A vaccine doesn’t look to be on track until the end of 2015 but at least the test is available.  The outbreak in the US would be extremely rare but at hospitals where patients are being treated, like Emory they will need the test to be available just in case someone was accidentally exposed, etc.  Around 55% of those infected end up dying.  BD image


The FDA has authorized use of an unapproved Ebola virus test under a special emergency-use provision, although efforts to develop a vaccine for the deadly illness are unlikely to bear fruit until 2015, officials say.

The test-tube diagnostic test was developed by the U.S. military and is used to detect the Zaire strain of Ebola, which has infected at least 1,711 and killed 932 in West Africa.

"The test is designed for use in individuals, including Department of Defense personnel and responders, who may be at risk of infection as a result of the outbreak," FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Yao said in a statement. 

"Two other companies, Tekmira and BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, receive funding from the Department of Defense's Defense Threat Reduction Agency and have therapeutic candidates for Ebola in early development," read a statement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-ebola-vaccine-20140806-story.html

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