The Ebola epidemic in West Africa in 2014 was incredibly severe and made many headlines across the globe. Approximately 28,000 people were infected with Ebola and more than 11, 000 people died of the virus. Officially, the international emergency came to an end in June 2016. The epidemic lasted around 2 years and most of the cases offered in Libera, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. The first cases were reported in Sierra Leone in 2014, and the healthcare system was completely overwhelmed by the large number of cases. Because few people in West Africa knew about the virus, it spread rapidly and killed many, especially in urban areas. The virus spread so fast partly because those who were sick and died at home were cleaned by families for burial, and they use improper sanitation technique.

Ebola is a virus that is found in nonhuman primates and people. In 1976 Ebola was first found around the Ebola river in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Though scientists do not know where Ebola comes from, they think that animals are the source, most likely primates or bats. The virus is spread via direct contact with body fluids like blood and semen. When someone touches an infected person’s body fluid, it can infect others through mucus membranes. Additionally, people can spread Ebola through sex and can remain in fluids like semen after recovery.

I first realized epidemics exist or could happen with the Ebola epidemic in 2014. I remember being scared and sad for the people in West Africa. I still believe it is incredible how fast some diseases can be spread, and how long it can take for epidemics to die down. Personally, I believe we need to educate more people about diseases and viruses. If people new how to properly wash their hands and deal with sick people, less epidemics will occur. After COVID-19, I hope more people will be aware of the importance of washing hands and educating others about cleanliness. Hopefully, there will not be any more severe Ebola epidemics in the future.

The monoclonal antibodies adalimumab aka Humira which helps treat rheumatoid arthritis, plaque psoriasis, Crohn’s Disease, ulcerative colitis, and several other diseases. Microbiology: A Human Perspective discusses that mAbs only recognize 1 certain epitope of 1 antigen so they are hard for researchers to develop. mAbs are made by fusing B cells from an animal that has been vaccinated with other B cells which will eventually clones will make antibodies that work against the specific epitope. mAbs can neutralize toxins and tag toxins/substances. Additionally, rhuMAB have replaced animal antibody with human ones which gives it a longer half-life.

The Humira website addresses how the drug works. In rheumatoid arthritis, TNF-alpha is made which increases the number of adhesion molecules, causing inflammatory cells to move to joints. The mAbs binds to TNF-alpha to control inflammation so it does not become too large. However, Humira has a multitude of side effects and can cause serious diseases. Though the Humira helps with rheumatoid arthritis, chronic plaque psoriasis, and Crohn’s disease, there is an incredibly long list of side effects. Some side effects can even cause new diseases and make psoriasis worse or start, when Humira is supposed to help with psoriasis. Drug Watch discusses why Humira can cause TB and other diseases. People who take Humira with other biologic drugs may have a greater chance of getting a serious infection while on both drugs because Humira dampens immune function by stopping TNF. TNF-alpha is part of the innate immune response and is a pro-inflammatory cytokine. When Humira is taken, the innate immune system is dampened as TNF-alpha binds to the drug so inflammation will not cause too much harm. Overall, this causes the innate immune system to be dampened, possibly leading to development or worsening of other diseases and infections. Thus, people with TB need to be treated for it before taking Humira. When taking TB medications and Humira at the same time, TB can become reactivated. Below is the complete list of side effects for Humira:

• Serious infections like TB
  • Cough, low-grade fever, weight loss, loss of muscle
• Hepatitis B infection in carriers of virus
  • Muscle aches, exhaustion, dark colored urine, yellow skin and/or eyes, little appetite, vomiting, clay colored stool, discomfort of stomach, rash on skin
• Allergic reactions
  • Hives, hard to breath, swelling of face/eyes/lips/mouth
• Nervous system issues
  • Numbness and/or tingling, vision issues, weakness in extremities, dizziness
• Blood problems
  • Decreased number of blood cells that prevent infections and stop bleeding
  • Persistent fever, bruising and/or breathing easily, pale skin
• Heart failure
  • Cause new or worsening
  • Shortness of breath, swelling in feet and/or ankles, sudden increased weight gain
• Immune reactions causing a lupus-like syndrome
  • Pain or discomfort in chest that persists, shortness of breath, join pain, rash on arms/cheeks that gets worse when in the sun
• Liver issues
  • Exhaustion, yellow skin/eyes, little appetite and/or vomiting, pain in right abdomen which can lead to liver failure and death
• Psoriasis
  • New or worsening
  • Red, scaly patches and/or raised bumps filled with pus
• Fever, sweats, and chills
• Muscle aches
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Blood in phlegm
• Weight loss
• Warm, red, and/or painful skin sores
• Diarrhea and/or stomach pain
• Burning sensation when urinate
• Frequent urination
• Feeling extremely exhausted

I personally believe that mAbs are a great idea on paper, but may not be a good idea in practice. The amount of insanely dangerous side effects they could cause is unbelievable. I do not think these side effects are worth taking the drug. Additionally, some mAbs are not for life-threatening illnesses. Therefore, why would you risk getting a life-threatening illness from an unnecessary drug. I think more research should be done with these drugs to see if there is any way the side effects can be removed or made less serious. For me, the bad completely outweighs the good.

The WHO reported a few weeks ago that flu cases have been dropping steadily! The WHO stated that the northern hemisphere flu activity had decreased. Though influenza-like-illnesses levels stayed essentially the same in North America, the actual number of flu cases declines. Additionally, in Central and Western Asia flu levels were low, and East Asia had its flu levels return to the baseline. However, some countries tested specimens for flu and found a few positive for COVID-19 as well. Additionally, in all the testings in the past few weeks, seasonal flu (influenza A viruses) were the most reported.

The CDC reports that from January 1^st to the 25^th, there were over 70 reported cases of mumps in 16 states. Thus, mumps is clearly a large problem even with the MMR vaccine. Though the MMR vaccination has been used since 1989 and cases have decreased by 99%, there have been recent outbreaks in colleges and universities across the globe. There were serious outbreaks from 2015 to 2017 as a community in Arkansas had approximately 3,000 cases and two serious outbreaks occurred from hundreds of colleges in Iowa and Illinois. Mumps is not only an issue in the US. Recently there has been a huge outbreak of mumps in England as the cases reached the highest they had been in a decade. In January 2020 alone, there have been 546 cases alone as there have been outbreaks in universities. Many of these now college students did not receive the MMR vaccine when they were children as false information was spread about the vaccination.

            Just because the COVID-19 pandemic is prominent in everyone’s mind does not mean other diseases have stopped being important. We need to ensure others with different infections and diseases are not overlooked at this time. The mumps could easily be eradicated if people vaccinated their children and did their research about the safety of the vaccine. I hope that many people will change their minds about being anti-vaxxers after this pandemic. We need a vaccine now more than ever to stop COVID-19 as many immunocompromised people are dying and even those who seem to be healthy. When there is no option of a vaccine to fight a disease, it becomes clearly apparent why they are so necessary and important and save thousands of lives. I am happy that seasonal flu is slowly starting to slow down with the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, there will be less flu cases that could be overlooked while everyone is worried about COVID. Hopefully, flu will continue the decrease in cases number over the next months and anti-vaxxers will realize how ignorant their views are and learn to vaccinate their children.

PBS News Hour writes about a new antibody tests that could help determined if people were positive for COVID-19. This antibody test can determine if someone previously had a SARS-CoV-2 infection based on a blood same. If COVID-19 antibodies are found in the blood, then it would help find out who is now immune to the disease. To determine if someone currently has COVID-19, scientists look for the virus’ RNA genome from a nasal swab; however, this test has nothing to do with antibodies. The serology test which looks to find SARS-CoV-2 antibodies could help more and more people return to work and help stimulate the economy without spreading COVID-19 to others and having at least some type of immunity. Additionally, doctors could be tested and ensure that they have immunity and will not get sick from it again or do not spread it to their patients.

            ABC News discusses how antibodies from those previously infected with COVID-19 are now being used as treatment. Many hospitals and institutions are experimenting by using blood plasma (with antibodies) from those recovered into sick patients. Doctors and scientists hope this will help gravely sick patients survive this serious infection. To help move the antibody testing along, the FDA has allowed those making the tests to do so without FDA oversight as long as they have met conditions the FDA set in place. A titer describes the concentration of antibody molecules in a certain solution like plasma. When there are only IgM antibody titers present in plasma, it means that the person is in the early stages in the disease and is still infected as IgM is the first antibody made. When IgM and IgG are present it means that the person is still infected, but the body has made more effective antibodies to fight the infection. If only IgG antibodies are present, it means that the person was infected in the past as the body continues to make the IgG antibodies in case the same antigen is presented in the future, it will be eradicated faster. When we test for antibodies, those who are only positive for IgG no longer have the infection, and thus they have immunity and cannot spread the disease to others.

            This new antibody testing is incredible. I think it will help a lot of the panic if doctors and other healthcare workers can be tested to see if they have immunity or not. Then they will no longer have to stress about infecting patients and their families. It must be incredibly hard to be a healthcare worker right now as they work endlessly and are worried about their loved ones. This test would allow more families to be reunited as healthcare workers find out if they are immune/have these antibodies present. I hope that more antibody tests will be made available to healthcare workers and others so there will be less worry about health and more economic stimulation as more people could go back to work without worrying about getting or spreading COVID-19.

The medical school at the University of Pittsburgh has developed a new vaccine to fight against SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19. Though the vaccination has only been tested on mice, it produces antibodies that could potentially neutralize COVID-19. Because the university had already done research on SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, which are similar to SARS-CoV-2, they know that the spike protein are important for triggering immunity. This vaccine uses viral proteins made in a lab setting to start increasing immunity. The vaccine is given via microneedle area where 400 tiny needs on a small patch are placed on the skin where the immune reaction is best. The needles then dissolve into the skin as they are made of sugar and protein pieces. Antibodies were made 2 weeks after the vaccination in mice. Though this vaccine looks promising, it would take about a year of testing before released to the public.

A new antiviral drug trial recently begun at Northwestern Medicine to help fight COVID-19. Remdesivir is being used in this new trial. The antiviral drug was originally used to fight Ebola. In animals, remdesivir has formed antiviral responses against SARS-CoV-2. This new study is a randomized, placed, double-blind trial that will help discover if this drug is effective and safe for patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The study will last 3 years, but scientists are hoping results will come much sooner for the sake of COVID-19 patients. When remdesivir was used to treat Ebola in Africa, it caused certain liver, blood clotting, and GI issues but none were severe or life threatening.

I am astounded by how quickly these new vaccines and antiviral medicines have come about. It is simply crazy. Though none of them have been given the ‘ok’ for public use, I believe that there will be one in the not so distant future. The perseverance, time, effort, and smarts that doctors, microbiologists, and other scientists have put into stopping the COVID-19 pandemic is incredible. I am so thankful for all that they have done to keep as many people as possible healthy and for finding ways to prevent this sickness in the future. I look forward to finding out about more treatment options in the future.

The National Cancer Institute writes about how a new T-cell therapy has reduced side effects in a new clinical trial for lymphoma. The original therapy caused seizures, delirium, tremors, speech issues, but also helped many patients go into remission for advanced cancer. Some even died from these side effects. CAR T-cell therapy uses chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) protein and T cells. The CAR receptor assists T cells so they can fight the cancer more efficiently by finding the cancer. Scientists remodeled CAR in this new trial, but it still targets CD19 on lymphoma cells. The remodeled CAR T-cells produced lower levels of cytokines in the blood that would cause the harsh neurological side effects.

An article from News-Medical describes recent research from John Hopkins that could help treat prostate and pancreatic cancers in the future. Bone marrow cells with some genes deleted slowed prostate and cancer cell growth that had been transplanted on mice. Dendritic cells are more efficient in their inflammatory response when they do not contain the NF-kB p50 gene that codes for transcription. For some reason, cancer growth slows without this specific transcription. When scientists inoculated mice with the p50-negative myeloid cells and with human pancreatic and prostate cancer cells, the tumors grew about three times more slowly in 93% of the prostate cancers and 53% of the pancreatic cancers. These p50-negative cells that were transferred caused macrophages for tumors and dendritic cells activated T cells so the immune system could fight the cancer.

Dendritic and T cell therapy is incredibly complicated and new. However, I think there will by many breakthroughs in the future that will help cure and prevent many forms of cancer. The ongoing research on this topic is complex but very fascinating, and it is also a little bit “above my pay grade” in some instances. I had no idea this even existed, but these developments make me very proud to be a member of the scientific community. I cannot wait to see what is done with dendritic and T cell therapy in my lifetime as I am sure it will become more popular and effective.

The UN News writes about how Tuberculosis remains a huge problem even among the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2018, over 10 million people came down with TB and 1.5 million died from the disease. Additionally, it is estimated that over a quarter of the world population has Mycobacterium tuberculosis. With support from people around the globe, WHO wants to end TB by the year 2030. This goal is critically important now as we see how susceptible people are to other diseases when they have preexisting issues like lung disease from TB. WHO has come up with new guidelines to help people with latent TB infections from becoming seriously sick through protective measures. WHO believes it is necessary to increase treatment on high risk populations like those with HIV and those who are immunocompromised.

            The WHO discusses the bacterium, global responses, and problems with treatment of TB. The bacterium is spread from person to person through cough/sneeze and is inhaled. Though infected, there is only a 5-15% chance a person will become ill because of the bacteria unless they become/are immunocompromised. TB is a serious problem for elderly people, pregnant women, and children. In 2018 alone, 1.1 million kids got sick from TB and over 205,000 children died from it. Antibiotic resistance is a huge issue with treating TB. Recently, it was found that 484,000 new cases had resistance to rifampicin and 78% of those were also multi-drug resistant. TB is normally treated with a 6-month course of about four different types of antibiotics. However, multidrug-resistance is increasing at a scary rate. MDR-TB occurs when bacteria do not respond to the first line antibiotics used. Therefore, second line antibiotics must be used. These antibiotics require up to 2 years of treatment, are very toxic, and cost a lot of money. Extensively drug-resistant TB can occur when second line antibiotics do not work, resulting in no cure for the patient.

            Although it is important to wash your hands and not touch your face during this pandemic, we still need to notice other diseases. Many TB and flu patients will be overlooked during this pandemic as there is not enough room for them. Thus, there is a great possibility there will be even more flu and TB related deaths. We need to be aware of and educated on more than just the most recent illness. When the pandemic ends, flu and TB will still be around and will still be huge problems. It is our duty as microbiologists to talk about these diseases and increase awareness about them. TB can be prevented and treated pretty easily if people are aware of the symptoms and know the importance of taking antibiotics properly. Though COVID-19 is all over the news, we must remember others suffering with diseases deemed as not as important right now.

Ever since UNC announced they were kicking us off campus and made a COVID-19 website, life has been strange in all aspects. I was happy to get an extra week off, but even that was very bittersweet. I miss my friends so, so much and my apartment that does not contain my family. I love my family dearly, but I had never planned on getting stuck inside the house with them for months at a time. I also just joined a sorority this semester and was having so much fun with them. I miss hanging out with the girls and making new friends. But, in the first month and a half with them, we had a gala and formal, and I am so thankful that those events were able to happen before all the craziness ensued.

I am having a hard time studying from home, especially because I don’t have desk space at my house. Normally I study at the kitchen counter, but my parents decided that now would be a great time to redo our kitchen. Now, our counter is nonexistent, and there is constant banging and strange men in our house which is not helping anything. However, I managed to find a folding card table circa 1985 in my attic that I shoved in my room to use as a desk. I do LOVE having my dog around as my study buddy. My family is also getting a golden doodle puppy in a month or two. It was just born two weeks ago. There are 2 boys and 2 girls in the litter we are getting a puppy from. I follow the breeder on Facebook where she constantly posts pictures of the puppies and their cuteness. We still do not know if we will be getting a boy or a girl, but I really want a boy named Earl.

It is nice to know that we are all struggling together and that no one is alone in this situation. My friends and I are constantly sending each other funny memes and/or videos about people struggling with the pandemic situation. This tiktok video is me cleaning my house (I am a music minor and sing all the time and my family loves it…not). My family, friends, and I are still trying to find ways to not feel completely down about the situation. However, it is really nice to have family and friends I can complain to about how much this all sucks. I am very thankful that my family and friends have stayed healthy thus far. I take credit for that as I always scream at them to stop touching their faces.

The COVID-19 epidemic is causing mass panic across the globe. The New York Times discusses how the virus has impacted the United States in the past few weeks.  As of March 7^th, over 300 cases have been confirmed in the US, but no new infections have been reported outside of Wuhan, China. As of Friday, 17 deaths have occurred in America with two deaths in Florida being the first on the East Coast. Those who died in Florida traveled internationally before they became sick. Additionally, there is a cruise ship off of California with 21 people infected with COVID-19. Washington state has had the majority of cases with over 80 people infected, and 14 have already died. Most of these cases resulted after a COVID-19 outbreak in a nursing home. Additionally, the University of Washington has canceled in-person classes from Monday the 2^nd through the 20^th. The virus has also erupted in NYC were more than 2,700 people are in quarantine, and a state of emergency was declared in the NY.

            BBC News discusses how cases have grown in Iran and Italy.  The number of cases has surpassed 100,000, and Iran has 600 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 145 deaths. Italy has also been hit hard with an important politician Nicola Zingaretti having tested positive. There have been 230 deaths in Italy, and more than 50 deaths occurred in one day. Italy now has approximately 5,883 confirmed cases as of March 7^th. Many colleges and universities in the US have cancelled study abroad programs in Italy, moving students back to America. Additionally, Italy announced it will hire retired doctors to help fight off COVID-19. Pope Francis even decided to deliver his Sunday prayers via livestream to keep crowds down. Globally, there have been 3,500 deaths from the novel coronavirus, with most deaths occurring in China in December of 2019.

            Although we should worry about COVID-19 and do everything we can to prevent it, the absolute pandemonium and chaos seems a little unnecessary. People should listen to the CDC and other trusted sources for updates and advice. Additionally, we need to take the advice of the CDC and health care providers seriously by washing our hands, doing our best to not touch our face, not traveling to highly infected countries, and staying home when we are sick. Although the virus is frightening, it is not the apocalypse like the media is making it out to be. The more chaos we cause the more unsafe we will be. It is unrealistic to stay home all the time to prevent getting COVID-19, so we must be as careful as possible without having hysterical breakdowns. More people have died from the flu this season than from COVID-19. Thus, everyone should remember to wash their hands, not touch their face, and remain as calm as possible.

The Mayo Clinic describes the seriousness of gonorrhea with its symptoms, complications, and ways to prevent it. Gonorrhea is caused by bacteria called Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It is normally spread through sexual intercourse—oral, anal, and vaginal. However, it can also be spread to babies during childbirth when the mother is infected, possibly causing the baby to go blind, have sores on its head, and/or have a higher risk of getting infections. Gonorrhea can be asymptomatic or it can symptoms that are different for men and women. For men it causes painful urination, pus-like discharge, and swelling/pain in one testicle. For women it causes increased discharge, painful urination, vaginal bleeding in-between periods, and abdominal/pelvic pain. Additionally, the rectum, eyes, throat, and joints can all be affected by gonorrhea. If gonorrhea spreads into the uterus, it can cause pelvic inflammatory lead which can cause infertility. Men can also become infertile if the epididymis becomes inflamed and is not treated. Abstinence is the best way to ensure you do not get gonorrhea, but using a condom will also help prevention if someone decides they want to have sex. A monogamous relationship where both persons have not had sex before will also help with prevention. It is also helpful to be tested for STIs before having sex with a new partner.

            CBS discusses how antibiotic resistance is becoming an issue for treating STD’s, especially gonorrhea. Resistance is a huge problem as there were 583,405 cases of gonorrhea in 2018. This specific infection has become resistant to almost all classes of antibiotics that have been used against it in the past. Now, Ceftriaxone, a cephalosporin, is one of the few left that has great effectiveness against the infection. The CDC explains that the resistance arose as a mutation allowed bacteria to survive against the antibiotics, and it multiplied. Gonorrhea is now a large and urgent public health threat in the United States because of this resistance. Now, the CDC has found some decreased effectiveness with cephalosporins. Thus, the official guidelines have now been updated to use one regimen of injectable cephalosporin (ceftriaxone) with oral azithromycin.

            I believe we should talk about sex more and make it less of a taboo topic. Abstinence-only education needs to end in middle and high schools in America. The belief that teens will not have sex because they are told not to is unrealistic and is causing more harm than help. Today, teens and adults are uneducated about how to prevent STDs and have safe sex because they were not properly educated. Even if teens wait until marriage to have sex, their abstinence education will not have taught them how to have safe sex or use birth control. Abstinence is very unrealistic in today’s society as sex is everywhere. Parents should be more available to their children and not make them feel stupid or awkward for asking questions about sex. If parents cannot handle having conversations about sex with their children, they should not be having children in the first place. Sex is a natural part of life, and we need to properly educate teens on how to do it safely so there will be less risk of STDs along with less antibiotic resistance.