#Ebola Syndrome

[brody75]

Ebola Syndrome (1996)

[pea-the-mitten-crab]

another day, another dumbass.

just like when everyone thought a guy was invading their dreams and it turned out to be a local daily patroling police officer that everyone just forgot about immediately after seeing their face,

the normies have once again overlooked the obvious and now think that a machine learning ai is haunted simply because they didn't take a minute just to search up different spellings of a word they saw.

'loab' is not an evil entity controlling software, the a.i. simply incorporated movie posters for the film starring Anthony Wong 'Ebola Syndrome'.

[b-rainlet]

I told my niece's friend Evil Dead Rise isn't scary and she shouldn't be worried - she hasn't slept all night

[mogkiompmovieguide]

Ebola Syndrome

Herman Yau & Chau Ting

Hong-Kong ( 1996 ) - 98 min

Halloween est terminé et c’est déjà Noël ! Avec cette réédition du cultissime et dégueu "Ebola Syndrome". Une saloperie appropriée en guise d’After, ce film 'gueule de bois' est certainement indispensable si vous pensez avoir tout vu. Le plus célèbre exemple de catégorie III en l’occurrence, une œuvre isolée et pourtant à l’abri de l’oubli.

L’Histoire est on ne peut plus simple, Kai est l’un des personnages les plus crades de tous les temps.

L’action débute sur une scène d’adultère, Kai se fait la femme du patron et se fait pincer, il tue alors sauvagement le couple et un badaud malchanceux, puis s’enfuit en Afrique du Sud ; où il travaille comme cuisinier dans un restaurant Chinois. Lors d’une transaction foireuse en pleine savane, alors que son patron traite pour acheter un cochon à bas prix avec les indigènes d’une tribu de sauvages en pagnes et os dans le nez. Kai en profite pour violer une de leur femme porteuse de l’infame Virus. C’est Ebola, et Kaï l’attrape ! Mais l’ironie fait que Kai est une des très rares personnes sur dix millions qui est immunisée contre la maladie ; bien qu’il soit toujours contagieux, il va maintenant en profiter. Avec tout ses fluides corporels il répand le virus mortel partout à travers Johannesburg, et bientôt Hong-Kong. Notamment par le biais d’une espèce de hamburger " spécial " qu’il prépare et sert à ses clients alors qu’il continue de tuer, violer et se servir de ses molards pour combattre.

À sa sortie en France à la fin des années 90, quand on pouvait encore déconner sur des sujets classiquement sensibles sans avoir à se justifier. Ebola Syndrome faisait parler, un film absolument tordant, abjecte et immorale, vilain méchant et sale de bout en bout, se faisant une référence en matière de rébellion cinématographique ; du terrorisme artistique, ou un cocktail molotov dans la gueule de tout le monde. Attention ! C’est vraiment na-woke, bien que devenu un moment de Cinéma qui restera dans la petite Histoire des plus célèbres films pourris pas si pourris. ( Nous nous souviendrons de Ebola Syndrome, sans doute bien plus dans l’Histoire, que la majorité de productions N****ix. Et la morale dans tout ça me direz-vous ? Mais on s’en bat les couilles ! C’est du Cinéma, sors ta bite et toi montre tes seins et amusons nous ! Non… Plus sérieusement ce film tout à fait inhumain aux premiers abords, est réalisé tout à fait consciencieusement et avec une intention certaine de sale môme qui à décider de faire chier… Presque trente ans après sa sortie, à l’ère de l’opinion et du débat sans Savoir, des tyrans du goût et de l’animadversion imbécile qui grouillent dans notre mare numérique. Que pensez-vous de Ebola Syndrome ? Quand le public devient un censeur et un décideur, ou quand Breakfast at Tiffany’s se fait mutilé au nom d’une époque, l’on censure Mickey Rooney et son yellowface. Alors que dit-on du génialissime Anthony Wong, alias Kai pour cette performance totalement Césarisable ?

Avec ce genre de marmite décomplexée ; le réalisateur Herman Yau s’en sort avec quelques plans plutôt créatifs, des visuels façon film de Kung Fu et un montage agressif pas si aléatoire. Il y a ce plan tout à fait novateur et brillant : un POV dans la bouche de Kai alors qu’il allait embrasser une fille, avec Ebola qui y sévit. C’est drôle et dégueulasse, comme l’ensemble du film. Sans la formidable performance de Anthony Wong, le film ne serai plus. Ses performances emblématiques dans " The Untold Story " et " Ebola Syndrome " ont données aux films un aspect mémorable, à jamais gravé dans l'esprit de leurs spectateurs. Il hurle, grogne, et regarde tout ce qu’il ne peut pas tuer ou posséder. Et malgré la nature générale de ces performances, Anthony Wong est clairement en contact avec les problèmes psychologiques de ses personnages. Ses "tueurs " sont effrayants parce qu'à leurs yeux, la violence extrême est normale.

L’esthétique générale du Syndrome d’Ebola est évidemment difficile à digérer, gluante et trop colorée, soyons honnêtes, l’idée entière est un peu à chier. Mais au fond si vous êtes déjà en train de vous intriguer, alors vous n’avez plus qu’à déguster cette perle de la Trash Culture.

Bonne séance quand même !

[milksockets]

"the dentist," 1996 + "ebola syndrome," 1996 in on everyone's lips: the oral cavity in art + culture - uta ruhkamp (2020)

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

A great article and a fairly quick read.

By Sadhbh O'Sullivan

Nathalie MacDermott, a paediatric infectious diseases doctor, she says: 'If we had another pandemic tomorrow, I think we would make the same mistakes again'

Nathalie MacDermott is a paediatric infectious diseases doctor and clinical lecturer at King’s College London. While working on a Covid ward at Great Ormond Street in May 2020, she contracted Covid, leading to a spinal injury that impairs her ability to work until this day. She is part of Long Covid Doctors for Action, an advocacy group that is filing a class action lawsuit with the NHS for not adequately protecting healthcare workers from the risks of infection.

Here, she explains to i why she’s part of the movement to sue the NHS.

I do a mixture of research and clinical work, and in March 2020 I went to work at Great Ormond Street during the Covid pandemic. I was initially looking after children with infectious diseases and immunological conditions, and got Covid for the first time at the end of March, likely through a shared office.

At the time, we weren’t permitted to wear surgical face masks or PPE in offices, just on the wards, I think due to concern over the availability of PPE – it was prioritised for use on wards. But because we couldn’t socially distance in offices, people were understandably concerned. By the time I recovered and returned to work, they’d introduced a mask policy in offices due to pressure from the staff.

After I recovered, I went back to work on the Covid ward for children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome, a condition associated with acute Covid. It was not an intensive care ward where staff were allowed to wear full PPE, but a standard ward where the level of PPE was lower.

I was very concerned about the level of PPE that we were provided with at the time, and raised my concerns repeatedly over five weeks, trying to get to the people who would actually listen. But they just kept saying they were following the guidance from the NHS, and we didn’t really know where that guidance was coming from at that time. We were just given surgical face masks, small aprons to cover the torso, and a pair of gloves.

The reason given was that they were prioritising PPE for people exposed to what they consider aerosol generating procedures [medical procedures that lead to aerosols or air being released from a person’s respiratory tract] like being on a ventilator. The crazy thing is that the concept of aerosol generating procedures is a fairly nebulous one: at the time they were saying resuscitation (where you’re pushing on someone’s chest) wasn’t AGP, but someone on a filtered, closed circuit ventilator was. We now have fairly solid data that shows coughing is probably the biggest generator of aerosols, above and beyond other procedures.

I think there was a denial at the time [from the NHS as a whole, not the individual NHS trusts] that Covid was airborne. Plus, there wasn’t adequate ventilation on the ward because it was a repurposed building that didn’t have the air filtered at appropriate intervals; we couldn’t open the windows because there was dust everywhere from building works going on, and it was cold.

I worked at the forefront of the Ebola epidemic in Liberia and my PhD investigated the community spread of Ebola in Sierra Leone. It meant I was even more aware that there were risks of after effects with a viral infection. We know that just because you survive something like Ebola or glandular fever it doesn’t mean you won’t have ongoing symptoms for a long time afterward. I think it meant I was more willing to fight for better PPE and was very familiar with infection prevention, control procedures and personal protective equipment. Despite that, people still didn’t want to listen to what I had to say.

It was incredibly frustrating, not so much for myself but because I was very concerned about my colleagues. Around the time I was on that ward in 2020 we’d just lost one of the most senior nurses in my department to Covid. And even that wasn’t enough to convince people that we should have a better grade of PPE.

I continued to challenge the PPE guidance until I got Covid again in May 2020. After my initial acute Covid symptoms settled, I noticed I was still getting a lot of nerve pain in my feet, which then developed into limiting my ability to walk. It’s thought that Covid somehow damaged my spinal cord, but it’s not entirely clear how or what exactly happened.

I now struggle to lift my legs off the ground, so I can only walk very short distances on my own, and a bit longer on crutches. I also suffer from fatigue and get tired easily, I have bladder and bowel impairment, I have issues with dry eyes and mouth. Are they Covid related? Who knows, but that’s when they started for me. Either way, these symptoms haven’t changed in the last three and a half years.

The impact has limited me. I’m able to work nowadays, when many of my colleagues aren’t, but I largely work from home and do research. A full-time clinical job is physically too demanding for me. I did have a mobility scooter to help me get around wards, but even that was quite exhausting. Even going up a flight of stairs some days is a real challenge.

My passion has always been doing disaster and epidemic response with a non-governmental organisation, and obviously it’s quite difficult to send a doctor who’s disabled out to a war zone or epidemic situation. This has cost me my career in some respects, as I won’t be able to be the paediatric infectious diseases consultant I was hoping to be.

The whole purpose of our class action lawsuit is to prevent this situation happening again and we encourage any healthcare worker who has been affected to join the action.

We now understand that the NHS guidance on PPE had been issued by the Infection Prevention and Control cell that was part of the NHS pandemic strategy. Unfortunately, the IPC cell remains somewhat shrouded in mystery because its membership and minutes have never been made public. We have no idea about the decision making.

Despite the fact we now know that there is clearly aerosol spread of Covid, the PPE guidance still hasn’t changed. They’re recommending that full PPE should only be worn for aerosol generating procedures, even now when there are no more concerns about shortages.

There’s a study that was conducted at Cambridge University Hospitals that showed once they introduced full PPE (high grade masks) on their Covid wards, they went from having a relatively high incidence of infection in healthcare workers to having almost no infection. There’s good evidence now to suggest it certainly would have protected us on the ward.

But if we had another pandemic tomorrow, I think we would make the same mistakes again.

We’re bringing this action because we want doctors and all healthcare workers to feel represented. We want the NHS to recognise that it had a duty of care and still does have a duty of care to its staff, and that means providing the absolute best it can for its staff, not a halfway measure.

We want long Covid to be recognised as an industrial disease by the industrial injuries advisory council, meaning it’s eligible for an industrial payout through a government scheme. As yet it’s not being recognised as it’s very difficult to define what long Covid actually is.

For me, this isn’t about money – it’s about holding people accountable and ensuring we don’t make the same mistakes again in the future. For some of my colleagues, though, who have lost their livelihoods and their jobs and have been unable to work for many years, and are unemployed and applying for universal credit, and using food banks, then I think a pay out is justified and of significant benefit to them because of the struggles they have at the moment financially.

[slingtv]

what house md sounds like as someone who knows little/nothing about medical terminology —

the fellows: the patient has every symptom ever

house *with thousand yard stare*: that clearly means he has skibidi toilet syndrome. give 100mg of ebola because that is the only cure for some reason

the fellows: how could we have not have seen this answer all along???

wilson: i too am in this episode

spoiler: i literally wrote this as kutner was dying 💀

[bunnywip]

𝘼-𝙕 𝙇𝙄𝙎𝙏 𝙊𝙁 𝘿𝙄𝙎𝙀𝘼𝙎𝙀𝙎/𝙄𝙇𝙇𝙉𝙀𝙎𝙎𝙀𝙎 𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙎𝙄𝘾𝙆𝙁𝙄��/𝙒𝙃𝙐𝙈𝙋

— A

Anemia.

Adenomyosis.

Asthma.

Arterial thrombosis.

Allergies.

Anxiety.

Angel toxicosis ( fictional ).

Acne.

Anorexia nervosa.

Anthrax.

Atma virus ( fictional ).

ADHD.

Agoraphobia.

Astrocytoma.

AIDS.

— B

Breast cancer.

Bunions.

Borderline personality disorder.

Botulism.

Barrett's esophagus.

Bowel polyps.

Brucellosis.

Bipolar disorder.

Bronchitis.

Bacterial vaginosis.

Binge eating disorder.

— C

Crohn's disease.

Conjunctivitis.

Coronavirus disease.

Coeliac disease.

Chronic migranes.

Coup.

Cushing syndrome.

Cystic fibrosis.

Cellulitis.

Coma.

Cooties  ( fictional ).

COPD.

Chickenpox.

Cholera.

Cerebral palsy.

Chlamydia.

Constipation.

Cancer.

Common cold.

Chronic pain.

— D

Diabetes.

Dyslexia.

Dissociative identify disorder.

Dengue fever.

Delirium.

Deep vein thrombosis.

Dementia.

Dysthimia.

Diphtheria.

Diarrhoea.

Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder.

Dyspraxia.

Dehydration.

— E

Ebola.

Endometriosis.

Epilepsy.

E-coli.

Ectopic pregnancy.

Enuresis.

Erectile dysfunction.

Exzema.

— F

Fusobacterium infection.

Filariasis.

Fibromyalgia.

Fascioliasis.

Fever.

Food poisoning.

Fatal familial insomnia.

— G

Gonorrhoea.

Ganser syndrome.

Gas gangrene.

Giardiasis.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Gall stones.

Glandular fever.

Greyscale ( fictional ).

Glanders.

— H

Hookworm infection.

Hand, foot and mouth disease.

Hypoglycaemia.

Herpes.

Headache.

Hanahaki disease ( fictional ).

Hyperhidrosis.

Heat stroke.

Heat exhaustion.

Heart failure.

High blood pressure.

Human papillomavirus infection.

Hypersomnia.

HIV.

Heart failure.

Hay fever.

Hepatitis.

Hemorrhoids.

— I

Influenza.

Iron deficiency anemia.

Indigestion.

Inflammatory bowel disease.

Insomnia.

Irritable bowel syndrome.

Intercranial hypertension.

Impetigo.

— K

Keratitis.

Kidney stones.

Kidney infection.

Kawasaki disease.

Kaposi's sarcoma.

— L

Lyme disease.

Lassa fever.

Low blood pressure.

Lupus.

Lactose intolerance.

Lymphatic filariasis.

Leprosy.

— M

Measles.

Mad cow disease.

Mumps.

Major depressive disorder.

Malaria.

Malnutrition.

Motor neurone disease.

Mutism.

Mouth ulcer.

Monkeypox.

Multiple sclerosis.

Meningitis.

Menopause.

Mycetoma.

— N

Norovirus.

Nipah virus infection.

Narcolepsy.

Nosebleed.

Nocardiosis.

— O

Obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Osteoporosis.

Ovarian cyst.

Overactive thyroid.

Oral thrush.

Otitis externa.

— P

Pancreatic cancer.

Pneumonia.

Pelvic inflammatory disease.

PICA.

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

Psoriasis.

Parkinson's disease.

Panic disorder.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Plague.

Postpartum depression.

Pediculosis capitis.

Psychosis.

Post-traumatic stress disorder.

— Q

Q fever.

Quintan fever.

— R

Rubella.

Rabbit fever.

Rotavirus infection.

Ringworm.

Restless legs syndrome.

Rhinovirus infection.

Rosacea.

Relapsing fever.

Rheumatoid arthritis.

Rabies.

— S

Shingles.

Sore throat.

Stutter.

Separation anxiety disorder.

Smallpox.

Scoliosis.

Septic shock.

Shigellosis.

Sepsis.

Social anxiety disorder.

Stroke.

Scarlet fever.

Schizophrenia.

Sleep apnea.

Sun burn.

Syphilis.

Sickle cell disease.

Scabies.

Selective mutism.

Salmonella.

Sensory processing disorder.

— T

Thyroid cancer.

Tuberculosis.

Thirst.

Trichuriasis.

Tinea pedis.

Tourette's syndrome.

Trachoma.

Tetanus.

Toxic shock syndrome.

Tinnitus.

Thyroid disease.

Typhus fever.

Tonsillitis.

Thrush.

— U

Urinary tract infection.

Underactive thyroid.

— V

Valley fever.

Vertigo.

Vomiting.

— W

White piedra.

Withdrawal.

Whooping cough.

West nile fever.

— X

Xerophthalmia.

— Y

Yersiniosis.

Yellow fever.

— Z

Zygomycosis.

Zika fever.

Zeaspora.

[toyhousedramas]

delete this please I have depression, anxiety, panic, post traumatic stress disorder, psychosis, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, hpv, hiv, dengue, zika, chikungunya, black plague, polio, infantile paralysis, osteoporosis, swine flu, yellow fever, meningitis, meningitis b, gonorrhea, herpes, pharyngitis , Chagas disease, bronchitis, leptospirosis, cancer, measles, chickenpox, smallpox, mumps, gastritis, tetanus, hepatitis, conjunctivitis, stroke, whooping cough, labyrinthitis, scabies, leukemia, rabies, cirrhosis, scoliosis, microcephaly, anencephaly, ebola, ingrown toenail, autism, asperger's syndrome, arrhythmia, pneumonia, diabetes(type 1 and 2), heart failure, petho envy, dwarfism, gigantism, down syndrome, asthma, liver cancer, esophageal cancer, brain cancer, stomach cancer, skin cancer , leprosy, homosexuality, herniated disc, thrombosis, elephantiasis, passion fruit heel, phimosis, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, parkinson's disease, headache, malformation of the ovaries, lymphoma, lead poisoning, severe allergies, endometriosis, stomach ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, appendicitis, chronic migraines, graves disease, blindness, deafness, stage 4 kidney disease, organ failure, 90% stage 3 burn, urinary tract infection, cervical cancer, uterine tuberculosis, uterine fibroids, uterine prolapse, anal prolapse, hemorrhoids, dermatillomania, coronavirus, contact dermatitis, eczema, athletes foot, fungal infection, bacterial infection, and veganism

Have you tried yoga.

[stainlesssteellocust]

I was thinking about some specific shitpost along the lines of “Stacks was set in 2014, First inherits Cassie Prime’s Twilight discourse blog and gets cancelled for war crimes on Tumblr when her identity comes out”

but then I realised how much further it goes

the Masquerade fell in 2014

People in-verse are trying to do real magic now

There are guys out there getting murdered by their own renegade My Little Pony tulpas. The 4chan-Tumblr War of 2014 involves witchblrs and /pol/ meme magicians cursing each other to death over TCP/IP before keeling over from K-Syndrome Dementia. That alt-right frog god Pepe threatens to achieve sentience and has to be put down by External Assets. the reason we see so little of how the world has changed in the last few books is because it’s currently a whack-a-mole of ignorant fools causing chaos with barely understood magic and we can’t have a Dark, Dramatic story like Index if we have to pan to the people who are beating up Ebola-Chan in the background

[allevilsarc]

horror recs, but they get worse the farther you go down:

great for beginners!

jaws.

house (1977).

nope.

house on haunted hill (1959).

halloween (1978).

not super scary, but a little scarier

suspiria (1979).

an american werewolf in london.

the texas chain saw massacre.

the cabin in the woods.

eyes without a face.

scarier, still!

jigoku.

onibaba.

hour of the wolf.

the bird with the crystal plumage.

a bay of blood. ( a lot of giallos fit this, actually ).

oh, shit's about to get real!

black christmas (1974).

the evil dead.

the fly.

candyman.

near dark.

audition.

shit has gotten too real!

raw.

martyrs.

the devil's rejects.

event horizon.

scanners.

turn back now before it's too late!

cannibal ferox.

ms .45.

tetsuo the iron man.

titane.

the house that jack built.

inside (2007).

if you're watching these...welcome to the fucked-up zone <3

nekromantik.

thriller: a cruel picture.

faceless.

man bites dog.

ebola syndrome.

entrails of a beautiful woman.

[blogwold]

Title: The Six Most Dangerous Diseases: A Closer Look

Introduction:

In our ever-evolving world, where medical advancements are constantly being made, some diseases continue to pose significant threats to human health. These diseases, often life-threatening and difficult to treat, have claimed countless lives throughout history. In this article, we delve into the six most dangerous diseases that have left a lasting impact on global health.

1. HIV/AIDS:

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) remain one of the most dangerous diseases, affecting millions worldwide. HIV weakens the immune system, leaving individuals susceptible to opportunistic infections. Since its discovery in the 1980s, AIDS has claimed over 32 million lives, highlighting the importance of education, prevention, and access to antiretroviral treatments.

2. Malaria:

Malaria, caused by parasites transmitted through infected mosquitoes, remains a significant global health concern. It primarily affects tropical and subtropical regions, causing over 400,000 deaths annually. Efforts to control malaria include mosquito control, bed nets, and antimalarial drugs, yet challenges such as drug resistance and climate change persist.

3. Tuberculosis (TB):

Tuberculosis is an airborne bacterial infection that mainly affects the lungs but can spread to other parts of the body. With over 1.4 million deaths in 2019, TB remains a formidable threat, particularly in impoverished and densely populated areas. Multidrug-resistant TB strains pose additional challenges to treatment and eradication.

4. Ebola Virus Disease:

Ebola gained global attention due to its rapid spread and high mortality rate during outbreaks. The virus causes severe bleeding, organ failure, and death. While outbreaks are sporadic, they have proven devastating, requiring swift containment efforts and international collaboration to prevent further loss of life.

5. Cancer:

Cancer encompasses a range of diseases characterized by uncontrolled cell growth. It is a leading cause of death worldwide, with variations in incidence and mortality rates depending on the type of cancer and region. Advances in early detection, treatment modalities, and personalized medicine are crucial in the ongoing battle against cancer.

6. Cardiovascular Diseases:

Cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and stroke, collectively account for the highest number of deaths globally. Risk factors such as unhealthy diets, lack of physical activity, smoking, and high blood pressure contribute to their prevalence. Public health campaigns promoting heart-healthy lifestyles and access to quality healthcare play a vital role in reducing the burden of these diseases.

Conclusion:

While medical progress has enabled us to better understand, prevent, and treat many diseases, the six mentioned above continue to pose significant challenges to global health. Effective strategies, international cooperation, and ongoing research are essential in addressing these dangerous diseases and minimizing their impact on individuals and communities around the world.

[poppy5991]

Oh yeah, this phenomenon is very real. I remember getting to college and graduate school programs (and my undergrad was a really toxic academic environment) and still being a high performing student, but having to work my ass off and feeling like

because for so many years I was praised for learning with little to no effort on my part by family and teachers and peers.

Being intelligent meant being unchallenged. Which is a terrible thing to tell children.

If you keep learning during your lifetime, eventually you’re going to hit material so complex that you have to study it and work hard to understand it. They’re only preparing kids to hit that wall like a gut punch. This is the precursor to imposter syndrome in advanced academic environments.

I remember a grad school professor who we all really admired giving us some advice (the woman was an infectious disease physician who had been deployed all over the world treating Ebola/Cholera/etc outbreaks - super cool lady):

Only 37% of people complete a Bachelor’s degree, only 14% of people hold a masters degree, and only 2% of people obtain a doctoral degree. You’re feeling pressure because you are surrounded by people who are among the most educated in the country and working with material most people will never touch. But compared the general population, you are insanely high achievers regardless of how much you struggle in this program, so throw away your fears of not belonging here and be proud that you are here at all.

people misunderstand what ‘gifted kid’ actually means but it’s ok it’s fine it’s cool it’s good

[leaarongmail-blog]

伊波拉病毒 1996 (Ebola Syndrome)

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved in our archive

Covid is "totally not a pandemic," but HHS has put it on the same level as Zika, Anthrax, nerve agents, and Ebola. Strange.

US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra today signed the 12th amendment to the declaration under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act (PREP) Act for COVID-19 countermeasures, a step that provides liability immunity through December 31, 2029.

The declaration provides immunity, except for willful misconduct, for certain claims, including loss caused by or related to administration or use of countermeasures to diseases, threats, or conditions, according to information from the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), which is part of HHS.

Present or credible risk The immunity applies to situations deemed by the HHS secretary as a present or credible risk of a future public health emergency. It also applies to groups or individuals involved in development, production, testing, distribution, and administration of countermeasures.

The PREP Act was enacted in 2005 to help protect pharmaceutical companies from financial risk in the event of a declared public health emergency. The act also provides funding for pandemic influenza preparedness. ASPR notes that the PREP Act declaration is different from and not dependent on other emergency declarations.

Similar PREP Act declarations are currently in effect for countermeasures against a range of other biological or chemical threats, including mpox and other orthopox viruses, viral hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola, nerve agents and insecticides, Zika virus, pandemic flu, anthrax, acute radiation syndrome, and botulinum toxin.

[darkmaga-returns]

On Dec. 10, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) announced it would extend through Dec. 31, 2029 liability protections for pharmaceutical companies that produce COVID-19 biologics. According to Bloomberg Law, the liability shield also protects “health professionals prescribing, dispensing or administering vaccines, including state-licensed pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy interns.” The extension takes effect on Jan. 1, 2025.1 2 3 4 

Liability Protections Extended for 12th Time

The extension, which is in the form of an amendment to Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act passed by Congress after Sept. 11, 2001, the most recent amendment to the PREPA Act, is the 12th of its kind since Jan. 31, 2020 when HSS declared a coronavirus pandemic public health emergency. The PREP Act authorizes the HHS Secretary to provide liability immunity to “certain individuals and entities against any claim of loss caused by, arising out of, relating to, or resulting from the manufacture, distribution, administration, or use of medical countermeasures, except for claims involving “willful misconduct” as defined in the PREP Act.5 6 7 

HHS Secretary Xavier Beccera justified the extension based on his view that COVID continues to pose a “credible risk” to public health now and in the future. This, despite the fact that the COVID public health emergency officially ended last year.1 3 4 8 He said:

I have determined that the spread of SARS-CoV-2 or a virus mutating therefrom and the resulting disease COVID-19 constitutes a credible risk of a future public health emergency. Development of and stockpiling vaccines, therapeutics, devices, and diagnostics for COVID-19 continues to be needed for U.S. preparedness against the credible threat of a public health emergency due to outbreaks of COVID-19.3 4

Currently, similar PREP Act liability protections are in effect for medical countermeasures (MCM) against numerous other biological or chemical threats, including “mpox and other orthopox viruses, viral hemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola, nerve agents and insecticides, Zika virus, pandemic flu, anthrax, acute radiation syndrome, and botulinum toxin.”9 

The PREP Act was first passed in 2005 to “shield U.S. vaccine makers from liability a vaccine or drug developed in response to a health emergency like a pandemic causes the death or permanent injury of an individual who receives it during pre-licensure clinical trials or after it is released for public use,” noted Barbara Loe Fisher and Rishma Parpia in an article published by The Vaccine Reaction in 2020.7 They added: