Ebola outbreak, and other potential epidemics

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fuzzy
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Post by fuzzy »

UndercoverElephant wrote:As soon as there is any serious threat of an epidemic in the western world that is out of control it would precipitate another financial crisis. It wouldn't even need to get to the stage of a significant number of deaths - the shrinking economy due to compulsory shutdowns and people choosing to stay at home instead of doing all sorts of things they would otherwise have spent money on would on its own be enough to cause this to happen.
Agreed, which is the logic here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29518342

If they ever do anything, it will be far too late.
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adam2
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Post by adam2 »

News report from the future, Caspian fever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm78hYD0bQo
Start viewing at 3 minutes for the most relevant part.
"Installers and owners of emergency diesels must assume that they will have to run for a week or more"
Little John

Post by Little John »

Completely American perspective.

As in, if systems break down the world will collapse into a nihilistic, every-man-for-himself orgy of mindless violence.

What they are really doing in that film is imagining the dark heart of their own sick, atomizing, anti-human culture and they are afraid of it. And so they should be. But, this is a monster of their own making.

I'm not saying panic and violence would not occur at all in the event of a systemic breakdown. But, its extent and its nature (nihilistic/individualistic versus communalist) is entirely a function of the culture it is born of.

Can one imagine, say, Cuba or any of the Scandinavian countries descending into an orgy of mindless violence of the kind depicted in that film if their lights went out? The answer is, of course, no.
Last edited by Little John on 08 Oct 2014, 09:39, edited 2 times in total.
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nexus
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Post by nexus »

So, possibly five cases in Spain and COBRA meeting today about Ebola:
In Britain, David Cameron will chair an emergency Cobra meeting on Wednesday to discuss the outbreak of Ebola in west Africa, though No 10 stressed it had been scheduled for some time.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/o ... -who-spain
Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Frederick Douglass
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PS_RalphW
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Post by PS_RalphW »

It's now being more widely reported in MSM that ebola in Europe is more a question of when, not if. Oil and travel company shares down again.

2 of the 5 monitored contacts in Spain are negative. Generally I think western Europe is better prepared than US, but it will sneak in where we aren't looking, probably via some diplomat or Asian/Indian migrant worker, or possibly via an illegal immigrant who goes underground in London, or a legal east European migrant who joins a crop picking gang.
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nexus
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Post by nexus »

PS_RalphW wrote:It's now being more widely reported in MSM that ebola in Europe is more a question of when, not if. Oil and travel company shares down again.

2 of the 5 monitored contacts in Spain are negative. Generally I think western Europe is better prepared than US, but it will sneak in where we aren't looking, probably via some diplomat or Asian/Indian migrant worker, or possibly via an illegal immigrant who goes underground in London, or a legal east European migrant who joins a crop picking gang.
I think the biggest plus for us is that we still have free healthcare. There will be uninsured Americans getting it and unable to afford treatment They will then likely infect others.
Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Frederick Douglass
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UndercoverElephant
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Post by UndercoverElephant »

nexus wrote:
PS_RalphW wrote:It's now being more widely reported in MSM that ebola in Europe is more a question of when, not if. Oil and travel company shares down again.

2 of the 5 monitored contacts in Spain are negative. Generally I think western Europe is better prepared than US, but it will sneak in where we aren't looking, probably via some diplomat or Asian/Indian migrant worker, or possibly via an illegal immigrant who goes underground in London, or a legal east European migrant who joins a crop picking gang.
I think the biggest plus for us is that we still have free healthcare. There will be uninsured Americans getting it and unable to afford treatment They will then likely infect others.
Absolutely. It is at times like this that it becomes clear just how primitive and backwards the US healthcare system is. In the UK, anybody who thinks they might have ebola, but probably doesn't, will declare themselves to the authorities to get tested and monitored, just in case. In the US, anybody in exactly the same position, except without health insurance, will just hope they don't have ebola. The guaranteed result of which is not only more cases of ebola, but with a high probability that the new cases will also be people without health insurance.
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UndercoverElephant
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Post by UndercoverElephant »

nexus wrote:
PS_RalphW wrote:It's now being more widely reported in MSM that ebola in Europe is more a question of when, not if. Oil and travel company shares down again.

2 of the 5 monitored contacts in Spain are negative. Generally I think western Europe is better prepared than US, but it will sneak in where we aren't looking, probably via some diplomat or Asian/Indian migrant worker, or possibly via an illegal immigrant who goes underground in London, or a legal east European migrant who joins a crop picking gang.
I think the biggest plus for us is that we still have free healthcare. There will be uninsured Americans getting it and unable to afford treatment They will then likely infect others.
Absolutely. It is at times like this that it becomes clear just how primitive and backwards the US healthcare system is. In the UK, anybody who thinks they might have ebola, but probably doesn't, will declare themselves to the authorities to get tested and monitored, just in case. In the US, anybody in exactly the same position, except without health insurance, will just hope they don't have ebola. The guaranteed result of which is not only more cases of ebola, but with a high probability that the new cases will also be people without health insurance.
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Post by emordnilap »

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PS_RalphW
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Post by PS_RalphW »

Maybe I spoke too soon. The Spanish nurse reported symptoms 3 times before she was tested for Ebola.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/o ... quarantine

Now the really shocking news - The Nurse's dog is to be put down, presumably because it could have been infected with ebola. Major public campaign in the MSM - Save the dog!
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Post by vtsnowedin »

UndercoverElephant wrote: Absolutely. It is at times like this that it becomes clear just how primitive and backwards the US healthcare system is. In the UK, anybody who thinks they might have ebola, but probably doesn't, will declare themselves to the authorities to get tested and monitored, just in case. In the US, anybody in exactly the same position, except without health insurance, will just hope they don't have ebola. The guaranteed result of which is not only more cases of ebola, but with a high probability that the new cases will also be people without health insurance.
Just how "Backward" the US healthcare system is remains to be seen. Unfortunately both the UK and the US will probably get a full test of their pandemic response systems. I wouldn't move to the UK thinking my chances were better there.
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PS_RalphW
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Post by PS_RalphW »

I was listening to the BBC a week ago about GP visit waiting times. People in the less salubrious city practices were being quoted 2 weeks for a routine GP visit unless they could convince an unqualified phone operator that they were an 'emergency' case.

I'm lucky, I'm a 5 minute walk from my doctor and I think average wait is 24 hours or less.

I really think the only hope we have is to delay spread until a vaccine can be rolled out.
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Post by snow hope »

From the Guardian link above,

"Her first contact with health authorities was on 30 September when she complained of a slight fever and fatigue. Romero Ramos called a specialised service dedicated to occupational risk at the Carlos III hospital where she worked and had treated an Ebola patient, said Antonio Alemany from the regional government of Madrid. But as the nurse’s fever had not reached 38.6C, she was advised to visit her local clinic where she was reportedly prescribed paracetamol.

Days later, according to the El País newspaper, Romero Ramos called the hospital again to complain about her fever. No action was taken.

On Monday, she called the Carlos III hospital again, this time saying she felt terrible. Rather than transport her to the hospital that had treated the two missionaries who had been repatriated with Ebola, Romero Ramos was instructed to call emergency services and head to the hospital closest to her home. She was transported to the Alcorcón hospital by paramedics who were not wearing protective gear, El País reported.

On arrival at the hospital, Romero Ramos warned staff that she feared she had contracted Ebola. Despite the warning, she remained in a bed in the emergency room while she waited for her test results. She was separated from other patients only by curtains, hospital staff said on Tuesday."


I find this really shocking..... we seem to have numbskulls everywhere.... :evil: :shock:
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PS_RalphW
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Post by PS_RalphW »

Burial teams in Sierra Leone are on strike over non-payment of hazard payments for handling Ebola victims Victims are being left lying in the streets.


http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/worl ... /16898253/
Snail

Post by Snail »

A sick joke.

This is the time to ensure things are done properly. Make sure staff are paid, that the equipment is up to scratch and not sellotaped with duct tape, that procedures are correctly followed.

Stop f***ing about in other words. Come on people! :evil:
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