Posted on 09/20/2014 1:42:23 PM PDT by blam
Benjamin Hale, Slate
September 20, 2014
As the Ebola epidemic in West Africa has spiraled out of control, affecting thousands of Liberians, Sierra Leonians, and Guineans, and threatening thousands more, the world’s reaction has been glacially, lethally slow. Only in the past few weeks have heads of state begun to take serious notice. To date, the virus has killed more than 2,600 people. This is a comparatively small number when measured against much more established diseases such as malaria,HIV/AIDS, influenza, and so on, but several factors about this outbreak have some of the world’s top health professionals gravely concerned:
Its kill rate: In this particular outbreak, a running tabulation suggests that 54 percent of the infected die, though adjusted numbers suggest that the rate is much higher.
Its exponential growth: At this point, the number of people infected is doubling approximately every three weeks, leading some epidemiologists to project between 77,000 and 277,000 cases by the end of 2014.
The gruesomeness with which it kills: by hijacking cells and migrating throughout the body to affect all organs, causing victims to bleed profusely.
The ease with which it is transmitted: through contact with bodily fluids, including sweat, tears, saliva, blood, urine, semen, etc., including objects that have come in contact with bodily fluids (such as bed sheets, clothing, and needles) and corpses.
The threat of mutation: Prominent figures have expressed serious concerns that this disease will go airborne, and there are many other mechanisms through which mutation might make it much more transmissible.
Terrifying as these factors are, it is not clear to me that any of them capture what is truly, horribly tragic about this disease.
(snip)
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
SARS, Y2k, and Bird Flu have scared me. AIDS, never, easy to avoid, if you want to.
Ebola is pretty nasty...I would guess that maybe 3% of the people on this forum and 0.03% of the country have ANY IDEA what kind of powers the government can, and will, grab, in the name of public health. Just be prepared, because those that are not are not going to have a very fun ride through this.
The most Terrifying Thing About Ebola is the comments by many of the FR’s own Ebola Experts.
Thanks for your opinion.
I encourage everyone to keep their immune system healthy...daily exercise is one of the best contributors to robust health.(Take your vitamin D too...I take 10k IU daily)
BTW, you left out economic collapse, SARS and MERS.
Ironically, just this week I began eating from a case of tuna that I stored away in 2006 in preparation for the H5N1 pandemic. It tastes great.
So....
I agree. Some seem to be bending over backward to keep people from panic. I am not one to panic to begin with but some of their posts are making me think perhaps I should.
Socialism is the means to share the misery .
And when the 6000 troops, some of whom will catch the disease, raturn home, they will bring it here.
Let's see how that would work out consdiering we have 15 - 18 centers who have specialized isolation wards that can handle two cases each.
How's that going to work out ? When you have filled all the specialized room , and there are 30 additional cases laying in the corridors ?
The hospitals and medical centers will become the centers of the disease.
Let's hope you don't need medical attention for anything else ,like a hernia , appendicitis , broken bone , or you might contract Ebola.
Ironically, just this week I began eating from a case of tuna that I stored away in 2006 in preparation for the H5N1 pandemic. It tastes great.
______________
for tuna.
Bug chasing:
NOT just for homoz anymore...!
Sent boots to do what exactly? Shoot the virus?
THe kill rate is :
30% survival with trained medical practitioners, saline (already in short supply), electrolites, and medications.
10% survival rate with home care
Since medical installations are already overwhelmed, they already turn away 30% those that show up at hospitals, or medical facilities.
Turning away victims is a death sentance for either the infected , or their immediate families who care for them , and will contract the disease.
If that’s what you really think then why are you not spending your time elsewhere?
Smearing germs around the planes....that’s what the “cleaning” procedures appear to consist of.
When they DO clean the planes, Delta uses a disinfectant while United uses a general purpose cleaner like Fantastik. Great. (Why is United STILL flying to Lagos?)
Take disinfecting sheets and wipe down your airline seat, tray, buttons, window shade, etc. Good luck if you have to use the (gross) facilities.
I do not see how we contain Ebola at this point...
There are methods that are probably effective at disinfecting a plane. I’ve worked with systems that produce a super-fine fog that will fill the space and disinfect all surfaces.
But it would add probably an hour to turnaround time per flight, and there is some possibility of people having chemical reactions to the fog residue.
I personally encourage those who believe it is nothing to personally head to ebolaville and prove it is a nothingburger.....
I don’t think it’s conspiracy because I don’t think anybody else wants it, but I think spreading it around the (hated) USA may be in the back of Obama’s deranged mind.
That’s what I keep asking myself. This is the worst idea ever.
(Why is United STILL flying to Lagos?)
Good question...2 weeks ago I flew from Houston to Seattle. United does a direct from Lagos. My biggest fear was having to board a plane that would be filled with travelers just in from Lagos. So far, so good.
Do suppose Obama will visit the troops to see the fine job they are doing? (keeping ebola in-check)
There are some interesting numbers in the analysis behind that link.
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