Ebola

[fontaine]

aight... so what's consensus on this?

not thumbing through 27 pages...

but i've been wondering how this is such an explosion now when ebola has been around for almost 40 years.

 

[plansb]

but i've been wondering how this is such an explosion now when ebola has been around for almost 40 years.

 because it was able to be contained for the most part, prior to this outbreak.  this current outbreak is by far the largest outbreak of ebola, and that is why its becoming such a big deal now.

 

[trueprada]

Obama expected to authorize deployment of National Guard troops to Liberia in Ebola fight

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/eb...nal-guard-liberia-fight-ebola-sources-n227336

 

[don ramon]

 

but i've been wondering how this is such an explosion now when ebola has been around for almost 40 years.

 because it was able to be contained for the most part, prior to this outbreak.  this current outbreak is by far the largest outbreak of ebola, and that is why its becoming such a big deal now.

yep and as was mentioned, the virus reaching europe and the us has also made the world stand up in attention

of course there's racism or a the very least cultural/ethnic/economic bias involved in the rest of the world not giving much of a damn before

 

[don ramon]

with halloween around the corner, i'm wondering how many ebola-related costumes we'll see this year. i'm sure none of them will be racist either 

 

[trueprada]

not a costume but a start 

 

[fontaine]

 because it was able to be contained for the most part, prior to this outbreak.  this current outbreak is by far the largest outbreak of ebola, and that is why its becoming such a big deal now.

is the outbreak really as bad as they say?

i've heard of 5 people from the US getting it in the past year.

not trying to rustle. i'm legitimately curious and want answers from something other than the news

 

[plansb]

^ yes it is, 4000+ have died so far and that number dwarfs fatality numbers from prior outbreaks.   West african countries are getting hit the hardest, obviously, but they dont have the supplies, personnel, etc to deal with a massive outbreak.  so, imo, it will get worse before it gets better - in africa at least.

 

[dropten]

You'd be stupid not to be prepared. Im not concerned that it will spread, but I am prepared as much as I can be

 

[fontaine]

^ yes it is, 4000+ have died so far and that number dwarfs fatality numbers from prior outbreaks.   West african countries are getting hit the hardest, obviously, but they dont have the supplies, personnel, etc to deal with a massive outbreak.  so, imo, it will get worse before it gets better - in africa at least.

what about in America?

 

[nazdrowie]

they are moving Nina Pham to NIH bio containment facility in Bethesda, MD

eeck, i work < 1 mile NIH and lots of the people that ride the same bus lines as me go to the NIH/Medical center stop 

 

[plansb]

what about in America?

I don't think there is any reason for Americans to worry about it right now.  However, there is always the potential for this to virus to affect many Americans.  Right now our government, health care workers, et al need to do their absolute best to contain this virus.  Though, i am of the belief that until the virus is under control in West Africa (the source), more Americans will be affected.

 

[picasso swerve]

You'd be stupid not to be prepared. Im not concerned that it will spread, but I am prepared as much as I can be

A "bad" sitation in the US like I said starts at only a handful of cases. Will it ever reach thousands like in West Aftica? No.

The point is to contain it as much as possible. Its good to be aware, but a "national epidemic" doesnt mean thousands have it. I dont even think it will reach 100 cased. Its getting enough attention that the 3 cases we have so far will drastically reduce the spread of it.

The real problem is in West Africa, not here.

 

[sundoobie]

What if "terrorists" infect people on purpose and send em here illegally. I live in Cali and illegals being smuggled into this State from Mexico is a piece of cake. Imagine a bus load of Ebola suicide carriers coming here, going to McDonalds/train stations/parks/movies and sneezing, coughing on everything and anything. If the US response is this chaotic, what if Ebola hits a 3rd world country like Mexico? That crap will spread rapidly right?

 

[picasso swerve]

...go for a walk in the park and get some fresh air bud.

relax

 

[Gill Baka Esq. LLC.]

Obama gonna send National Guard so that they can get sick and come back here and make it worse.

We need to quarantine all ebola patients and research to a private island/country until they are able to get a handle on treating these people.

Get the top ebola researchers to do extensive studies at another island/country.

 

[sundoobie]

^Relax?

How many registered Nurse Practitioners do you know? I know a ton that were protesting yesterday in regards to this. Their concerns are they have had no training or procedures on how to handle Ebola type cases.

 

[eracism]

Stop transporting these fools!

 

[bravelude]

 STOP THE FLIGHTS TO AND FROM AFRICA.

 

[nazdrowie]

 
 STOP THE FLIGHTS TO AND FROM AFRICA  the DMV...

fixed

 

[sundoobie]

Read this written by the nephew of Thomas Eric Duncan


Exclusive: Ebola didn’t have to kill Thomas Eric Duncan, nephew says
http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/l...s-weeks-ebola-didnt-have-to-kill-my-uncle.ece

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

On Friday, Sept. 25, 2014, my uncle Thomas Eric Duncan went to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. He had a high fever and stomach pains. He told the nurse he had recently been in Liberia. But he was a man of color with no health insurance and no means to pay for treatment, so within hours he was released with some antibiotics and Tylenol.

Two days later, he returned to the hospital in an ambulance. Two days after that, he was finally diagnosed with Ebola. Eight days later, he died alone in a hospital room.
Now, Dallas suffers. Our country is concerned. Greatly. About the lack of answers and transparency coming from a hospital whose ignorance, incompetence and indecency has yet to be explained. I write this on behalf of my family because we want to set the record straight about what happened and ensure that Thomas Eric did not die in vain. So, here’s the truth about my uncle and his battle with Ebola.

Thomas Eric Duncan was cautious. Among the most offensive errors in the media during my uncle’s illness are the accusations that he knew he was exposed to Ebola — that is just not true. Eric lived in a careful manner, as he understood the dangers of living in Liberia amid this outbreak. He limited guests in his home, he did not share drinking cups or eating utensils.
And while the stories of my uncle helping a pregnant woman with Ebola are courageous, Thomas Eric personally told me that never happened. Like hundreds of thousands of West Africans, carefully avoiding Ebola was part of my uncle’s daily life.

And I can tell you with 100 percent certainty: Thomas Eric would have never knowingly exposed anyone to this illness.
Thomas Eric Duncan was a victim of a broken system. The biggest unanswered question about my uncle’s death is why the hospital would send home a patient with a 103-degree fever and stomach pains who had recently been in Liberia — and he told them he had just returned from Liberia explicitly due to the Ebola threat.
Some speculate that this was a failure of the internal communications systems. Others have speculated that antibiotics and Tylenol are the standard protocol for a patient without insurance.
The hospital is not talking. Until then, we are all left to wonder. What we do know is that their error affects all of society. Their bad judgment or misjudgment sent my uncle back into the community for days with a highly contagious case of Ebola. And now, officials suspect that a breach of protocol by the hospital is responsible for a new Ebola case, and that all health care workers who care for my uncle could potentially be exposed.

Their error set the wheels in motion for my uncle’s death and additional Ebola cases, and their ignorance, incompetence or indecency has created a national security threat for our country.
Thomas Eric Duncan could have been saved. Finally, what is most difficult for us — Thomas Eric’s mother, children and those closest to him — to accept is the fact that our loved one could have been saved. From his botched release from the emergency room to his delayed testing and delayed treatment and the denial of experimental drugs that have been available to every other case of Ebola treated in the U.S., the hospital invited death every step of the way.

When my uncle was first admitted, the hospital told us that an Ebola test would take three to seven days. Miraculously, the deputy who was feared to have Ebola just last week was tested and had results within 24 hours.

The fact is, nine days passed between my uncle’s first ER visit and the day the hospital asked our consent to give him an experimental drug — but despite the hospital’s request they were never able to access these drugs for my uncle. (Editor’s note: Hospital officials have said they started giving Duncan the drug Brincidofovir on October 4.) He died alone. His only medication was a saline drip.
For our family, the most humiliating part of this ordeal was the treatment we received from the hospital. For the 10 days he was in the hospital, they not only refused to help us communicate with Thomas Eric, but they also acted as an impediment. The day Thomas Eric died, we learned about it from the news media, not his doctors.
Our nation will never mourn the loss of my uncle, who was in this country for the first time to visit his son, as my family has. But our nation and our family can agree that what happened at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas must never happen to another family.

In time, we may learn why my uncle’s initial visit to the hospital was met with such incompetence and insensitivity. Until that day comes, our family will fight for transparency, accountability and answers, for my uncle and for the safety of the country we love.

Josephus Weeks, a U.S. Army and Iraq War veteran who lives in North Carolina, wrote this piece exclusively for The Dallas Morning News.

 

[osh kosh bosh]

Anther factor in the ebola outbreak we now know dumb, gullible and reactionary the average american is.

and whats worse journalist, who are supposed to have "integrity" are fanning the flames for ratings.

My moms in west africa right now yet some how half of america is more way waaay waaaay more worried than me.

 

[plansb]

Obama gonna send National Guard so that they can get sick and come back here and make it worse.

We need to quarantine all ebola patients and research to a private island/country until they are able to get a handle on treating these people.

Get the top ebola researchers to do extensive studies at another island/country.

it NEEDS to be gotten under control in West Africa, and they dont have the people, supplies, infrastructure, etc to do that - they are overwhelmed.  So without help from the US, and others, it will get much much worse in West Africa and in turn the rest of the world.  It needs to be controlled at the source!

And, its not like researchers can just set up a trial in another "island/country" - it isnt that easy!  There are strict regulations in place for clinical research, its not as easy as some people make it seem..

 

[JCMojica24]

This is literally a mile from my place gonna drive by in a few

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/20...after-student-vomits-in-class-sick-ill-virus/

 

[danikerhino]

Read the thread. Hazmat suits are pretty much pointless unless worn and removed properly. Even then, a chem shower is required for full effectiveness. These patients aren't contained in a Level 4 biohazard facility. They're in hospitals that have isolation units. Also, the nurses aren't trained on how to properly use a hazmat suit anyway. It's not something you can just put on for the first time and go about your business like normal. They're cumbersome and training people to work under those conditions is a colossal waste of time when a patient needs help NOW.

I stand corrected. Still though, train everyone correctly or bring in trained individuals to handle these things.