Anyone else worried about Ebola?

[Pat Barry]

Just today:

• The number of new cases being diagnosed in west Africa has doubled in the past two weeks
• A nurse in Spain, contacted Ebola from a priest who died in Spanish hospital

Also

• Dallas situation seems out of control
• Dallas victim from Liberia has gotten worse rather than better now that he is being treated, finally
• All the experts are saying basically that we shouldn't worry

I'm more worried everyday that this thing will go from 1 case in USA to 100 within couple weeks

Too much travel freedom, too long of a incubation period, not a positive early detection method, not an effective treatment plan for lots of victims, etc.

Anyone else worried?

[Brett Luna]

You have far more to fear from the anti-vax nutters.

[Wade Lippman]

Or meteorites...

[paul cottingham]

Not even remotely. If it was airborne, then I would be fretting. Ive never had a blood or fluid borne disease, even afterworking in a kitchen. So I dont give it a seconds thought. My wife, on the other hand....

[Pat Barry]

i
have doubt that they really understand its transmission. For example - how can they be SURE that it is not airborn? I just think they are over-selling their knowledge.

Lets assume though, that you are not worried. I can appreciate that. What will it take to make you worried?

[Mark Bolton]

What I found interesting was the report that even the agencies in Africa state that any individual showing symptoms could simply take a handful of tylenol and get past the fever checks at the airports. Its hard to tell how many people are just wanting to get out of the region at any cost and in a rash of poor judgement are taking their, and others, lives into their own hands.

[paul cottingham]

Sure they understand it. Other, more robust strains *may* have been airborne. Its a matter of how robust it is. Like the way AIDS isnt robust, so it must be transferred by fluids. So I dont worry. It will take a lot more than a controlled illness in Dallas to start freaking out.

[Phil Thien]

Something is different this time around. I have some theories but will keep them to myself for now.

I'm not buying into the "you have nothing to worry about."

I'm not obsessing about it, but I'm certainly not dismissive about it, either.

[Phil Thien]

Its a matter of how robust it is. Like the way AIDS isnt robust, so it must be transferred by fluids.

35-million people in the world now infected with AIDS, it is the #1 infectious killer world-wide, with approx. 36 million dead.

And Ebola is much more contagious than AIDS.

[Scott Shepherd]

They say it isn't airborne, but there are some unexplained items at this time. Like how does a camera man for NBC get it? How many camera men you know they get bodily fluids on them when filming about deadly viruses? Maybe he did something that caused it, and that's very possible, but someone's got some explaining to do. Maybe to start, they could explain how they said there wasn't anything to worry about and then 5 days later took over that guys apartment complex all suited in Hazmat gear, full tilt.

Right now, their actions don't match their words. What's that mean? I have no idea. Not too worried about it, but paying attention to it.

[paul cottingham]

I'm not dismissive, I'm just not worried. Ebola symptoms cant be abated by a handful of tyenol, either so getting on a plane with it would be no simple matter. If it hasn't killed or at least infected all of subSaharan Africa, it clearly is not as infectious as even AIDS. Being alarmist doesnt help anything. Hey, I'm not an epidemiologist, so who cares what I think?

But remember a health professional descibed Ebola as the "Kardashian of diseases" because it gets way more attention than it deserves or merits.

[Mark Bolton]

I'm not dismissive, I'm just not worried. Ebola symptoms cant be abated by a handful of tyenol, either so getting on a plane with it would be no simple matter. If it hasn't killed or at least infected all of subSaharan Africa, it clearly is not as infectious as even AIDS. Being alarmist doesnt help anything. Hey, I'm not an epidemiologist, so who cares what I think?

But remember a health professional descibed Ebola as the "Kardashian of diseases" because it gets way more attention than it deserves or merits.

I dont think anyone is saying that a handful of tylenol will take away all the symptoms but rather the only definitive check the airlines have is fever. Any fever reducer would get someone with minimal/initial symptoms past any preliminary checks. Anyone screening airline passengers is not going to be expected to be an epidemiologist. They will simply have a series of go-no go checks. At this point it seems in the hot zone a detectable fever is the only "no go" for getting on a plane.

[Pat Barry]

That is one aspect that makes you wonder. The other is that they rely a lot on someone filling out a form truthfully. How will they know if the answers are truthful. Seems very very risky. I wish they could just take a quick blood draw, run a quick test and say with positivity that you are clean or infected.

[Jim Matthews]

Ebola also immobilizes most of it's carriers, before they can contact many people.

This is a crippling disease that very quickly incapacitates the victim.
It's readily preventable, with simple sanitary precautions.

It's more a threat to the Indian Peninsula and South east Asia
than North America.

It's prevalent near the Ebola river, where clean water is a luxury.

While it's outrageous that someone was permitted to travel out of Liberia,
after assisting a known Ebola victim, you can bet the travel restrictions
are coming. This disease flares, and each time it retreats to the
fauna that it doesn't kill, in the jungle.

What we can hope for is food aid to the places where people depend on "bush meat",
but it's likely to lead to intentional deforestation to eradicate the vector.

http://www.popsci.com/article/scienc...ou-might-think

[David Weaver]

i
have doubt that they really understand its transmission. For example - how can they be SURE that it is not airborn? I just think they are over-selling their knowledge.

Lets assume though, that you are not worried. I can appreciate that. What will it take to make you worried?

If it was aerosol, all of those people in the slums would be dead. They live too close to each other and there's apparently a lot of misinformation going on in the zones with a lot of ebola. If this were influenza or something, it would be far more severe.

It's not that contagious compared to some things, even though it's very infectious once you have it.