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WHO Declares Ebola Outbreak An International Emergency

mdsolar (1045926) writes with news that, with the Ebola outbreak growing out of control, the WHO has declared an international health emergency. From the article: With cases rapidly mounting in four West African countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) today declared the Ebola outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), a designation that allows the agency to issue recommendations for travel restrictions but also sends a strong message that more resources need to be mobilized to bring the viral disease under control. ... This is only the third time the health agency has issued a PHEIC declaration since the new International Health Regulations (IHR), a global agreement on the control of diseases, were adopted in 2005. The previous two instances were in 2009, for the H1N1 influenza pandemic, and in May for the resurgence of polio.

10 of 183 comments (clear)

  1. Re:First.... by jriding · · Score: 4, Funny

    Too late to become a prepper?

    --
    love the taste, hate the texture
  2. Re:The infection the 'right-sizes' the human race by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Let's hope you're corrected first!

  3. Re:who? by Z00L00K · · Score: 3, Funny

    They need Doctor Who...

    --
    If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker would destroy civilization.
  4. E-bola by goombah99 · · Score: 4, Funny

    E-bola is so 1990. it should get with the times and be called iBola. Then everyone would wait in line to get it.

    --
    Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
  5. Plague, Inc. by DoofusOfDeath · · Score: 5, Funny

    Am I the only one who views these things differently after playing a few hours of Plague, Inc?

  6. Re:First.... by shadowrat · · Score: 5, Funny

    I like preppers, they rarely, if ever, actually understand the consequences of social collapse, and falsely view increased individualism as the primary consequence of major institutional failure.

    They don't consider the social structures that arise in post-governmental situations. The importance of community connectivity increases with importance as rigid social structures fail. You want a local warlord, a gang, a tribe, or some other primitive power structure, if you want to survive in a "lawless" world.

    Oh sure, grouping up provides an immediate boost to strength, but It'll only last for so long. This australian case study from 1985 http://tinyurl.com/h4otx proved that such a social structure is only as strong as it's weakest link. A stronger individual will always appear in time and take your group apart. It's pretty much proven as the same results were witnessed in 2 previous studies. I hear they are going to run it again. I expect the same outcome.

    Heres a similar sociological study demonstrating the feasibility of individual survival. It's not as targeted at catastrophic social collapse, but i think it's safe to extrapolate. http://tinyurl.com/3xpd3n

  7. Re:keep calm everyone.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hello good sir.

    I represent Reynolds Consumer Products, LLC. I believe we have a wide array of products you may be interested in. You may find our Heavy Duty foil especially useful.

    Thank you and have a nice day.

  8. WHO declares first.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Abbott: You have a disease outbreak in Africa.
    Costello: Then WHO declares it?
    Abbott: Naturally.
    Costello: Naturally.
    Abbott: Now you've got it.
    Costello: The outbreak is declared Naturally.
    Abbott: No, it is declared by Who!
    Costello: Naturally.
    Abbott: Well, that's it—say it that way.
    Costello: That's what I said.
    Abbott: You did not.

  9. Surprised no one has mentioned it... by scubamage · · Score: 1, Funny

    Madagascar has closed their ports.

  10. Re:who? by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Funny

    but instead trying to secure a future by nakedly chasing down a cow

    The judge said I wasn't allowed to do that anymore.

    Wait, what? Oh, never mind, forget I said anything.

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    Lost at C:>. Found at C.