Ebola had its worst surge in the mid-2010s; however, it recently surged again, particularly in Guinea. Several countries in West Africa recorded a high number of Covid-19 deaths as these countries were also dealing with Cholera and Ebola. Covid-19 and Ebola are both extremely contagious and deadly viruses. However, Ebola is known to spread through blood and sweat, while Covid-19 is spread through breathing, coughing or talking in close contact. However, it is believed that both Covid-19 and Ebola may have originated through transmission from bats. Cholera, in contrast, stems from amoebas in contaminated drinking water and causes an extreme loss of fluids.
Vaccine Development Concerns
In contrast to Covid-19’s two-year vaccine development, Ebola has had an extensive and long-term vaccine development process. In 2017, no effective cure, antiviral or vaccine was available for Ebola. However, by 2019, researchers created two antibody-based antivirals. These antivirals are REGN-EB3 and mAB113. Researchers found that what works best for remote and urban areas is small molecule antivirals. Despite the discovery of these antivirals, Ebola vaccine development has been slow due to high costs and the fact that drug makers had little hope of recouping the cost once researchers created the vaccine.
The development of this vaccine required microscopes for viral analysis. We are proud to supply devices that help immunologists develop vaccines. C & A has been a leader in improving the health and minds of people worldwide for the past thirty years, and we look forward to continuing to help the medical community make breakthroughs.
Vaccine Breakthrough
In 2019, Merck provided funding for the vaccine Ervebo to be distributed. The grant that allowed research for this vaccine came from a Canadian defense program developed to prevent bioterrorism. This vaccine is now being distributed, with distributors hoping that both Covid-19 and Ebola deaths in West Africa will decrease due to more readily available vaccines.
Whether you are working in virus research or educating tomorrow’s researchers, C & A has a line of reliable centrifuges that can meet any of your laboratory’s testing needs. For more information, please check out our Medical and Histology Catalogs.
C & A Scientific is a dedicated leader in improving the health and minds of people worldwide. We supply over 700 award-winning medical and STEM-inspired products to distributors and retailers looking for sensational customer service. Learn more about us and our story here.