Ebola virus outbreak

darkpagandeath

Strawberry Milkshake wrote: »

EBOLA

Coming to a town near you soon !!!!!
http://news.sky.com/story/1369993/patient-tested-for-ebola-in-northern-ireland


Or maybe not!

So he has Malaria ... Why the adding on of Ebola ? Guessing anywhere then can jam in Ebola fear is a good news story.

ceadaoin.

darkpagandeath wrote: »

So he has Malaria ... Why the adding on of Ebola ? Guessing anywhere then can jam in Ebola fear is a good news story.

Well it is possible to have malaria and ebola at the same time. The symptoms for both can be similar so I guess because the person has recently returned from an ebola affected area, they are ruling it out to be on the safe side. Or maybe the person has had contact with an infected person.

I don't know why they need to announce the fact that they are doing the test though. They usually turn out to be negative anyway. They should wait until the results are known.

darkpagandeath

ceadaoin. wrote: »

Well it is possible to have malaria and ebola at the same time. The symptoms for both can be similar so I guess because the person has recently returned from an ebola affected area, they are ruling it out to be on the safe side. Or maybe the person has had contact with an infected person.

I don't know why they need to announce the fact that they are doing the test though. They usually turn out to be negative anyway. They should wait until the results are known.

Yes I understand he hypothetically could have it. But the most lightly scenario is he has Malaria, And the Ebola tag on is to generate a news headline to create a story where there is not one.

ceadaoin.

darkpagandeath wrote: »

Yes I understand he hypothetical could have it. But the most lightly scenario is he has Malaria, And the Ebola tag on is to generate a news headline to create a story where there is not one.

Well it's the hospital who are deciding to do the ebola test and they obviously aren't trying to generate a news headline. It's not like sky news just made it up. The situation is that they are testing someone for ebola and that is what is being reported. I don't see any fear being generated from that article.

In contrast, The Mirror have gone with the 'let's all panic' angle. The headline of the story is that she 'may have had contact with airline passengers in London' prior to arriving in Belfast and officials are now looking into tracing them. As if it is already a confirmed case

arybvtcw0eolkf

For small country with an tiny and under resourced defence forces we've always punched above our weight, and now again we're stepping up to the plate and sending troops out to Africa to help fight this virus

STORY HERE

Defence Minister Simon Coveney today secured agreement from colleagues to despatch a small number of troops to countries most affected by the virus.

The minister had proposed such an operation before but was met with resistance by Health Minister Leo Varadkar.

Mr Coveney is expected to formally announce the plan this afternoon.

Speaking this afternoon on RTE’s News at One, Minister for Defence Simon Coveney said that the defence forces would help local agencies in the fight against Ebola.

“The Government has already committed €17m to this crisis in West Africa. Everyone agrees that the way to combat the spread of Ebola is to try and support the health services in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone who are all struggling to cope.

He said that the Defence Forces could be subjected to “harrowing work”.

“We are considering requests from GOAL and Concern for assistance that volunteers from the Defence Forces may be able to help with.

“This is stuff like collecting dead bodies and burying them to make sure that disease does not spread. It is issues like putting in place health care facilities from green field sites. It is very difficult work but very valuable work."

He also said if an Irish member of Defence Forces contacted Ebola, whether they were evacuated back to Ireland would be dealt with on a "case-by-case basis".

ceadaoin.

Heaven Young Snag wrote: »

For small country with an tiny and under resourced defence forces we've always punched above our weight, and now again we're stepping up to the plate and sending troops out to Africa to help fight this virus

STORY HERE

According to the Irish times it is only 3 troops being sent. Is that punching above our weight? Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing to help but I don't think we are going to be changing the situation with 3 people.

TwoShedsJackson

ceadaoin. wrote: »

According to the Irish times it is only 3 troops being sent. Is that punching above our weight? Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing to help but I don't think we are going to be changing the situation with 3 people.

Going to be changing it more than we would with 0 people sent though.

arybvtcw0eolkf

ceadaoin. wrote: »

According to the Irish times it is only 3 troops being sent. Is that punching above our weight? Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing to help but I don't think we are going to be changing the situation with 3 people.

Three medics in a tent probably wouldn't do a whole lot, three people experienced in coordinating a larger medical unit could probably do tremendous work ~ our medics have distinguished themselves in Bidoa, Somalia among other places.

Akrasia

Health workers have gone on strike because they haven't been paid a $100 weekly hazard payment to treat Ebola patients

FFS, Pay them the feckin money, it's not very much and these people are literally risking their lives and the lives of their families and communities every single day they go into work.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-30019895

323

Doubt if the health service there has the money to give to those people. One of the reasons the disease has remained unchecked.

Might not seem much to us but in a country whose basic services are funded by international donations, its a lot. To put it in perspective, most doctors earn less than $200 a month, nurses – $100 and teachers receive a monthly salary of about $30.
For the porters and cleaners mentioned in that article, $100/week is a fortune.


But on seeing that article my first thought was. Africa, guaranteed safe bet someone is getting that money, just not the people it was promised to.

Akrasia

323 wrote: »

Doubt if the health service there has the money to give to those people. One of the reasons the disease has remained unchecked.

Might not seem much to us but in a country whose basic services are funded by international donations, its a lot. To put it in perspective, most doctors earn less than $200 a month, nurses – $100 and teachers receive a monthly salary of about $30.
For the porters and cleaners mentioned in that article, $100/week is a fortune.


But on seeing that article my first thought was. Africa, guaranteed safe bet someone is getting that money, just not the people it was promised to.

MSF are running the hospital where these people are on strike and may possibly have to shut the hospital down. A lot of people have donated money to MSF to help fight Ebola, perhaps MSF should cover the cost of these payments and maybe try to get it back from the state later on (if it's worth it)

The workers in the hospital deserve the money for the risks they are taking. It's not just $100 a week, that money could very well be required to support their family if they end up dying from the disease

ScumLord

ceadaoin. wrote: »

According to the Irish times it is only 3 troops being sent. Is that punching above our weight? Don't get me wrong, it's a good thing to help but I don't think we are going to be changing the situation with 3 people.

Haven't you ever seen a Rambo film? It's like that, Rambo doctors, but there's three of them. I imagine they'll have the whole thing wrapped up less than 90 minutes after touchdown.

MadYaker

America is now Ebola free despite all the ridiculous predictions of doom on this thread. Maybe that's why it's gone quiet, people have finally realised it isn't a real threat to us.

ceadaoin.

MadYaker wrote: »

America is now Ebola free despite all the ridiculous predictions of doom on this thread. Maybe that's why it's gone quiet, people have finally realised it isn't a real threat to us.

The situation in West Africa is still bad so the US is only ebola free until the next infected person arrives from there. With increased monitoring of arrivals from affected countries, these cases should be spotted pretty soon and admitted to hospital before they become very infectious so there isn't much to worry about for now.

PucaMama

MadYaker wrote: »

America is now Ebola free despite all the ridiculous predictions of doom on this thread. Maybe that's why it's gone quiet, people have finally realised it isn't a real threat to us.

so you think because america is ok thats it problem over

ProfessorPlum

ceadaoin. wrote: »

The situation in West Africa is still bad so the US is only ebola free until the next infected person arrives from there. With increased monitoring of arrivals from affected countries, these cases should be spotted pretty soon and admitted to hospital before they become very infectious so there isn't much to worry about for now.

It's pretty widely acknowledged that arrival screening will make little to no difference in the numbers of cases detected at points if entry. The best hope is by educating the travelling public about symptoms and sign to look out for. Or of course they can just try locking up all arriving passengers for 21 days

ceadaoin.

ProfessorPlum wrote: »

It's pretty widely acknowledged that arrival screening will make little to no difference in the numbers of cases detected at points if entry. The best hope is by educating the travelling public about symptoms and sign to look out for. Or of course they can just try locking up all arriving passengers for 21 days

I meant the monitoring protocol that has been introduced. Everyone returning from those areas must report their temperature daily for 21 days.

MadYaker

PucaMama wrote: »

so you think because america is ok thats it problem over

Is that what I said? No, it isn't.

wildefalcon

But it does look like the medical people in West Africa are winning - the infection rate is now at 1 for 1, rather than 2 for 1, local villages are quarantining suspected cases, burial practices are changing.

Ordinary people are figuring it out and seeing that the foreign doctors may be right, so there is a groundswell of local management of the disease.

All good, really. Gives the pharma companies time to work out what is working and what isn't.

ProfessorPlum

ceadaoin. wrote: »

I meant the monitoring protocol that has been introduced. Everyone returning from those areas must report their temperature daily for 21 days.

Yes, agree education and self monitoring would appear to be the way to go rather than wasting money on airport screening and forcibly quarantining well people without good reason.

Quite worrying news out of Mali regarding the recent deaths there. There seems to have been either a degree if complacency or perhaps denial which resulted in further spread of the virus.

RobYourBuilder

Some good news from Liberia.

Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has lifted the state of emergency imposed to control an Ebola outbreak that has ravaged the country.

She said the move did not mean "the fight is over", although numbers of new infections were no longer increasing.

The confirmed death toll from the virus is now 5,160 people, almost all of them from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Meanwhile, clinical trials to find an effective treatment for Ebola are due to start in West Africa next month.

The medical charity Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which has been helping lead the fight against the virus, says three of its treatment centres will host three separate research projects.

'New hotspots'

In nationwide address, President Johnson Sirleaf said that night curfews would be reduced and weekly markets could take place across Liberia.

She added that preparations were being made for the re-opening of schools.

The state of emergency imposed in August had allowed the local authorities to curb movement in the worst-hit areas of the country, including the capital Monrovia.

The lifting of the emergency comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) said "there is some evidence that case incidence is no longer increasing nationally in Guinea and Liberia".

However, some reports suggest that new fresh hotspots have emerged in Liberia, the Associated Press reports.

'Hope for patients'

In a separate development, MSF announced the new clinical trials: two in Guinea and another one in an unconfirmed location.

One trial will involve using the blood of recovered Ebola patients to treat sick people in the Guinean capital Conakry.

"This is an unprecedented international partnership which represents hope for patients to finally get a real treatment," said MSF spokeswoman Dr Annick Antierens.

About 400 people will take part in the trials, and they will be extended to other centres if the early results - expected in February 2015 - are promising.

The WHO announced in September that experimental treatments and vaccines for Ebola should be fast-tracked.

Two experimental vaccines, produced by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the Public Health Agency of Canada, have already been fast-tracked into safety trials.

The GSK vaccine is being tested in Mali, the UK and the US. Research on the Canadian vaccine is also under way in the US.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30044418

ceadaoin.

ProfessorPlum wrote: »

Yes, agree education and self monitoring would appear to be the way to go rather than wasting money on airport screening and forcibly quarantining well people without good reason.

Quite worrying news out of Mali regarding the recent deaths there. There seems to have been either a degree if complacency or perhaps denial which resulted in further spread of the virus.

I think it has the potential to become a large outbreak in Mali. There are now 5 confirmed infections there. I'm sure there will be more as the original patient wasn't even tested and went on to have a traditional burial where he was laid out in a mosque with people visiting to pay their respects. A lot of his family members in guinea have already died.

I know that Liberia has had some success with posters and billboards educating people about ebola. The literacy rate in Mali is only 33% though so a campaign like that would have limited reach.

Akrasia

RobYourBuilder wrote: »

Some good news from Liberia.



http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30044418

I'm not sure how good this. Just because the rate of infection is lowering in Liberia doesn't mean the emergency is over, in fact, it is highly likely that the reason why the RO is down is because of the measures introduced as part of the state of emergency.

Akrasia

Mali has had an outbreak of ebola because an Islamic Imam contracted the disease in Guinea, travelled to Mali for treatment, and after he died, he was given the traditional burial practise of washing his corpse at a large mosque in Mali 'because of his status'

Now a nurse has died from ebola, several of the Imams family members are dying, a friend of the Imam died of suspected ebola, a doctor is being treated for ebola. The Imam's daughter died and his family 'refused a safe burial' so the likelyhood is, that the daughter's corpse has also infected multiple other people too

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/health/mali-reports-a-second-larger-ebola-outbreak.html?_r=0

The first case of Ebola in Mali involved one little girl who sadly died. This outbreak is going to be much more difficult to contain because there is no way ot tracing how many people will have had direct contact with the body of the Imam while he was in the Mosque.

Despite the global attention Ebola has been given, and despite the fact that these countries Guinea and Mali are on the direct front line of the crisis, there has been an inability to identify the symptoms of ebola. This is probably because there are multiple other diseases that are more common which have similar symptoms.

If the religious practises of washing and handling the corpse before burial are continued in this region, what hope is there that ebola will ever be contained?

MadYaker

Mind boggling how these people can still do something like washing the body of an ebola victim after all that has happened.

ceadaoin.

MadYaker wrote: »

Mind boggling how these people can still do something like washing the body of an ebola victim after all that has happened.

They didn't know he had ebola. It's mind boggling that it wasn't suspected at all really after he had travelled from an affected area.

Gael23

Ebola seems to no longer be a newsworthy story, which is disappointing.

wildefalcon

ryanf1 wrote: »

Ebola seems to no longer be a newsworthy story, which is disappointing.

Personally, I'm glad. Glad to see the back of that terrible disease.

MadYaker

wildefalcon wrote: »

Personally, I'm glad. Glad to see the back of that terrible disease.

It's still a huge issue! Just because the western media have moved on doesn't mean it's all solved! Christ almighty.

wildefalcon

MadYaker wrote: »

It's still a huge issue! Just because the western media have moved on doesn't mean it's all solved! Christ almighty.

I know it hasn't been solved, but it's being managed, the number of new cases is reducing, the organisations that can do most on the ground are in place.

Sure, it's not solved, but it ISN'T going to be a world threatening plague, it ISN'T even a regional disaster, it's just yet another nasty disease in Africa. There are a number of vaccines that show promise, and, with a little luck, this time next year it will just be a bad memory for all the survivors.

So, no longer a major threat to humanity, no longer a story. More people died in Europe from flu and pneumonia in the last 3 months that have ever died of Ebola.

So it isn't a huge issue, unless you are directly effected.

Perhaps it's time for less histrionics, and time for more analysis, and maybe even a concerted effort by the developed world to ensure the leaders of the poorest countries in the world are encouraged to implement and fund basic health and education systems, rather than building new palaces or buying fighter jets. Sanctions against individuals were used when the Russians invaded Ukraine, why not against Leaders that squander and steal their countries funds to the detriment of the very poorest?