Liberty Counsel contended that the law was being improperly applied.

Alkhurma Hemorrhagic Fever virus

This virus was first isolated in Saudi Arabia in the 1990s and since then there have been 24 reported cases, mainly occurring among butchers, with the case fatality-rate above 30%. It was first discovered in the blood of 6 male butchers, aged 24–39 years, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in November and December 1995. It causes a type of tick-borne hemorrhagic fever with the symptoms including fever, headache, joint pain, muscle pain, vomiting and thrombocytopenia which lead to hemorrhagic fever and encephalitis which can result in death.^[1] Camels and sheep are the natural hosts of this virus but it is not yet known if other mammals are also involved in its life cycle.

Transmission

Most of what is known about the transmission of the HFVs is derived from naturally occurring outbreaks.

Some HFVs such as Rift Valley fever and the Flaviviridae viruses are not transmissible from person-to-person, while Ebola, Marburg, Lassa fever, New World Arenaviruses, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever viruses are transmissible among humans. While little is known about the routes of transmission for HFVs, it appears that direct contact with an infected person is associated with the highest risk of morbidity and mortality. Airborne transmission of the viruses is rare but has not been ruled out.

All of these viruses, including Rift Valley fever and Flaviviridae, may be transmitted to laboratory personnel by way of aerosolization generated during specimen processing. For that reason, any research done on these viruses must be conducted in high containment (BSL-4) laboratories.

An outbreak of Ebola occurred in November 2007 in Uganda’s Bundibugyo district. (See www.allAfrica.com, keyword "Ebola," for articles and updates on Uganda’s Ebola outbreak.) This particular outbreak was contained after approximately six weeks of efforts that included education of the public, implementation of standard precautions in isolation clinics, and restrictions of inter-district travel and commerce. Containment was dependent on infected individuals seeking attention and family members maintaining distance from isolation centers. Social gatherings, traditional burial practices, and other activities involving close human contact were also limited to help limit the spread of the virus. (For further details on this outbreak and the response, see "Uganda Seeks Coordinated Response to Ebola Outbreak" and "DRC Shuts Border with Uganda as Ebola Outbreak Persists," reported in Biosecurity Briefing.^2,3)

Infection Control Measures

An understanding of the epidemiology, the clinical presentation, and the recommended medical and public health responses to a biological attack with any of the HFVs of greatest concern is key to decreasing morbidity and mortality. For example, contact with blood and bodily fluids of infected individuals and animals should be avoided. This is essential to preventing infection.

Healthcare workers caring for patients with suspected or confirmed VHF should use special protective measures: strict hand hygiene and double gloves; impermeable gowns; leg and shoe coverings; face shields or goggles for eye protection; and either N-95 masks or powered air-purifying respirators (to diminish the chance of airborne transmission).

If resources are available, patients should be cared for in a negative pressure isolation room to comply with airborne precautions (also used for the care of patients with tuberculosis). (See CDC Isolation Precaution Guidelines.)

US Ambassador Visits UK Mosque With Radical Ties

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"After the November elections," questions Charles Krauthammer, "who would have