Ebola outbreak, and other potential epidemics

[PS_RalphW]

No

[snow hope]

I recall some people posting in this thread that Ebola would never spread in the "West", due to our superior healthcare and controls........ so it will all be okay - don't worry.

Over 300 mutations so far apparently.

http://www.healio.com/infectious-diseas ... bola-virus

[biffvernon]

I really, seriously hope these photographs are hoaxes.

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/10 ... ms-family/

Looks all too real

There are some great comments on that page. Who said Americans don't do irony?

maudieNmandeville • 10 hours ago
Nothing like using a pressure washer to clean up Ebola. That's how far ahead we are of African nations. They don't have pressure washers.

Of course pretty much anything on the internet can be a hoax, but it seems the picture came from a Dallas television station WFAA that released it on twitter. Their latest piece online is at http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/health/2 ... /16628701/

[biffvernon]

Here's an interesting bit from the WFAA report:

he nurse asked Duncan if he had traveled out of the U.S. in the past four weeks, and he told that nurse he had been in Africa. The nurse entered that information into the nursing portion of Duncan's electronic medical record. However, the hospital found in their investigation of the incident that there was a flaw in the way the physician and nursing portions of their electronic health records interacted.

In their electronic records, physician and nursing workflows were kept separate, and the documentation of travel history was located only in the nursing workflow portion of the records.

Sod's Law, by its very nature, operates most effectively in complex systems.

A medical friend said,

I'm waiting for the, "you know that patient you sent home last week..." conversation.

[UndercoverElephant]

I recall some people posting in this thread that Ebola would never spread in the "West", due to our superior healthcare and controls........ so it will all be okay - don't worry.

Over 300 mutations so far apparently.

http://www.healio.com/infectious-diseas ... bola-virus

I'm fairly certain this pantomime would not be happening in any European country. It looks to me like another case of the Americans not having a clue what is going on in the world. They don't appear to realise how contagious ebola is, rather like they don't know where Liberia is.

Not that coming up with reasons why it's not being seriously makes any difference to the consequences.

[fuzzy]

I think you are right UE. If it was London the gov would have a superinjunction on reporting the outbreak, so we would be treated like mushrooms.

The US has another patient on the way - NBC cameraman

[fuzzy]

US members might agree with this petition:

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petiti ... k/FFJHH9yX

I can see all the BAU handringers and beancounters getting sweaty.

[adam2]

I really, seriously hope these photographs are hoaxes.

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/10 ... ms-family/

I suspect them to be genuine, simply because it seems an odd thing to want to fake.

Although the wearing of proper protective gear would have been more sensible, the risks are probably minimal.
Ebola is undoubtedly contagious as events in Africa have shown, but I suspect that fairly thorough or close range contact is required for the infection to spread.
In Liberia for example, victims have regularly infected close family members or medical staff many of whom have died. But consider for example those turned away from medical facilities, they must have passed THOUSANDS of people in the street most of whom have not been infected.
Likewise many sufferers are purchasing food from street markets, a transaction that typicly involves some very limited personal contact. Most of the market traders are still alive.
Many sufferers in Liberia have vomited or defecated in the streets and such street cleaning as is done does not involve any protective gear. Most of those who cleanse the streets are still alive, as are most of those who use unclean streets.

The risks involved in passing at arms length, a plastic bag to a possible Ebola victim seems minimal, though I would prefer not to do it just in case.

Likewise the risks in clearing up vomit with a pressure washer are probably not that great, though again I would not willingly take even a small risk. (a pressure washer is arguably not the best tool for the job though as the high pressure jet might scatter particles. I would suggest standing up wind and use of a long handled tool to apply liberal amounts of quick lime or bleaching powder. When rendered safer, the waste could be washed away with strongly chlorinated water applied at low pressure)

[PS_RalphW]

CNN

As concerns grow over how many people he may have exposed to the deadly virus, a plan to sanitize the apartment was delayed late Thursday.

Brad Smith of the Cleaning Guys, which was hired to sanitize the apartment, said his company does not have the proper permits to transport hazardous waste on Texas highways. The company specializes in hazmat and biohazard cleaning services.

Smith said authorities sent his crew away late Thursday before they entered the apartment and told them to come back with proper permits. It's unclear how long that will take.

So people are being detained in a building contaminated with Ebola, at gunpoint, whilst the crew sent to clean it are withdrawn due to minor paperwork glytch.

God help them.

[tpals]

From other pictures I've seen, the man handing in the food is one of the apartment inmates. The stack of boxes is much higher in the beginning.

[Little John]

CNN

As concerns grow over how many people he may have exposed to the deadly virus, a plan to sanitize the apartment was delayed late Thursday.

Brad Smith of the Cleaning Guys, which was hired to sanitize the apartment, said his company does not have the proper permits to transport hazardous waste on Texas highways. The company specializes in hazmat and biohazard cleaning services.

Smith said authorities sent his crew away late Thursday before they entered the apartment and told them to come back with proper permits. It's unclear how long that will take.

So people are being detained in a building contaminated with Ebola, at gunpoint, whilst the crew sent to clean it are withdrawn due to minor paperwork glytch.

God help them.

Fear of litigation. It's what you get when the "free market" is allowed to run amok. It's every man for himself. Their actions are entirely rational within the framework of the insane socio-economic system in which they must operate

[adam2]

CNN

As concerns grow over how many people he may have exposed to the deadly virus, a plan to sanitize the apartment was delayed late Thursday.

Brad Smith of the Cleaning Guys, which was hired to sanitize the apartment, said his company does not have the proper permits to transport hazardous waste on Texas highways. The company specializes in hazmat and biohazard cleaning services.

Smith said authorities sent his crew away late Thursday before they entered the apartment and told them to come back with proper permits. It's unclear how long that will take.

So people are being detained in a building contaminated with Ebola, at gunpoint, whilst the crew sent to clean it are withdrawn due to minor paperwork glitch.

God help them.

The family have now been moved out
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29481069
The response was far from prompt though and I would fear for the health of those in the flat for some days with an Ebola case, and after that in potentially infected surroundings.

[fuzzy]

Cases of Marburg - Ebola's ugly brother:

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/10/0 ... O120141005

perhaps the Ebola wasn't working fast enough, either way you lose.

[RenewableCandy]

The poor guy was apparently working in a hospital while puking, bleeding and with a splitting headache. Didn't anybody, erm, suspect anything??

Mind you, I can imagine someone in the UK doing this if they were living in fear of losing their job (or working for benefits and living in fear of being sanctioned).

[PS_RalphW]

A published scientific paper has calculated a 50% chance of Ebola reaching uk in the next 3 weeks, higher for France, if airlines continue normal service to infected countries, and cases continue at current growth rate, it becomes a question of when, not if.

In Dallas, first the cdc found, then lost , then finally detained a homeless potential contact with the victim. I think they now have got a good chance of controlling this case, but they where spectacularly unprepared.