u/tomonota

Just thinking of 2019: Dr. Weiner's laboratory could have a vaccine or immune booster for this unfortunate epidemic in a fraction of the time that standard biologics require. Recall INO's Covid vaccine INO-4800 was available in a few days after the Covid-19 virus was presented to the US by Chinese authorities.

And inoculations are a simple process with Cellectra devices than with treatments requiring cold storage or refrigeration.

Mass inoculations are conceivble in a few weeks or months with INO's technology. www.inovio.com shows INO-4201 is already formulated for the previous strain of Ebola; some changes would be required, obviously, but the mechanism has been demonstrated to be effective on a related virus.

"The Ebola outbreak spreading across Democratic Republic of Congo and into neighboring Uganda is fast becoming an early test of what a retreat in Western health funding might mean for global pandemic preparedness.

For years, the US financed networks of laboratories, epidemiologists and emergency-response programs through agencies including USAID and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Those systems were designed not only to combat diseases such as HIV and malaria, but to identify dangerous pathogens before they spiraled into regional crises.

In eastern Congo, where conflict, displacement and weak infrastructure already complicate healthcare delivery, those surveillance networks formed part of the thin line separating isolated outbreaks from uncontrolled spread.

Now that infrastructure is weakening.

The Trump administration’s withdrawal of health funding that once helped support outbreak detection across parts of Africa represents the kind of cuts that contribute to the erosion of disease-surveillance systems.

Health officials say the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola may have circulated undetected for six to eight weeks in northeastern Congo before lab testing confirmed the virus.

By the time Ebola was identified, suspected cases and unexplained deaths had already spread across multiple health zones near the Ugandan border.

The delayed detection is especially concerning because the Bundibugyo ebolavirus remains poorly understood compared with the Zaire strain responsible for the devastating West African epidemic a decade ago.

There are no approved vaccines or antibody therapies specifically targeting it, raising fears the silent transmission allowed infections to spread before surveillance systems recognized the threat.

Such systems built with international aid often serve multiple purposes: tracking outbreaks, transporting laboratory samples and monitoring unexplained illnesses in remote regions. When funding disappears, those networks weaken quickly.

The spread may now illustrate what happens when fragile surveillance systems face simultaneous pressure from conflict, donor fatigue and shrinking international aid from governments focused elsewhere. — Janice Kew

pbs NEWS: "WHO says a vaccine for the (recently emerged strain of) Ebola likely will not be available for at least 9 months". 5/20/2026

Bloomberg: Ebola crisis was in the making for 6-8 weeks before identifying the untreatable strain-very high risk infections

What is your opinion on accepting a partnership to develop the INO pipeline in USA if ApolloBio USA CEO, specialist in DNA medical technology, can make a deal- the right deal?