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by privong 4290 days ago
> in particular by bringing in local residents who have survived Ebola, and are no longer at risk of infection.

I have seen this several places over the past week or two – is it actually true that people who survive Ebola are not at risk of re-infection? I can see where that might be true shortly after recovery (i.e., due to there still being antibodies in one's system), but how long would the immunity last?
1 comments
philsnow 4290 days ago
Antibodies generally last a very long time [citation needed], but would they be useful against such a rapidly-changing pathogen ?
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learc83 4290 days ago
Ebola isn't rapidly changing. At least in comparison to a virus that does mutate rapidly like influenza.
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dreamcompiler 4290 days ago
That used to be true. But TFA points out it's not true now. Ebola used to be too lethal to be efficient: It killed its host so quickly it didn't have time to spread. But because this outbreak is in urban areas, it does have the ability to spread. Which means it has many more opportunities to evolve.
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learc83 4289 days ago
>Which means it has many more opportunities to evolve

More opportunities to evolve doesn't mean a rapidly mutating virus, relatively speaking. It may be mutating faster now because of more opportunities, but the virus still mutates orders of magnitude less rapidly than influenza.

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privong 4290 days ago
> but would they be useful against such a rapidly-changing pathogen ?

Does that explain why people are not immune from the flu after having it once – the version they have antibodies to is not the same as the mutated version which circulates later?

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learc83 4290 days ago
>Does that explain why people are not immune from the flu after having it once

Yes. There are many strains of Influenza, immunity to one strain doesn't necessarily confer any immunity to another strain.

However, Ebola mutates much less rapidly that Influenza.

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dreamcompiler 4290 days ago
Yes. This is why you have to get a flu shot every year: The flu virus is different every year. The same rapid-mutation phenomenon happens with the so-called "common" cold: Having a cold once provides no immunity to prevent you from getting one again.
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