Ebola in Alice, Texas (and reckless CNN reporting)

[Ebola Boy]

On 16 Apr 1996 07:16:26 -0700, rivero at accessone.com (Michael Rivero)
wrote:

>  CNN and the net (except oddly for this group here) are reporting
>on the small Ebola Reston outbreak in Alice Texas.
>
>  In a typical example of how accurate CNN is at times, they made the statement
>that Ebola Reston (yes, Reston) was responsible for an outbreak in Zaire
>that killed over 300 people, following it immediatly with references to
>the Reston Monmkey House and a statement that the Reston variant does not 
>appear to infect humans (which I understand to be true).
>
>  The confusion between Reston and Zaire Ebolas makes for good nes stories but
>bad science. Someone ought to whack CNN on the wrist (with an architects ruler).
>
>
>
>-- 
>============== P I X E L O D E O N   P R O D U C T I O N S   ==============
>|  Mike & Claire - The Rancho Runnamukka http://www.accessone.com/~rivero |
>=========================================================================== 
>
Another CNN innacuracy, via their web site, was reporting that E.
Zaire is not capable of aerosol transmission.
http://www-cgi.cnn.com/HEALTH/9604/16/nfm/ebola.levine/index.html

Check Lancet vol 346 pp.1669-71:
Tranmission of Ebola virus (Zaire strain)
to uninfected control monkeys in a
biocontainment laboratory

[Infoseek can get it]

The study pretty much confirms rhesus monkeys can be infected
by airborne means.  E. Zaire [Mayinga] was used, which is quite fatal
in humans.  I will not volunteer for human trials.

I pointed out this discrepancy to CNN, they did not reply.

They were trying no doubt to assuage fears of an outbreak.
Humans have been infected by Reston, 4 workers at the
VA facility tested positive, the virus was benign, or innocuous.
But the Alice strain has 90% commonality with the original
Reston strain, what of the other 10%, will it prove less friendly
to H. Sapiens?

I feel the workers at Alice should be quarantined,
it is better to err on the side of caution.

cinque at mindspring.com