Event: AFP-JIJI Scientists

A healthcare worker takes samples from a patient suffering from Ebola. | AFP-JIJI Scientists racing to develop potential vaccines and treatments against a deadly Ebola outbreak are having to do so without a viable sample of the virus, highlighting growing disputes over pathogen sharing and the difficulty of moving infectious materials across borders for research.More than a month after the outbreak was identified in Democratic Republic of the Congo, researchers are still relying on virus samples collected during earlier epidemics. That makes it harder to determine whether experimental vaccines and treatments will work against the current virus and to validate laboratory tests designed to detect it.“There’s nothing like having the authentic isolate,” said Thomas Geisbert, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, who helped develop Ebola vaccines. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. SUBSCRIBE NOW