Ebola virus outbreak

ceadaoin.

My name is URL wrote: »

No.. uneducated and frightened, panicked populations; hiding bodies and sick people, and blaming evil western conspiracies & spirits are to blame for that.

And expensive healthcare, low availability of paid sick days, crowded public transport, poor personal hygiene, lack of education and large homeless populations could all lead to it spreading in the US.

Admittedly, probably not on the same scale as in Africa but to deny that this is even a possibility is similarly ignorant.

How many people get norovirus every year? That is spread in a similar fashion.

My name is URL

Smidge wrote: »

They also thought that it could only be contracted by the methods you described.
Also, from this post you obviously have a clear understanding of the disease so why were you so flippant and facetious in your other comments here?
They may be "only" poor Africans who are dying in their droves...still no need for the casual disregard.

Sorry. I'm not disregarding the worries people in the West have. I'm disregarding the worry that media in the West is trying to prematurely instill.

Smidge

My name is URL wrote: »

Sorry. I'm not disregarding the worries people in the West have. I'm disregarding the worry that media in the West is trying to prematurely instill.

Fair enough but surely every ounce of prevention is better than a tonne of cure
My point being, take this as seriously as possible at the moment(the West)and hopefully we won't see the likes of what has happened in Africa.

MadYaker

People can't really spread the disease until they start showing symptoms. You'd need to come into contact with a fair amount of bodily fluids from an infected person to catch it yourself. It doesn't spread half as easily as the norovirus. As has been said many times in this thread the reason for its spread in africa is a lack of knowledge and a lack of proper facilities, things like medical staff not using protective clothing and reusing needles etc. Also the burial procedures in that part of africa involve washing the dead, that seems to be one of the major things causing it to spread.

I wouldn't expect more than a handful of cases in the US and tbh I wouldn't be surprised if this guy hasn't infected anyone. I hope he makes it.

Spook_ie

My name is URL wrote: »

You shut up. He was all over the place, shitting on door handles and vomiting in water fountains. Everyone's gonna die

Perfect terrorist weapon, a smart bio-bomb

Smidge

MadYaker wrote: »

People can't really spread the disease until they start showing symptoms. You'd need to come into contact with a fair amount of bodily fluids from an infected person to catch it yourself. It doesn't spread half as easily as the norovirus. As has been said many times in this thread the reason for its spread in africa is a lack of knowledge and a lack of proper facilities, things like medical staff not using protective clothing and reusing needles etc. Also the burial procedures in that part of africa involve washing the dead, that seems to be one of the major things causing it to spread.

I wouldn't expect more than a handful of cases in the US and tbh I wouldn't be surprised if this guy hasn't infected anyone. I hope he makes it.

Heres hoping.

Joe Doe

CDC expects up to 1.4 million infections, (mostly in this region) before the end of year.
#1,400 from the 101st Airborne are on the way over to assist with isolation.
It's looking like the start of a movie script, we'll be fine in these parts all the same...

One concern is access to fully trained med staff in certain countries,
whereby they sometimes call out the 'fire dept' instead, makes no sense...

My name is URL

Smidge wrote: »

Fair enough but surely every ounce of prevention is better than a tonne of cure
My point being, take this as seriously as possible at the moment(the West)and hopefully we won't see the likes of what has happened in Africa.

Depends on your definition of prevention. Someone doing their best to prevent something might mean that they, or those close to them; go to great lengths to renege on asking for help. Isn't that pretty much what it boils down to in Africa?

The alternative is to stay indoors, avoid contact and freak out whenever someone sneezes.

Both reactions lead to people locking themselves away and forgoing on availing of services.

AngryHippie

I think its time we sent in Kurt Russell

WakeUp

If they can track down everyone this dude came into contact with they can contain it. if not it's probably on and more than likely there will be an outbreak. so this guy left Liberia on the 19th arrived in the states on the 20th. started feeling unwell and showing signs of fever 24th but didn't seek treatment till the 26th but was turned away reasons unknown. two more days then admitted to a hospital on the 28th placed in isolation on the 30th. there are a lot of potential people this person could have come in contact with they need to move fast. I read somewhere there was a 20% chance of Ebola hitting the US by year end and so it's proved. 25% chance it will hit the UK. the worse thing to do would be to panic and no need for that. though this needs to be watched closely I hope the people who are tasked with such things are paying attention.

realweirdo

You would think west Africans would abandon the practice of hunting and consuming bush meat after this all dies down?

Smidge

While I am VERY aware that it is a CT-ish channel and who its by....there is a video doing the rounds atm from Jesse Ventura @ trutv.
If you can ignore the source, the content is VERY, VERY interesting.
Do they know something we don't know?

RobbingBandit

AngryHippie wrote: »

I think its time we sent in Kurt Russell

Only if he is in Jack Burton mode.

ceadaoin.

Smidge wrote: »

While I am VERY aware that it is a CT-ish channel and who its by....there is a video doing the rounds atm from Jesse Ventura @ trutv.
If you can ignore the source, the content is VERY, VERY interesting.
Do they know something we don't know?

Can you give us the gist of it?

TwoShedsJackson

WakeUp wrote: »

If they can track down everyone this dude came into contact with they can contain it. if not it's probably on and more than likely there will be an outbreak. so this guy left Liberia on the 19th arrived in the states on the 20th. started feeling unwell and showing signs of fever 24th but didn't seek treatment till the 26th but was turned away reasons unknown. two more days then admitted to a hospital on the 28th placed in isolation on the 30th. there are a lot of potential people this person could have come in contact with they need to move fast. I read somewhere there was a 20% chance of Ebola hitting the US by year end and so it's proved. 25% chance it will hit the UK. the worse thing to do would be to panic and no need for that. though this needs to be watched closely I hope the people who are tasked with such things are paying attention.

And I heard there's an 82345823453% chance that we're all doomed.

They don't have to track down everyone this dude came into contact with, they have to track down anyone who had contact with his vomit, feces, or other bodily secretions in the mentioned time period. I'm going to go ahead and say there's a 345762347% chance that that number will not be larger than 1.

Putin

WakeUp wrote: »

started feeling unwell and showing signs of fever 24th but didn't seek treatment till the 26th but was turned away reasons unknown.

Reasons unknown? Probably the same reasons children have often been sent home from A+E's with Meningitis ect. The reason being misdiagnoses. Mistakes happen and will always happen.

Autonomous Cowherd

I'm not panicking at all, because, well, really, what's the point. i would have said it was not air borne either but have been looking up some stuff and this 'fact' seems uncertain. It seems to spread by water droplets so sneezes and coughs would qualify and it seems to live for extended periods of time on surfaces. So both these would surely qualify as at least air borne in a limited way?

This can either fizzle out like Swine Flu and SARS and Bird Flu and all the other times the Boy called Wolf....or it could become something of a civilisation changing catastrophe. It has the potential regardless of how one scoffs at it Interesting times we live in.

http://www.msdsonline.com/resources/msds-resources/free-safety-data-sheet-index/ebola-virus.aspx

MODE OF TRANSMISSION: In an outbreak, it is hypothesized that the first patient becomes infected as a result of contact with an infected animal (15). Person-to-person transmission occurs via close personal contact with an infected individual or their body fluids during the late stages of infection or after death (1, 2, 15, 27). Nosocomial infections can occur through contact with infected body fluids due to the reuse of unsterilized syringes, needles, or other medical equipment contaminated with these fluids (1, 2). Humans may be infected by handling sick or dead non-human primates and are also at risk when handling the bodies of deceased humans in preparation for funerals, suggesting possible transmission through aerosol droplets (2, 6, 28). In the laboratory, infection through small-particle aerosols has been demonstrated in primates, and airborne spread among humans is strongly suspected, although it has not yet been conclusively demonstrated (1, 6, 13). The importance of this route of transmission is not clear. Poor hygienic conditions can aid the spread of the virus (6).

Wibbs

realweirdo wrote: »

You would think west Africans would abandon the practice of hunting and consuming bush meat after this all dies down?

Easy to say when it's likely you've never gone truly hungry and removal of your hunger pangs involves a trip to your fridge.

Akrasia

My name is URL wrote: »

No.. uneducated and frightened, panicked populations; hiding bodies and sick people, and blaming evil western conspiracies & spirits are to blame for that.

You think there aren't uneducated, frightened panicked conspiracy theory believing superstitious people in America?

The main reason for the spread of Ebola in west africa is the poor medical infrastructure which means many people do not have access to healthcare and locals do not have facilities to contain the epidemic.

In America, there is an excellent medical infrastructure for those with good insurance, but there is a serious lack of access to healthcare services for the poor and middle classes with partial, or no insurance cover. Add in the number of undocumented migrants who are living in constant fear of being deported (especially in Texas) and there is the potential for this to escalate into something more threatening

I don't believe that Ebola will spread very much in America, because the state will step in and provide the services if it gets to a crisis stage, but this is not to say that America is immune to the spread of this disease.

Spring Onion

WakeUp wrote: »

If they can track down everyone this dude came into contact with they can contain it. if not it's probably on and more than likely there will be an outbreak. so this guy left Liberia on the 19th arrived in the states on the 20th. started feeling unwell and showing signs of fever 24th but didn't seek treatment till the 26th but was turned away reasons unknown. two more days then admitted to a hospital on the 28th placed in isolation on the 30th. there are a lot of potential people this person could have come in contact with they need to move fast. I read somewhere there was a 20% chance of Ebola hitting the US by year end and so it's proved. 25% chance it will hit the UK. the worse thing to do would be to panic and no need for that. though this needs to be watched closely I hope the people who are tasked with such things are paying attention.

What does that even mean? Much ado about nothing, the US medical team will contain it very easily and quickly. It's not that difficult when you're equipped and know what you're doing.

Egginacup

There is no bloody threat from ebola. Just another fear-mongering distraction to keep the masses terrified.

I still have my mailbox boarded up for fear of anthrax letters.

Birroc

Egginacup wrote: »

There is no bloody threat from ebola. Just another fear-mongering distraction to keep the masses terrified.

I still have my mailbox boarded up for fear of anthrax letters.

Exactly!

How many of these so called catastrophes have we had now?

Bird flu?
Swine flu?
Spanish flu 2?

PucaMama

i almost think the world deserves an ebola outbreak, if only to shut up the "it will never happen to us" crowd.

ebola reston was an airborne strain, luckily non lethal in humans. all it takes is one more mutation.

OldRio

Birroc wrote: »

Exactly!

How many of these so called catastrophes have we had now?

Bird flu?
Swine flu?
Spanish flu?

You do know the amount of people that died from Spanish flu?

K.Flyer

Birroc wrote: »

Exactly!

How many of these so called catastrophes have we had now?

Bird flu?
Swine flu?
Spanish flu?

Man Flu?


(Sorry couldn't resist )

On a serious note, have they actually figured out all the ways that the virus can be transferred p2p. Or are they slowly discovering the it may be more contagious than originally anticipated.
For example via sweat secretions.
If this was to become the case then this could become a world wide catastrophe.

Akrasia

Birroc wrote: »

Exactly!

How many of these so called catastrophes have we had now?

Bird flu?
Swine flu?
Spanish flu?

You mean the same spanish flu that killed between 3 and 5% of the worlds population? in 1918/1919?

The threat of disease is in some ways a lot lower than it was a century ago (thanks vaccines!!!) but it's also, in another way, much worse. much more access to global travel, and the additional threat of bio-terrorism which, while small in absolute terms, could have very serious consequences if one group of nutters stumble upon a deadly disease that is the right mix of deadly, contagous during incubation period before symptoms, and difficult to vaccinate against)

snubbleste

Who shot stabbed JR with a syringe? Dun dun Duuunnn

K.Flyer

Spanish Flu....
From wiki..

 It infected 500 million people across the world, including remote Pacific islands and the Arctic, and killed 50 to 100 million of them—three to five percent of the world's population—making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in human history.

Akrasia

Forget America for a moment.

If Ebola became endemic in the slums of Mumbai, Mexico City, Karachi, Capetown, Nairobi to name but a few, how do we expect to contain it? These places house millions of people, and there is barely any access to medical services or water or sanitation. If panic set in, people would leave the slums and carry their infection with them.

We're overdue another viral epidemic and while the 'developing' world are the most at risk, it would be extremely difficult to contain it. (In Ireland, when we last had an outbreak of a contageous disease (foot and mouth), we burned hundreds of thousands of animals in fire pits and we still couldn't contain it from spreading across large geographic areas.

uck51js9zml2yt

I'm reading in today's indo that there is an ebola case in Texas.
It's obviously not deemed to important a development being on page 30.