Ebola Surveillance Thread

Free Republic Threads ^ | August 10, 2014 | Legion

[Smokin' Joe]

Ebola patients flee armed attack on Liberian isolation ward

[Smokin' Joe]

How Bureaucrats Let Ebola Spread to Nigeria

[Smokin' Joe]

SOS From Liberia: WHO, Others Must Step In Before We All Die

[Oorang]

SA man admitted to Johannesburg hospital for Ebola tests

[EternalHope]

Bodies are already being left on the street.

Flies will land on these bodies, pick up the virus, and then land elsewhere. Other insects, rodents, etc., have the same potential.

I have yet to see a discussion of flies as a vector for Ebola. If they can spread the virus, as seems highly likely, then controlling Ebola in these regions is impossible.

[Smokin' Joe]

Infected items looted in quarantine centre raid, Ebola patients flee

[Smokin' Joe]

Because most patients have some known and more direct vector, we do not know how little it takes to get the disease. One to ten viral organisms is sufficient to cause infection, but could that be transmitted by a biting fly? a fly which had been on a corpse walking on a fresh scrape or cut?

If so, and violence ensues among the 'healthy', more cases are virtually guaranteed.

Things are not going well from what we can see.

[Smokin' Joe]

NMDOH Working with CDC to Rule Out Ebola in Patient (New Mexico)

[Smokin' Joe]

Nigerian who died in UAE may have shown signs consistent with Ebola

[EternalHope]

I know transmission can be through an open cut and through mucous membranes. Biting flies would qualify.

However, if transmission can be through contaminated food then flies become an even greater problem. Likewise for rodent contamination.

I suspect Ebola can survive in the stomach or vomit would not be so contagious, so I suspect it can be spread through contaminated food. However, even if spread through food is unlikely once in the stomach, Ebola certainly can spread through mucous membranes. Hence it would be capable of infection while in the mouth.

If contaminated food is a risk factor, what about contaminated water?

Contaminated food and/or water would not be common early in the outbreak. Anyone who caught it early on would most likely have had close contact of some kind, so confirmed infection through food or water would be unlikely. But once the number of victims starts to rise the risk of more generalized contamination starts to rise.

I could have missed it of course, but I have seen nothing in print that addresses this issue, including the medical literature. In past pandemics the dead bodies themselves were a source of further infection. We are not far enough in to this for that to be happening, yet, but the same thing could develop with Ebola.

[proud American in Canada]

Thank you, Smokin’ Joe...

[PA Engineer]

For your reference and to get it out there for review:

First Confirmed Ebola Death in Brazil's Largest City: São Paulo

This is another interesting site to monitor:

PreventEbola.com

I can't confirm the information, but I would not be surprised.

[Black Agnes]

We’d better hope that isn’t true.

Srsly.

[Black Agnes]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/inside-ebola-hell-mirrorman-witnesses-4067533

[Black Agnes]

http://dailyindependentnig.com/2014/08/ebola-close-the-borders-now/?

[Black Agnes]

http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/delhi-nigerian-national-tests-inconclusive-for-ebola-sample-sent-to-pune-577326

[Black Agnes]

http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/sa-man-tested-for-ebola-1.1736680?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=dlvr.it

[Black Agnes]

http://www.firstpost.com/india/what-must-india-do-to-best-deal-with-the-ebola-scare-an-expert-speaks-1668531.html

[Black Agnes]

http://www.newsweek.com/ebola-control-quarantines-hunger-and-death-liberia-265105

[Black Agnes]

http://www.indiabells.com/news/ebola-fears-among-indians/29963/#.U_F195tgEU4.twitter