Equity by 2030: achieving equity in survival for Māori cancer patients.

Māori diagnosed with cancer are more likely to die-and to die sooner-than non-Māori with cancer. If we accept that these inequities are unfair and avoidable, then we need a well-resourced and focused approach to eliminating them for Māori. Closing this gap will require significant action and sustained resourcing; but first, it requires an aspirational objective to enable collective ownership and navigation.

Kinetic Analysis of Biomarkers in a Cohort of US Patients With Ebola Virus Disease.

Background: Ebola virus (EBOV) infection causes a severe and often fatal disease. Despite the fact that more than 30 000 individuals have acquired Ebola virus disease (EVD), the medical and scientific community still does not have a clear understanding of the mechanisms by which EBOV causes such severe disease.

Methods: In this study, 54 biomarkers in plasma samples serially collected from 7 patients with EVD were analyzed in an attempt to define the kinetics of inflammatory modulators.

Nipah Virus Transmission from Bats to Humans Associated with Drinking Traditional Liquor Made from Date Palm Sap, Bangladesh, 2011-2014.

Nipah virus (NiV) is a paramyxovirus, and Pteropus spp. bats are the natural reservoir. From December 2010 through March 2014, hospital-based encephalitis surveillance in Bangladesh identified 18 clusters of NiV infection.

Prognostic Indicators for Ebola Patient Survival.

To determine whether 2 readily available indicators predicted survival among patients with Ebola virus disease in Sierra Leone, we evaluated information for 216 of the 227 patients in Bo District during a 4-month period. The indicators were time from symptom onset to healthcare facility admission and quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR cycle threshold (Ct), a surrogate for viral load, in first Ebola virus-positive blood sample tested. Of these patients, 151 were alive when detected and had reported healthcare facility admission dates and Ct values available.

Delivery of an Ebola Virus-Positive Stillborn Infant in a Rural Community Health Center, Sierra Leone, 2015.

We report the case of an Ebola virus (EBOV) RNA-negative pregnant woman who delivered an EBOV RNA-positive stillborn infant at a community health center in rural Sierra Leone, 1 month after the mother's last possible exposure. The mother was later found to be immunoglobulins M and G positive indicating previous infection. The apparent absence of Ebola symptoms and not recognizing that the woman had previous contact with an Ebola patient led health workers performing the delivery to wear only minimal personal protection, potentially exposing them to a high risk of EBOV infection.

Ebola Virus Diagnostics: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Laboratory in Sierra Leone, August 2014 to March 2015.

In August 2014, the Viral Special Pathogens Branch of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention established a field laboratory in Sierra Leone in response to the ongoing Ebola virus outbreak. Through March 2015, this laboratory tested >12 000 specimens from throughout Sierra Leone. We describe the organization and procedures of the laboratory located in Bo, Sierra Leone.

Multidistrict Outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease-Uganda, 2012.

In October 2012, a cluster of illnesses and deaths was reported in Uganda and was confirmed to be an outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD). Patients meeting the case criteria were interviewed using a standard investigation form, and blood specimens were tested for evidence of acute or recent Marburg virus infection by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The total count of confirmed and probable MVD cases was 26, of which 15 (58%) were fatal.

Comparison of FilmArray and Quantitative Real-Time Reverse Transcriptase PCR for Detection of Zaire Ebolavirus from Contrived and Clinical Specimens.

Rapid, reliable, and easy-to-use diagnostic assays for detection of Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV) are urgently needed. The goal of this study was to examine the agreement among emergency use authorization (EUA) tests for the detection of ZEBOV nucleic acids, including the BioFire FilmArray BioThreat (BT) panel, the FilmArray BT-E panel, and the NP2 and VP40 quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase (qRT) PCR assays from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Specimens used in this study included whole blood spiked with inactivated ZEBOV at known titers and whole-blood, plasma, and urine clinical specimens collected from persons diagnosed with Ebola virus disease (EVD).

Ebola Virus Epidemiology, Transmission, and Evolution during Seven Months in Sierra Leone.

The 2013-2015 Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic is caused by the Makona variant of Ebola virus (EBOV). Early in the epidemic, genome sequencing provided insights into virus evolution and transmission and offered important information for outbreak response. Here, we analyze sequences from 232 patients sampled over 7 months in Sierra Leone, along with 86 previously released genomes from earlier in the epidemic.

The Use of TKM-100802 and Convalescent Plasma in 2 Patients With Ebola Virus Disease in the United States.

Background: The current West Africa Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak has resulted in multiple individuals being medically evacuated to other countries for clinical management.

Methods: We report two patients who were transported from West Africa to the United States for treatment of EVD. Both patients received aggressive supportive care measures, as well as an investigational therapeutic (TKM-100802) and convalescent plasma.

Human Ebola virus infection results in substantial immune activation.

Four Ebola patients received care at Emory University Hospital, presenting a unique opportunity to examine the cellular immune responses during acute Ebola virus infection. We found striking activation of both B and T cells in all four patients. Plasmablast frequencies were 10-50% of B cells, compared with less than 1% in healthy individuals.

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus in employees and mice at multipremises feeder-rodent operation, United States, 2012.

We investigated the extent of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection in employees and rodents at 3 commercial breeding facilities. Of 97 employees tested, 31 (32%) had IgM and/or IgG to LCMV, and aseptic meningitis was diagnosed in 4 employees. Of 1,820 rodents tested in 1 facility, 382 (21%) mice (Mus musculus) had detectable IgG, and 13 (0.

Novel paramyxovirus associated with severe acute febrile disease, South Sudan and Uganda, 2012.

In 2012, a female wildlife biologist experienced fever, malaise, headache, generalized myalgia and arthralgia, neck stiffness, and a sore throat shortly after returning to the United States from a 6-week field expedition to South Sudan and Uganda. She was hospitalized, after which a maculopapular rash developed and became confluent. When the patient was discharged from the hospital on day 14, arthralgia and myalgia had improved, oropharynx ulcerations had healed, the rash had resolved without desquamation, and blood counts and hepatic enzyme levels were returning to reference levels.

Seasonal pulses of Marburg virus circulation in juvenile Rousettus aegyptiacus bats coincide with periods of increased risk of human infection.

Marburg virus (family Filoviridae) causes sporadic outbreaks of severe hemorrhagic disease in sub-Saharan Africa. Bats have been implicated as likely natural reservoir hosts based most recently on an investigation of cases among miners infected in 2007 at the Kitaka mine, Uganda, which contained a large population of Marburg virus-infected Rousettus aegyptiacus fruit bats. Described here is an ecologic investigation of Python Cave, Uganda, where an American and a Dutch tourist acquired Marburg virus infection in December 2007 and July 2008.

Reemerging Sudan Ebola virus disease in Uganda, 2011.

Two large outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever occurred in Uganda in 2000 and 2007. In May 2011, we identified a single case of Sudan Ebola virus disease in Luwero District. The establishment of a permanent in-country laboratory and cooperation between international public health entities facilitated rapid outbreak response and control activities.

Solid organ transplant-associated lymphocytic choriomeningitis, United States, 2011.

Three clusters of organ transplant-associated lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) transmissions have been identified in the United States; 9 of 10 recipients died. In February 2011, we identified a fourth cluster of organ transplant-associated LCMV infections. Diabetic ketoacidosis developed in the organ donor in December 2010; she died with generalized brain edema after a short hospitalization.

Rift Valley fever virus vaccine lacking the NSs and NSm genes is safe, nonteratogenic, and confers protection from viremia, pyrexia, and abortion following challenge in adult and pregnant sheep.

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a mosquito-borne human and veterinary pathogen causing large outbreaks of severe disease throughout Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Safe and effective vaccines are critically needed, especially those that can be used in a targeted one-health approach to prevent both livestock and human disease. We report here on the safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy of the ΔNSs-ΔNSm recombinant RVFV (rRVFV) vaccine (which lacks the NSs and NSm virulence factors) in a total of 41 sheep, including 29 timed-pregnant ewes.

Dynamics of hantavirus infection in Peromyscus leucopus of central Pennsylvania.

Hantaviruses are distributed throughout the United States and are the etiologic agents for hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. Hantavirus genotypes and epidemiologic patterns vary spatially across the United States. While several longitudinal studies have been performed in the western United States, little is known about the virus in the eastern United States.

Imported Lassa fever, Pennsylvania, USA, 2010.

We report a case of Lassa fever in a US traveler who visited rural Liberia, became ill while in country, sought medical care upon return to the United States, and subsequently had his illness laboratory confirmed. The patient recovered with supportive therapy. No secondary cases occurred.