Ebola fear factor

[pederito1]

Interested because I lived in Sierra Leone for a while, I hope it will weaken and die out as previously and am optimistic that it will.

[Workingman]

I see that a second health worker has become infected in Dallas.

[Suff]

I note that WHO is now stating that the death rate is 70%. Granted they are supposed to know what they are talking about.

But.

It is max 21 days before infection shows. It is max 21 days between infection and death, but in reality it is more like 7-10 days.

Yet their own figures show that over the last 3 months, the death rate has not spiked above 55%. So, Honestly, I'm wondering where their figures come from....

I saw the second health worker. I notice they are doing a plasma transfer from a cured patient. Which is likely to save her life. The only reason they are not doing this for everyone is blood type issues. Although every recovered patient is a reservoir of plasma for life and it regenerates every 2 days.

Because of the size of this outbreak, we may, finally, get enough plasma to be able to treat any future outbreak before it becomes a real issue. As I understand it, there has never really been that much research into an Ebola vaccine because it was a little known virus which kept springing up in the back of beyond and killing everyone before it became a nuisance. Every other virus we have encountered, which has been a major direct killer in this way, has been defeated by vaccines.

Perhaps now we'll see movement on it.

[Workingman]

This is what everyone was worried about.

Amber Vinson is the second person who has contracted Ebola whist treating Thomas Duncan. Now they are looking for 132 passengers who travelled with her the day before she reported ill. If one of them shows signs of being infected then the whole process begins again.

Anybody remember the old riddle to be paid £1m immediately or to have a chessboard covered in pennies, one on the first sqaure, two on the second, four on the third, and so on? Today's outcome in Dallas could be a lot worse than doubling the last double.

[Diflower]

Nightmare, isn't it!
Plenty of people on the News saying why on earth did she get on a flight - well, presumably because she already knew she was ill
And what about the staff on the plane, how many flights have they been on since?!

Jeez, to us normal humans, it's not rocket science is it?
A severe outbreak of a deadly disease. Okay, so first stop people from travelling out of the danger zone, and if people go into it, they don't come out.
By 'out of' I mean, the immediate area, no inter-village visiting, never mind leaving the country.

Those in there - tough...is that right? Is that how it should be?
Is that how it needs to be, with such a disease? Leave them all to live or die?

[Workingman]

The thing is that we "know", with absolute certainty, that Ebola cannot spread other than by coming into contact with infected bodily fluids, and even then it has to be ingested somehow, though a cut, the eyes, nose, mouth and/or other orifices. I listened to a doctor on BBC News saying just those things. He even said that it could be washed off with soap and water.

So, with all that, why is a lot of deep cleaning of homes, cars, and even driveways being carried out? Why are those treating infected patients wearing biohazard suits. It has to be so that no chance is overlooked. So, what about the plane? It will/could have flown many hundreds of passengers by now..........

I said a few days ago that how the US dealt with Thomas Duncan would be looked at closely as it could inform other places what to do. We know now that it might be best not to do things the Dallas way.

[Suff]

So, with all that, why is a lot of deep cleaning of homes, cars, and even driveways being carried out? Why are those treating infected patients wearing biohazard suits. It has to be so that no chance is overlooked. So, what about the plane? It will/could have flown many hundreds of passengers by now..........

Yep and post 9/11 they should know exactly which passenger was in which seat. Unless it's budget seating.

The biohazard suit is important in the later stages. Haemorrhagic fever causes the patients to, quite literally, haemorrhage blood from multiple orifices. The suits are so that the medical staff can work without having to second guess themselves when treating a dying patient. The main care is in taking them off and that is a one time action at the end of the shift watching the patient. It saves a lot of time and wear and tear on the medical staff.

I see a whole lot of misinformation and panic knee jerk reaction going on here. An Ebola patient, simply by sitting in a seat, with early symptoms, is going to be less infectious than a Flu sufferer. It has never been proven that sneezing can carry it. Although that would be an issue even at that early stage if it was, when in a plane. Having said that, I'd say that if it were passed by sneezing, then we'd be drowning in cases by now.

We need a healthy fear of the disease. Allied to knowledge. Without the knowledge then we just get blind panic and people can't function in that mode for long. So when nothing happens and the panic recedes, then people make mistakes and do stupid things.

I'm not expecting sanity to strike any time soon.

[Workingman]

The pictures showing the transfer of infected nurse, Amber Vinson, are a worry. There was one man with a clipboard. obviously immune, seemingly directing procedures. It has been so embarrassing for America.

When in the RAF I was a member of a decontam team. People thought to be contaminated came to us. Their outerware was peeled from them without them touching anything. They then went to a decon shower, and after that to a normal shower with soaps and shampoos. They were air dried and then checked for contaminants. If they were not 'clean' they went through again. Their outerware was incinerated in a 'dry' incinerator - essentially a sealed capsule where the temperatures were so high that the contents were reduced to ash.

That sort of thing has to be done to keep the brave medics sent by the UK to the infected areas. I hope and pray that will be the case. Anything less would be a crime.

[KateLMead]

The pictures showing the transfer of infected nurse, Amber Vinson, are a worry. There was one man with a clipboard. obviously immune, seemingly directing procedures. It has been so embarrassing for America.

When in the RAF I was a member of a decontam team. People thought to be contaminated came to us. Their outerware was peeled from them without them touching anything. They then went to a decon shower, and after that to a normal shower with soaps and shampoos. They were air dried and then checked for contaminants. If they were not 'clean' they went through again. Their outerware was incinerated in a 'dry' incinerator - essentially a sealed capsule where the temperatures were so high that the contents were reduced to ash.

That sort of thing has to be done to keep the brave medics sent by the UK to the infected areas. I hope and pray that will be the case. Anything less would be a crime.

Did the medics have any choice Frank.? There has been talk of this plague mutating. I applaud all those who are risking life and limb caring for the infected in these countries I do not applaud the lax procedures in this country however. "Have you been sick? Have you got a temperature"
All flights from infected areas should be stopped forthwith.

[Kaz]

There is a fair bit of ill-informed hysteria out there! I had someone on FB tell me I should not be 'sending my child' to Africa (B is going to Namibia on work experience in January) until Ebola has died down! The fact that Namibia is thousands of kilometres from the Ebola region, and a hot dry desert where the virus would soon perish anyway, seemed to have totally passed her by - as far as she was concerned the whole of the continent is a seething mass of danger

Oh and the best bit is that she lives in Venezuela, that well known haven of peace and safety Mick went to Venezuela on business once, he had to pay the customs guys to let him out of the country, as they had their own protection racket going