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Ebola in the US.


Ms. Spam
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My wife has a friend whose husband works in Akutan Alaska, apparently the fish processing factory there has some seasonal workers hired from West Africa; Sierra Leone specifically (if the information was correct). However they have been in the country for weeks to months. So I guess if anyone had anything they'd know it by now, what with a 21 day incubation period or whatever.

 

With that said to get there they either would need to arrive by boat in the Aleutian Islands or come from the mainland, main airport system. In the latter case they would need to come thru Anchorage and then take small charter planes/boats out to the Aleutian Islands, making hops and stops for refuel/shipping etc along the way. Of course if arriving in Anchorage and then hopping to the Aleutians was the method then these workers would undoubtedly have stopped in various other places across the globe just to get to Alaska... all of which sounds like the beginning of a disaster movie.

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I'm certain that minimizing this outbreak by comparing it to the flu is silly.

 

The FLU infects the global population, in the USA usually only 1,000 deaths are reported due to complications. SARS is more wide spread than Ebola, if I recall right the big SARS scare was more than 8,000 cases. However of that 8,000 there were only 700 deaths. Ebola on the other hand has a 90% death rate; you get it, you're dead.

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Last night on the news they had Ebola Screening Stations for international flights set up. But really to get it you have to work with and have close contact with someone infected with it. The two people who do have it that are coming to the states are a Doctor and nurse. You just have to be careful with bodily fluids.

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More people die from the flu than Ebola. Its not the apocalypse. SARS was scarier than this, and look how that turned out.

Ebola is pretty bad, all things considered. Remember the Black Death? Some scientists now think it may have been at least partially caused by Ebola, rather than Bubonic plague as we learned in school.

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I think what people are so worried about is not comparing it to AIDS or the flu,but exposing it to a new area that is isolated from the source of the disease.

 

With that being said I find hard to fathom that with all international travel these days that Ebola hasnt in one weak form or another already arrived here long ago.

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The comparisons come from media sensationalizing. Yes, Ebola is terrible, as was SARS , MARS and last I heard, AIDS still sucks. But the media acts like if these things land in America THOUSANDS will die. The countries where these things thrive don't have the ability to quarantine or have access to the medical care we do. Yes these things suck if you get them, and it sucks that some people will-- but it's not going to be like The Stand like the news wants you to believe.

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Ebola was in the US a few years ago, but it was isolated to animals, no reported human cases. So yeah, it's a virus assume it will travel if not already has.

 

The issue with Ebola is it's high fatality rate combined with transmission as simple as touching bodily fluids. It can even be caught by handling recently killed animals who carry. Combine that with early symptoms looking like the FLU and you have a deadly sickness just waiting to get out.

 

Recently an Ebola carrier, who eventually died, already managed to get on a commercial flight... into Sierra Leone if I recall right.

 

It just takes one person to get out with early stages for it to spread. That's the thing that gets people and that's why WHO says it's dangerous and should not be taken lightly.

 

Seriously, this is the largest outbreak of Ebola in recorded history. Sensationalism aside the facts are facts.

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Ebola was in the US a few years ago, but it was isolated to animals, no reported human cases. So yeah, it's a virus assume it will travel if not already has.

 

The issue with Ebola is it's high fatality rate combined with transmission as simple as touching bodily fluids. It can even be caught by handling recently killed animals who carry. Combine that with early symptoms looking like the FLU and you have a deadly sickness just waiting to get out.

 

Recently an Ebola carrier, who eventually died, already managed to get on a commercial flight... into Sierra Leone if I recall right.

 

It just takes one person to get out with early stages for it to spread. That's the thing that gets people and that's why WHO says it's dangerous and should not be taken lightly.

 

Seriously, this is the largest outbreak of Ebola in recorded history. Sensationalism aside the facts are facts.

Yeah, it's hard to diagnose because of the incubation period and the nature of the symptoms. It can only be diagnosed in the lab, meaning that doctors have to have a reason to specifically LOOK for the disease, which is unlikely to happen during routine exams. By the time it's confirmed as Ebola, you could already have the early stages of an outbreak on your hands. It can take almost a month for someone to show symptoms, which means a lot of people could potentially be infected by just one carrier, especially as that person might believe that he just has a cold when symptoms start to show. While it's not a question that the media loves sensationalism, it's important to understand the disease IS dangerous, and not to underestimate or downplay the dangers.

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Guest El Chalupacabra

Life was so much easier when we had conspiracy theories we could believe in, like chemtrails, the Illuminati, extra-terrestrial lizard people running the government, Jesus banging Mary Magdalene, LBJ ordering the JFK and RFK assassinations, 9/11 being an inside job, AIDS and crack being created by the CIA, and the lunar landing being faked.

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Again, you are downplaying the risks. Is Ebola going to be the new Spanish Flu (the deadliest pandemic in history, which killed as many as 100 million people)? Highly unlikely. However, the nature of the disease makes it hard to detect, meaning you could have a major regional outbreak underway before you even confirm that a single person has the disease. That's what makes it a problem. It's fairly easy to contain once it has been confirmed, but the long incubation period combined with the seemingly benign initial symptoms make it harder to detect. That is why the CDC and disease specialists are especially worried. The possibility is real that we could have an outbreak on our hands before we realize it. The CDC isn't taking such extreme precautions for sh**s and giggles, but because the risk is indeed different than with the flu or with SARS.

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Sure, but it doesnt warrant freaking out about. What is that going to achieve? Hysteria and fear are probs the worst things in an 'outbreak' situation. Be aware of the reality of Ebola and the situation, but panicking ang getting all worked up about stuff isnt gonna help, which was Spams original question.

 

And the way 'news' broadcasters push their brand of events/entertainment/fear mongering makes people overreact. How so? By making people scared and actually think they are personally going to contract the Ebola virus. Seriously...

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Sure, but it doesnt warrant freaking out about. What is that going to achieve? Hysteria and fear are probs the worst things in an 'outbreak' situation. Be aware of the reality of Ebola and the situation, but panicking ang getting all worked up about stuff isnt gonna help, which was Spams original question.

 

And the way 'news' broadcasters push their brand of events/entertainment/fear mongering makes people overreact. How so? By making people scared and actually think they are personally going to contract the Ebola virus. Seriously...

No question there, but underestimating the risks out of disgust for media sensationalism is just as bad and dangerous. There IS a middle ground between 'EVERYBODY PANIC!' and 'Everything is okay', after all.

 

That's my point.

 

Media sensationalism aside, Ebola is a threat, and is a bigger one than SARS or the flu because of the nature of it, No, it's not going to end the world, or wipe out half the country, but it could still be bad, and there could still be outbreaks that cost a lot of lives.

 

The CDC isn't prone to panic, after all, and are the first to step up and say that threats from a disease are overblown, and even THEY are taking some rather unusual and extreme precautions when dealing with this. That should tell you all you need to know.

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The CDC is absolutely probe to over panicking, read their website and you'll walk away convinced to have a billion diseases. Their information on STIs is incredibly over blown---

 

But it's okay, that's their job. That's what keeps them prepared. And while they are ramping up, it is a precaution. Bothe they and WHO say the likelihood of an outbreak is very low.

 

http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-ebola-panic-q-and-a-20140801-story.html

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A man in New York walked into an emergency room with symptoms and is currently being tested. I don't think this is going to be a huge epidemic but I also don't think people should roll their eyes about it like Driver either.

 

I'm not saying this guy has it, he is just being tested. But it goes to show how easy an outbreak could start over here.

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I saw that too... He won't have it. They're just being cautious. Probs a severe case of the runs or some other subtropical tummy bug and he's freaking out a bit, as you would.

 

I read an interview with a leading Virologist in Vice who was explaining that she wouldn't even change the travel plans of tourists going to the west coast of Africa for a holiday the chances of getting it are that slim. She goes on to explain that if you were going to volunteer as an aid worker in the area that you should know what you're getting into and be very careful... But otherwise the risk is very very low. I'll post the link to the article later when I get home.

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