Ebola Comes to the United States: Deadly Virus Crosses U.S. Border

Decoded Science ^ | August 3, 2014 | Janelle Vaesa, MPH

[2ndDivisionVet]

Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia are going through the worst Ebola outbreak in history and health officials believe that it has killed more than 700 people there. Now, for the first time, Ebola has entered the United Sates via two health aid workers that contracted the disease while working in Africa where the Ebola outbreak continues.

Ebola in the U.S.

The first patient landed in the United States on Saturday, August 2, 2014. Dr. Kent Brantly was then flown from Africa to the United States and then transported via ambulance to Emory University Hospital.

The second person, Nancy Whitebol, will return to the U.S. in the coming days.

Many people are questioning the decision to bring the two American aid workers to the United States to be treated. According to the New York Times, Dr. Bruce S. Ribner, an infectious disease specialist at Emory and who will be caring for these patients, said, “The reason we are bringing these patients back to our facility is because we feel they deserve to have the highest level of care offered for their treatment.”

Unfortunately, however, the only treatment is to provide supportive care to keep the patient stable – does bringing these Ebola sufferers home to the U.S. put everyone else at risk?

What is Ebola?

Ebola virus disease (EVD), originally known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe, and often times fatal disease in humans. Case fatality can be up to 90 percent – in other words, 90 out of every 100 people who catch Ebola die. EVD outbreaks typically occur in remote villages in Central and West Africa and are transmitted via wild animals (such as fruit bats) to humans.

How Can You Get Ebola?

In addition to catching Ebola via fruit bats and other animals, Ebola spreads between people when they have direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids from someone with the disease. People can contract the disease by indirect contact with items that are contaminated with the fluids, such as needles and medical waste. Burials and funerals can also be a source of transmission, when people have direct contact with the deceased who had the disease. In addition, men who have the Ebola virus can transmit the virus for up to seven weeks in their sperm, even if they recover.

What are Ebola Symptoms?

EVD is a sudden onset of symptoms that include fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, sore throat, and headache. Vomiting, diarrhea, rash, decreased kidney and liver function, and sometimes internal and external bleeding may also occur in some patients. There are no licensed vaccines or treatment for Ebola virus.

So, what do health care providers do when someone has these symptoms? According to Dr. Ribner, “We depend on the body’s defenses to control the virus.” That means health care providers are simply trying to keep Ebola patients comfortable and strong, in hopes that their bodies will be able to control the infection – there are no medicines that will stop the disease.

Working With a Deadly Disease

Emory University Hospital as well as the jet that flew the patients to the United States and the ambulance that transported them to the hospital have taken extreme precautions. Emory University Hospital is one of four hospitals in the United States that is capable of caring for such patients, according to CNN. Workers have volunteered to work on the unit, some who were planning on taking vacation have canceled their plans to be able to care for the two Americans.

The unit at Emory Hospital is well away from the other units at the hospital. Infection control precautions have been put into place to keep the disease from spreading. Some of these precautions include: a sheet of glass to separate the healthy from the ill, communicating to nonmedical people by intercom, negative air pressure rooms, and special protective medical equipment for anyone working with the patient.

Ebola Vaccine?

While Ebola is a often times deadly disease, the two Americans are in stable conditions, according to CNN. However, this isn’t the case for the more than 1,300 of people in West Africa with the disease.

Although there is no FDA regulated vaccine for Ebola, there is a vaccine in the works, which researchers are testing on primates with “encouraging” results, according to USA Today. The NIH is working with the FDA to fast track the vaccine into a clinical trial this fall. This would include testing on a small sample of humans, and should provide results by January. If the results show that the vaccine is safe and effective, we might see it offered to aid workers in West Africa sometime in 2015.

Ebola Epidemic in the United States?

So – could an Ebola epidemic happen here in the U.S.? Anything is possible with international air travel. However, quarantine is much easier here, making containment more likely here, than in Africa.

The good news is that Ebola does not spread easily and here in the United States, medical care is easily accessible – and medical professionals and public health professionals are more likely to be able to deal with an outbreak swiftly. In West Africa, unfortunately, both medical professionals and supplies are limited.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The final phase of Baraq Hussein Ubama's fundamental transformation of America is about to begin.

[icwhatudo]

“Ebola spreads between people when they have direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids from someone with the disease. People can contract the disease by indirect contact with items that are contaminated with the fluids, such as needles and medical waste”

So its just like AIDS. Wonder why its OK to quarentine people with Ebola but not....O wait. Thats right. Nevermind.

[Oliviaforever]

These people are US citizens.

They need to be brought back home for treatment.

[FlingWingFlyer]

“The reason we are bringing these patients back to our facility is because we feel they deserve to have the highest level of care offered for their treatment.”

Which one again proves that the Nazi DemocRATS are wrong when they lie to us and say that America IS NOT an exceptional country made up of exceptional people.

Speaking of Terminus, The Walking Dead returns 10-12-2014.

[2ndDivisionVet]

You know I have never seen 30 seconds of any zombie movie or television show. I don’t get the hoopla.

[jonrick46]

I wonder if a simple toilet flush by a Ebola infected person could contaminate an entire restroom? Suppose that restroom was the small toilet room found on an airline. Could the amount of fecal matter that is released from toilet “aerosol” contaminate others with the Ebola virus? Has the simple modern day toilet become the Achilles heal for the next epidemic?

[null and void]

Lice, infectious diarrhea, multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, scabies, chickenpox, and growing numbers of sexually transmitted diseases have to sneak across the border.

For Ebola, we'll send a private jet...

Bring Out Your Dead

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...

[conservativegranny]

Why? I have no doubt that these are decent human beings however they volunteered to do this knowing the risks involved. It’s not like they went off to war to defend our country. They were working for a private charity, not the American people.

I don’t believe I owe them anything. I’m sorry for them but I have children and grandchildren who haven’t volunteered to risk their lives. I wouldn’t volunteer to do this type of work if I was married and had a family. I would put my family first. This person voluntarily decided to take the risk they should take responsibility for their decision. Do the rest of us not have any say in the matter?

Bringing them into this country risked millions of other Americans who don’t deserve to be exposed to this danger. I can’t believe people think this was okay. We’re not talking about a case of lice here. This is a very serious virus. We are not sure how this person contracted the disease. The survival rate is very low.Considering he is a doctor I’m sure the usual precautions were taken yet he still contracted it.

There is no cure and the only treatment is supportive praying that the patient can fight off the disease. It was morally wrong, IMO, to deliberately bring someone with this type of virus into our country. There was nothing admirable about this. Or charitable. The charity that he worked for certainly could have sent a volunteer medical team and equipment to HIM without risking the chance of starting what would amount to a plague to the rest of us.

It seems the people are at the government’s mercy in all things now. It seems we cannot manage to import enough disease and pestilence. While a person who is this giving deserves admiration I do not believe they deserve the risking of other’s lives who choose to stay home and not take these types of risks. I don’t believe we need to commit suicide to show our appreciation for their sacrifice. But because you think you owe this volunteer for a private charity working in Africa that means my family has to bite the bullet and just pray we haven’t started an epidemic here. God help us when people that believe this way are making life and death decisions for the rest of us. As an American citizen I think I deserve the right to expect that my government would protect me from this type of risk. In fact, it should be their #1 priority to keep diseases like this OUT of here.

At this point I wonder if it even matters anymore. Why the hell not right? What exactly to we have to lose at this point?

[Veto!]

Lice, infectious diarrhea, multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, scabies, chickenpox, and growing numbers of sexually transmitted diseases have to sneak across the border. For Ebola, we'll send a private jet…

Downright poetic, null.

I think you should set it to music. A "catchy" tune?

[RightGeek]

[PGalt]

Life/health BUMP!

Thanks to all posters.

[null and void]

I see what you did there...

[BuckeyeTexan]

I think the CDC is up to this particular task. Yes, Ebola is deadly, but the treatment facility in Atlanta is light years ahead of those in West Africa and so are the societal and sociological conditions.

I haven’t yet made up my mind about the risk though.

[dragnet2]

lol...

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

“...the treatment facility in Atlanta is light years ahead of those in West Africa...”

Future Obama speech.....

“My fellow Americans....it’s not fair that these two American medical workers with ebola get the finest medical treatment here in the United States while those infected in Africa suffer with sub-standard medical care.”

“Therefore, I’m issuing an executive order in which every man, woman and child infected with ebola in Liberia, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and elsewhere in West Africa will immediately be brought to the United States for treatment.”

“If you have any questions, I may answer them after I return from my three-week vacation at a multi-million dollar estate in Martha’s Vineyard.”

It would not surprise me...

[proudpapa]

Call me cynical, but I’m of the opinion that nothing happens by coincidence, Our gov’t wants this to happen. This will hit elderly and inner urban minorities the hardest.

Two groups that are statistically a drag on our government due to medicare, medicaid, and other expenses like food stamps. Etc.

[Oliviaforever]

Could you please cite a US law that permits the federal government to exclude US citizens from entering the United States?

[Smokin' Joe]

Ping...

[a fool in paradise]

Part of the new agenda to protect those with AIDS from "discrimination".

Planned Parenthood (IPPF) is seeking with other groups to prohibit notification of HIV/AIDS status to sex partners and family.

http://www.ippf.org/resource/Healthy-Happy-and-Hot-young-peoples-guide-rights

“A guide for young people living with HIV to help them understand their sexual rights”

“Sexual and reproductive rights are recognized around the world as human rights - Every person living with HIV is entitled to these rights and they are necessary for the development and well-being of all people and the societies in which they live.”

“Young people living with HIV may feel that sex is just not an option, but don’t worry — many young people living with HIV live healthy, fun, happy and sexually fulfi lling lives. You can too, if you want to! Things get easier (and sex can get even better) as you become more comfortable with your status.”

“This guide is here to support your sexual pleasure and health, and to help you develop strong intimate relationships. It explores how your human rights and sexual well-being are related and suggests strategies to help you
make decisions about dating, relationships, sex and parenthood. It explores the rights of young people living with HIV to:

• express and enjoy their sexuality (page 3)
• decide if, when, and how to disclose their
HIV status (page 5)
• experience sexual pleasure (page 7)
• take care of their sexual health (page 9)
• practise safer sex (page 11)
• choose if, when, how many, and with whom
to have children (page 13)
• access support and services that respect
their dignity, autonomy, privacy and
well-being (page 15)