The world now has an Ebola vaccine, in historic EU approval

The vaccine is 97.5% effective in protecting against the Zaire species of Ebola, according to the World Health Organization.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • The European Medicines Agency granted special approval for an Ebola vaccine called Ervebo.
  • Ervebo has proven remarkably effective in clinical trials conducted in Africa.
  • An Ebola outbreak has killed more than 2,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo since August 2018.
Keep reading Show less
africa disease virus

Detecting breast cancer 5 years before clinical signs

The possibility of an easy, non-invasive detection method arises.

Image source: Shutter_M/Shutterstock/Big Think
  • A blood test that spots breast cancer five years ahead of clinical signs could give new meaning to "early detection."
  • Auto-antibodies for tumor antigens predict the presence of the disease.
  • Researchers say the blood test could be clinic-ready in 4-5 years.
Keep reading Show less
medical research illness disease health vaccines health care breast cancer cancer

One shot for life: New research brings us closer to universal flu vaccine

Researchers recently discovered an antibody that totally disrupts the influenza virus's ability to replicate; it could be used to design a universal flu vaccine.

Getty
  • Because the flu mutates so frequently, we have to get a new flu shot every year that's designed for that year's strain of flu.
  • But researchers recently discovered an antibody found in an infected patient's blood that prevents the virus from replicating, even across multiple strains. According to researchers, this effect "is just mind-boggling."
  • The antibody works by targeting a very specific part of a very specific protein on all flu virions; this piece can't change too much from strain to strain because it is fundamental to the flu's ability to replicate.
Keep reading Show less
virus disease medical research public health vaccines

Scientists are producing deadly zoonoses on this tiny German island

The German island of Riems is home to some of the most dangerous virology research on the planet.

Google Maps
  • The Friedrich Loeffler Institute in Germany is a biosafety level 4 facility where scientists conduct dangerous research on zoonoses.
  • Zoonoses are diseases that can be spread from animals to humans, or vice versa.
  • These diseases not only pose a major threat to humans, but also to animals.
Keep reading Show less
disease animals virus medicine death microbes

Students develop door handles that kill bacteria

After living through a terrible epidemic, two inventors have created a self-cleaning door handle.

(https://www.jamesdysonaward.org/en-HK/2019/project/self-sanitizing-door-handle/)
  • A pair of students in Hong Kong have created a self-cleaning door handle.
  • The device uses ultraviolet light to cause a chemical reaction that kills germs.
  • In tests, it was able to kill 99.8% of microbes on the door handle.
Keep reading Show less
health product design virus disease