Tulane Leading The Fight Against Ebola Virus

You might think there is very little connection between the modern medicine being taught and practiced at Tulane University in New Orleans and the kind of facilities that are on the front lines in the battle against the Ebola virus in West Africa.

However the connection that exists between these two places could ultimately help scientist stem the current outbreak of the deadly disease.

Researchers at Tulane are currently in the final stages of testing a test that would quickly and accurately determine if an individual has the Ebola virus in their body. This test involves a finger prick. From that finger prick a drop of blood is analyzed and tested and within 5-15 minutes doctors will know if in fact the patient being tested has the Ebola virus.

Working with a 2.9 million dollar grant Tulane University scientist and doctors have almost completed their trials. The result of the trials so far have been promising but their is still more testing that needs to be done. Unfortunately there have been workers associated with the implementation and collection of data that have been exposed to and contracted the Ebola virus while working in West Africa. There have been members of the research team that have died.

It is in their memory that the scientist continue their efforts to be able to quickly confirm the presence of Ebola in humans. The ability to test and verify for the deadly virus will ultimately help in reducing the spread of the disease around the world.