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.

Comments

Don't freak out.

[grep -v '.*' *]

You're NOT contagious until you're actively showing symptoms, and then you have to somehow get it on someone else. It's not going to chase down an uninfected person like a tiger on Nat Geo or magically float thru the walls like a ghost.

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:

1. Fever
2. Severe headache
3. Joint and muscle aches
4. Chills
5. Weakness

Symptoms may become increasingly severe over time, the Mayo Clinic said, with additional symptoms present, including:

• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea (may be bloody)
• Red eyes
• Raised rash
• Chest pain and cough
• Stomach pain
• Severe weight loss
• Bleeding, usually from the eyes, and bruising (people near death may bleed from other orifices, such as ears, nose and rectum)
• Internal bleeding

Be careful, but not frightened.

Re:If Ebola cross-mutates with the

[Stormy Dragon]

YOU FAIL BIOLOGY FOREVER.