Note: Charles Chiu, MD, is a 2014 CTSI Catalyst Awards program participant/awardee. The Catalyst Awards supported his a project to diagnose lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases - he uses a similar approach to address the Ebola virus.
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS) — Amid questions and concerns over the recent cases of the deadly Ebola virus in the United States, KPIX 5’s interview with Dr. Charles Chiu, an expert on infectious diseases at University of California at San Francisco may provide answers. Here is a transcript of that interview:
My name is Dr. Charles Chiu. I’m a Professor in Laboratory Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the University of California, San Francisco.
Ebola is a very severe disease in the category of infections called viral hemorrhagic fevers.
It is not known for sure where Ebolas come from. Most likely it comes from exposure to an animal, like the fruit bat.
When you get infected it begins with influenza-like symptoms – fever, headache ,nausea, muscle aches – but can rapidly develop into internal and external bleeding. Because these patients lose so much fluid and blood, it is life-threatening, and kills 90% of its victims.
Read the full transcript & Watch the video here