30 Ebola facts that will make you cringe, plus 7 ways to manage the risk

PropertyCasualty360 ^ | October 1, 2014 | Melissa Hillebrand

[2ndDivisionVet]

What do you know about Ebola? You probably are aware that it's a nasty, often fatal form of a viral hemorrhagic fever.

You may also know that the current outbreak occured last December in Guinea, and that it has spread to Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leona and Nigeria.

And unless you have lived under a rock for the past 24 hours, you also know that it has spread to the United States--Texas, to be specific.

But here's a list of what you may not know, including how the Ebola virus impacts economies and supply chains, issurance issues including evacuation, exposures and policy exclusions, and what you and your companies can do to prevent and control Ebola risk.

First: The Nitty Gritty

1. First discovered in 1976, there are five strains of the Ebola virus, all named after the region where they were detected: Bundibugyo, Tai Forest (previously known as Ivory Coast), Sudan, Zaire and Reston. Yup, the fifth strain was discovered in Virginia, but it only causes asymptomatic infections in humans, being that people can become infected but do not get sick.

2. The current outbreak is caused by the Zaire strain, which has a death rate as high as 90%. It is the most severe of all types of Ebola.

3. As of Sept. 23, the Zaire outbreak has a 47% fatality rate. The World Health Organization reports 6,574 cases, which have resulted in 3,091 reported deaths. Early supportive care is the reason for the reduced deaths.

4. In the United States, there is a single imported case from Liberia that occurred last month. A traveler arrived in Texas. on Sept. 20, developed Ebola symptoms on Sept. 24, first sought care on Sept. 26 and was admitted to a Dallas hospital on Sept. 28. Ebola was confirmed on Sept. 30....

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

Daffynition:" Daffynition:" FFIW, I recall taking their temp with both the glass/mercury as well as the digital.
...the digital consistently ran 3* over the glass/merc in comparision"

Sorry I didn't get to answer your question about instant-read thermometers, but the hour was late.
Mercury thermometers are a known accurate read.
Electronic "instant-read" thermometers are subject to getting out of calabration and giving errors, especially after long-term usage.
The best way to compare readings would be to pour a glass of water and place both in the glass; the water temperature should be the same.(ie: within peramatures like 98 * )
If there is a difference in readings , I would trust the mercury thermometer; if they differ, it would suggest that one is out of calibration (more likely the eletronic).
I would them mark the storage box/container that the thermometer came in with magic marker noting the discrepency (ie: = or - * )
Depending on price, you might send it back for replacement, or recalibration, or just buy another.