Body of 'African' stowaway found on US military plane

Body of 'African' stowaway found on US military plane prompts fears over Ebola virus containment

Fears over the ability to contain the spread of the Ebola virus have been heightened after the body of a young stowaway was found hidden on a US military plane.

The Pentagon says the young boy, believed to be of African origin, was found near the wheel well of a US cargo plane which landed in Germany.

The plane which was on a routine mission in Africa and had made stops in Senegal, Mali, Chad, Tunisia and Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily before arriving at Ramstein.

It is believe the boy climbed aboard in Mali.

The West African county is on high alert for Ebola outbreaks as it shares a border with Guinea...

Doubtful that there is anything to worry about in this specific case... But it does highlight the point that if this EBOLA crisis gets any worse, it will be even more difficult to contain, as people in the area begin to adopt a "get the hell out of Dodge" mentality.

Stuff of nightmares.

It's like that sketch in one of those medieval themed movies; peasants meet a plague victim stumbling towards the boundary of their village traveling to tell them that the plague has arrived; their first instinct is to run to the other villages and warn them that the plague has arrived.

a reply to: loam

I dunno

If this gets out of hand it isn't like we weren't warned. What gets me is that Ebola and others have been known and studied for quite some time at places such as the CDC and other facilities around the world. One would think with such high profile and funded facilities there would have been by now a widely available cure/vaccine and not what we presently have of being stuck in safety 'Testing'



'No Market': Scientists Struggle to Make Ebola Vaccines, Treatments

At least four vaccines are being developed to protect people against Ebola, including one that protects monkeys completely against the deadly virus. Several groups are also working on treatments, but one of the most promising is stuck in safety testing.

They might be farther along if not for one problem: money.

Even though Ebola is burning out of control in West Africa, it’s not a huge potential market for a large pharmaceutical company to sink its teeth — and its assets — into developing. That leaves the U.S. government and small, niche biopharmaceutical companies.

a reply to: SLAYER69

Surprising, considering it seems to be a pretty big freakin' national security issue.

a reply to: loam

Man Loam your really on top of the whole Ebola thing.

Well so far the virus hasn't spread to far or fast, not that it makes it any better or less of a chance for it to get worse. I worry over some nut cause getting hold of an infected body and turning it in to a cheap bio weapon. Wouldn't even need a live person just a body in the last stage of the virus.

I've heard of one account of one infected person breaking out of containment with the help of friends and family. To what ends and reason why they would do that I don't know. But goes to show that there is little too no containment. We've been lucky that the really bad version of the virus has only popped up in remote areas. Other versions of the virus have gotten near cities but are not as bad as the one in Africa right now.

Mali (and most of Africa BTW) is not under quarantine.
There are 20 + scheduled commercial flights out of Mali today- and every day, with some even going to..... Europe.
www.flightstats.com...


The planes get washed down and refuelled then disperse to another continent within 12 hours - this is not some medieval siege scenario where anybody not from your castle might have the plague.

Given that international commercial air travel is so pervasive I cant think how Ebola and 1 illegal immigrant would be related unless the article intended the reader to make a lazy subconscious connection based upon fear.

a reply to: Jukiodone


Fear?

Let's see here

People are dead and dying.

Ebola is deadly with no 'available' cure, it's fairly easily spread. I think playing it safe is prudent.

When you gamble with safety, you bet your life. ~Author Unknown

a reply to: SLAYER69

Actually they have not been studying this for very long at all. The first known cases only showed up in humans around 1997. That's only 17 years. There is a lot that is not known about this virus . For instance they only recently found out that there are four different types of the virus that cause hemorrhagic fever. This fourth one the type circulating in west Africa now is a more deadly type than three previously known types. Which begs the question of mutation. This latest type is also not dying off on its own like other types have in the past.
I'm not an alarmist and I still believe this will be contained like previous outbreaks have been within that same region. I am not at this time worried about a world wide plague of Ebola.
That being said, still it won't be good if scores of people start leaving the area.
I hate to say it but that regions poverty will assist in this regard as they won't 've boarding planes in droves to leave. Again, that being said, there are some who have relatives in the states and western Europe who may subsidise the escape of some residents. .

Again, not so much. Past outbreaks have pretty much been confined to the same small region. The continent is comprised of many small nations and many of them are hostile towards each other.

Something else to keep in mind that, the aids virus which has been around for over 29 years in the general public still donesnt have a vaccine .a reply to: loam

a reply to: AutumnWitch657

17 years...

How many times has computing power been doubled in the last 17 years?

It seems to me that our species priorities are a bit off.

I'm not trying to sound like a doomsayer alarmist. It's just that in my humble opinion we could be doing a hell of a lot better job if we focused for effort into eliminating such issues rather than landing more probes on a now dead planet, killing each other over the latest gadget on black Friday etc...

originally posted by: AutumnWitch657
a reply to: SLAYER69



Actually they have not been studying this for very long at all. The first known cases only showed up in humans around 1997. That's only 17 years. There is a lot that is not known about this virus . For instance they only recently found out that there are four different types of the virus that cause hemorrhagic fever. This fourth one the type circulating in west Africa now is a more deadly type than three previously known types. Which begs the question of mutation. This latest type is also not dying off on its own like other types have in the past.

I'm not an alarmist and I still believe this will be contained like previous outbreaks have been within that same region. I am not at this time worried about a world wide plague of Ebola.

That being said, still it won't be good if scores of people start leaving the area.

I hate to say it but that regions poverty will assist in this regard as they won't 've boarding planes in droves to leave. Again, that being said, there are some who have relatives in the states and western Europe who may subsidise the escape of some residents. .

The first human outbreaks occured in 1976 in Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo. And there are 5 types of virus: Bundibugyo, Zaire, Reston, Sudan and Tai Forest. But yes, this latest one is more deadly, killing 60% of its victims.

I will call your attention to the post above and the fact that they still don't have a vaccine for AIDS.
It's funding. There is no large pharmaceutical willing to put the cash on the line for such a small portion of the population.
Keep in mind that originally the AIDS virus was only in gay men. The research didn't amp up until it jumped to the general population in the late eighties . It's a matter of money sadly. t reply to: SLAYER69

I just read this on theWHO web site. If you have info from a different source please link it. I am not above mistakes. Lol.
Ok I just revisited it and it does say 76.
That's still not very long and with it being only that small region interest in study and funding for it hasn't been great.

reply to: texasgirl

originally posted by: AutumnWitch657
I just read this on theWHO web site. If you have info from a different source please link it. I am not above mistakes. Lol. A reply to: texasgirl

Sure. Here you go:

www.who.int...


It's also in a lot of books on deadly viruses. The Reston type was in Virginia but was killing apes in ape houses.

Just seen this in the UK....... It follows on from the American citizen who has Ebola and HAD already taken two flights via International hubs before being stopped....

www.telegraph.co.uk...

This virus strain has an incubation period of between 3 and 23 days..... Bit of a potential window.

It can be transmitted via bodily fluids Including SWEAT and the usual cough and sneeze ......

Hhmmmm.....!

Regards

PDUK

Oh hello! 'Reston Virginia is driving distance from me. I'm in Hampton Virginia.
I revisited the WHO site and I had the dates wrong. It did say 76' I don't know why my brain thought 97'. Must be some weird form of dyslexia. a reply to: texasgirl

originally posted by: AutumnWitch657
Oh hello! 'Reston Virginia is driving distance from me. I'm in Hampton Virginia.

I revisited the WHO site and I had the dates wrong. It did say 76' I don't know why my brain thought 97'. Must be some weird form of dyslexia. a reply to: texasgirl

If you're interested there is a book called The Hot Zone that details the events of what happened in Reston. Scary stuff, indeed.

a reply to: PurpleDog UK

Do you have info about it being airborne? I guess if someone has Ebola and a common cold it potentially could. Ebola itself is not a respiratory disease.

In this state the apes run free in some counties. LOL
a reply to: texasgirl

I've heard of that book. I wonder if there is a kindle version. Wasn't there a movie with at same title? Puts me in mind of that movie Outbreak with Dustin Hoffman. a reply to: texasgirl