A dead-end host: is there a way out? A position piece on the Ebola virus outbreak by the International Union of Immunology Societies
The fact that not everyone with Ebola virus disease (EVD) has died during the ongoing outbreak in West Africa, with an estimated case fatality rate of 70.8% by September 2014, suggests that some kind of immunity to this virus is possible. If left unchecked, this scenario will undoubtedly shift to a higher figure, as health-care conditions in many of the countries affected may not always enable infected hosts to recover. Although gender differences in the survival, incidence, and/or severity of infection are unknown, the current Ebola virus outbreak represents an unprecedented disaster for humans and a zoonotic successful strategy for a virus that cunningly and rapidly hijacks innate immunity to devastating effect.