You Must be Forced to Care.

(Originally posted 091914.  But now that we’ve graduated from Enterovirus to Measles… decided to revisit.)

There are Diseases in The World which Progressives believe have been left unaddressed by the Major World Powers.

The thinking goes that we, Lazy-Stupid-Spoiled Western Masses, simply don’t care if it doesn’t effect us. You can find evidence of this mindset within the fight against AIDS as well as other life threatening diseases…. Like Ebola.

And certain others such as the Enterovirus.

So how might a World Power (The United States) be motivated to address those sicknesses that have been Intentionally Ignored?

Import them.

Yes, that’s what I said…

Bring them here so We can experience them…  Some of us Die from them…  And All of us Fear them.

The contingency that subscribes to the idea we are ‘all citizens of the world’ is not beyond bringing sickness to our shores if it means we will devote our resources to fighting the illness’ we previously ignored.  In their mind, focusing on our own Problems First, while spending Energy on the Worlds Problems Second, is what makes America Terrible.  And they have anointed themselves ‘Enlightened’ Apostles of all that is Good and Just.  The Ends Justify the Means…

This leaves only one question.

How do you bring them here?

Simple.

Allow hundreds of thousands of people into the country without medical screening… all at once.  (All at once of course can mean over a period of a year or so when it comes to the grand scheme of things.)  Then disperse them at taxpayer expense throughout the country.

‘But this would never happen!’ you say…  I know you… and I know you’re saying it.

Well it’s happening, right now, as I tap this out.

The only real question left to the Left is ‘How do you make these new illnesses spread fast enough to completely refocus the National Energy onto defeating them?’

Make the people you let in be Children… unaccompanied and unsupervised… then send them all over the country and Force our public school system to absorb Them.

‘But Who, In Their Right Mind, would do this?!’ you ask…  I also know you’re asking that…

Good Question.  Who Would do this?

Because whoever it is, is doing it right now.

And those who enable the doing will tell you it’s only ‘fair’ that we devote our abilities to helping those We chose not to help in the past.  Whether we like the outcome of doing so or not.

It’s for the Greater Good of All the Citizens of the World.

Sleep Well.

 

(Note: What better way to foment a Cry for Government Run Health Care, and Government Force, than a good old-fashioned Pandemic?  When it comes to the life of a child…)

Advertisement

Now 1 in 45 Kids have Autism!

Autism Rate DOUBLES!

Wait… What?…

“What we call an autism spectrum disorder now is a much wider group of symptoms than what we called autism in the past so I think that captures a larger number of children that might have received other diagnoses in the past,” said Katie Walton, an autism researcher who was not involved with the CDC survey.

Do you think this will be how the story is reported?

Do you think anyone, reporter or not, will read past the Headline?  Do you believe the expansion of associated symptoms and ‘reclassification’ of previous diagnosis’, like Mental Retardation, will be offered up as a reason for the change in the number?  For that matter will it be pointed out that diagnosis’ of MR (what we now call Mental Retardation) is falling?

No.  Of course not.

It’s also worth noting that accepted diagnosis’ of children falling into the Autism Spectrum may be provided by Teachers and School Administrators.

Sound Odd?

It Should.

Why?

There are Federal Funds associated with the number of “Special Needs” students available to schools and the Districts they reside in based on the information provided by those same Teachers and Administrators.  Expanding the ‘associated symptoms means MORE MONEY!  In fact, the last number we had of 1 in 120 children came from a single school district just outside of Atlanta.  A single School District… with Teachers and Administrators making medical diagnosis’.  And those numbers were extrapolated to represent the entire country!   This, predictably, resulted in people like Jenny McCarthy becoming hysterical who then advised parents to not have their kids inoculated, which gave us a gift of minor explosions of long forgotten diseases such as Measles, Mumps, TB, etc.

Hmmm….

Stories such as these are dropped in association with fund-raising campaigns in order to get you to throw money, directly out of your wallet or taxpayer dollars via legislation, at an issue.

They want you to be afraid.

Scared Yet?

Fear not, there is a ton of money devoted to Autism.  But as we all know, once you create a foundation you have mouths to feed.  People need to get paid, so the Fundraising must go on.

Still Scared?

There are ways of giving directly to Hospitals and Research dedicated to Autism if that is what you want to do.

All I’m saying is don’t fall for the hype… because there is always someone with their hand out waiting to make a dollar off of your fear.

Where in the World is Jenny McCarthy?

The Butcher and I have been exchanging some comments which led me to repost my letter to Jenny…

An Open Letter to Jenny McCarthy:  070914 11am

Dear Ms. McCarthy,

I have to confess that I’ve followed your work since the long ago days of burping on Live TV,  Playboy and Fart Jokes.  But I have paid particular attention to your efforts over the last decade to ‘protect’ children from inoculations which you have decided cause diseases such as, but not limited to, Autism, Asperger’s and Mental Retardation.  The energy you have put into your efforts cannot be described as anything less than remarkable.

Because of your success in convincing so many American parents to ‘save’ their children from inoculations I feel compelled to point something out.

As I type this letter hundreds of thousands of children who have arrived in the United States illegally are being inserted into our public school system all over the Nation.

Allow me to restate what I just tapped out;

Hundreds of Thousands of medically unscreened children, some who have already exhibited ailments ranging from Head Lice and Scabies to Measles and TB, are being absorbed into groups of un-inoculated children of parents who believe the things you decided were true.

For that matter, Ms. McCarthy, there may even be some of those same parents… and Teachers… who abide by your understanding and interpretation of medical science.

With that in mind it then becomes relevant that the CDC (Center for Disease Control) has seen it necessary to quietly install, and bolster existing, emergency response centers across the nation because of the influx of the aforementioned illegal, unscreened, sick children.

I was hoping to appeal to your sense of caring for others by asking you to create a Mailing Address which the above parents, teachers and soon to be infected children can send their thanks.  In addition I would hope you could find a vehicle, possibly those microphones and magazine pages you utilized to campaign for anti-inoculations, to let the public know where to send their letters of appreciation.

I have Complete Faith you will do the Right Thing.

Appropriate Regards, Mike

(Here they come…)

(Feds allow sick to stay)

(How Many will your School Get?  It’s a Secret.)

Originally posted 070914

Don’t Quarantine Me Bro!

A Medical Worker has been released from observation prior to the recognized Ebola incubation period after returning from West Africa.

Ms. Hickcox came back from West Africa and was quarantined for 7 days. During that period of time she secured a Lawyer.

The incubation period (as far as we can tell) for Ebola is currently at 21 days.

Ms. Hickcox has been released from the quarantine and ask politely to quarantine herself voluntarily at Home in Maine.

The White House believes this is the correct way to proceed.
The CDC, read White House, believes this is the correct way to proceed.

While Ms. Hickcox has said openly that she may, or may not, have Ebola… her treatment is uncalled for.

Clearly Nurse Hickcox believes the idea of quarantine for a disease that does not present for 21 days is inhumane… as she has stated.

And, She along with her lawyers promise to sue.

I would be lying if I said I was surprised…

However, isn’t her admission that she ‘may or may not’ have the disease exactly the reason for the quarantine?

I will ask all of you…

Is the inconvenience of an extra 14 days too much to ask if it saves the life of a single child?

Is the expectation that we treat rapidly fatal diseases for which we have no cure with extreme caution unreasonable if it could save the lives of our children?

Wouldn’t you expect Medical Personnel to ‘Do No Harm’ and err on the side of such caution?

And finally…

Wouldn’t you expect the White House to agree with such wisdom until we can get a better handle on a rapidly fatal disease… if not for us, for the children?

We have all heard this appeal for decades.  It has been used ad nauseam.

And yet, where are the hand wringing, bleeding heart, Liberal Leftists with their concern?

Are they too occupied with the latest, fresh from Latin America, killer of children called the Enterovirus D68?  Nope… not there either.

Is the Press voicing their concerns for the children?  Nope.

How about our President and his party who care about everything more than we do?  Nope.

So I guess “Equal Opportunity” now only applies to Deadly Communicable Diseases.

If not in America, then Where can a Killer Microbe get a Fair Shake?

Panic, Apprehension or Just not Taking it Seriously

Okay Folks…

Apparently it’s time to have a conversation about our current predicament.

I’m seeing you falling into three categories.

You’re either Panicking, you’re Apprehensive or you’re Failing to Take this Seriously.

Allow me to explain why Ebola is such a big deal… Shep…

Ebola has the ability to outrun our capability to treat those infected with it at an exponential rate. That means it can go from 1 person to 1000 people to 100000 people to 10000000 people so quickly as to boggle the mind. It is also why the CDC has adopted the Kevin Bacon role from Animal House and is running around screaming “Stay Calm! All is Well!” when clearly it is not.

That being said…

There is No downside to Panic.

However, using all of that Duct Tape and Rolled Plastic Sheeting, we were advised by our Government to have readily available after 9/11, to wrap your entire house is a bit of an overreaction… at this point.  Same with wearing trash bags to the grocery store, wrapping your self in cellophane (unless you’re into that), etc.

There is Genuine Value in Apprehension.

Staying informed but not Freaking Out is the best way to handle All of the information we receive everyday.  Pay Attention.  Just like you should be doing All the Time.  I know you’re Doing that, right?  Of course you are.

Now let’s get to Not Taking this Seriously…

Let me just address this point with what Not to Do.

If you know you’ve been exposed to an infected persons Feces, Blood, Vomit, Saliva, Sweat, Tears, Clothing, Furniture, etc… even using the CDC’s brilliant, failsafe, ‘protocols’…

You Should Not:

Fly in a Cramped Airplane back and Forth across the Country.  Repeatedly.

Go on a Cruise.

Have a Family Reunion in a Sweat Lodge.

Ride the Subway.

Take a Cab around town.

Squeeze all the Fruit in the Produce Aisle.

Compete in a Drink-till-you-Vomit Contest.

Give Blood.

Get a Massage.

Give a Massage.

Wrestle.

French Kiss your Friends.

French Kiss your Neighbors.

Try on Underwear at the Department Store.

For that matter, Try on Underwear that is not yours… anywhere.

Frequent Locker Rooms.

Frequent Public Toilets.

Frequent the Gym.

Do ANY of the Above Naked.

This list can be expanded by applying Common Sense.  Not sure what this is?  Link Here.

 

Speaking of Common Sense…

What you Folks in Government should Not do:

Don’t Scream that we should all Be Calm.

Don’t appoint an Ebola Czar who has No Medical Training and Whose Major Accomplishment was to Fund Solyndra with Taxpayer Dollars.

Don’t Continue to simultaneously state diametrically opposed positions regarding the dangers of Ebola just to make sure nobody can accuse you of not telling the Truth.  If you feel you must do this then assign it to Bill Clinton as he is, Historically, the only person on Earth who can get away with it.

Don’t tell us to ‘Trust the Protocols’ when they are failing before our very eyes.

And, Don’t continue to address the American Public as if they are composed Primarily of Pre-Adolescent Children.  And no, Pre-Adolescent has not yet been reclassified as under 26-years of Age.  Yet… I’m sure you’re working on that.  If you can just get a Consensus…

 

 

 

It’s Everything, Stupid!

James Carville famously stated “It’s the Economy, Stupid!”

He was Hailed at the time by the Press for his Simple Brilliance.  Simple Indeed… like his much ignored by the Anti-War on Women Soldiers “That’s what you get if you drag a $100 bill through a Trailer Park!”

Anyway… that was Clinton and this is Now.  (Well… Clinton is still dragging $100 bills through trailer parks… but I digress.)

Now is the Age of Obama and the Liberal Progressive Renaissance.

With the Awakening of the Socialist Left, it has ceased to be just about the Economy…

It’s now About:

Ebola Killing

NSA Spying

IRS Targeting

DHS Militarizing

EPA Regulating

NEA Dumbing

CDC Stumping

TSA Groping

FBI Sleeping

VA Wait Listing

Lobbyist Working

Bank Bailing

Money Printing

Debt Monetizing

Market Distorting

Secret Service Whoring

Illegals Voting

The Middle East Burning

War Losing

Black Water Flourishing

Soviet Expanding

Anti-Capitalist Loving

GM Nationalizing

Small Business Ruining

Children Coughing

Insurance Company Destroying

Park Occupying

Health Care Socializing

Inflation Ignoring

Unemployment Fantasizing

Economy Failing

Government Controlling

Above the Law Posturing

WMD Surprising

Diplomat Abandoning

Drug Cartel Arming

Race Rioting

Golf Playing

Party Having

Climate Distracting

Science Fabricating

Consensus Prevailing

Poll Taking

Official Prevaricating…

Stupid!

Good News out of Kansas!

KU Med Center says patient admitted for Ebola like symptoms Does Not Have Ebola… it’s probably just Typhoid.

Phew! Well that’s Good new…. wait a minute…

(Bold Italics mine.)

Typhoid Fever

General Information

Typhoid fever is a life-threatening illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi. In the United States, it is estimated that approximately 5,700 cases occur annually.  Most cases (up to 75%) are acquired while traveling internationally. Typhoid fever is still common in the developing world, where it affects about 21.5 million persons each year.

Typhoid fever can be prevented and can usually be treated with antibiotics. If you are planning to travel outside the United States, you should know about typhoid fever and what steps you can take to protect yourself.

How is typhoid fever spread?

Salmonella Typhi lives only in humans. Persons with typhoid fever carry the bacteria in their bloodstream and intestinal tract. In addition, a small number of persons, called carriers, recover from typhoid fever but continue to carry the bacteria. Both ill persons and carriers shed Salmonella Typhi in their feces (stool).

You can get typhoid fever if you eat food or drink beverages that have been handled by a person who is shedding Salmonella Typhi or if sewage contaminated with Salmonella Typhi bacteria gets into the water you use for drinking or washing food. Therefore, typhoid fever is more common in areas of the world where handwashing is less frequent and water is likely to be contaminated with sewage.

Once Salmonella Typhi bacteria are eaten or drunk, they multiply and spread into the bloodstream. The body reacts with fever and other signs and symptoms.

Where in the world do you get typhoid fever?

Typhoid fever is common in most parts of the world except in industrialized regions such as the United States, Canada, western Europe, Australia, and Japan. Therefore, if you are traveling to the developing world, you should consider taking precautions. Over the past 10 years, travelers from the United States to Asia, Africa, and Latin America have been especially at risk.

How can you avoid typhoid fever?

Two basic actions can protect you from typhoid fever:

1. Avoid risky foods and drinks.
2. Get vaccinated against typhoid fever.

It may surprise you, but watching what you eat and drink when you travel is as important as being vaccinated. This is because the vaccines are not completely effective. Avoiding risky foods will also help protect you from other illnesses, including travelers’ diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, and hepatitis A.

“Boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it”

• If you drink water, buy it bottled or bring it to a rolling boil for 1 minute before you drink it. Bottled carbonated water is safer than uncarbonated water.
• Ask for drinks without ice unless the ice is made from bottled or boiled water. Avoid popsicles and flavored ices that may have been made with contaminated water.
• Eat foods that have been thoroughly cooked and that are still hot and steaming.
• Avoid raw vegetables and fruits that cannot be peeled. Vegetables like lettuce are easily contaminated and are very hard to wash well.
• When you eat raw fruit or vegetables that can be peeled, peel them yourself. (Wash your hands with soap first.) Do not eat the peelings.
• Avoid foods and beverages from street vendors. It is difficult for food to be kept clean on the street, and many travelers get sick from food bought from street vendors.

Getting vaccinated

If you are traveling to a country where typhoid is common, you should consider being vaccinated against typhoid. Visit a doctor or travel clinic to discuss your vaccination options.

Remember that you will need to complete your vaccination at least 1-2 weeks (dependent upon vaccine type) before you travel so that the vaccine has time to take effect. Typhoid vaccines lose effectiveness after several years; if you were vaccinated in the past, check with your doctor to see if it is time for a booster vaccination. Taking antibiotics will not prevent typhoid fever; they only help treat it.

The chart below provides basic information on typhoid vaccines that are available in the United States.

Table 1: Typhoid Vaccines Available in the United States

Vaccine Name	How Given	Number of Doses Necessary	Time Between Doses	Time immunization should be completed by (before possible exposure)	Minimum Age For Vaccination	Booster Needed Every…
Ty21a (Vivotif Berna, Swiss Serum and Vaccine Institute)	1 capsule by mouth	4	2 days	1 week	6 years	5 years
ViCPS (Typhim Vi, Pasteur Merieux)	Injection	1	N/A	2 weeks	2 years	2 years

The parenteral heat-phenol-inactivated vaccine (manufactured by Wyeth-Ayerst) has been discontinued.

What are the signs and symptoms of typhoid fever?

Persons with typhoid fever usually have a sustained fever as high as 103° to 104° F (39° to 40° C). They may also feel weak, or have stomach pains, headache, or loss of appetite. In some cases, patients have a rash of flat, rose-colored spots. The only way to know for sure if an illness is typhoid fever is to have samples of stool or blood tested for the presence of Salmonella Typhi.

What do you do if you think you have typhoid fever?

If you have a high fever and feel very ill, see a doctor immediately. If you are traveling in a foreign country, you can usually call the U.S. consulate for a list of recommended doctors.

Typhoid fever is treated with antibiotics. Resistance to multiple antibiotics is increasing among Salmonella that cause typhoid fever. Reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolones (e.g., ciprofloxacin) and the emergence of multidrug-resistance has complicated treatment of infections, especially those acquired in South Asia. Antibiotic susceptibility testing may help guide appropriate therapy. Choices for antibiotic therapy include fluoroquinolones (for susceptible infections), ceftriaxone, and azithromycin. Persons who do not get treatment may continue to have fever for weeks or months, and as many as 20% may die from complications of the infection.

Typhoid fever’s danger doesn’t end when symptoms disappear

Even if your symptoms seem to go away, you may still be carrying Salmonella Typhi. If so, the illness could return, or you could pass the disease to other people. In fact, if you work at a job where you handle food or care for small children, you may be barred legally from going back to work until a doctor has determined that you no longer carry any typhoid bacteria.

If you are being treated for typhoid fever, it is important to do the following:

Keep taking the prescribed antibiotics for as long as the doctor has asked you to take them.

Wash your hands carefully with soap and water after using the bathroom, and do not prepare or serve food for other people. This will lower the chance that you will pass the infection on to someone else.

Have your doctor perform a series of stool cultures to ensure that no Salmonella Typhi bacteria remain in your body.

——

Ummm…. Probably just a ‘Normal’ case.  And Securing our Borders would have no effect one way or the other.

So, Good News!

Just curious, Did your kids get that Typhoid Vaccination before the beginning of the School Year?

I’m not sayin’… I’m just sayin’… may be you oughta’ think ’bout it.

Think Ebola

Why would “Think Ebola” be appropriate for Health Care Facilities Nation Wide, but not for the General Public?

So, in other words, if you work in a hospital you should be thinking about Ebola.

And if you don’t work in a hospital… no worries.  You’ll be fine as long as you don’t think about Ebola.

If there has ever been an illustration of how Government cannot handle a crisis, this is it.

And I haven’t started on a very real Killer which is approaching epidemic levels called the Enterovirus D68. It’s here and it’s already killed 6… 4 of which were young children.

You must ask “Why?”.

I offer that ramping up the level of concern being experienced by the American Public will lead to obvious questions the current Administration and Political Party in Charge do not want asked.

Such as:

Why have we not secured the borders and continue to allow medically unscreened illegal immigrants into the United States and then fly them where ever they wish while placing the children into public schools across the nation?

Or,

Why have we not simply stopped incoming flights from West Africa?

Or,

Do you think the Terrorist’s are watching this?

And then come the profoundly enlightening if not horribly uncomfortable answers:

The Democrat Party refuses to secure the borders because the future of Socialism in America depends on a brand new class of taxpayer-funded welfare addicts who will always vote for them… damn the health consequences.

The Administration does not want to do anything which could be positioned as ‘racist’, which stopping those who are traveling from West Africa might imply.  But the most obvious result of stopping those flights would be to lead all of us immediately back to the first question regarding our borders, and that cannot be allowed to happen… damn the health consequences.

And, of course the Terrorists are watching… and learning. We are doing nothing because it’s not in the best interest of those who want to control us.

Damn all of the Consequences.

 

Xenophobia

If you don’t already… you will need to know this word.

xenophobia

[ ˌzēnəˈfōbēə, ˌzenə- ]

noun

intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries.

Get ready to be accused of an intense hatred of those from other countries.  It’s coming to a bunch of stories near you.

Why?

Because You’re a Horrible Xenophobe.

Sure your concern about open borders and sophomoric screening of those few who come here legally is based entirely on your health.

Sure you could be so self-centered as to think Rapidly Fatal Diseases flooding into our Country and infecting your children is not a good idea.

And sure you might believe that the access of those who could be infected with such Diseases should be Extremely Limited, if not Halted, until we can get a handle on how we’re going to address these demonstrably Life Destroying Microbes.

All Hogwash!

Truth is, You’re just a Bigot who Hates.  You’re simply using the Lives of Your Children, Family, Friends and Neighbors as an Excuse to behave the way you have Always wanted to.  And that way is to Discriminate against other people who are different.  It doesn’t matter that ‘different’ means infected with a highly contagious, and constantly mutating, form of virus that causes epidemic levels of death.  No… the truth is, you’re a Xenophobe, as well as a Homophobe (if you forgot) and most certainly a Racist.

I’m glad we could get that out-of-the-way.  We all realize Honesty is the best policy.  And we all also know your supposed Fear is only a disguise for your inner drive to be a POS.

So… when your child comes home from school and says a couple of her classmates were taken to the nurses office because they were throwing up blood all over the Mrs. Giacomo’s Class during first period home room… you should remember that it’s no big deal.  Even when it happens again… and again…  Or when little Joey says his best friend has a cough that sounds like the Sea Lion he saw on the Zoo field trip, and it wont stop, so Joey ate his friend’s well coughed on lunch because Ms. Podesta said not to worry, it’s OK.  Just let it go.

And… when you go to the voting booth in few weeks to re-elect your favorite Democrat or Select Republican, who cares more about everything just like you, you should feel good because it was Your Guy who refused to secure the borders as a Demonstration of Their Tolerance and Love of All People … and it was the same Group who currently considers asking individuals coming into the United States from Countries infected with these diseases “Do you have Ebola?” to be ‘highly effective screening measures’ insured to protect you.  Plus, lest you forget, Their Liberal Progressive brilliance Forced Obama Care upon all of us, so now your Insurance Company has had to raise their rates, as well as their deductibles, and or leave your state altogether.  Oh, and you have a new Doctor… who you don’t know… and you can’t get in to see.

Nothing supports sound sleep like knowing the people you support are the Smartest People in the Room… just like you.  And They’re telling you not to worry.

Therefore… You’re not worried.

Because… you recognize Any other behavior would just illustrate an innate bigotry.  This is especially true if you’re White.  Because White People are born that way.  White Devils.

Feel better now that you know the truth that you’re a Racist Xenophobic Hater?

Good.

Oh, and I hear Rum is particularly good at killing Ebola.  You just have to drink a lot of it.  Rubbing it all over your body could help too.

Well… at least that’s what I’m going with.

(As a Note:  I’m not sure what you call someone who discriminates against a person with Ebola… or Pertussis, Tuberculosis, Malaria, Hemorrhagic Fever, Listeria, Lice, An Ax, Who is Covered in Blood, Has a Chainsaw and a mask made of Human Skin, Is Pointing a Gun at You and yelling to everyone that can hear them that they want to kill you… or Zombies… But it would Probably still make you a Xenophobic Hater.  I suggest the Rum.)

The Marburg Virus?

FYI…

Courtesy of Wiki… and H/T to Socialism is not the Answer

Marburg virus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Marburgvirus
Transmission electron micrograph of the Marburgvirus
Virus classification
Group:	Group V ((-)ssRNA)
Order:	Mononegavirales
Family:	Filoviridae
Genus:	Marburgvirus
Type species
Marburg virus

Marburgvirus (/ˈmɑrbərɡ ˈvaɪrəs/ MAR-bərg VY-rəs^[1]) is a hemorrhagic fever virus of the Filoviridae family of viruses, first noticed and described during small epidemics in the German cities Marburg and Frankfurt and the Yugoslav capital Belgrade in the 1960s. Workers were accidentally exposed to tissues of infected grivets (Chlorocebus aethiops) at the city’s former main industrial plant, the Behringwerke, then part of Hoechst, and today of CSL Behring. During these outbreaks, 31 people became infected and seven of them died. Marburg virus (MARV) causes severe disease in humans and nonhuman primates in the form of viral hemorrhagic fever. MARV is a Select Agent,^[2] WHO Risk Group 4 Pathogen (requiring biosafety level 4-equivalent containment),^[3] NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Category A Priority Pathogen,^[4] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Category A Bioterrorism Agent,^[5] and is listed as a biological agent for export control by the Australia Group.^[6]

Contents

 [hide] 

• 1 Use of term
  • 1.1 Note
• 2 Previous designations
• 3 Virus inclusion criteria
• 4 Disease
• 5 Virology
  • 5.1 Genome
  • 5.2 Structure
  • 5.3 Entry
  • 5.4 Replication
• 6 Ecology
• 7 Weaponization
• 8 Vaccine research
• 9 In popular culture
• 10 References
• 11 Further reading
• 12 External links

Use of term[edit]

Marburg virus was first described in 1967.^[7] Today, the virus is one of two members of the species Marburg marburgvirus, which is included in the genus Marburgvirus, family Filoviridae, order Mononegavirales. The name Marburg virus is derived from Marburg (the city in Hesse, Germany, where the virus was first discovered) and the taxonomic suffix virus.^[1]

Note[edit]

According to the rules for taxon naming established by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), the name Marburg virus is always to be capitalized, but is never italicized, and may be abbreviated (with MARV being the official abbreviation).

Previous designations[edit]

Marburg virus was first introduced under this name in 1967.^[7] In 2005, the virus name was changed to Lake Victoria marburgvirus, which unfortunately was the same spelling as its species Lake Victoria marburgvirus.^[8][9] However, most scientific articles continued to refer to Marburg virus. Consequently, in 2010, the name Marburg virus was reinstated and the species name changed.^[1] A previous abbreviation for the virus was MBGV.

Virus inclusion criteria[edit]

A virus that fulfills the criteria for being a member of the species Marburg marburgvirus is a Marburg virus if its genome diverges from that of the prototype Marburg marburgvirus, Marburg virus variant Musoke (MARV/Mus), by <10% at the nucleotide level.^[1]

Disease[edit]

Main article: Marburg virus disease

MARV is one of two marburgviruses that causes Marburg virus disease (MVD) in humans (in the literature also often referred to as Marburg hemorrhagic fever, MHF). In the past, MARV has caused the following MVD outbreaks:

Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreaks due to Marburg virus (MARV) infection

Year	Geographic location	Human Deaths/Cases (case-fatality rate)
1967	Marburg and Frankfurt, West Germany, and Belgrade, Yugoslavia	7/31 (23%)[7][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]
1975	Rhodesia and Johannesburg, South Africa	1/3 (33%)[17][18][19]
1980	Kenya	1/2 (50%)[20]
1987	Kenya	1/1 (100%)[21][22]
1988	Koltsovo, Soviet Union	1/1 (100%) [laboratory accident][23]
1990	Koltsovo, Soviet Union	0/1 (0%) [laboratory accident][24]
1998–2000	Durba and Watsa, Democratic Republic of the Congo	? (A total of 154 cases and 128 deaths of marburgvirus infection were recorded during this outbreak. The case fatality was 83%. Two different marburgviruses, MARV and Ravn virus (RAVV), cocirculated and caused disease. It has never been published how many cases and deaths were due to MARV or RAVV infection)[25][26][27]
2004–2005	Angola	227/252 (90%)[28][29][30][31][32][33][34]
2007	Uganda	1/3 (33%)[35][36]
2008	Uganda, Netherlands	1/1 (100%)[37]
2012	Uganda	9/18 (50%)[38]

Virology[edit]

Genome[edit]

Like all mononegaviruses, marburgvirions contain non-infectious, linear nonsegmented, single-stranded RNA genomes of negative polarity that possesses inverse-complementary 3′ and 5′ termini, do not possess a 5′ cap, are not polyadenylated, and are not covalently linked to a protein.^[39] Marburgvirus genomes are approximately 19 kb long and contain seven genes in the order 3′-UTR–NP–VP35–VP40–GP–VP30–VP24–L–5′-UTR.^[40] The genomes of the two different marburgviruses (MARV and RAVV) differ in sequence.

Structure[edit]

CryoEM reconstruction of a section of the Marburg virus nucleocapsid. EMDB entry EMD-1986^[41]

Like all filoviruses, marburgvirions are filamentous particles that may appear in the shape of a shepherd’s crook or in the shape of a “U” or a “6”, and they may be coiled, toroid, or branched.^[40] Marburgvirions are generally 80 nm in width, but vary somewhat in length. In general, the median particle length of marburgviruses ranges from 795–828 nm (in contrast to ebolavirions, whose median particle length was measured to be 974–1,086 nm ), but particles as long as 14,000 nm have been detected in tissue culture.^[42] Marburgvirions consist of seven structural proteins. At the center is the helical ribonucleocapsid, which consists of the genomic RNA wrapped around a polymer of nucleoproteins (NP). Associated with the ribonucleoprotein is the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (L) with the polymerase cofactor (VP35) and a transcription activator (VP30). The ribonucleoprotein is embedded in a matrix, formed by the major (VP40) and minor (VP24) matrix proteins. These particles are surrounded by a lipid membrane derived from the host cell membrane. The membrane anchors a glycoprotein (GP_1,2) that projects 7 to 10 nm spikes away from its surface. While nearly identical to ebolavirions in structure, marburgvirions are antigenically distinct.

Entry[edit]

Niemann–Pick C1 (NPC1) appears to be essential for Ebola and Marburg virus infection. Two independent studies reported in the same issue of Nature (journal) showed that Ebola virus cell entry and replication requires the cholesterol transporter protein NPC1.^[43][44] When cells from patients lacking NPC1 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.^[43][44] Furthermore, NPC1 was shown to be critical to filovirus entry because it mediates infection by binding directly to the viral envelope glycoprotein.^[44] 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.^[45]

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.^[44][46] In the other study, mice that were heterozygous for NPC1 were shown to be protected from lethal challenge with mouse adapted Ebola virus.^[43] Together, these studies suggest NPC1 may be potential therapeutic target for an Ebola anti-viral drug.

Replication[edit]

The marburg virus life cycle begins with virion attachment to specific cell-surface receptors, followed by fusion of the virion envelope with cellular membranes and the concomitant release of the virus nucleocapsid into the cytosol. The virus RdRp partially uncoats the nucleocapsid and transcribes the genes into positive-stranded mRNAs, which are then translated into structural and nonstructural proteins. Marburgvirus L binds to a single promoter located at the 3′ end of the genome. Transcription either terminates after a gene or continues to the next gene downstream. This means that genes close to the 3′ end of the genome are transcribed in the greatest abundance, whereas those toward the 5′ end are least likely to be transcribed. The gene order is therefore a simple but effective form of transcriptional regulation. The most abundant protein produced is the nucleoprotein, whose concentration in the cell determines when L switches from gene transcription to genome replication. Replication results in full-length, positive-stranded antigenomes that are in turn transcribed into negative-stranded virus progeny genome copies. Newly synthesized structural proteins and genomes self-assemble and accumulate near the inside of the cell membrane. Virions bud off from the cell, gaining their envelopes from the cellular membrane they bud from. The mature progeny particles then infect other cells to repeat the cycle.^[8]

Ecology[edit]

In 2009, the successful isolation of infectious MARV was reported from caught healthy Egyptian rousettes (Rousettus aegyptiacus).^[35] This isolation, together with the isolation of infectious RAVV,^[35] strongly suggests that Old World fruit bats are involved in the natural maintenance of marburgviruses. Further studies are necessary to establish whether Egyptian rousettes are the actual hosts of MARV and RAVV or whether they get infected via contact with another animal and therefore serve only as intermediate hosts. Recently the first experimental infection study of Rousettus aegyptiacus with MARV provided further insight into the possible involvement of these bats in MARV ecology.^[47] 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.

Weaponization[edit]

The Soviet Union had an extensive offensive and defensive biological weapons program that included MARV.^[48] At least three Soviet research institutes had MARV research programs during offensive times: the Virology Center of the Scientific-Research Institute for Microbiology in Zagorsk (today Sergiev Posad), the Scientific-Production Association “Vektor” (today the State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology “Vektor”) in Koltsovo, and the Irkutsk Scientific-Research Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East in Irkutsk. As most performed research was highly classified, it remains unclear how successful the MARV program was. However, Soviet defector Ken Alibek claimed that a weapon filled with MARV was tested at the Stepnogorsk Scientific Experimental and Production Base in Stepnogorsk, Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (today Kazakhstan),^[48] suggesting that the development of a MARV biological weapon had reached advanced stages. Independent confirmation for this claim is lacking. At least one laboratory accident with MARV, resulting in the death of Koltsovo researcher Nikolai Ustinov, occurred during offensive times in the Soviet Union and was first described in detail by Alibek.^[48] After the end of the Soviet Union, MARV research continued in all three institutes.^{[citation needed]}

Vaccine research[edit]

In 2009, expanded clinical trials of an Ebola and Marburg vaccine began in Africa. No vaccine to date has been approved for use in the US.