Ebola calm-mongering?????

a reply to: dianajune

Election coming soon.

Mustn't upset the unwashed masses.

originally posted by: badgerprints
It's not just the media.
There are plenty of member here on ATS saying "See, it's all over. Look how stupid these people are. They were worried about Ebola. No reason to worry about ebola."

When a virus can turn you into a sack of rotted meat and the government insists that we need to import people that may have it, I worry.

I've been saying since the beginning before it ever got here that barring a breakdown in infrastructure or a mutation in the virus that changes the way it spreads, Ebola might get here, but it shouldn't cause more than isolated pockets of scattered cases because of the way it spreads.

That doesn't mean it isn't something we should be worried about because if you are one of those isolated scattered cases, it's bad for you, and there are still things that could cause either of the first two conditions to occur until the epidemic burns itself out.

a reply to: dianajune

Oh yes. God forbid that we don't all live in a constant state of fear for our lives... I see you linked to infowars, not surprising. They are one of the top exporters in fear out there.

a reply to: ketsuko

And that's exactly what it should do/should have done. All other outbreaks have just "burned themselves out" and this one hasn't. Why? I'm not saying its airborne nor do i think it is, or even that being airborne is what we should fear most. Ebola on a good day is just "terrifying" enough on its own without any added mutations... but something with this outbreak IS different. So to treat it as if it is the exact same as all of the other outbreaks is completely naive, IMHO. THe rate of spread is historic, the amount of people infected and killed are historic, the way it is BEING spread is at the very least inhanced in some way.... (This is speculation on my part given that prior protocols that have been used in past outbreaks have not stemmed the spread as expected)

Since the new Czar was named it has been a game of "out of sight, out of mind". But is that really such a good thing? I agree that mass panic and hysteria could in theory be worse than an outbreak within itself, but blindly and arrogantly going about as if no one has anything to worry about outside of West Africa will just lead back to the same recklessness that allowed Thomas Duncan to infect ATLEAST 2 other people.

The fact that the Government, again pure speculation on my part, is purposely trying to white wash the media regarding this specific subject... means that we should be paying attention to it more now than ever. The comment about watching several balloons deflate at once rang true for me as well. Literally the day after the new Czar was named- and every day since- i have noticed not only a clear change in "tone" of Ebola related articles... but also an abrupt lack of "possible cases" and even updates on cases that had been followed. It really does concern me a great deal.

I dont want panic, riots, and all hell breaking lose... but i also dont want to be kept in the dark. We maybe be cruising a long just fine but if we hit a patch of rough water or they see a large Iceberg that cant be missed- I want to know about it as soon as they do. Not after they have had time to decide if i really need to know or not.


ETA: This post is really meant in general not specifically directed towards you, ketsuko. Dont want it to come of as if i'm attacking you or your opinio

a reply to: itswhatev

For a number of reasons:

1.) Previous outbreaks have pretty much all been in other regions of Africa, never in West Africa. These are people who have never experienced Ebola and many don't believe it can happen there which complicates control measures.

2.) West African culture has funeral practices that demand the relatives of the deceased personally wash and prepare the body. Then they prepare a meal for the guests, and everyone pretty much touches the body with lots of weeping and wailing before the burial. Corpses of those who die from Ebola are at their most infectious. The circumstances I just described should make you shudder with all the potential for new cases of the virus.

3.) Many are suspicious of Westerners and Western medicine meaning all those who have gone in to try to help tend to meet resistance and those who show up for treatment only appear once their disease is very advanced making it less likely they will survive and making it more likely they have already spread the illness to family members and others in the meantime.

4.) The three countries in question might as well not have any kind of medical infrastructure making effective disease response of their own more or less impossible.

5.) The disease got into densely populated, urban areas and slums where it has been much, much harder to control. Previously, it cropped up in isolated jungle villages where the village could simply be cordoned off until people in it either lived or died. Harsh but effective.

6.) I think this strain has mutated enough to be less lethal and to not cause hemorrhagic syndrome as often so that the sick can move around and spread it for a little longer before becoming incapacitated.

All these things taken together make it more persistent than its predecessors.

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: itswhatev

6.) I think this strain has mutated enough to be less lethal and to not cause hemorrhagic syndrome as often so that the sick can move around and spread it for a little longer before becoming incapacitated.

It still causes hemmoragic syndrome in most of it's carriers.

It did in Nancy W and Kent Brantley who were on the brink of death before zmapp miraculously reversed it.

a reply to: xstealth

I thought this current strain only causes the "typical" ebola bleeding in 18 percent of the people who have it. Might be wrong though.

originally posted by: Aleister
a reply to: xstealth

I thought this current strain only causes the "typical" ebola bleeding in 18 percent of the people who have it. Might be wrong though.

Well, I read this earlier:

On the morning of July 31st, Plyler went to see Nancy Writebol, and decided to give her the drug. She seemed close to the end stage of Ebola-virus disease; she had developed a sea of red spots and papules across her torso—signs of hemorrhages under the skin—and she was beginning to bleed internally. She could crash at any time: lose blood pressure, go into shock, and die. One of the bottles was taken out of the freezer, and Plyler had Writebol hold it in her armpit to defrost it.

Around seven o’clock that evening, Plyler went to Brantly’s house to see how he was doing. When he looked in the window, he was stunned. Brantly had abruptly gone into the end-stage decline. His eyes were sunken, his face was a gray mask, and he was breathing in irregular gasps. “A clinician knows the look,” Plyler told me later. “He was dying.” Brantly, a clinician himself, realized that he was on the verge of a breathing arrest. With no ventilators at the hospital, he wouldn’t make it through the night.

Plyler made a decision. “Kent, I’m going to give you the antibodies.” He would split the three doses, giving one bottle to Brantly, the second bottle to Writebol, and the third bottle to whichever of them was not evacuated.



I would suggest reading the entire article, it's the best I've read
www.newyorker.com...

originally posted by: funkadeliaaaa

originally posted by: lakesidepark

Is the epidemic still growing?

Good question!

What if we do stop this round, but India..or Brazil...or Mexico...

London.....

A question to the forum (sorry if it sounds ignorant)

An ebola infected person sweating and having a fever and possibly coughing and sneezing due to ebola on a packed london train at rush hour... How many people would this potentially infect?....

The possibilities are endless. Especially now that we're in the cold and flu season. Infected people might assume they're got either one...w/o realizing they've been infected with Ebola.

We should know in the next couple of weeks if this thing is really winding down or if it's speeding up.
i.dailymail.co.uk...

originally posted by: ketsuko
Ebola might get here, but it shouldn't cause more than isolated pockets of scattered cases because of the way it spreads.

That doesn't mean it isn't something we should be worried about because if you are one of those isolated scattered cases, it's bad for you, and there are still things that could cause either of the first two conditions to occur until the epidemic burns itself out.

The problem with these things is that one mutation can change the game.
The black death took out a major portion of the population and it took 150 years for europe to recover.
I'm not worried about ebola as it is so much as what it could become if sufficient mutation occurs.
there was an article on the 18th by the WHO about the disease infecting and killing people faster along with more likelihood of mutation.

originally posted by: DancedWithWolvesDear Government, it isn't fear of Ebola, it is fear of your stupidity. Really. It is. If this represented our best and brightest in government employ, we are screwed.

It actually represent the worst, lowest form of humans actually.

Like Terence McKenna said... We are led by the least among us. The least noble, the least intelligent, the least visionary.

a reply to: dianajune

How's this for calm mongering?
radiokenai.net...

Traveled to a country with active Ebola, check
Comes down with severe enough flu symptoms to call EMTs, check

But wait, it's ok, the CDC algorithm says its not possibly Ebola. Besides we can't test for it anyway in the state, so go on home and have a nice day.

a reply to: queenofswords

I agree, since the ebola hack I mean CZar was appointed the ebola has died down in the US at least from the spreading stand point, or lack of news about it

But should we be grateful or even comfortable about this latest died down in information?

Well is things that people should know about the new Ebola hack I mean Czar, he is good at what he does or that is what we have been told by the government and highly regarded for what he does in Washington, well it seems that what he is good at is hiding things, obviously Obama loves him for that.

I guess people just need to be vigilant because we should not trust the way news about ebola just had magically "disappeared".

I would be worry. More now that we got an Ebola hack I mean CZar.

Meanwhile here in Texas.

Ebola treatment facility


Ummm no, not scared, not at all.. *eyeroll*

Well.....so much for Ebola going away.

They said there haven't been any new Ebola cases in the U.S. for the past five days.

Not that we are being told about, anyway.

However, in Africa the cases continue to skyrocket:

Dozens of people are being infected with the deadly Ebola virus each day in Sierra Leone, as the terrifying disease tears through the country's capital city, Freetown. Yesterday, forty-nine new cases were confirmed in just 24 hours, the National Ebola Response Center (NERC) reported. So many people are succumbing to the deadly virus that removing the dead bodies is becoming a serious problem. Lawmaker Claude Kamanda who represents a western area of the country said that more than 20 deaths are being reported each day.

www.dailymail.co.uk... ital-freetown.html


Imo this is STILL a threat and we shouldn't allow ourselves to be coaxed or goaded into letting our guard down. We may have not had any new cases in the U.S. for the past five days, but don't forget that we still have two patients who caught the disease in THIS country who are still undergoing treatment, of whom there have been no updates for the past couple of days at least.

Not to mention the fact that there are many who are STILL on watch lists because of contact with those patients. I am especially concerned about those who came into contact with Amber Vinson, given that she most likely felt ill several days before flying.

a reply to: woodsmom

Have you considered giving your elected officials a call? I'd start with local reps first and work your way up if need be. Local officials are more likely to be concerned about this than the Feds, given the constant screwups on the part of CDC.

Don't let them shrug this off.

I just returned from the local pharmacy and found this Ebola note taped to the entrance of the dentist next door to them:



So much for this going away. The dental office must have just put it up because I went by there a couple of days ago.

Rats....I tried zooming in on the photo......if anyone out there knows how to do that, please let me know. Thanks.

a reply to: dianajune

I have considered it actually. It's turned into a crazy day with appointments and such, I've never used so much hand sanitizer in my life. I did make one contact so far. This will not be left to rest.

originally posted by: woodsmom
a reply to: dianajune

I have considered it actually. It's turned into a crazy day with appointments and such, I've never used so much hand sanitizer in my life. I did make one contact so far. This will not be left to rest.

It probably wouldn't hurt to get some of those clorox wipes either. I'm nearly out of hand sanitizer myself and will be getting more soon.