Ebola outbreak looming?

[ragtimejoe1]

I'm not one of those fanatical live underground types, but this Ebola thing is a little unsettling. I think it is transmitted easier than the CDC advertised but I don't think a US outbreak is imminent.

What I worry about is what if this stuff pops up in Central America or Mexico? It could get scary quick. Africa is facing 10K infections/week in the coming months.

I don't know. I'm a little nervous about it this time around.

[Wyo2dal]

I'm not one of those fanatical live underground types, but this Ebola thing is a little unsettling. I think it is transmitted easier than the CDC advertised but I don't think a US outbreak is imminent.

What I worry about is what if this stuff pops up in Central America or Mexico? It could get scary quick. Africa is facing 10K infections/week in the coming months.

I don't know. I'm a little nervous about it this time around.

I worry about it from insects and birds. Being in Arizona I'm like not even going outside at night unless I'm covered up. I end up with 5-10 bites within minutes of walking outside and I'm worried about it being carried in those methods.

poop like this is what those Movies are made from makes my skin crawl thinking about any movie where an outbreak was controlled by military. Even Last Ship the TV series that just ended is the same type of poop. Sure they are moving and shows but who knows how it would be handled in real life if some outbreak started threatening entire cities.

TBH it's stuff I'd rather not have to think about at all.

[Wyokie]

Any of you remember your world history?

Back in 1918-1919, right after WWI ended a epidemic got started called the Spanish flu. It was the worst epidemic since the infamous Black Death of the late 1340s.

From History Channel....

http://www.history.com/topics/1918-flu-pandemic" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The influenza or flu pandemic of 1918 to 1919, the deadliest in modern history, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide–about one-third of the planet’s population at the time–and killed an estimated 20 million to 50 million victims. More than 25 percent of the U.S. population became sick, and some 675,000 Americans died during the pandemic. The 1918 flu was first observed in Europe, the U.S. and parts of Asia before swiftly spreading around the world. Surprisingly, many flu victims were young, otherwise healthy adults. At the time, there were no effective drugs or vaccines to treat this killer flu strain or prevent its spread. In the U.S., citizens were ordered to wear masks, and schools, theaters and other public places were shuttered. Researchers later discovered what made the 1918 pandemic so deadly: In many victims, the influenza virus had invaded their lungs and caused pneumonia.

It's also why UW cancelled the 1918 football season.

THIS is why everyone is so scared of Ebola. History is repeating itself......again.

[laxwyo]

I'm still worried about SARS

[Wyokie]

I'm still worried about SARS

Yeah...

Plus there's the entrovirus as well...

[ragtimejoe1]

If someone gets sick from the nurse who took a flight, then my level of nervousness will increase drastically.

We'll know more in a few weeks.

[laxwyo]

The fact that health care workers in the US are getting sick is somewhat unnerving but im sure they'll be rectifying that. Most likely improperly removed ppe

[MrTitleist]

Funny story.. I work at one of four hospitals in the United States that is certified to take Ebola patients.. we haven't yet received a case, but already the locals are tripping the F out... not in my back yard, etc. Personally, I don't care. I don't see nurses or patients, I'm chained to a desk in the basement. If there's a serious outbreak I have enough ammo to shoot my way out of Missoula and into the hills. We had a nurse and Dr go to Africa to help people with their Ebola.. both of them are fine despite the many people that died while they were there. We're equipped to handle it.. if you get sick you did not follow protocol.

Here's what our people were doing: http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2 ... a-patients" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[NowherePoke]

I try not to worry about it too much, but it is pretty close to me here in Dallas. We live less than 2 miles from where the 1st nurse (Nina Pham) lived and the hospital in question (Texas Health Presbyterian) is where my daughter was born and where my son is scheduled to be born in about 5 weeks. Everything seems to be fine and I am not too worried, but some of the recent stories do not paint the Hospital administration in a positive light.

The interesting thing is that, as of today, none of the other people that were around the original patient in between his hospital visits (including when he was at the apartment, vomiting, etc.) have contracted the virus. It definitely appears to be primarily an issue of poor preparation and protocol by the hospital.

In hindsight, the original patient should have been shipped to Missoula for treatment (ok, actually Nebraska or Emory in Atlanta) once the diagnosis was confirmed.

[laxwyo]

I believe they said that they most likely were infected before the Ebola virus was actually confirmed

[ragtimejoe1]

I
The interesting thing is that, as of today, none of the other people that were around the original patient in between his hospital visits (including when he was at the apartment, vomiting, etc.) have contracted the virus. It definitely appears to be primarily an issue of poor preparation and protocol by the hospital.

That is what I think, too. I also think though transmission might be easier than advertised, infectivity is not that great (thankfully). It also seems that in the last days of the patient's illness is when the potential for transmission is really bad thus only those working around the patients are most susceptible.

I'm with you all and not too worried yet. Like I said above, if someone gets it that was on the flights with the nurse, then that will change.