Ebola: Webchat with the Wellcome Trust TODAY

[KateMumsnet]

The World Health Organisation has described the recent outbreak of the Ebola virus as "the most severe health emergency of modern times". In response to considerable discussion of the disease on Mumsnet, we've arranged a webchat with Dr Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust and one of the world's leading scientists specialising in infectious disease.

Jeremy has been deeply involved in the international response to Ebola over the past few months, including coordinating several million pounds of Wellcome Trust funding for fast-track research into drugs, vaccines and other interventions. Before joining the Trust in 2013, he was Professor of Tropical Medicine and Global Health at Oxford University, and Director of the Wellcome Trust’s Major Overseas Programme in Vietnam, where he was based for 17 years. His research has contributed to better understanding, treatment and prevention of diseases such as flu, tuberculosis, typhoid and dengue fever, and he played a first-hand role in global responses to SARS, bird flu and swine flu.

Please do join us live tomorrow between 11am - 12pm, or post your question in advance on this thread. Just a quick reminder that it’s one question per person; take a look at our webchat guidelines, here.

Best,
MNHQ

Thank you!

@Madeyemoodysmum

How close are you to vaccinations for front line staff after the trials of the first 60 volunteers to test the vaccine?

That's a great question, there's a very big meeting at the WHO on Thursday when those discussions wil be had. I'm very hopefully that everyone; governments, companies, researchers, funders will come together and these vaccinations, once we know are safe and effective will be deployed quicker than previously thought, in the three countries most effective. I would hope during this year people will start to be vaccinated in West Africa and coming into next year the number of vaccinations available will increase dramatically.

@Micksy

Outside of the three affected countries in West Africa, spread of ebola has so far been contained. What steps have been taken to keep the neighbouring countries safe, and how well prepared are they to deal with isolated incidents?

Hi Micksy,

They're well prepared, and they have been preparing for this now for some time. For example, Nigeria was able to control it very efficiently, such that Ebola is not present in Nigeria today. Equally with Senegal. But all of the countries in the region have fragile health systems, and all remain at risk until we bring the epidemic to an end. Preparation across the whole of West Africa is critical, but the best way of protecting them is to focus on the 3 countries affected today, and bring the epidemic to an end in those countries. That will help these 3 countries, the region and the rest of the world.

I've just realised I completely missed out any niceties in my post - sorry

Thank you Dr Farrar for taking part in this webchat and thank you for answering my question. I hope the military and aid agencies can work together to provide a safe and seamless response with the appropriate organisations taking the lead as and when necessary.

@AuntieStella

"He's just getting ready to answer your questions, so do keep them coming."

If I can have another (sorry, greedy!)

Air travel: not just Ebola, but any (emergent) infectious disease. Screening: are there any measures which are likely to have much of an impact? Obviously it will depend on the disease and at what stage it becomes infectious, but are we heading for temperature testing (by heat seeking arch?) as a routine part of pre-flight procedures?

Every infection is different and for some infections fevers are a good marker of whether someone might be infectious, but for many infectious diseases you can pass it on to someone else before you have a temperature.

So screening at airports on entry to a country is not very efficient. It may identify a small number of people and that's very positive, and it may increase awareness as in this case of Ebola, it may make people think twice before they have a fever but it won't solve the problem in itself and of course most people with a fever will not have Ebola or anything of greater importance. Most fevers are minor and cause absolutely no problems and I certainly wouldn't not be in favour of routine blanket fever screening across all airports in the world from now on for ever.

@hcs07081975

Dear Jeremy,

We met at the first Dengue WHO-IDAMS conference in Freiburg, Germany in 2012.

I am referring to the Welcome Trust press release:
www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/Media-office/Press-releases/2014/WTP057180.htm

The NGO Waisenmedizin e.V. developed a magistral drug (listed in the German Drug Codex, magistral preparation) DAC N-055, which has been tested clinically (Phase IIa IIb trials in Afghanistan) in cutaneous leishmaniasis. The first trial is published, the second is under editorial review: www.plosntds.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pntd.0002694

DAC N-055 showed some activity in vitro against HIV viruses, Leishmania parasites and very effective against Herpes viruses in vivo. Publications can be sent. The medical and pharmaceutical board of the NGO Waisenmedizin e.V. can also explain the biochemistry behind the path of action.

The NGO Waisenmedizin e.V. would like to test the DAC N-055 in vitro first against some tropical viruses, especially (because urgently needed) EBOLA. Unfortunately, here in Germany none of the tropical institutes I contacted reacted up-to-date, maybe because of the emergency situation.

What can we do? Can you indicate us some labs or institutions that would be interested to test DAC N-055 on different tropical viruses, especially Ebola? Could we apply for funds, how?

Our motivation is to make a contribution to a catastrophic situation, that is it.

Please contact us in case of further inquiries: [email protected]

Sincerely,
Hans-Christian Stahl

Hi

I think the best think to do is email [email protected]

@YeGodsAndLittleFishes

Thank you for coming.

What would you like to tell us that hasn't already been asked about? :)

Hi YeGodsAndLittleFishes,

We live in an interconnected world now. What happens in West Africa today is relevant in London tomorrow and vice versa. We need to see greater investment, greater support - solidarity, if you like - with countries less fortunate than ourselves. It's both the right thing to do for those countries, but it is also be the right thing for us, and will help protect us. We can no longer pretend that things happening far away are nothing to do with us. It's one of the lessons to come from this epidemic, that countries that perhaps many of us had not heard very much of before are in fact critically important to all of our futures. We need to find a better way of more equitably sharing resources globally.

It was great to have joined you on Mumsnet. Thank you very much for the invitation, I hope it was of some help and interesting! If there is any interest in what we're doing, please do get in touch and we'll think about running a similar chat in the future.

Thank you so much Jeremy - really interesting answers.

Thank you so much, Dr Farrar; it's been really interesting and helpful. Much appreciated that you have spared your time to come and talk to us

That was really very good. Hope you will come back again. Just re-reading the whole web chat ...

Yay!

Thank you! A really strong message there at the end for us ro bear in mind, and a lot of interesting disussion points throughout.

Fascinating - excellent webchat

Thank you for taking the time to do this it has been informative and reassuring.
I have supported save the children and will continue to do so.