Boy faces more Ebola tests after initial results return negative

Irish Times ^ | 10/27/2014

[wtd]

Boy faces more Ebola tests after initial results return negative

A five-year-old boy who recently returned to New York City from the West African nation of Guinea faces more tests for Ebola after initial results indicated he does not have the disease.

The child had been taken to Bellevue Hospital Center on Sunday night by emergency medical workers in protective gear and immediately placed in isolation.

The child, who had a low-grade fever, will remain in isolation at Bellevue Hospital to undergo further tests to ensure he is cleared of the disease, the hospital and health department said.

The New York City health commissioner, Mary T Bassett, declined to go into detail on the child’s symptoms, citing privacy concerns. The family returned in recent days from Guinea and the people who lived in the home with the boy were quarantined in their apartment. While the child’s travel history was clear, it was less certain whether he had any known contact with people infected with Ebola.

[wtd]

Better news, so far. prayers for this child.

[null and void]

With luck it's just malaria.

(what an odd thing to see myself type!)

Bring out your dead! The Dark Man cometh! Bring out your dead! The Dark Man cometh! Bring out your......

(hat tip to: fivecatsandadog!)

Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.

The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.

So far the false positive rate is 100%.

At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.

*sigh* Such is life, and death...

[cloudmountain]

Some people just have GANGBUSTER immune systems.

During the days of AIDS there was a small group of Kenyan prostitutes who just never contracted AIDS.

AIDS, now ebola. There always seems to be some nasty pandemic on the horizon, doesn't there?

[CorporateStepsister]

Yeah, shipped in straight from Africa.

[Conscience of a Conservative]

Some people just have GANGBUSTER immune systems.

I don't think it's necessarily a question of gangbuster immune systems here. The fact is, as bad as this outbreak has been, only a tiny, tiny percentage of the population of Guinea (where this kid had travelled) has been infected. Guinea has a population of approximately 11.75 million people. There have been 1,535 cases reported in Guinea - that's 0.01% of the population. Obviously the "reported" cases is an undercount, but even if the number of actual cases is 10 times the number of reported cases, it's still 0.1% of the population. When you account for the fact that Ebola is most commonly spread to caregivers (family members of patients, doctors, nurses, etc.), the odds of any random person in Guinea contracting Ebola are still remarkably low.

[cloudmountain]

I don't think it's necessarily a question of gangbuster immune systems here. The fact is, as bad as this outbreak has been, only a tiny, tiny percentage of the population of Guinea (where this kid had travelled) has been infected. Guinea has a population of approximately 11.75 million people. There have been 1,535 cases reported in Guinea - that's 0.01% of the population. Obviously the "reported" cases is an undercount, but even if the number of actual cases is 10 times the number of reported cases, it's still 0.1% of the population. When you account for the fact that Ebola is most commonly spread to caregivers (family members of patients, doctors, nurses, etc.), the odds of any random person in Guinea contracting Ebola are still remarkably low.

True.
I hardly know WHAT to believe about that epidemic. I have zero faith in most reporting entities.
I can't imagine that the news out of any African hub would be that reliable. But, then, I am a pessimist when it comes to "reporting entities" as they always have an agenda.

[cloudmountain]

Yeah, shipped in straight from Africa.

China gave us the Bubonic Plague. The middle east (or father east) gave us leprosy.

Africa gave us AIDS and now this.
Is it China's or the middle east's turn now?

[Kartographer]

Hey I like the picture! ;-)

[null and void]

Thanks. I may make it permanent.

[PghBaldy]

The other thing- I read it is was mostly adults and or women who got sick- since they would take care of others and wash bodies etc - children would not do these things.

[Ellendra]

I think it may be the Amazon’s turn.

[cloudmountain]

I think it may be the Amazon’s turn.

Sorry, I don't get it.

[Ellendra]

China, Middle East, Africa, the next disease will probably come out of that big jungle south of us. It hasn’t had a turn yet.

[CorporateStepsister]

Well, the Middle East has ISIS to take credit for and the Chinese, well, they’ll come up with something.

[cloudmountain]

China, Middle East, Africa, the next disease will probably come out of that big jungle south of us. It hasn’t had a turn yet.

I assume you mean Central and South America. They have MUCH European influence, unlike the other places, so probably WON'T succumb to the problems of China and Africa.

Actually, the middle east will probably fare well because they now have all the money in the world to make and keep their own countries healthy. There are also MANY U.S. companies over there and Americans usually don't go to places that are disease ridden.

[cloudmountain]

Well, the Middle East has ISIS to take credit for and the Chinese, well, they’ll come up with something.

Saudi Arabia doesn't have ISIS problems.
When we were there they had a construction company cum army there: RaeDikDaeLim--South Korean regulars--keeping guard over the Saudi pipelines and keeping troublemakers OUT. The King paid for them, the army, PROBABLY from pocket change.

ISIS isn't in Egypt either. Egypt relies HEAVILY on tourism, so the troublemakers won't get any sympathy and/or welcome there either.

The Assad regime deserves its troubles. Their country is a despot/military-run place when folks don't have it easy. It's a shame as it is was a beautiful country, fairly green, lush (for the middle east), clean and fairly well run. We loved it when we visited.

[Smokin' Joe]

Ping...

A link to this thread has been posted on the Ebola Surveillance Thread