The Ebola Virus

[juddles]

Lots of paranoia and fear mongering over here at the moment........... I have a friend who went there a few years ago. They went to ER, got sent home before collapsing in the road outside. After being taken back inside, they spent 72 hours in a bed before a doctor saw them.

Sorry Himeno, but first you talk about fear mongering, then you spread a tale about someone who allegedly was admitted to a US hospital and didnt get seen by a doctor for ¨72 hrs¨???

 

[harvyk]

Thankfully Ebola isn't as easy to transmit as some in the media would have you believe, and it is mainly close family members and medical staff, who are at risk from an infected person, the main reason it has gotten so out of hand in West Africa is that the few quarantine centres have become full, and infected people are being sent home where they are being cared for by family and friends, who without any training or proper equiptment, are then exposed to the disease themselves, creating an exponential growth...putting futher strain on the limited health services in the region

Is it not the case that the huge resources required to isolate and treat.. quickly overwhelm the capacity of countries where the disease gets a toe hold.
Leads to…will the whole world be able to cope if the disease continues to spread in it's current form at the current rate ?
Leads to a very real possibility that the disease may , with the numerical successes so far , mutate a little and improve it's transmit-abilty to attract even more clientele.
Leads to .. panic…..and …...

You do know that Ebola is not exactly good at spreading don't you and that the only reason why it is successfully spreading in Africa is due to substandard medical facilities, poor hygiene, misunderstanding by family members on what to do and religious practices such as embalming the dead.

It's pretty deadly if you catch it, but you actually need to come in contact with bodily fluids of an infected person who is actively showing symptoms to catch it.

 

[Himeno]

Sorry Himeno, but first you talk about fear mongering, then you spread a tale about someone who allegedly was admitted to a US hospital and didnt get seen by a doctor for ¨72 hrs¨???

Just because that hospital is bad, doesn't mean there isn't fear mongering. Have you seen how the US media has been treating this?

 

[Denali]

..... but you actually need to come in contact with bodily fluids of an infected person who is actively showing symptoms to catch it.

More reason to not use the toilets and wear a mask like the Japanese do.

Ugghhhh. I never use to be a germaphobe.....

 

[UP4014]

A scary stat I heard during the week.

The rate of new infections is doubling every 3 weeks. So this week 250 people have caught it and in 3 weeks 500 newbies have caught it.

Matt

 

[Pushka]

There is a computer game out there called virus and the way Ebola is playing out is very similar. I do find it concerning that medical people are getting the illness.

 

[Denali]

If you joke on a flight about having Ebola, this is what happens

Note to all. Don't joke that your sniffles are ebola related.

 

[tgh]

You do know that Ebola is not exactly good at spreading don't you and that the only reason why it is successfully spreading in Africa is due to substandard medical facilities, poor hygiene, misunderstanding by family members on what to do and religious practices such as embalming the dead.

It's pretty deadly if you catch it, but you actually need to come in contact with bodily fluids of an infected person who is actively showing symptoms to catch it.

It certainly hasn't been a very successful virus so far but we are now in new territory.
This years outbreak is the largest ever and there seems little hope of containment in Africa anytime soon.
Having a bit of success the virus may , with the benefit of numbers , manage to develop a little bit more.

I'm not advocating panic , nor do I think my comments are scaremongering.
Personally , I believe that cough Sapiens has been altogether too successful and that Gaia is overdue to balance it all up a bit
Adopting a mollifying , comforting agenda is sensibly the main "crowd control" feature of a Governments crisis management system.. with good reason.

"Be prepared" seems a tad passe in todays world where someone else is always responsible.
I'm always thoughtful of plan b c d and more…
I would choose to try survive armageddon, in whatever form it appeared.
Panic or Hysteria has no place in a survival plan.
Applied intellect and dispassionate reasoning are seminal tools for survival.

Having said all that .. I'm not pre selling tikits in my ark to be….. just yet .. maybe next week...

 

[vetrade]

It sure sounds comforting to be told that transmission is only possible through close contact with bodily fluids but surely the people who are re-assuring the public with statements along those lines do actually know that the longer this outbreak keeps spreading the possibility (i.e. likelihood) of mutation of the virus becomes one step closer. Given that medical personal, who should know what steps to take to guarantee they don't become infected, continue to sporadically contract Ebola opens up the possibility that already mutations may have already occurred to enable the virus to spread through inhalation of aerosol droplets from coughing or vomiting patients. With a priority on treatment and containment in affected African countries it would not be hard for a mutant strain to go unidentified for some time.

In the fulness of time many may conclude that it was foolish for authorities to completely dismiss the possibility of aerosol and/or indirect transmission, as they continue to do.

 

[UP4014]

If someone sneezes is not airborne?

 

[PLANT]

Do you get Ebola points on the credit card for that ark admission? Then use the points to get into first survival class? Abcd planning 2014

 

[vetrade]

If someone sneezes is not airborne?

Coughing, sneezing....whatever, it really doesn't matter, BAM1748. The relevant point is that rather than having to be transmitted via direct exchange of a body fluid, such as saliva in the case of kissing, airborne transmission means the virus gains access to someone's body via the mouth, nasal cavity or lungs in inhaled air without direct physical contact between the 2 parties.

 

[whatmeworry]

Well the Spanish nurse got the virus allegedly by touching her face with her gloves.

I suspect that because the current strain of Ebola (Zaire) being less lethal (~50-60%) then earlier strains (~80-95%) might have enable to the virus to spread more easily.

A man even he if he survives the virus will still have the virus in his cough 90 days after infection. :shock:
Ebola Virus Life Span In cough - AskMen

 

[drron]

Let's put this into perspective.Around 500,000 people die each year from the rotavirus.Worldwide approx. 1 in 293 children have died before the age of 5 from rotavirus.
Of course rotavirus in developed countries should not be fatal.That only happens in poor countries.

 

[NFF]

Ebola screening at airports is coming if not already.

 

[mannej]

Ebola screening at airports is coming if not already.

Reminds me of flying during the Bird Flu scare a couple of years back.

 

[amaroo]

reminds me of flying during the bird flu scare a couple of years back.

+ 1 sars ......

 

[vetrade]

Let's put this into perspective.Around 500,000 people die each year from the rotavirus. Worldwide approx. 1 in 293 children have died before the age of 5 from rotavirus.
Of course rotavirus in developed countries should not be fatal.That only happens in poor countries.

That's not really comparing "apples with apples". Fatality rates don't even tell half the story:
Rotavirus is widespread in most countries - most US and Australian babies get the infection and recover uneventfully.
There is an effective vaccine available. Adults rarely get it.
Rotavirus kills primarily because of severe dehydration from diarrhoea and vomiting; with simple fluid therapy fatalities are rare.
Even though it's quite abysmal that so many children die from it for want of simple and relatively inexpensive medical care, the same cannot be said for Ebola for which there is no vaccine or proven treatment, treatment costs are astronomical in comparison, fatalities are still high even with quality medical care and, of course, Ebola is presently restricted to a much smaller geographical area.

 

[PLANT]

I just like to put it on the record that I believe the theme song should be....
E...B..O...L..AAA. THAT'S EBOLA.. DA DA DA EBOLA....I have documented publicly for the rights

 

[Clivem]

I just like to put it on the record that I believe the theme song should be....
E...B..O...L..AAA. THAT'S EBOLA.. DA DA DA EBOLA....I have not documented publicly for the rights

She picked me up and sat me on her knee,
And said, "Little boy won't you come home with me?" .............

On that basis not a wholly inappropriate suggestion ......bag those rights before somebody beats you to it ......