Posted on 08/03/2014 12:20:44 PM PDT by PoloSec
he US has announced plans to send at least 50 public health experts to West Africa to help fight the worst-ever outbreak of Ebola.
A senior US health official said the outbreak was out of control but insisted it could be stopped.
Ebola has claimed 728 lives in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone this year. The current mortality rate is about 55%.
Meanwhile, an American doctor infected with the virus is improving in hospital after returning to the US from Liberia.
Dr Kent Brantly arrived at a military base in Georgia on Saturday before being driven to Emory University Hospital. A Gulfstream airplane departs after transporting American doctor Kent Brantly who is infected with Ebola, at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia August 2, 2014 The aircraft chartered to transport the infected Americans can only carry one patient at a time
Another infected American, aid worker Nancy Writebol, is expected to arrive in the US soon.
The virus spreads through human contact with a sufferer's bodily fluids.
Initial flu-like symptoms can lead to external haemorrhaging from areas like eyes and gums, and internal bleeding which can lead to organ failure. 'Scary' disease
Dr Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, announced the new US measures in an interview with ABC's This Week.
"We do know how to stop Ebola. It's old-fashioned plain and simple public health: find the patients, make sure they get treated, find their contacts, track them, educate people, do infection control in hospitals."
The experts would arrive in West Africa within 30 days to fight what he called the "scary" disease.
He rejected fears that this would put more US citizens in harms way.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Well, they are doing what they have done with previous ebola outbreaks, sending in quarantine equipment and medical treatment for the disease. This is in every person’s decent interest to crack down on it now, as well as find some possible treatment to immunize, or at least improve survivability, because it’s only a matter of time, given the functioning of ebola, that some poor soul could unknowingly bring it into the U.S.
One of Tom Clancy's novels had a terrorist group spreading ebola. I wouldn't put it past the Muslims to send some infected people across our southern border.
I learn that 200 or so Peace Corp people are coming back from that area, and now another 50 will want to return at some point as well.
Bill and Melinda are breaking out the champagne as we speak.
"We moved our base camp last night and we’re now positioned literally
within feet of the river. Have been sitting here watching the border
patrol patrolling in their riverboats all night and all morning..."~Jim Robinson
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Terrorism, sure, but given the time between infection and symptoms, which can be one to three weeks, that’s enough time for a person to inadvertently spread it all over the place.
The experts would arrive in West Africa within 30 days to fight what he called the “scary” disease.
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Well, this is the “worst-ever outbreak of Ebola” that is considered “out of control” and 30 days down the road, I’d say there’s going to be a lot more Ebola victims and they may not all be in Africa any more.
The only way to “stop” it is for the virus to burn itself out. This means you have to get to the point where there are no new victims .... so until they can isolate everyone who has it and keep them from spreading it, ZEBOV is going to march on. Frankly, I don’t see how they manage to do this in western Africa, with the numbers they’ve already got ... “out of control” numbers. The doc talked about “treatment” as if that would make a difference - there is no “treatment” at this time, just support i.e. fluids, BP management etc.
KOLO BENGOU, Guinea — Eight youths, some armed with slingshots and machetes, stood warily alongside a rutted dirt road at an opening in the high reeds, the path to the village of Kolo Bengou. The deadly Ebola virus is believed to have infected several people in the village, and the youths were blocking the path to prevent health workers from entering.
“We don’t want any visitors,” said their leader, Faya Iroundouno, 17, president of Kolo Bengou’s youth league. “We don’t want any contact with anyone.” The others nodded in agreement and fiddled with their slingshots.
Singling out the international aid group Doctors Without Borders, Mr. Iroundouno continued, “Wherever those people have passed, the communities have been hit by illness.”
Ebola Virus Is Outpacing Efforts to Control It, World Health Body WarnsAUG. 1, 2014
Emergency Efforts in Africa to Contain Ebola as Toll RisesJULY 31, 2014
Ebola, Killing Scores in Guinea, Threatens Nearby NationsMARCH 24, 2014
Ebola Outbreak Spreads to 4th West African CountryJULY 25, 2014
In Theory: NPC1 Protein May Give Ebola Its OpeningJAN. 16, 2012
Times Topic: The Ebola Outbreak in West Africa
Health workers here say they are now battling two enemies: the unprecedented Ebola epidemic, which has killed more than 660 people in four countries since it was first detected in March, and fear, which has produced growing hostility toward outside help. On Friday alone, health authorities in Guinea confirmed 14 new cases of the disease.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/28/world/africa/ebola-epidemic-west-africa-guinea.html?_r=0
BOYD ping
"5. Why does it spread so fast?Dr. Gary L. Simon of the George Washington University specializes in infectious diseases and tropical medicine. He said that the disease is not actually all that contagious -- but quarantine practices in certain African countries have been difficult to enforce." --FR: 10 Questions You Never Thought You'd Ask About Ebola
Then they could have treated and stopped the disease in Brantly and Writbol in Africa.
I understand the woman was given a trial medicine...we're hearing zip about her. Wonder if reactions to the meds will kill.
I saw a report on their return earlier today..there was no information on how many have been working in or near the hot zone, and what type of medical screening they received before being allowed to return home (apparently, no screening at all).
Too many “unusual events” accompanying this outbreak. First, the decision to bring two infected American medical missionaries back to the U.S. for treatment—has that happened in the past? And our decision to bring home peace corps volunteers from the area and allow them to enter the general population without a complete health screening. But we’re told not to worry.
Meanwhile, we’re told the epidemic can be contained, but the health care system in West Africa is said to be in collapse. We’re sending 50 public health officials to the area and air travel to places like Monrovia continues.
And no one is asking how many illegals from Ebola-infected areas have been caught crossing our southern border in the last month or so.
Load up a couple of squadrons of B-52s with napalm, and I can end the outbreak in a few hours.
Maybe medical employees will be noted in history as significant carriers.
Gee, even from you "Ebola has been around for 40 years" graph, I can even see something has changed.
It is that change that has the health care community scared and quietly asking some very tough questions about this outbreak to the point they almost need tin foil hats....at least in my community they are.
Since 1981 Aids has killed 36 million, 1.6 million in 2012, Ebola hasn’t even reached 2000 dead since 1976.
It is a disease but it isn’t the end of the world yet.
Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.
The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.
So far the false positive rate is 100%.
At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.
*sigh* Such is life, and death...
Ping...
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