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.
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...
I sure hope obama doesn’t catch it.
Meanwhile the left is sending invitations to Bush.
Wouldn’t that be horrible.
One can imagine what is going through the minds of officials at the CDC, Secret Service and Homeland Security.
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No, I can’t ..... not with this administration & their dereliction of duty regarding protecting America’s interests.
Coming to a border state near you.
A major distraction to the “send more money” narrative that Obama wanted.
I hate to say it, but the American doctor’s wife and son are back in the USA (Texas)...
They are being monitored, but afaik not in isolation.
Say it’s not so
Will Obama be in a Bubble at the Meeting ?
The doctor’s family should have been put into isolation, because the incubation period is 3 weeks.They could currently be infectious right now. I think the doctor was a saint in trying to help, but why did he bring his family? I do not understand that. I also think that if a person volunteers to treat patients that are infected with viruses in 3rd world countries, that the organization sponsoring them should set up an isolation room , and keep the volunteer there until they have cleared the incubation period. It does no good to western society to have people go to Africa to basically treat an incurable disease, then bring the virus back to us. The best solution is to have had the military surround the infected towns, no one goes or out, and let the virus burn out.
Patrick Sawyer was going to return to Minnesota next month.
http://kstp.com/news/stories/S3516094.shtml?cat=127
Hard to catch it at the golf course or beaches of Havayee.
Coming to a border state near you.
Did you bother to read this, or did you only look at the headline?
“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.”
“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.”
Unfortunately? Why would you want to let any of those pass? Meanwhile, back at the Southern border ...
In this case, even letting it “burn out” might not be a solution.
From what I have read, some of the survivors still can shed the virus...
If ebola comes to America, what do you do? Do you not go to work? Do you not go to the supermarket?
It will be fantastic when it happens.
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