Anybody else concerned about Ebola?

[schust]

I've been waiting to see if anybody else started this thread, but to date - as far as know, no takers.

There seems to be two camps on this topic: 1) this is SO overblown and 2) we're doomed. I seem to be in the latter.

I wouldn't be in this camp if I didn't read something every morning that truly concerns me. I'm convinced the CDC, WHO and my government (U.S.) are completely inept. I think with the right precautions the outbreak here in the U.S. could be contained, but for all the lip-service by the CDC, little is truly being done - or what is being done is just simply not working or not being done correctly.

Today I read a second person on the staff at the Dallas hospital has tested positive. Apparently this person was also ON A FLIGHT from OH just yesterday! Huh??? How does that happen when days ago another staff member was diagnosed? What about the quarantine these people are suppose to be under? Since when is it OK to fly around the country under quarantine of a deadly disease? It's missteps like this that has me concerned, not our ability to contained this - but the inevitable factor of human error.

One final thought. I know the CDC and WHO have all said Ebola is not contagious beyond bodily fluids, but I believe it is airborne and just a matter of time before the CDC acknowledges it. I think they know now, but just don't want to disclose it for fear of wide-spread panic.

What do you think? What's going on in Africa should be more than enough evidence to warrant wide scale efforts across this globe to fight this virus. How many mistakes must happen before something right occurs?

 

[SocialNumb]

I guess you can say it can be airborne. Say, sneezing for example. In a sense, mist in the air. Thus still being fluids.

Why do you believe it's "airborne" though? Any hard science or just a gut feeling? Perhaps you read it somewhere online? Say that Virologist that says it can potentially mutate and become airborne?

I've read some pretty crazy crap about this whole Ebola thing, from 80 people being watched for symptoms to full blown out FEMA camps and conspiracy theories.

I don't know where I stand right now, I need more information first. I'm just hoping for the best. I agree more should be done but I also don't want to see people get all crazy too.

 

[Mattayus]

This is where we are now in modern society, unfortunately. I don't mean to use this term in such an umbrella-like way, but "the media" (eugh...) have cried wolf far too many times now on so many potential pandemics that we're all too sceptical and cynical when there may actually be one afoot. I'm waiting a bit on this one before passing judgement but my gut is telling me it may get slightly worse, and then we'll stop hearing about it.

 

[schust]

Why do you believe it's "airborne" though? Any hard science or just a gut feeling? Perhaps you read it somewhere online? Say that Virologist that says it can potentially mutate and become airborne?

Just gut at this pt, and read something the other day suggesting the possibility. It just seems like it's spreading too fast. I'm giving the hospital staff in Dallas the benefit of the doubt that they did take all precautions. If so, kind of hard to believe it's spread to two people already. I'm sure they'll be more.

I'm just dying with this fact that the woman diagnosed today was on a plane yesterday. YESTERDAY! Really raises some serious concerns as to who's in charge of all of this - and do they really know what they're doing.

This could be a disaster of portions never seen if somebody doesn't take control a.s.a.p.

 

[schust]

I'm waiting a bit on this one before passing judgement but my gut is telling me it may get slightly worse, and then we'll stop hearing about it.

let's hope you're right.

 

[crillemannen]

I can't understand why they let hospitol staff go home. They should be kept in quarantine near the outbreak until they know they aren't contagious. Now itcmight spread in Us and EU. Idiots..

 

[varobinson]

Not really too worried yet. It'd have to be in the numbers of thousands in the US to get me behaving differently.

 

[AD Chaos]

The other day I was talking about it with a client who studies virology, what I get from all the information going around is this:


-It transmits through bodily fluids, BUT it can also be contracted from touching objects that the infected person came in contact with, for some days at least. This is why teams are being sent to decontaminate homes, cars, etc.
So, it may or may not be airborne in the sense that it could survive indefinitely outside a host (like many other viruses do) and then infect someone else, but at least it can certainly be passed through droplets of saliva or close contact, so in a sense it's kind of airborne.

-Seems to be quite contagious, but not to the point were everyone around a sick person will get it too.

-Medical facilities worldwide are clearly grossly unprepared for something like this, and a proper (hazmat) suit and training costs quite a lot.

-The public wants for flights incoming from those countries to be shut off, but if that were done, it would worsen the situation in West Africa (less incoming doctors, research, medicines, containment measures, etc) and in turn, in the world.

-Supposedly there will be around 1.4 million people infected by January.

-Apparently Obama wants to send troops there and.. shoot at the virus/get them infected... What's new there


I hope they come up with a vaccine soon, this seems like the kind of problem that will linger on for the long run (Africa has dealt with Ebola for years now).

 

[Jordon]

Nothing about the current rate of infection seems to make 1.4 infected by January make any sense to me.

Of course, I'm not a doctor or scientist by ANY stretch of the imagination.

I've seen people donating millions to fight it, while we had 33,000~ car accident deaths in 2012 in the US alone. I know it's not a great comparison, but I'm definitely more worried about getting whacked by a car while walking to work every day than I am about ebola.


Fuckit, I have no idea.

 

[AD Chaos]

Nothing about the current rate of infection seems to make 1.4 infected by January make any sense to me.

It's a projection made by the CDC

http://www.vox.com/cards/ebola-facts-you-need-to-know/its-the-worst-ebola-outbreak-on-record

 

[Jordon]

It's a projection made by the CDC

http://www.vox.com/cards/ebola-facts-you-need-to-know/its-the-worst-ebola-outbreak-on-record

Yea, I know, I guess it just doesn't compute for me. Like I said, way out of my wheelhouse, though. There's a reason I'm a musician haha

 

[AD Chaos]

Yup, me too haha just passing along the information around

 

[He's Dead, Jim]

I believe it is airborne and just a matter of time before the CDC acknowledges it. I think they know now, but just don't want to disclose it for fear of wide-spread panic.

Then I'm glad you aren't the head of the CDC, because you are a doofus.

The other day I was talking about it with a client who studies virology, what I get from all the information going around is this:

-It transmits through bodily fluids, BUT it can also be contracted from touching objects that the infected person came in contact with, for some days at least.

You would basically have to have an ebola patient vomit on a doorknob, then go lick that doorknob and rub your face all over it immediately. The likelihood of contracting it from a surface is virtually zero.

-Apparently Obama wants to send troops there and.. shoot at the virus/get them infected... What's new there

THANKS OBAMA. Yes, the president of the country best equipped to manage a massive public health crisis, with the best medical technology and doctors in the world, has sent some DoD personnel, at the specific request and urging of affect countries and international organizations, to set up hospital beds.

 

[Line666]

Forgive my woeful ignorance but I'm kinda expecting ebola to be this years bird flu.

I was thinking a few months back we haven't had a full scale public health panic about something that will no doubt be inconsequential for a while.

Edit: With all due respect to those suffering in Africa of course - I mean regarding the western world which I think will remain largely unscathed.

 

[AD Chaos]

You would basically have to have an ebola patient vomit on a doorknob, then go lick that doorknob and rub your face all over it immediately. The likelihood of contracting it from a surface is virtually zero.

My gosh, dude. Must every topic be turned to a bitching fight? Look at what the CDC clearly states about transmission:

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/transmission/index.html

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/transmission/qas.html

Ebola is killed with hospital-grade disinfectants (such as household bleach). Ebola on dried on surfaces such as doorknobs and countertops can survive for several hours; however, virus in body fluids (such as blood) can survive up to several days at room temperature.

I do think sending troops could end up being a very bad idea (as per your quoted article 'A handful of U.S. troops could come in contact with Ebola'), but then again I see the sense in it.

 

[He's Dead, Jim]

My gosh, dude. Must every topic be turned to a bitching fight? Look at what the CDC clearly states about transmission:

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/transmission/index.html

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/transmission/qas.html

I do think sending troops could end up being a very bad idea (as per your quoted article 'A handful of U.S. troops could come in contact with Ebola'), but then again I see the sense in it.

If my post sounded like I was trying to start a bitching fight, that wasn't intentional, although I am going to make fun of dudes who invent their own theories about well-known diseases with zero medical evidence Nothing on those pages about transmissions contradicts what I said- the fact that it can survive on a countertop doesn't mean that even touching it will get you infected; you'd have to touch the surface and then immediately touch a mucus membrane or something. I'm saying that because NPR had two different ebola experts on recently who said exactly what I wrote about the vomit and the doorknob, which is where I got the example.

As far as the US military, we have lots of money and capability, and the regional combatant command for Africa is very focused on humanitarian aid and development, so it makes a lot of sense for us to help in reasonable measure. I think any US president would have done the exact same thing, republican or democrat. People forget that GWB doubled HIV/AIDS relief funding on the continent, although it's obviously not the same thing as ebola.

 

[schust]

Then I'm glad you aren't the head of the CDC, because you are a doofus.

geez dude, don't hold back. i was just giving my opinion - starting a conversion, not going on Good Morning American with the credentials of a Specialist in Infectious Disease. And by the way - I DO think the head of the CDC is a doofus. Earlier today they said the second nurse should have never boarded a plane, and then later walked it back after the nurse herself said they gave her a green light WITH a low-grade fever. Does that sound like an organization that's got this under control or should be heading up the effort to halt it?

i'm not the only person suggesting this could be transmitted via the air. A quick GOOGLE presents several links to information, albeit some questionable, that suggest it's more than possible to be transmitted via the air. My point is, viruses by their very nature mutate to survive. Who are we to suggest this deadly virus couldn't mutate? A raging epidemic in Africa is a strong case to suggest perhaps it has - or will given enough time.

Here's just a couple quotes/links:

The executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons says that despite what the CDC is saying, Ebola might be transmitted by breathing.

“What we’re suggesting is that it is very dangerous to assume that one cannot ever acquire Ebola from an aerosol or from breathing,” said Dr. Jane Orient. http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/10/15/doctor-ebola-might-be-transmitted-by-air/

Scientific study, 2012. "Transmission of Ebola virus from pigs to non-human primates" http://www.nature.com/srep/2012/121115/srep00811/full/srep00811.html

 

[UncleBob]

Isn't the common Influenza (Flu) virus far far worse than Ebola killing a shit-ton more people in Africa every year?

 

[Mago]

I think the "cry wolf" thing "the media" does will come and bite our ass so hard at some point.

They love to blow everything up way beyond proportions, distort facts or just plain invent shit to sell their paper/tv show.

Not to say that there aren't dangers of course, and that the situation is fucked for a lot of people in west africa.
It could go a lot of ways from there on out.

 

[schwinginbatman]

One of my bands' drummer is absolutely convinced Ebola will be used as a population control measure, all that Alex Jones horseshit. One of many reasons he'll be out soon.

Ebola isn't something to worry about for us in the West. As of right now, about 5,000 cases of Ebola have been confirmed in West Africa. This is in countries very little, if any, infrastructure for preventing this sort of thing. This isn't a disease that can spread very easily with Western medicine and infrastructure. Even with the CDC's frequent incompetence.