Killer virus red alert as more die April 11, 2005 (South Africa goes on high alert)

Cape Times ^ | 4-11-05

[Mother Abigail]

FYI

[null and void]

Thanks Mom...

[Covenantor]

bttt

[Boundless]

> ... Marburg virus is spread through contact with body
> fluids, such as blood, urine, excrement, vomit and saliva.
> It can, however, be contained by taking fairly simple
> health precautions, experts say.

This information may be outdated and fatally incorrect.

As I was pointing out on an earlier thread:
... even as of today, the CDC, at:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/marburg/qa.htm
is still telling people that Marburg:
* has a 5-10 day incubation
* is 23-25% fatal, and
* is not airborne, requiring direct contact with fluids

So they suppose an Ebola-like situation where symptoms
arrive fast, the infection is unlikely to be passed
until symptoms are evident, and moderate precautions
protect care providers.

Instead, we seem to have a 20-day virus, 99% fatal, and
possibly airborne. If so, it has massive pandemic
potential, and the official response to date, world-wide,
is suicidally inadequate.

Plus, we have another report of bodies being abandoned
in place in Angola, which means that animals will now
contract and spread the virus to all susceptible
biological populations.

[maine-iac7]

where the disease broke out in October.

Sure glad they're right on top of it!

and

We visit our contacts and look for suspected cases," Francois Libama, a WHO epidemiologist, said. "If we find a suspected case, we call in the special teams to remove the body."

me dumb. they look for suspected cases and when they find them, have the bodies removed?

That's quite a diagnostic team!

[2ndreconmarine]

Ping.
More.

[Old Professer]

One day at a time.

[jec41]

Mother Nature can be a most harsh and convincing teacher.

[2ndreconmarine]

Instead, we seem to have a 20-day virus, 99% fatal, and possibly airborne. If so, it has massive pandemic potential, and the official response to date, world-wide, is suicidally inadequate.

Yup.

[scott7278]

BM and BTTT

[Covenantor]

Thanks

[maine-iac7]

getting a bit scary - it's been 6 months and it doesn't seem they've been doing much to contain it - like curbing traffic, etc

[1066AD]

Can animals carry it too (sorry I'm not up to date on this)?

Given today's near instant global travel one hopes more than SA are thinking about quarantines and/or travel restrictions.

[scott7278]

Mother Abigail,

Is this a ping list for the Marburg virus, and if so, may I be on it?

Pretty please?

[Old Professer]

Instead, we seem to have a 20-day virus, 99% fatal, and possibly airborne. If so, it has massive pandemic potential, and the official response to date, world-wide, is suicidally inadequate.

How did you arrive at airborne?

Hemorrhagic diseases seem to be endemic in Africa; they also seem to affect the less-mobile segments of society; why do you fear the potential for airborne transmission?

[Judith Anne]

More bad news, it can be passed from person to person during incubation. Sweat is also infectious.

[Old Professer]

If it were easily spread, there would likely be over 18,000 cases in 6 months.

[Doctor Stochastic]

The real problem isn't so much the disease (except for those directly involved.) The problem is the lack of vector identification. Were the vector know, one could give advice about what to avoid.

In the hanta virus outbreak here in northern NM (land of the flea, home of the plague), within a week, the virus was identified, and the main transmission vector (breathing dried mouse urine) was noted. Now people take precautions and there are few cases. (Spraying a woodpile with a weak Chlorox solution isn't a bad idea; neither is washing barn floors, etc. with the same.)

[2ndreconmarine]

Does anyone have a ping list for these Marburg / Infectious disease threads??

If so, I would love to be included.

Thanks