Posted on 07/28/2014 7:17:41 AM PDT by kristinn
The Obama administration is hosting a major summit the first week of August with leaders of African nations in Washington, D.C. as the Ebola outbreak in Africa is spinning out of control. This week Washington is playing host to young African leaders.
As the meetings were set to begin, the Ebola outbreak stunned experts this past week by killing a man who flew from Liberia to Lagos, Nigeria, with a layover on Togo, without his condition being detected. The AP reported:
“The fact that the traveler from Liberia could board an international flight also raised new fears that other passengers could take the disease beyond Africa due to weak inspection of passengers and the fact Ebola’s symptoms are similar to other diseases.
“Officials in the country of Togo, where the sick man’s flight had a stopover, also went on high alert after learning that Ebola could possibly have spread to a fifth country.
“Screening people as they enter the country may help slow the spread of the disease, but it is no guarantee Ebola won’t travel by airplane, according to Dr. Lance Plyler, who heads Ebola medical efforts in Liberia for aid organization Samaritan’s Purse.
“”Unfortunately the initial signs of Ebola imitate other diseases, like malaria or typhoid,” he said.”
The Ebola victim, 40 year-old Patrick Sawyer, was a consultant to Liberia’s Ministry of Finance—just the kind of professional person who might be attending the summit in Washington.
According to the AP report diagnosis of those infected with Ebola but not showing symptoms is not easy:
“Doctors say health screens could be effective, but Ebola has a variable incubation period of between two and 21 days and cannot be diagnosed on the spot.”
“Doctors say health screens could be effective, but Ebola has a variable incubation period of between two and 21 days and cannot be diagnosed on the spot.”
The leaders of fifty African nations, from Egypt in the north to South Africa in the south have been invited to the summit by President Obama which was announced back in January. Included in the invited countries are those affected by the Ebola outbreak: Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
Over 1200 people have been infected by the Ebola virus with nearly 700 of those having succumbed to the virus so far. Citing WHO, the BBC reports 100 health workers have contracted the virus in the current outbreak with half of them dying. Two Americans with Samaritan’s Purse have recently come down with the virus in Liberia.
A press release by Washington’s Metropolitan Police on street closures for the summit shows that large swaths of the District including Georgetown, Foggy Bottom, the Maine Avenue waterfront and areas around the White House will be affected by the summit.
One can imagine what is going through the minds of officials at the CDC, Secret Service and Homeland Security. While the odds are low, with the Africa based virus now being transported by international plane travel the summit has the potential to become a real life Outbreak movie or 24 episode.
Leaves behind a wife and three daughters. Sad...
A scary and dangerous disease to be sure. However it doesn’t spread in the same area as the cold or flu. Outbreaks like this tend to be related to the substandard medical facilities and equipment in the region.
Is the headline implying that everyone in Washington, DC may get ebola?
“Screening people as they enter the country may help slow the spread of the disease ... Unfortunately the initial signs of Ebola imitate other diseases, like malaria or typhoid,”
Unfortunately? Why would you want to let any of those pass?
Where did it say those should be able to pass?
Apologies, I did not....So it sounds like it is possible it could already be here and we don’t know it yet.
Why else would they say “unfortunately?”
That is only because they have never reached major
population centers before.
This is a nightmare beyond our wildest imagining.
Outbreaks like this tend to be related to the substandard medical facilities and equipment in the region.
What about the infected guy who collapsed at the Nigerian airport? His flight also had a stop over.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3185751/posts
I have a radical solution to this problem - don't let people into your country with malaria or typhoid either. Derp.
Not everyone. But the lows odds are there for the virus being brought to D.C. by one or more summit attendees. If it gets spread through sexual contact in D.C.’s gay scene or heterosexual prostitution rings it could get ugly fast.
Apologies, I did not....So it sounds like it is possible it could already be here and we don’t know it yet.
Yup. Now thats scary.
The Fourth Horseman.
(The Time Is Now.)
It cousin Marburg Virus reached major European cities in the 60s. It infected 23 and killed 7. There’s a difference between infectious and contagious.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3185799/posts?page=8#8
Damn straight! If I can come up with this in seconds, the CDC, SS, and Homeland Security should be working 24/7. Unfortunately, I agree with your statement.
Much info at the above link.
“Ebola”?
Is that another one the CIA invented to get rid of negros?
It begins ......
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3186006/posts
At a news conference on Monday 27 July at the Lagos State Government Secretariat in Alausa, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, Lagos Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris disclosed that 59 people had contact with the late Sawyer, which include the Nigerian Ambassador to Laberia.
“So far, a total of 59 contacts have been registered consisting 44 hospital contacts (38 healthcare workers and six laboratory staff) and 15 Airport contacts, comprising 3 ECOWAS staff-driver, Liaison, and Protocol officer, Nigerian Ambassador to Monrovia, two nursing staff and five Airport passenger handlers.
“As of the time of this report, 20 contacts had been physically screened of which 50% are type 1 contact and 50% had had type 2 contact. Airline manifest has not been provided by the airline at the time of this report and therefore the precise number of passenger contacts is yet to be ascertained, especially as two flights were involved (Monrovia-Lome and Lome-Lagos),” he disclosed.
I do too. We couldn't stand another affirmative action Federal holiday and ten streets in every city named Obama
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