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Ebola Has Made It To the United States
An anonymous reader sends news that the CDC has confirmed the first case of Ebola diagnosed on U.S. soil.
An unnamed patient at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas was placed in isolation while awaiting test results for the dreaded virus. Apparently, the patient had traveled recently to a West African country, where the disease is spreading, and later developed symptoms that suggested Ebola. A blood specimen from the patient was sent to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, a testing process that can take 24 to 48 hours to confirm an Ebola infection — or not. The results came back about 3:32 p.m.
In other Ebola news, outbreaks in Nigeria and Senegal appear to be completely contained.
Then how the hell did it end up in Texas?
Most likely it came from somewhere other than Nigeria or Senegal. Most of the active cases are in Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.
I mean why would anyone travel to west Africa at this point? Curiosity?
Because the number of deaths from Ebola, even in West Africa, is miniscule compared to other causes, and it is easy to avoid just by washing your hands and using hand sanitizer. Also, avoid touching dead people. Other that that, you will be fine.
Maybe people have pointed out that Ebola is not very contagious and is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids. However, the Ebola Reston strain is airborne though only dangerous to monkeys.
The current strain in Liberia and other places is Ebola Zaire, and is not airborne, but there is nothing preventing its mutation into something that is more contagious like Reston, so we should be cautious.
"What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." Ralph Waldo Emerson
link
"The best means of prevention are similar to those you would practice to prevent the common cold or the flu, and it starts at your bathroom sink. Thoroughly washing your hands, and practicing good hygiene with soap and water, is a good first step to preventing infection."
The early signs and symptoms of the Ebola virus include:
Symptoms may become increasingly severe over time, the Mayo Clinic said, with additional symptoms present, including:
Be careful, but not frightened.
If the universe is someone's simulation -- does that mean the stars are just stuck pixels?
YOU FAIL BIOLOGY FOREVER.
Travel has almost never been restricted by the US government, with Cuba serving as the inexplicable exception. The Soviet Union was the big enemy for decades, and yet Americans regularly visited whether for university terms abroad or Intourist package tours. North Korea? The State Department might put out a travel advisory that it's not a good idea to go there, but it's perfectly legal for Americans to participated in the organized tour. That permissiveness even applies to war zones: when the US was bombing Serbia or NATO was carried out air strikes in Libya, you still could freely visit (there was a period when you couldn't bring any goods back from Yugoslavia, though).
India might barely make the cut of 3rd world but there's no comparison between India and the places where Ebola is currently rampant.
The per capita of liberia is $400 while india is over $1500 not to mention india's goverment and economy is infinitely more stable.
Even in places like guatemala (which I visited last year and is also infinitely more stable than liberia) a majority of cell phones are
prepaid. Less than 50% of the people in liberia even have cell phones. So yes, some of the "rising 3rd world countries" like
india and guatemala have some credit available but nothing close to the US where someone can buy a house on credit or get
credit cards with limits that grossly exceed their annual income.
Listening to NPR they just reported that the person had traveled from Liberia to visit family. It was 4 or 5 days after the person arrived in the US before they started feeling sick so it's not likely the folks on the airplane are at risk.
Income distribution != theft. When you work, you do so understanding that a portion of your income will be taken for taxes and how much is set before you engage in said work. You can then negotiate with those costs factored in. You don't find out how much of your earnings you get to keep 5 years later at gunpoint. That's why we tax based on income and not net wealth.
This* What people fail to realise is that Ebola is not very contagious. It has a high mortality rate which makes it scary as but as far as contagious goes it has nothing on influenza or many other viral infections.
You can't get Ebola from someone sneezing in the room.
You can't get Ebola from someone showing no symptoms. Unless the person is physically ill the virus is not contiguous.
You typically can't get Ebola from very short term contact.
My advice is not to tongue kiss people who just got off the plane from west African countries and you should be fine.
If I want something I can pay for it. If my life is on the line, I don't have to worry about how much it costs. I already know two people who have benefited from very expensive life saving procedures. I am sure that when I need something like that, it will at least be there.
I'm not so sure of near-communist countries where beaurocrats are in charge of these things.
This guy from Liberia is already getting the best care available anywhere. He might even pull through because of our "inferior" system.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
Right next to you, and yes you can get it.unlikely but possible
It's not an airborne virus. You need direct contact to bodily fluids meaning the person would need to literally sneeze on your face. That is why ebola only readily spreads in countries where basic hygiene (read: washing your hands) isn't practised.
true, but bear in mind that includes running a fever. How well do you recognize someone with a slight fever? How any people at the beginning stages still continue their daily routine until the are too sick? I'ts just a cold, at first.
It's just a cold at first for a very VERY short time. Ebola once it takes hits you very suddenly. Much like meningococcal which can go from nothing at all to 40+ fever in a matter of hours. You don't need to be some kind of medical genius to recognise people with an onset of severe symptoms, and the symptoms really are severe.
"You typically can't get Ebola from very short term contact."
Um..incorrect.
If you insist. Sure if an ebola victim comes in and start bleeding on you then you'll get it with short term exposure, but the disease is hard to spread. How often do you share bodily fluids with co-workers? In any ordinary scenario you need prolonged contact for the virus to make it across. You shake your co-workers ebola ridden hand and then go to the loo and wash your hands you're in the clear. That's what I mean with prolonged contact, in most normal cases it won't spread and the CDC even listed the highest risk groups are those providing continuous care to a patient.
Anyway in summary you seem to agree with the principle of theres no need to freak out, right?