[bonesmccoy]

These reports of infectious disease necessitating a "global" health emergency are more political than the President's attempt to immunize health care workers against small pox.

The fact of the matter is that this disease has NOT spread to the US yet. CDC is sending investigators to other locations in order to gather data.

My suggestion is that these foreign medical centers need to run tests for Respiratory Syncytial Virus.

RSV peaks every year in the winter. We have seen an unusually wide peak in cases this year (meaning more cases for a slightly longer period of time than last year).

The disease pops up around November and lasts until March.

It creates a dry, hacking cough a few days after exposure. The virus is VERY contagious and can spread by contact or respiratory droplets.

Until a real medical lab can run real samples from the real patients, these reports are sensationalistic nonsense.

Do not fret about these types of viruses or pathogens.

US investigators, when appropriately focused, can figure out the germ in a remarkably short order.

[Domestic Church]

This isn't RSV. They haven't been able to define it even as a virus yet.

[ladysusan]

Have they been able to isolate RSV? Last I read, they "didn't know if it was a virus or a bacteria." Kind of hard to believe, and I mean the "WTF??!!!" variety of hard -to- believe. The reporting on this seems something less than informed.
OTOH.... RSV is nasty, but harder on infants/elderly than adults. Why so many caregivers getting sick?


LS