the next ten years, the biological safety conferences grew to include representatives from all federal agencies that sponsored or conducted research with pathogenic microorganisms. By 1966 it began to include representatives from universities, private laboratories, hospitals, and industrial complexes. Throughout the 1970s, participation in the conferences continued to expand and by 1983 discussions began regarding the creation of a formal organization.[6] The American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) was officially established in 1984 and a constitution and bylaws were drafted the same year. As of 2008, ABSA includes some 1,600 members in its professional association.[6]
Rationale
CDC technician dons an older-model positive-pressure suit before entering one of the CDC’s earlier maximum containment labs.
Biocontainment can be classified by the relative danger to the surrounding environment as biological safety levels (BSL). As of 2006, there are four safety levels. These are called BSL1 through BSL4, with one anomalous level BSL3-ag for agricultural hazards between BSL3 and BSL4. Facilities with these designations are also sometimes given as P1 through P4 (for Pathogen or Protection level), as in the term P3 laboratory. Higher numbers indicate a greater risk to the external environment. See biological hazard.
At the lowest level of biocontainment, the containment zone may only be a chemical fume hood. At the highest level the containment involves isolation of an organism by means of building systems, sealed rooms, sealed containers, positive pressure personnel suits (sometimes referred to as “space suits”) and elaborate procedures for entering the room, and decontamination procedures for leaving the room. In most cases this also includes high levels of security for access to the facility, ensuring that only authorized personnel may be admitted to any area that may have some effect on the quality of the containment zone. This is considered a hot zone.
Levels
Biosafety level 1
This level is suitable for work involving well-characterized agents not known to consistently cause disease in healthy adult humans, and of minimal potential hazard to laboratory personnel and the environment (CDC,1997).[7]
It includes several kinds of bacteria and viruses including canine hepatitis, non-pathogenic Escherichia coli, as well as some cell cultures and non-infectious bacteria. At this level, precautions against the biohazardous materials in question are minimal and most likely involve gloves and some sort of facial protection. The laboratory is not necessarily separated from the general traffic patterns in the building. Work is generally conducted on open bench tops using standard microbiological practices. Usually, contaminated materials are left in open (but separately indicated) waste receptacles. Decontamination procedures for this level are similar in most respects to modern precautions against everyday microorganisms (i.e., washing one’s hands with anti-bacterial soap, washing all exposed surfaces of the lab with disinfectants, etc.). In a lab environment all materials used for cell and/or bacteria cultures are decontaminated via autoclave. Laboratory personnel have specific training in the procedures conducted in the laboratory and are supervised by a scientist with general training in microbiology or a related science.
Biosafety level 2
This level is similar to Biosafety Level 1 and is suitable for work involving agents of moderate potential hazard to personnel and the environment.[7] It includes various bacteria and viruses that cause only mild disease to humans, or are difficult to contract via aerosol in a lab setting, such as C. difficile, most Chlamydiae, hepatitis A,B, and C, orthopoxviruses (other than smallpox), influenza A, Lyme disease, Salmonella, mumps, measles,[8]scrapie, MRSA, and VRSA. BSL-2 differs from BSL-1 in that:
laboratory personnel have specific training in handling pathogenic agents and are directed by scientists with advanced training;
access to the laboratory is limited when work is being conducted;
extreme precautions are taken with contaminated sharp items; and
certain procedures in which infectious aerosols or splashes may be created are conducted in biological safety cabinets or other physical containment equipment.
Biosafety level 3
Researcher at US Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia, working with influenza virus under biosafety level 3 conditions, with respirator inside a biosafety cabinet (BSC).
Laboratory personnel have specific training in handling pathogenic and potentially lethal agents, and are supervised by competent scientists who are experienced in working with these agents. This is considered a neutral or warm zone.
All procedures involving the manipulation of infectious materials are conducted within biological safety cabinets, specially designed hoods, or other physical containment devices, or by personnel wearing appropriate personal protective clothing and equipment. The laboratory has special engineering and design features.
It is recognized, however, that some existing facilities may not have all the facility features recommended for Biosafety Level 3 (i.e., double-door access zone and sealed penetrations). In this circumstance, an acceptable level of safety for the conduct of routine procedures, (e.g., diagnostic procedures involving the propagation of an agent for identification, typing, susceptibility testing, etc.), may be achieved in a biosafety level 2 (P2) facility, providing
the filtered exhaust air from the laboratory room is discharged to the outdoors,
the ventilation to the laboratory is balanced to provide directional airflow into the room,
access to the laboratory is restricted when work is in progress, and
the recommended Standard Microbiological Practices, Special Practices, and Safety Equipment for Biosafety Level 3 are rigorously followed.
The decision to implement this modification of biosafety level 3 recommendations is made only by the laboratory director.
This level is required for work with dangerous and exotic agents that pose a high individual risk of aerosol-transmitted laboratory infections, agents which cause severe to fatal disease in humans for which vaccines or other treatments are notavailable, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, Lassa virus, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and various other hemorrhagic diseases. This level is also used for work with agents such as smallpoxthat are considered dangerous enough to require the additional safety measures, regardless of vaccination availability. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a positive pressure personnel suit, with a segregated air supply, is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a level four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors from opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a biosafety level 4 (or P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.
Agents with a close or identical antigenic relationship to biosafety level 4 agents are handled at this level until sufficient data are obtained either to confirm continued work at this level, or to work with them at a lower level.
Members of the laboratory staff have specific and thorough training in handling extremely hazardous infectious agents and they understand the primary and secondary containment functions of the standard and special practices, the containment equipment, and the laboratory design characteristics. They are supervised by qualified scientists who are trained and experienced in working with these agents. Access to the laboratory is strictly controlled by the laboratory director.
The facility is either in a separate building or in a controlled area within a building, which is completely isolated from all other areas of the building. A specific facility operations manual is prepared or adopted. Building protocols for preventing contamination often use negatively pressurized facilities, which, even if compromised, would severely inhibit an outbreak of aerosol pathogens.
Within work areas of the facility, all activities are confined to Class III biological safety cabinets, or Class II biological safety cabinets used with one-piece positive pressure personnel suits ventilated by a life support system.
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report published on October 4, 2007, a total of 1,356 CDC/USDA registered BSL-3 facilities were identified throughout the United States (GAO-08-108T [9]). This represents a very conservative estimate of the number of facilities in the US in 2007. Approximately 36% of these laboratories are located in academia. Only 15 BSL-4 facilities were identified in the U.S. in 2007, including nine at federal labs.[9]
The following is a list of existing BSL-4 facilities worldwide.
Name
Location
Date
established
Description
Virology Laboratory of the Queensland Department of Health
Wuhan Institute of Virology already hosts a BSL-3 laboratory. A distinct BSL-4 facility is currently being built based on P4 standards, the original technology for confinement developed by France.[10][11] It will be the first at level 4 in China, under the direction of Shi Zhengli.[12]
This facility is operated by a research organization supported by both Gabonese (mainly) and French governments, and is West Africa’s only P4 lab (BSL-4).[15]
Located at National Institute for Infectious Diseases, Department of Virology I; this lab has the potential of operating as a BSL-4, however it is limited to perform work on only BSL-3 agents due to opposition from local residents and communities.
Operates as a clean lab at level 3 for training purposes. Scheduled for conversion to a hot level 4 lab in response to a bioterrorism event in the USA.
Garrett graduated from San Marino High School in 1969. She then graduated with honors in biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She attended graduate school in the Department of Bacteriology and Immunology at University of California, Berkeley and did research at Stanford University with Leonard Herzenberg. During her PhD studies, Garrett started reporting on science news for radio station KPFA. The hobby soon became far more interesting than graduate school and she took a leave of absence to explore journalism. Garrett never completed her PhD. At KPFA Garrett worked in management, in news, and in radio documentary production. A documentary series she co-produced with Adi Gevins won the 1977 Peabody Award in Broadcasting, and other KPFA production efforts by Garrett won the Edwin Howard Armstrong award. She won a George Polk Award for Foreign Reporting in 1997 for “Crumbled Empire, Shattered Health” in Newsday, “a series of 25 articles on the public health crisis in the former Soviet Union”.[2] She won another Polk award in 2000 for her book Betrayal of Trust, “a meticulously researched account of health catastrophes occurring in different places simultaneously and amounting to a disaster of global proportions”.[3]
About ICE
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the
principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) and the second largest
investigative agency in the federal government. ICE
enforces over 400 federal statutes to protect our borders,
prevent terrorism, remove dangerous criminals and enhance
national security.
Parental Interests
ICE is committed to intelligent, effective, safe and
humane enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws.
ICE seeks to enforce immigration laws fairly and with
respect for a parent’s rights and responsibilities.
Connect with ICE on your Parental Interests Inquiry
ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line: 1-888-351-4024 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday)
E-mail: ERO.Info@ice.dhs.gov
Web site: http://www.ice.gov/about/offices/enforcement-removal-operations/parental-directive.htm
These elements include, among others:
1. Designating a specific point of contact within each
ICE field office for parental-interests matters;
2. Promoting complete entry of relevant case
information into ICE’s data and tracking systems;
3. Developing processes to regularly identify and
review cases involving parents, legal guardians, and
primary caretakers;
4. Determining the appropriate detention placement;
5. Facilitating family court participation;
6. Allowing parent/guardian-child visitation; and
7. Accommodating the arrangements of parents, legal
guardians, or primary caretakers who are facing
pending removal for the care and travel
arrangements of their children.
Parental Interests Directive
Fact Sheet
What is the Parental Interests Directive?
The Parental Interests Directive complements ICE’s existing
immigration enforcement priorities and prosecutorial
discretion memoranda, as well as detention standards that
govern the custody and removal of individuals in the United
States illegally, including parents, legal guardians, and
primary caretakers.
The Directive is meant to aid ICE in enforcing immigration
laws fairly and with respect for a parent’s rights and
responsibilities by outlining ICE policies and procedures
concerning the placement, monitoring, accommodation, and
repatriation of alien parents or legal guardians.
Who Does this Directive Affect?
With respect to several of the Directive’s provisions,
particular attention is paid to those who are:
Primary caretakers of minor children without regard to
the dependent’s citizenship;
Parent and legal guardians who have a direct interest in
family court proceedings involving a minor or child
welfare proceedings in the U.S.; or
Parents or legal guardians whose minor children are U.S.
citizens (USCs) or lawful permanent residents (LPRs).
No Private Right Statement
While this Fact Sheet of the Parental Interests Directive
addresses its effect on certain parents, legal guardians,
and primary caretakers, the Directive applies to ICE and
does not create any right or benefit, substantive or
procedural, enforceable at law by any party in any
administrative, civil, or criminal matter. The security
and safety of any ICE employee, detainee, ICE
detention staff or member of the public will be
paramount in the exercise of the procedures and
requirements of the Directive.
How can this Directive Help me?
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The Pronk Pops Show 308, August 4, 2014, Story 1: The Obama Vector: Spreading Disease Across America — Illegal Aliens Arriving with Untreatable Tuberculosis — Reach Out and Infect Someone — Humans Directing Evolution or Devolution — Chain of Death — Threading The NEIDL (National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories) — Ebola and Tuberculosis (TB) The Coming Plagues??? — Videos
Posted on August 4, 2014. Filed under: American History, Blogroll, Business, College, Communications, Computers, Disasters, Drugs, Economics, Education, Employment, Energy, Food, Foreign Policy, Government, Government Dependency, Government Spending, Health Care, History, Philosophy, Photos, Videos, Violence, Wealth, Wisdom | Tags: 4 August 2014, America, Articles, Audio, Bacteria, Breaking News, Broadcasting, Capitalism, Charity, Citizenship, Clarity, Classical Liberalism, Collectivism, Commentary, Commitment, Communicate, Communication, Concise, Contagion, Convincing, Courage, Culture, Current Affairs, Current Events, Diseases, Economic Growth, Economic Policy, Economics, Education, Evil, Experience, Faith, Family, Films, First, Fiscal Policy, Free Enterprise, Freedom, Freedom of Speech, Friends, Give It A Listen!, God, Good, Goodwill, Growth, Hope, Illegal Immigration, Individualism, Knowledge, Liberty, Life, Love, Lovers of Liberty, Monetary Policy, Movie, MPEG3, National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, Newly Emerging Diseases in A World, News, Opinions, Outbreak, Peace, Photos, Podcasts, Political Philosophy, Politics, Prosperity, Radio, Raymond Thomas Pronk, Reality, Representative Republic, Republic, Resources, Respect, Rule of Law, Rule of Men, Show Notes, Spreading Disease Across America, Talk Radio, TB, The Coming Plague, The Obama Vector, The Pronk Pops Show, Truth, Tyranny, U.S. Constitution, United States of America, Untreatable Tuberculosis, Videos, Virtue, Virus, War, Wisdom |
The Pronk Pops Show Podcasts
Pronk Pops Show 308: August 4, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 307: August 1, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 306: July 31, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 305: July 30, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 304: July 29, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 303: July 28, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 302: July 24, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 301: July 23, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 300: July 22, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 299: July 21, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 298: July 18, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 297: July 17, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 296: July 16, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 295: July 15, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 294: July 14, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 293: July 11, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 292: July 9, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 291: July 7, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 290: July 3, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 289: July 2, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 288: June 30, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 287: June 27, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 286: June 26, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 285 June 25, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 284: June 23, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 283: June 20, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 282: June 19, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 281: June 17, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 280: June 16, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 279: June 13, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 278: June 12, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 277: June 11, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 276: June 10, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 275: June 9, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 274: June 6, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 273: June 5, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 272: June 4, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 271: June 2, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 270: May 30, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 269: May 29, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 268: May 28, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 267: May 27, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 266: May 23, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 265: May 22, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 264: May 21, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 263: May 20, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 262: May 16, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 261: May 15, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 260: May 14, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 259: May 13, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 258: May 9, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 257: May 8, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 256: May 5, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 255: May 2, 2014
Pronk Pops Show 254: May 1, 2014
Story 1: The Obama Vector: Spreading Disease Across America — Illegal Aliens Arriving with Untreatable Tuberculosis — Reach Out and Infect Someone — Humans Directing Evolution or Devolution ???? — Chain of Death — Threading The NEIDL (National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories) — Ebola and Tuberculosis (TB) The Coming Plagues??? — Video
“I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be mistaken.”
~Oliver Cromwell
CDC: Ebola is not a huge risk for U.S.
CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden talks to Dr. Sanjay Gupta about concerns over Americans with Ebola returning to the U.S.
2014 August 2 Breaking News Ebola Crisis Doctors Without Borders warns outbreak out of control
Fear Works Against Health Workers Trying To Contain Ebola
Unprecedented Ebola outbreak crosses borders in West Africa
More than 100 people have died so far in the worst outbreak of the Ebola virus in years, which began in Guinea before spreading to Liberia. Now health officials are investigating possible cases in Mali and Ghana. Jeffrey Brown talks to Laurie Garrett from the Council on Foreign Relations about past outbreaks and the current challenges for containment.
Global Health and Global Threats with Laurie Garrett — Atlantic Meets the Pacific 2013
Laurie Garrett, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Senior Fellow for Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations, shares her concerns about emerging public health threats, ranging from gain of function research to the effects of climate change on the human microbiome, in an interview with The Atlantic’s Corby Kummer. This program is part of The Atlantic Meets the Pacific 2013 conference presented by The Atlantic and UC San Diego. Series: “The Atlantic Meets The Pacific”
Laurie Garrett on “The Future of Global Health”
Border Crisis – Immigrants Arriving with Untreatable Tuberculosis – CDC Strangely Silent!
Award-Winning Photos Highlight Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
Top 5 Deadliest Diseases
EBOLA: THE PLAGUE FIGHTERS – NOVA – Discovery/Science/History (documentary)
The world’s most dangerous Virus (full documentary)
Monkey Meat and the Ebola Outbreak in Liberia
Hospitals “Full-Up”: The 1918 Influenza Pandemic
The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 | Documentary on the Spanish Flu Pandemic in the United States
The Genesis of the 1918 Spanish Influenza Pandemic
Michael Worobey, Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Arizona
The Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918 was the most intense outbreak of disease in human history. It killed upwards of 50 million people (most in a six-week period) casting a long shadow of fear and mystery: nearly a century later, scientists have been unable to explain why, unlike all other influenza outbreaks, it killed young adults in huge numbers. I will describe how analyses of large numbers of influenza virus genomes are revealing the pathway traveled by the genes of this virus before it exploded in 1918. What emerges is a surprising tale with many players and plot lines, in which echoes of prior pandemics, imprinted in the immune responses of those alive in 1918, set the stage for the catastrophe. I will also discuss how resolving the mysteries of 1918 could help to prevent future pandemics and to control seasonal influenza, which quietly kills millions more every decade.
Laurie Garrett: What can we learn from the 1918 flu?
Directing evolution: Laurie Garrett at TEDxDanubia 2014
cnn – could a ‘contagion’ event really happen? – population control
Contagion (2011) Official Exclusive 1080p HD Trailer
Contagion Movie Review: Beyond The Trailer
After Armageddon (when deadly virus strikes) in HD & 3D
Outbreak Movie Trailer (1995)
Virus – Full Movie
NEIDL
NEIDL: Biosafety Level 3
NEIDL: Biosafety Level 4
MWV Episode 68 – Threading the NEIDL: TWiV Goes Inside a BSL-4
In the Hot Zone with Virus X – Richard Preston
Elbows-Deep in Ebola Virus – Richard Preston
FLOOD OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS NOT MEDICALLY SCREENED PROPERLY, & SPREADING DISEASE
Obama’s Illegal Immigrants Now Spreading Disease to Americans, Including Children
TB Return of the Plague BBC documentary 2014
Different Types of Tuberculosis and Its Symptoms and Treatment
Tuberculosis spreading at illegal immigrant camps
The Threat of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
A History of Tuberculosis | MSF |
How The Body Reacts To Tuberculosis | MSF |
The White Plague: A Social History of Tuberculosis – Professor Sir Richard J. Evans
1/3 TB or not TB: the Fate of Tuberculosis in the US and India
2/3 TB or not TB: the Fate of Tuberculosis in the US and India
3/3 TB or not TB: the Fate of Tuberculosis in the US and India
What’s The Most Dangerous Place on Earth?
LEAKED CBP REPORT SHOWS ENTIRE WORLD EXPLOITING OPEN US BORDER
A leaked intelligence analysis from the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reveals the exact numbers of illegal immigrants entering and attempting to enter the U.S. from more than 75 different countries. The report was obtained by a trusted source within the CBP agency who leaked the document and spoke with Breitbart Texas on the condition of anonymity. The report is labeled as “Unclassified//For Official Use Only” and indicates that the data should be handled as “Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU).”
The numbers provided are in graphics and are broken down into “OFO” and “OBP.” The Customs and Border Protection agency is divided into the Office of Field Operations (OFO) and the Office of Border Patrol (OBP). The OFO numbers reflect anyone either turning themselves in at official U.S. points of entry, or anyone caught while being smuggled at the points of entry. The OBP numbers reflect anyone being caught or turning themselves in to Border Patrol agents between the points of entry, or anyone caught at interior checkpoints by Border Patrol agents. The “OFO Inadmissible” designation to any individual from a nation other than Mexico or Canada means that U.S. authorities took the individuals into custody. Whether they were deported or given a Notice to Appear is unknown. It is important to note these numbers do not include data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The unavailable ICE data are in addition to these numbers.
The report reveals the apprehension numbers ranging from 2010 through July 2014. It shows that most of the human smuggling from Syria and Albania into the U.S. comes through Central America. The report also indicates the routes individuals from North Africa and the Middle East take into the European Union, either to illegally migrate there or as a possible stop in their journey to the United States. The data are broken down further into the specific U.S. border sectors where the apprehensions and contact occurred.
Among the significant revelations are that individuals from nations currently suffering from the world’s largest Ebola outbreak have been caught attempting to sneak across the porous U.S. border into the interior of the United States. At least 71 individuals from the three nations affected by the current Ebola outbreak have either turned themselves in or been caught attempting to illegally enter the U.S. by U.S. authorities between January 2014 and July 2014.
As of July 20, 2014, 1,443 individuals from China were caught sneaking across the porous U.S. border this year alone, with another 1,803 individuals either turning themselves in to U.S. authorities at official ports of entry, or being caught attempting to illegally enter at the ports of entry. This comes amid a massive crackdown by Chinese authorities of Islamic terrorists in the Communist nation.
Twenty-eight individuals from Pakistan were caught attempting to sneak into the U.S. this year alone, with another 211 individuals either turning themselves in or being caught at official ports of entry.
Thirteen Egyptians were caught trying to sneak into the U.S. this year alone, with another 168 either turning themselves in or being caught at official ports of entry.
Four individuals from Yemen were caught attempting to sneak into the U.S. by Border Patrol agents in 2014 alone, with another 34 individuals either turning themselves in or being caught attempting to sneak through official ports of entry. Yemen is not the only nation with individuals who pose terror risks to the U.S. that the report indicates travel from. The failed nation of Somalia, known as a hotbed of Islamic terror activity, was also referenced in the report. Four individuals from Somalia were caught trying to sneak into the U.S. by Border Patrol agents in 2014. Another 290 either turned themselves in or were caught attempting to sneak in at official ports of entry. This reporter previously covered the issue of illegal immigration into the U.S. from Somalia and other nations in the Horn of Africa.
http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-Texas/2014/08/03/Leaked-CBP-Report-Shows-Entire-World-Exploiting-Open-US-Border
Ebola virus
Ebola virus (formerly officially designated Zaire ebolavirus, or EBOV) is a virological taxon species included in the genusEbolavirus, family Filoviridae, members are called Filovirus,[1] the order is Mononegavirales.[2] The Zaire ebolavirus is the most dangerous of the five species of Ebola viruses of the Ebolavirus genus which are the causative agents of Ebola virus disease.[2] The virus causes an extremely severe hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates. EBOV is a select agent,World Health Organization Risk Group 4 Pathogen (requiring Biosafety Level 4-equivalent containment), a U.S. National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Category A Priority Pathogen, U.S. CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Category A Bioterrorism Agent, and listed as a Biological Agent for Export Control by theAustralia Group.
The name Zaire ebolavirus is derived from Zaire (the country in which the Ebola virus was first discovered) and the taxonomicsuffix ebolavirus (which denotes an ebolavirus species).[2]
The EBOV genome is approximately 19 kb in length. It encodes seven structural proteins: nucleoprotein (NP), polymerase cofactor (VP35), (VP40), GP, transcription activator (VP30), VP24, and RNA polymerase (L).[3]
Structure
Electron micrographs of EBOV show them to have the characteristic threadlike structure of a filovirus.[4] EBOV VP30 is around 288 amino acids long.[5] The virionsare tubular in general form but variable in overall shape and may appear as the classic shepherd’s crook or eyebolt, as a U or a 6, or coiled, circular, or branched; laboratory techniques, such as centrifugation, may be the origin of some of these formations.[6] Virions are generally 80 nm in diameter with a lipid bilayer anchoring the glycoprotein which projects 7 to 10 nm long spikes from its surface.[7] They are of variable length, typically around 800 nm, but may be up to 1000 nm long. In the center of the virion is a structure called nucleocapsid, which is formed by the helically wound viral genomic RNA complexed with the proteins NP, VP35, VP30, and L.[8] It has a diameter of 80 nm and contains a central channel of 20–30 nm in diameter. Virally encoded glycoprotein (GP) spikes 10 nm long and 10 nm apart are present on the outer viral envelope of the virion, which is derived from the host cell membrane. Between envelope and nucleocapsid, in the so-called matrix space, the viral proteins VP40 and VP24 are located.[9]
Genome
Each virion contains one molecule of linear, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA, 18,959 to 18,961 nucleotides in length. The 3′ terminus is not polyadenylated and the 5′ end is not capped. It was found that 472 nucleotides from the 3′ end and 731 nucleotides from the 5′ end are sufficient for replication.[10] It codes for seven structural proteins and one non-structural protein. The gene order is 3′ – leader – NP – VP35 – VP40 – GP/sGP – VP30 – VP24 – L – trailer – 5′; with the leader and trailer being non-transcribed regions, which carry important signals to control transcription, replication, and packaging of the viral genomes into new virions. The genomic material by itself is not infectious, because viral proteins, among them the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, are necessary to transcribe the viral genome into mRNAs because it is a negative sense RNA virus, as well as for replication of the viral genome. Sections of the NP and the L genes from filoviruses have been identified as endogenous in the genomes of several groups of small mammals.[11]
Entry
Niemann–Pick C1 (NPC1) appears to be essential for Ebola infection. Two independent studies reported in the same issue of Nature showed that Ebola virus cell entry and replication requires the cholesterol transporter protein NPC1.[12][13] When cells from Niemann Pick Type C patients were exposed to Ebola virus in the laboratory, the cells survived and appeared immune to the virus, further indicating that Ebola relies on NPC1 to enter cells. This might imply that genetic mutations in the NPC1 gene in humans could make some people resistant to one of the deadliest known viruses affecting humans. The same studies described similar results with Ebola’s cousin in the filovirus group, Marburg virus, showing that it too needs NPC1 to enter cells.[12][13] Furthermore, NPC1 was shown to be critical to filovirus entry because it mediates infection by binding directly to the viral envelope glycoprotein.[13] A later study confirmed the findings that NPC1 is a critical filovirus receptor that mediates infection by binding directly to the viral envelope glycoprotein and that the second lysosomal domain of NPC1 mediates this binding.[14]
In one of the original studies, a small molecule was shown to inhibit Ebola virus infection by preventing the virus glycoprotein from binding to NPC1.[13][15] In the other study, mice that were heterozygous for NPC1 were shown to be protected from lethal challenge with mouse adapted Ebola virus.[12] Together, these studies suggest NPC1 may be potential therapeutic target for an Ebola anti-viral drug.
Replication
Being acellular, viruses do not grow through cell division; instead, they use the machinery and metabolism of a host cell to produce multiple copies of themselves, and they assemble in the cell.[8]
Types
The five characterised Ebola species are:
History
Zaire ebolavirus is pronounced /zɑːˈɪər iːˈboʊləvaɪərəs/ (zah-eer ee-boh-lə-vy-rəs). Strictly speaking, the pronunciation of “Ebola virus” (/iːˌboʊlə ˈvaɪərəs/) should be distinct from that of the genus-level taxonomic designation “ebolavirus/Ebolavirus/ebolavirus”, as “Ebola” is named for the tributary of the Congo River that is pronounced “Ébola” in French,[25] whereas “ebola-virus” is an “artificial contraction” of the words “Ebola” and “virus,” written without a diacritical mark for ease of use by scientific databases and English speakers. According to the rules for taxon naming established by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), the name Zaire ebolavirus is always to be capitalized, italicized, and to be preceded by the word “species”. The names of its members (Zaire ebolaviruses) are to be capitalized, are not italicized, and used without articles.[2]
Ebola virus (abbreviated EBOV) was first described in 1976.[26][27][28] Today, the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses lists the virus is the single member of the species Zaire ebolavirus, which is included into the genus Ebolavirus, family Filoviridae, order Mononegavirales. The name Ebola virus is derived from theEbola River – a river that was at first thought to be in close proximity to the area in Democratic Republic of Congo, previously called Zaire, where the first recorded Ebola virus disease outbreak occurred – and the taxonomic suffix virus.[2]
The species was introduced in 1998 as Zaire Ebola virus.[29][30] In 2002, the name was changed to Zaire ebolavirus.[31][32]
Previous names
Ebola virus was first introduced as a possible new “strain” of Marburg virus in 1977 by two different research teams.[26][27] At the same time, a third team introduced the name Ebola virus.[28] In 2000, the virus name was changed to Zaire Ebola virus,[33][34] and in 2005 to Zaire ebolavirus.[31][35] However, most scientific articles continued to refer to Ebola virus or used the terms Ebola virus and Zaire ebolavirus in parallel. Consequently, in 2010, the name Ebola virus was reinstated.[2]Previous abbreviations for the virus were EBOV-Z (for Ebola virus Zaire) and most recently ZEBOV (for Zaire Ebola virus or Zaire ebolavirus). In 2010, EBOV was reinstated as the abbreviation for the virus.[2]
Species inclusion criteria
A virus of the genus Ebolavirus is a member of the species Zaire ebolavirus if:[2]
A virus of the species Zaire ebolavirus is an Ebola virus if it has the properties of Zaire ebolaviruses and if its genome diverges from that of the prototype Zaire ebolavirus, Ebola virus variant Mayinga (EBOV/May), by ≤10% at the nucleotide level.[2]
Epidemiology
EBOV is one of four ebolaviruses that causes Ebola virus disease (EVD) in humans (in the literature also often referred to as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, EHF). In the past, EBOV has caused the following EVD outbreaks:
See also
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola_virus
Biosafety level
A biosafety level is a level of the biocontainment precautions required to isolate dangerous biological agents in an enclosed facility. The levels of containment range from the lowest biosafety level 1 (BSL-1) to the highest at level 4 (BSL-4). In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have specified these levels.[1] In the European Union, the same biosafety levels are defined in a directive.[2]
History
The first prototype Class III (maximum containment) biosafety cabinet was fashioned in 1943 by Hubert Kaempf Jr., then a U.S. Army soldier, under the direction of Dr. Arnold G. Wedum, Director (1944–69) of Industrial Health and Safety at the United States Army Biological Warfare Laboratories, Camp Detrick, Maryland. Kaempf was tired of his MP duties at Detrick and was able to transfer to the sheet metal department working with the contractor, the H.K. Ferguson Co.[3]
On 18 April 1955, fourteen representatives met at Camp Detrick in Frederick, Maryland. The meeting was to share knowledge and experiences regarding biosafety, chemical, radiological, and industrial safety issues that were common to the operations at the three principal biological warfare (BW) laboratories of the U.S. Army[4][5] Because of the potential implication of the work conducted at biological warfare laboratories, the conferences were restricted to top level security clearances. Beginning in 1957, these conferences were planned to include non-classified sessions as well as classified sessions to enable broader sharing of biological safety information. It was not until 1964, however, that conferences were held in a government installation not associated with a biological warfare program.[6]
Over the next ten years, the biological safety conferences grew to include representatives from all federal agencies that sponsored or conducted research with pathogenic microorganisms. By 1966 it began to include representatives from universities, private laboratories, hospitals, and industrial complexes. Throughout the 1970s, participation in the conferences continued to expand and by 1983 discussions began regarding the creation of a formal organization.[6] The American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) was officially established in 1984 and a constitution and bylaws were drafted the same year. As of 2008, ABSA includes some 1,600 members in its professional association.[6]
Rationale
CDC technician dons an older-model positive-pressure suit before entering one of the CDC’s earlier maximum containment labs.
Biocontainment can be classified by the relative danger to the surrounding environment as biological safety levels (BSL). As of 2006, there are four safety levels. These are called BSL1 through BSL4, with one anomalous level BSL3-ag for agricultural hazards between BSL3 and BSL4. Facilities with these designations are also sometimes given as P1 through P4 (for Pathogen or Protection level), as in the term P3 laboratory. Higher numbers indicate a greater risk to the external environment. See biological hazard.
At the lowest level of biocontainment, the containment zone may only be a chemical fume hood. At the highest level the containment involves isolation of an organism by means of building systems, sealed rooms, sealed containers, positive pressure personnel suits (sometimes referred to as “space suits”) and elaborate procedures for entering the room, and decontamination procedures for leaving the room. In most cases this also includes high levels of security for access to the facility, ensuring that only authorized personnel may be admitted to any area that may have some effect on the quality of the containment zone. This is considered a hot zone.
Levels
Biosafety level 1
This level is suitable for work involving well-characterized agents not known to consistently cause disease in healthy adult humans, and of minimal potential hazard to laboratory personnel and the environment (CDC,1997).[7]
It includes several kinds of bacteria and viruses including canine hepatitis, non-pathogenic Escherichia coli, as well as some cell cultures and non-infectious bacteria. At this level, precautions against the biohazardous materials in question are minimal and most likely involve gloves and some sort of facial protection. The laboratory is not necessarily separated from the general traffic patterns in the building. Work is generally conducted on open bench tops using standard microbiological practices. Usually, contaminated materials are left in open (but separately indicated) waste receptacles. Decontamination procedures for this level are similar in most respects to modern precautions against everyday microorganisms (i.e., washing one’s hands with anti-bacterial soap, washing all exposed surfaces of the lab with disinfectants, etc.). In a lab environment all materials used for cell and/or bacteria cultures are decontaminated via autoclave. Laboratory personnel have specific training in the procedures conducted in the laboratory and are supervised by a scientist with general training in microbiology or a related science.
Biosafety level 2
This level is similar to Biosafety Level 1 and is suitable for work involving agents of moderate potential hazard to personnel and the environment.[7] It includes various bacteria and viruses that cause only mild disease to humans, or are difficult to contract via aerosol in a lab setting, such as C. difficile, most Chlamydiae, hepatitis A,B, and C, orthopoxviruses (other than smallpox), influenza A, Lyme disease, Salmonella, mumps, measles,[8] scrapie, MRSA, and VRSA. BSL-2 differs from BSL-1 in that:
Biosafety level 3
Researcher at US Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia, working with influenza virus under biosafety level 3 conditions, with respirator inside a biosafety cabinet (BSC).
This level is applicable to clinical, diagnostic, teaching, research, or production facilities in which work is done with indigenous or exotic agents which may cause serious or potentially lethal disease after inhalation.[7] It includes various bacteria, parasites and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans but for which treatments exist, such as Yersinia pestis(causative agent of plague), Francisella tularensis, Leishmania donovani, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Chlamydia psittaci,Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, Eastern equine encephalitis virus, SARS coronavirus, Coxiella burnetii, Rift Valley fever virus, Rickettsia rickettsii, several species of Brucella, rabies virus, chikungunya, yellow fever virus, and West Nile virus.
Laboratory personnel have specific training in handling pathogenic and potentially lethal agents, and are supervised by competent scientists who are experienced in working with these agents. This is considered a neutral or warm zone.
All procedures involving the manipulation of infectious materials are conducted within biological safety cabinets, specially designed hoods, or other physical containment devices, or by personnel wearing appropriate personal protective clothing and equipment. The laboratory has special engineering and design features.
It is recognized, however, that some existing facilities may not have all the facility features recommended for Biosafety Level 3 (i.e., double-door access zone and sealed penetrations). In this circumstance, an acceptable level of safety for the conduct of routine procedures, (e.g., diagnostic procedures involving the propagation of an agent for identification, typing, susceptibility testing, etc.), may be achieved in a biosafety level 2 (P2) facility, providing
The decision to implement this modification of biosafety level 3 recommendations is made only by the laboratory director.
Biosafety level 4
The Galveston National LaboratoryBSL-4 (P4) lab on the Campus of theUniversity of Texas Medical Branch
This level is required for work with dangerous and exotic agents that pose a high individual risk of aerosol-transmitted laboratory infections, agents which cause severe to fatal disease in humans for which vaccines or other treatments are notavailable, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, Lassa virus, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and various other hemorrhagic diseases. This level is also used for work with agents such as smallpoxthat are considered dangerous enough to require the additional safety measures, regardless of vaccination availability. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a positive pressure personnel suit, with a segregated air supply, is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a level four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors from opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a biosafety level 4 (or P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.
Agents with a close or identical antigenic relationship to biosafety level 4 agents are handled at this level until sufficient data are obtained either to confirm continued work at this level, or to work with them at a lower level.
Members of the laboratory staff have specific and thorough training in handling extremely hazardous infectious agents and they understand the primary and secondary containment functions of the standard and special practices, the containment equipment, and the laboratory design characteristics. They are supervised by qualified scientists who are trained and experienced in working with these agents. Access to the laboratory is strictly controlled by the laboratory director.
The facility is either in a separate building or in a controlled area within a building, which is completely isolated from all other areas of the building. A specific facility operations manual is prepared or adopted. Building protocols for preventing contamination often use negatively pressurized facilities, which, even if compromised, would severely inhibit an outbreak of aerosol pathogens.
Within work areas of the facility, all activities are confined to Class III biological safety cabinets, or Class II biological safety cabinets used with one-piece positive pressure personnel suits ventilated by a life support system.
List of BSL-4 facilities
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report published on October 4, 2007, a total of 1,356 CDC/USDA registered BSL-3 facilities were identified throughout the United States (GAO-08-108T [9]). This represents a very conservative estimate of the number of facilities in the US in 2007. Approximately 36% of these laboratories are located in academia. Only 15 BSL-4 facilities were identified in the U.S. in 2007, including nine at federal labs.[9]
The following is a list of existing BSL-4 facilities worldwide.
established
See also
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosafety_level#Biosafety_level.C2.A04
Laurie Garrett
Laurie Garrett (born in Los Angeles, California) is a Pulitzer prize-winning science journalist and writer of two bestselling books. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism in 1996 for a series of works published in Newsday, chronicling the Ebola virus outbreak in Zaire.[1]
Biographical information
Garrett graduated from San Marino High School in 1969. She then graduated with honors in biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She attended graduate school in the Department of Bacteriology and Immunology at University of California, Berkeley and did research at Stanford University with Leonard Herzenberg. During her PhD studies, Garrett started reporting on science news for radio station KPFA. The hobby soon became far more interesting than graduate school and she took a leave of absence to explore journalism. Garrett never completed her PhD. At KPFA Garrett worked in management, in news, and in radio documentary production. A documentary series she co-produced with Adi Gevins won the 1977 Peabody Award in Broadcasting, and other KPFA production efforts by Garrett won the Edwin Howard Armstrong award. She won a George Polk Award for Foreign Reporting in 1997 for “Crumbled Empire, Shattered Health” in Newsday, “a series of 25 articles on the public health crisis in the former Soviet Union”.[2] She won another Polk award in 2000 for her book Betrayal of Trust, “a meticulously researched account of health catastrophes occurring in different places simultaneously and amounting to a disaster of global proportions”.[3]
In 2004 Garrett joined the Council on Foreign Relations as the Senior Fellow of the Global Health Program. She has worked on a broad variety of issues including SARS, avian flu, tuberculosis, malaria, shipping container clinics, and the intersection of HIV/AIDS and national security.
Books
Laurie Garrett is the author of the following books:
References
External links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurie_Garrett
ICE Parental Interests Directive
Overview of the Parental Interests Directive
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enforces over 400 federal statutes to protect our borders,
prevent terrorism, remove dangerous criminals and enhance
national security.
Parental Interests
ICE is committed to intelligent, effective, safe and
humane enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws.
ICE seeks to enforce immigration laws fairly and with
respect for a parent’s rights and responsibilities.
Connect with ICE on your Parental Interests Inquiry
ICE Detention Reporting and Information Line: 1-888-351-4024 (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday)
E-mail: ERO.Info@ice.dhs.gov
Web site: http://www.ice.gov/about/offices/enforcement-removal-operations/parental-directive.htm
These elements include, among others:
1. Designating a specific point of contact within each
ICE field office for parental-interests matters;
2. Promoting complete entry of relevant case
information into ICE’s data and tracking systems;
3. Developing processes to regularly identify and
review cases involving parents, legal guardians, and
primary caretakers;
4. Determining the appropriate detention placement;
5. Facilitating family court participation;
6. Allowing parent/guardian-child visitation; and
7. Accommodating the arrangements of parents, legal
guardians, or primary caretakers who are facing
pending removal for the care and travel
arrangements of their children.
Parental Interests Directive
Fact Sheet
What is the Parental Interests Directive?
The Parental Interests Directive complements ICE’s existing
immigration enforcement priorities and prosecutorial
discretion memoranda, as well as detention standards that
govern the custody and removal of individuals in the United
States illegally, including parents, legal guardians, and
primary caretakers.
The Directive is meant to aid ICE in enforcing immigration
laws fairly and with respect for a parent’s rights and
responsibilities by outlining ICE policies and procedures
concerning the placement, monitoring, accommodation, and
repatriation of alien parents or legal guardians.
Who Does this Directive Affect?
With respect to several of the Directive’s provisions,
particular attention is paid to those who are:
Primary caretakers of minor children without regard to
the dependent’s citizenship;
Parent and legal guardians who have a direct interest in
family court proceedings involving a minor or child
welfare proceedings in the U.S.; or
Parents or legal guardians whose minor children are U.S.
citizens (USCs) or lawful permanent residents (LPRs).
No Private Right Statement
While this Fact Sheet of the Parental Interests Directive
addresses its effect on certain parents, legal guardians,
and primary caretakers, the Directive applies to ICE and
does not create any right or benefit, substantive or
procedural, enforceable at law by any party in any
administrative, civil, or criminal matter. The security
and safety of any ICE employee, detainee, ICE
detention staff or member of the public will be
paramount in the exercise of the procedures and
requirements of the Directive.
How can this Directive Help me?
https://www.ice.gov/about/offices/enforcement-removal-operations/parental-directive.htm
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