Ebola in the US

[jumbo prawns]

Originally Posted by deepsepia

Oh yeah.


The best approach is a reasoned approach.

Points to President Obama for behaving like a responsible adult.

And actually listening and acting upon the advice of doctors and scientists rather than crazy talking heads on Fox News.

The fact is that more people die every year from Chicken Pox in America than have died from Ebola in America. And yet all of these crazy calls for quarantine and what not. We are supposed to be a free society with a liberties granted by a Constitution and Bill of Rights why are so many in such a hurry to declare marshal law and chuck that all away. And we can all see how well the quarantine in Jersey is working, they folded at the first sign of a legal challenge.

I wonder, why no calls for quarantine or flight restrictions on SARs? Bird Flu? Swine Flu? Why the panic this time? Ebola has been an issue in east Africa for almost 9 months now... why the sudden panic on far right media as we get close the the mid terms. Hands up who thinks this will be a non-issue in 11 days

How about some logic and some facts...

So far the number of Americans who have been infected in America from Ebola.. Two... The number of Americans who have died in America from Ebola. ZERO. We have all seen first hand that modern medicine can combat and defeated this virus.

More people die of flu, the common cold, chicken pox... Crap, your kid is more likely to die playing highschool football than from Ebola.

But hey, if you like living in a state of self induced panic crated by BS hypotheticals fired by a total lack of science, commons sense and logic (aka Fox News) who am I to argue.

[TommySwiftJr.]

I think there are more people in the U.S. who have been married to the Kardishians than people who have been infected with ebola.

But I could be wrong.

[jumbo prawns]

Originally Posted by TommySwiftJr.

I think there are more people in the U.S. who have been married to the Kardishians than people who have been infected with ebola.

But I could be wrong.

We should place them all in a 21 day quarantine too.

[deepsepia]

Originally Posted by jumbo prawns

And actually listening and acting upon the advice of doctors and scientists rather than crazy talking heads on Fox News.

Yes.

You've picked up that he's made a particular point of looking to professionals for advice, and then taking it.

By contrast, Fox News and associated cranks have been preaching contempt for science and medicine for years, cue Sarah Palin sneering "those scientists". They love to tell us how much they hate "the gubmint" -- but the problem is, safeguarding the public health is a problem of governance.

[Dr Pepper]

We had an idiot green MP yesterday who was outed as having signed an on-line petition supporting homeopathy for treating Ebola-he rightfully received the widespread ridicule his action deserved...even his own Green Party leader publicly disowned him on that particular issue.

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by deepsepia

Yes.

You've picked up that he's made a particular point of looking to professionals for advice, and then taking it.

By contrast, Fox News and associated cranks have been preaching contempt for science and medicine for years, cue Sarah Palin sneering "those scientists". They love to tell us how much they hate "the gubmint" -- but the problem is, safeguarding the public health is a problem of governance.

Measles and mumps, which are serious and potentially fatal diseases, are making quite a comeback thanks largely to the effect of evil charlatans working upon this spirit of ignorant and lumpen suspicion for their own profit. The MMR vaccination program did an excellent job for years of controlling these dangerous diseases until it was undermined by an entirely unfounded accusation, not properly researched, seeking to link MMR vaccination with the increase in autism in the population. The people became confused and mistrustful and many did not vaccinate their children...just in case. But measles can have very bad side effects too. It is a similar effect. If you undermine trust in the administration of public health you undermine the systems which are needed in order to cope with health emergencies such as Ebola.

[haldane4]

Originally Posted by Dr Pepper

We had an idiot green MP yesterday who was outed as having signed an on-line petition supporting homeopathy for treating Ebola-he rightfully received the widespread ridicule his action deserved...even his own Green Party leader publicly disowned him on that particular issue.

Funny that - because the greatest exponent of homeopathy in parliament is an individual called Jeremy C. Hunt who, strangely, runs a department called Health. But I don't see Cameron disowning him. Indeed, the NHS was a promotion for the Minister for Murdoch.

[cicciobuki]

For those who like more on the topic: SciShow's Hank Green talks about ebola, and i especially found the part about serums interesting. Finally somebody who talks about how the people who survived this disease got cured.
Good old serum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRs1CrE5hPw

[jumbo prawns]

On this side of the pond, what you have posted is well known to anyone who turns off Fox News for 30 seconds and takes a moment to watch PBS or less hysterical news.

Your link has one tiny factual error on ZMAPP. It has been tested on at least 4 humans infected with Ebola, and all of them were cured.

There is nothing to worry about in the modern world from Ebola, and the only people who are freaking out clearly were not paying attention in Grade 9 Science class.

For our Fox News friends... As of today, the ebola survival rates in the:
USA 90%
Germany 67%
Norway 100%
France 100%
UK 100%

Total number of people treated for (and confirmed to have) Ebola in the "Western World".. as part of the most recent outbreak, 18.

That's a lot of panic for something super super rare.

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by jumbo prawns

There is nothing to worry about in the modern world from Ebola, and the only people who are freaking out clearly were not paying attention in Grade 9 Science class.

For our Fox News friends... As of today, the ebola survival rates in the:
USA 90%
Germany 67%
Norway 100%
France 100%
UK 100%

Total number of people treated for (and confirmed to have) Ebola in the "Western World".. as part of the most recent outbreak, 18.

That's a lot of panic for something super super rare.

It's super super rare in the USA and Europe, but not in West Africa just now. We really do need to keep a level head, but not to be complacent. The high success rate of first world medical agencies in curing sufferers so far is partly because the disease is very rare so far; a lot of resources per patient are required, mainly de-hydration and devoted nursing care, to see the patient through the crisis and safely out the other side. Even in wealthy first world countries, the medical system is not capable of that level of care when thousands rush the hospital at once. Likewise, when the hospital is full to bursting, there are simply not enough doctors and nurses in the world to cope with the scale of the work, the one who are available work double shifts and longer. They get bone tired, they lose their cutting edge, and in a moment of inattention, some infected material gets past the body suit and they catch the disease. This is already happening in West Africa and if confronted with a similar surge in cases, our hospitals would crumble under the weight too.

There has not been a really large scale epidemic plague event in western society for a long time. Improvements in the standard of living and in the social provision of medical care have done a great deal, as have anti-biotics. There was an outbreak of bubonic plague in India several years ago which was swiftly brought under control but which in former times would have been the beginning of a fresh Black Death. The last time we had anything comparable with that was the Spanish Influenza epidemic of 1918-1920 and there are some pretty grim photographs surviving of temporary hospital wards improvised from public buildings such as schools and libraries, because the official hospitals had no space left, not even in the corridors and waiting areas.

Therefore, the sensible strategy is to contain the Ebola outbreak asap. Quite apart from humanitarian considerations, it is in America's and Europe's national interest to devote serious resources to aiding the worst effected West African countries until they succeed in seeing off this epidemic. As well as direct aid, such as Britain sending the Royal Fleet Auxilliary ship Argus, there should be proper thought given to avoiding needless panic-driven measures which impede the project of ending this epidemic. That would certainly include a Federal standard for the handling of medical volunteers when they come home. Unless there is a scientifically justified reason for it, quarantine by force is cowardly and disgraceful, a real slight to good people. It is also false imprisonment, which is against the law. So where is the scientific case for enforced quarantine?

Now, if there actually is a need to quarantine people such as these, it should not be by sending them to Fever Island under the Yellow Jack. What would make much more sense would be to come up with a cooperative solution in which returning volunteers could work together in isolation doing something useful such as organising aid shipments; or offer them a three week cruise in the tropics. Don't treat them like criminals; treat them like they deserve to be rewarded for the work they did and the risks they shouldered. This is only if the risk of them bringing Ebola into their home country is scientifically established as a fact. To quarantine them against the known facts "just in case" is snivelling cowardice and reflects very badly on the lack of moral fibre of the society which supports such a thing.