(NewsNation) — A leading physician and entrepreneur is raising concerns about how long the Ebola virus can survive in the human body, and warning that the standard 21-day monitoring window may not be enough.
Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, executive chairman of ImmunityBio, said research from Washington State University shows the virus can persist in the body for hundreds of days after infection — including in breast milk and ******* .
Race for Ebola vaccine intensifies as outbreak spreads in Congo
“Once Ebola patients get the infection, the latency and persistence can continue for hundreds of days,” Soon-Shiong said. “The question is, with the 21-day incubation period, do we get concerned about that? There’s a lot of unknowns.”
Soon-Shiong says health authorities are “taking a very proactive stance to treat patients who are very, very ill,” he said, adding that many patients in the current outbreak have severely compromised immune systems.
Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, executive chairman of ImmunityBio, said research from Washington State University shows the virus can persist in the body for hundreds of days after infection — including in breast milk and ******* .
Race for Ebola vaccine intensifies as outbreak spreads in Congo
“Once Ebola patients get the infection, the latency and persistence can continue for hundreds of days,” Soon-Shiong said. “The question is, with the 21-day incubation period, do we get concerned about that? There’s a lot of unknowns.”
Soon-Shiong says health authorities are “taking a very proactive stance to treat patients who are very, very ill,” he said, adding that many patients in the current outbreak have severely compromised immune systems.
24 hours ago
