Ebola

[Murat Baslamisli]

Who knew we were going to be dealing with this virus in North America? Condolences to the family of the Texas man who succumbed to the disease today. Looks like his case was pretty much botched...

I am told by CDC that certain airports will be on alert and passengers coming from the 3 problem countries, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia (roughly 150 a day they say) will be screened. What if people from these countries go to , say, Germany, or France, and then hop on a plane to come to the States? Indirect flights can be a problem, if every country is not on the same page...

What are the thoughts of medical people on the boards? What are your thoughts in general?

 

[Kieran]

There's ebola in Madrid. My sister lives there and she said that people are up in arms over the government response to it. it doesn't seem to be rapidly spreading and I think it's transferred through bodily fluids, but it's a terrible one and it'll get worse...

 

[shawnbm]

It is disconcerting that trained professionals with state-of-the-art protection have been infected.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

It is disconcerting that trained professionals with state-of-the-art protection have been infected.

Considering it is not airborne...(as far as we know...some claim it is)

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

we are doomed. I know it. that's the reality :emperor:..don't over react I hear you groan, but here's why.

ebola has a 3week potential incubation period, so seemingly healthy folk will get past any so-called airport body temperature tests. just like the bloke in dallas that died..i'm sure he came into usa via airport healthy only becoming ill a few days later..someone could arrive with the ebola virus and be wandering around the population WITH THE EBOLA VIRUS BUT NOT ACTUALLY ILL for days on end polluting Christ knows what, who knows what, who knows where ? :huh: (no-one knows).

airport screening will do nothing at all, it is just a publicity gimmick to con the thicko masses that "the authorities are doing something".

right know this very minute, we in Britain are trying to find out about someone that has died who flew FROM BRITAIN TO MACEDONIA (south east Europe area). others in the group are sick also, but at this stage ebola has not been ruled out..if it was ebola then where has he/she been in the last 3 weeks ? (presumably carrying the virus). :s

that leads to another point, scare stories..everytime someone has a small cold or sniffle people are gonna be freaking out "arrgghhh help..go away ebolaface" maybe these ill folk in Macedonia are just ill with a normal flu, but someone died so its freakout time again..

it will get worse. much worse. I can see air travel globally being suspended if the cases start popping up all over the place, (this Macedonia case is going to be interesting) so far 4'000 people have died but this is just the start. :emperor:

 

[Kenneth]

yeah that device in the airport is more to confuse than to help...

they're gonna test all the people with a fever for ebola and those who are really sick but are still in the incubation period will just pass it O.o wtf

 

[tented]

From the NY Times: "Ebola Patient Sent Home Despite Fever, Records Show"

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

From the NY Times: "Ebola Patient Sent Home Despite Fever, Records Show"

nono:nono

Trying to cover stuff up is almost always worse than the crime.

 

[britbox]

we are doomed. I know it. that's the reality :emperor:..don't over react I hear you groan, but here's why.

ebola has a 3week potential incubation period, so seemingly healthy folk will get past any so-called airport body temperature tests. just like the bloke in dallas that died..i'm sure he came into usa via airport healthy only becoming ill a few days later..someone could arrive with the ebola virus and be wandering around the population WITH THE EBOLA VIRUS BUT NOT ACTUALLY ILL for days on end polluting Christ knows what, who knows what, who knows where ? :huh: (no-one knows).

airport screening will do nothing at all, it is just a publicity gimmick to con the thicko masses that "the authorities are doing something".

right know this very minute, we in Britain are trying to find out about someone that has died who flew FROM BRITAIN TO MACEDONIA (south east Europe area). others in the group are sick also, but at this stage ebola has not been ruled out..if it was ebola then where has he/she been in the last 3 weeks ? (presumably carrying the virus). :s

that leads to another point, scare stories..everytime someone has a small cold or sniffle people are gonna be freaking out "arrgghhh help..go away ebolaface" maybe these ill folk in Macedonia are just ill with a normal flu, but someone died so its freakout time again..

it will get worse. much worse. I can see air travel globally being suspended if the cases start popping up all over the place, (this Macedonia case is going to be interesting) so far 4'000 people have died but this is just the start. :emperor:

Can't this only get passed along via bodily fluids? If so, it's not going to be the next great plague. Only a killer virus that gets passed through the air will have that kind of impact on humanity.

4,000 deaths might sound a lot but if you consider 630,000 died from malaria last year it adds context.

 

[tented]

Can't this only get passed along via bodily fluids? If so, it's not going to be the next great plague. Only a killer virus that gets passed through the air will have that kind of impact on humanity.

4,000 deaths might sound a lot but if you consider 630,000 died from malaria last year it adds context.

Yes, only bodily fluids, so I agree: since it's not airborne, it won't turn into a Contagion or Outbreak type scenario.

The biggest problem, I think, is how long people can carry the virus, while remaining asymptomatic, thus innocently increasing exposure to others. And once you show symptoms ... :nono

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

Can't this only get passed along via bodily fluids? If so, it's not going to be the next great plague. Only a killer virus that gets passed through the air will have that kind of impact on humanity.

4,000 deaths might sound a lot but if you consider 630,000 died from malaria last year it adds context.

Yes, only bodily fluids, so I agree: since it's not airborne, it won't turn into a Contagion or Outbreak type scenario.

The biggest problem, I think, is how long people can carry the virus, while remaining asymptomatic, thus innocently increasing exposure to others. And once you show symptoms ... :nono

I am no doctor, so someone who knows better explain to me: Isn't spit/saliva a bodily fluid? So, when I sneeze or cough and send spit through the air and someone inhales it, am I not infecting someone and it is BOTH through air and bodily fluid?:huh:

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

The health care worker who was dealing with Mr Duncan has contracted the virus now. In full gear and everything, according to the news. How did that happen? A doctor said it might have happened while taking the suit off, which is apparently a most vulnerable time. Who knows...

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

^^yes..and plenty of ebola care nurses in the African hotspots died despite wearing full protective suits as well,

I think its easier to be infected with ebola virus than the so-called authorities are letting on.

 

[shawnbm]

I agree with you JesuslookslikeBorg--they may have missed something about the transmission of this virus--which is likely mutating as we type.

 

[Billie]

Do you ever wonder why the world's best in medicine sometimes seem so incompetent in dealing with certain diseases? Or why some medicine and treatments are so expensive and not available to everybody even though the medicines are just mix of chemical ingredients that are not that expensive individually? uzzled

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

ebola has not the number of deaths like britbox said malaria has per year but the diff is malaria is a tropical disease/virus (not a problem in alot of places), ebola unlike malaria cannot be inoculated against and/or even treated if someone is infected with it.

ebola has no known cure, a 3 week incubation period withput symptoms, can infect person to person unlike malaria, has potential to go global and not stuck in tropical countries like malaria, ebola has nothing to stop it due to 3wk incubation..airtravel will allow virus to infect many folk without them knowing it who themselves will be mixing with people..

ebola has no barriers, the death toll will go crazy pretty soon. maybe this is the global pandemic folk were worried could happen. maybe not but...umm....?.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

So another health care worker who treated Mr Duncan has been infected with Ebola. The scary thing is, she also helped other patients ...

 

[britbox]

Do you ever wonder why the world's best in medicine sometimes seem so incompetent in dealing with certain diseases? Or why some medicine and treatments are so expensive and not available to everybody even though the medicines are just mix of chemical ingredients that are not that expensive individually? uzzled

Viruses are clever - they mutate, but I take your point on the expense - pharmaceutical companies are basically in a giant cartel.

 

[House]

Ebola has been around for almost 30 years. And has killed, in total, less than the flu kills every year.

There's also no empirical evidence to suggest its mutating.

Ebola is not going to destroy the world, in a year you will be asking the question "Do you guys remember that ebola thing?"

Get a flu shot.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

Ebola has been around for almost 30 years. And has killed, in total, less than the flu kills every year.

There's also no empirical evidence to suggest its mutating.

Ebola is not going to destroy the world, in a year you will be asking the question "Do you guys remember that ebola thing?"

Get a flu shot.

I see your point House, but if Ebole ever goes airborne...:nono