Ebola virus outbreak

Sulla Felix

lintdrummer wrote: »

I've seen Madagascar and the closing of it's ports mentioned on this thread a couple of times. Would someone like to explain the significance of that?

It's from a game that models disease outbreaks. Madagascar has an itchy trigger finger when it comes to closing borders.

Hitchens

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-28558783

Doctors have been told to remain vigilant for possible cases of Ebola "imported" to the UK.

ThunbergsAreGo

Thought Simian Flu was the real worry

The One Doctor

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Na, flu kills twice as many people per day as this ebola outbreak has in almost a year.

There may be a time to panic, but that time is a long long way away.

And that puts the OP's post in a very ironic perspective.

dd972

Isn't he a Senegalese midfielder who played for Barca at some stage?

Autonomous Cowherd

I find it a little bit scary, to tell the truth.

What with Israel massacring Palestinian civilians, left, right and centre, and with little global opprobrium, the USA throwing war-making shapes at Russia, and a possible escape of Ebola out of isolated communities in Africa sparking fears of a global pandemic of bleeding to death out one's eyeballs, I think I will soon snip the electricity wires and withdrawn into blissful ignorance.

o1s1n

Autonomous Cowherd wrote: »

I find it a little bit scary, to tell the truth.

What with Israel massacring Palestinian civilians, left, right and centre, and with little global opprobrium, the USA throwing war-making shapes at Russia, and a possible escape of Ebola out of isolated communities in Africa sparking fears of a global pandemic of bleeding to death out one's eyeballs, I think I will soon snip the electricity wires and withdrawn into blissful ignorance.

You forgot the planes falling out of the sky.

Bog Standard User

ceadaoin. wrote: »

The death rate is up to 90%. From what I have read, it usually averages out at about 50-60%. The current outbreak has a death rate of 56% so far. Still pretty bad but there is little chance of it spreading in any country that has what we consider to be normal hygiene practices, such as frequent hand washing and clean hospitals. You have to come into direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person and there is little chance of that happening if effective quarantine measures are in place.

i underlined to two bits of questionable statements

according to this article only 30% upto 50% of staff wash their hands regularily

Do hosptial staff really wash their hands often

The One Who Knocks

Bog Standard User wrote: »

i underlined to two bits of questionable statements

according to this article only 30% upto 50% of staff wash their hands regularily

Do hosptial staff really wash their hands often

That doesn't matter, once you don't touch someones blood, fecal matter, used syringe, wash their dead body or eat bush meat you'll be fine.

A huge reason its spreading now is because people are uneducated.

PucaMama

The_Captain wrote: »

Tis racist to take precautions against diseases primarily spread by Africans, allegedly

i wouldnt be racist about it we have to do something this could affect the whole world.

Tar.Aldarion

I'm going to try and spot the carrier monkey on google maps.

danniemcq

MOD

Ebola threads merged

Tail Docker

This was all over Sky news today - spreadin de fear - ye could die of blood coming out your holes - or as some people call it, distracting the cat while you steal its milk - don't look over there, look over here,,keeps Gaza down the news rung.

PucaMama

Tail Docker wrote: »

This was all over Sky news today - spreadin de fear - ye could die of blood coming out your holes - or as some people call it, distracting the cat while you steal its milk - don't look over there, look over here,,keeps Gaza down the news rung.

ebola is currently killing roughly 60 percent of its victims. if it spreads, it could kill 60 percent of the world. not good and a bigger danger to us than gaza.

My name is URL

PucaMama wrote: »

i wouldnt be racist about it we have to do something this could affect the whole world.

Like what?

Id support a full quarentine of the countries affected. No in or out. But western governments move to slow to push these things.

Who'd enforce such quarantines? Western countries can't just tell others to close their borders.

The One Who Knocks

PucaMama wrote: »

ebola is currently killing roughly 60 percent of its victims. if it spreads, it could kill 60 percent of the world. not good and a bigger danger to us than gaza.

It really couldn't.

danniemcq

PucaMama wrote: »

ebola is currently killing roughly 60 percent of its victims. if it spreads, it could kill 60 percent of the world. not good and a bigger danger to us than gaza.

Ebola will never become a world wide epidemic unless it mutates.

In its current form there is an incubation period of up to 21 days, during this time it cannot be passed on unless you do something like inject yourself with the infected blood.

When the symptoms start they are minor so it doesn't have a chance to spread. Sore throat, fecer, that kinda stuff.

At this stage people would probably go get checked especially if it lasts a day or two. When they do they'll get asked the usual questions when there is something like this. Have you been in x, y or z or know anyone that has. IF so they'll be sent for more tests and the whole area would be shut down pretty damn quick.

However even if they don't get checked and go further downhill they are gonna be people that you want to stay away from regardless what with the blood and the vomit etc.

Now at this stage the virus can be passed easier but it still needs contact and well who wants to touch that stuff in fairness. The coughing of a victim would be the main concern for infection though which although worrying isn't as bad as it could be.

If there is an outbreak we would be much better prepared for it than they are in Africa. Better facilities, better access to clean supplies and equipment etc. Its gonna be much easier to contain than somewhere like a rural village who don't understand what exactly is going on (and in fairness who can blame them, if a load of hazmat suit wearing people came up to me i'd panic like hell and try and run)

In its current form i have no reason to believe that a widespread spanish flu style infection will take place. However if it evolves to become active before full blown symptoms emerge or it becomes easier to transmit via another way then i'll start worrying but only then.

Also the fact its only killing 60% of those infected is a great sign, usually the death rate for this is 90%+ so it shows that early treatment is working and while there is no cure its still good to see we can at least try and fight it already

News sources these days love the scare stories, its easy to write and will keep people tuning in for more updates/advice/whatever.

Also not so fun fact, if a guy survives the virus he can still transmit it sexually for up to 2 months after he is healthy.

Tail Docker

PucaMama wrote: »

ebola is currently killing roughly 60 percent of its victims. if it spreads, it could kill 60 percent of the world. not good and a bigger danger to us than gaza.

B*ll*x. This time next year, ebola will be as much remembered as swine-flu. More people died of malaria today than ebola. Sky didn't have an hour long special on malaria. No doubt some pharma crew are busy knocking up an "ebola vaccine" to flog to everyone at inflated prices.

Birroc

Maybe mother nature needs and wants a major epidemic in 2014.

crockholm

I Think the government should bring all the Ebola it can find to the large hadron collider thingy in switzerland where they make all the black holes and start firing it into said black holes.....maybe throw in a few pedophiles and scumbags too while we're at it.

It's about time that stupid Project started paying off for the ordinary man in the street.

Sulla Felix

crockholm wrote: »

I Think the government should bring all the Ebola it can find to the large hadron collider thingy in switzerland where they make all the black holes and start firing it into said black holes.....maybe throw in a few pedophiles and scumbags too while we're at it.

It's about time that stupid Project started paying off for the ordinary man in the street.

Well, there's that whole world wide web thing, but it'll never catch on. :rolleyes:

gctest50

crockholm wrote: »

I Think the government should bring all the Ebola it can find to the large hadron collider thingy in switzerland where they make all the black holes and start firing it into said black holes.......

It didn't do too much to this guy :

http://www.eco-pravda.ru/page.php?al=bugorsky_casus

danniemcq

crockholm wrote: »

I Think the government should bring all the Ebola it can find to the large hadron collider thingy in switzerland where they make all the black holes and start firing it into said black holes.....maybe throw in a few pedophiles and scumbags too while we're at it.

It's about time that stupid Project started paying off for the ordinary man in the street.

CERN gave us the internet, i'm sure lots of people back then thought the same.

What you are seeing in the LHC is the building blocks of everything around you.

The closer we look at smaller things the more we understand. Look at germs for instance. who would have thought when we first seen them under a microscope that they were such an important part of our life.

Fundimental research into "stupid projects" have led to x-rays, mris, night vision goggles and CERN themselves due to the LHC have had massive boosting in the research of cryogenic research and grid computing to name but two.

and for the record putting something like that into the LHC wouldn't work. The virus itself is to big

TwoShedsJackson

Around 2000 people a day die of malaria, why aren't Sky scare-mongering about that?

Turtwig

Or MRI scanning.

I like people's optimism about Ireland being better equipped. Ireland also has a faster flow of information. Misinformation is all the rage these days. A few false or poorly researched claims that spread like wild fire is all it would take. We're not as vulnerable to Africa in the classical sense but there are other factors that come into play.

Dave0301

crockholm wrote: »

I Think the government should bring all the Ebola it can find to the large hadron collider thingy in switzerland where they make all the black holes and start firing it into said black holes.....maybe throw in a few pedophiles and scumbags too while we're at it.

It's about time that stupid Project started paying off for the ordinary man in the street.

When Quantum Mechanics was first postulated and researched, it had no real world significance. It is now responsible for transistors and microchips, mobile phones and computers, lasers and M.R.I. scanners.

I would wait a bit longer before labeling the discovery of the Higgs Boson a "stupid" project.

On the topic of Ebola, it will never be a huge threat to 1st world countries unless it mutates and can be transmitted through the air like influenza. The transmission rate in Africa is more a result of poor hygienic standards at times in hospitals, local superstitions and funeral traditions.

Turtwig

TwoShedsJackson wrote: »

Around 2000 people a day die of malaria, why aren't Sky scare-mongering about that?

Because here you can expect an almost complete recovery. Only in rare cases would a person die. More frequent would be long last impact to a person's way of life. Still rare though.

Get Ebola here and it's quite likely you'll die an excruciating death or suffer high levels of post viral morbidity.

My name is URL

TwoShedsJackson wrote: »

Around 2000 people a day die of malaria, why aren't Sky scare-mongering about that?

Scare-mongering or not, it's the biggest outbreak so far of one of the most deadly viruses known to man.

It's not really something that should be dismissed by asking why something like malaria isn't getting the same media attention.

sleepytrees

I've started building my bunker already. Aldi has cheap cans of Spaghetti and Soups.

It'll be grand they say, sure the rich are properly already building bunkers in space and planning on leaving us here.

*I watch a lot of Sci Fi

snubbleste

Yeah, but do you have your iodine tablets?