Ebola virus outbreak

nyarlothothep · 15-10-2014 09:02PM

Realweirdo pointed out this is going to come back to haunt the west and now it is. Colonialism, a history of exploitation, unequal market relations, arms sales, I believe all these things and more besides have contributed to the absolutely fcked up backwards state of some African countries and now it's coming to bite the West in the ass. Of course it will mostly bite the Western peons in the ass rather than the perpetuators of this state of affairs. A doctor that works in epidemic cases was quoted as saying lock down the whole area, it's got to be done now, do it now!

My name is URL · 15-10-2014 09:27PM

Jake1 wrote: »

The nurses alleged that:

— Duncan was kept in a non-isolated area of the emergency department for several hours, potentially exposing up to seven other patients to Ebola;

— Patients who may have been exposed to Duncan were kept in isolation only for a day before being moved to areas where there were other patients;

— Nurses treating Duncan were also caring for other patients in the hospital;

— Preparation for Ebola at the hospital amounted to little more than an optional seminar for staff;

— In the face of constantly shifting guidelines, nurses were allowed to follow whichever ones they chose.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/10/15/heres-the-newly-released-list-of-conditions-dallas-nurses-say-they-faced-while-treating-ebola-patient/

What an absolute clusterfuck

If that's the situation in the world's most advanced healthcare system, and in the most developed nation on Earth, you can only imagine how bad things must be in the likes of Liberia.

AngryHippie · 15-10-2014 09:33PM

AngryHippie wrote: »

Napalm.

?

Creative Juices · 15-10-2014 09:34PM

nyarlothothep wrote: »

Realweirdo pointed out this is going to come back to haunt the west and now it is. Colonialism, a history of exploitation, unequal market relations, arms sales, I believe all these things and more besides have contributed to the absolutely fcked up backwards state of some African countries and now it's coming to bite the West in the ass. Of course it will mostly bite the Western peons in the ass rather than the perpetuators of this state of affairs. A doctor that works in epidemic cases was quoted as saying lock down the whole area, it's got to be done now, do it now!

Huge generalisation and the last 2 sentences make you appear drunk.

There are 54 African countries.

5 have ebola. (4 if you consider Nigeria contained and got rid of it).

FullblownRose · 15-10-2014 09:34PM

Among the nurses’ allegations was that the Ebola patient’s lab samples were allowed to travel through the hospital’s pneumatic tubes, opening the possibility of contaminating the specimen delivery system. The nurses also alleged that hazardous waste was allowed to pile up to the ceiling

josip · 15-10-2014 09:35PM

My name is URL wrote: »

What an absolute clusterfuck

If that's the situation in the world's most advanced healthcare system, and in the most developed nation on Earth, you can only imagine how bad things must be in the likes of Liberia.

The US has the world's most advanced healthcare system?

wexie · 15-10-2014 09:39PM

josip wrote: »

The US has the world's most advanced healthcare system?

Or is the worlds most developed nation? By what standard?

On second thought, lets not open that can of worms

afraidofplanes · 15-10-2014 09:43PM

Has anyone done anything proactive to help combat this abroad or at home if it should come here? Donating to MSF is a given and we should all be doing what we can here. I know Ireland has pledged money to the crisis as well. But what can we do as a group force? Even if it's just bombarding our TDs/government with letters? We need to ensure that we are doing what we can to combat the spread of disease in West Africa and to set up a system of proper education and if needs be, proper training and equipment for HCWs in Ireland if it comes here.

Has this been set up or organised already? If not, is it time to do so?

Highflyer13 · 15-10-2014 09:48PM

Christ I'd be very worried with the ability of the HSE to deal with this having seen the state of them lately. Stuck on this little island with that epidemic and a travel ban, oh the horrors. :eek:

realweirdo · 15-10-2014 09:58PM

Creative Juices wrote: »

Huge generalisation and the last 2 sentences make you appear drunk.

There are 54 African countries.

5 have ebola. (4 if you consider Nigeria contained and got rid of it).

He only quoted a doctor who works in the area and is more qualified on this than anyone else. Difficult to lockdown an area though.

Creative Juices · 15-10-2014 10:02PM

realweirdo wrote: »

He only quoted a doctor who works in the area and is more qualified on this than anyone else. Difficult to lockdown an area though.

It was this generalisation that I was quoting numbers for.

"Realweirdo pointed out this is going to come back to haunt the west and now it is. Colonialism, a history of exploitation, unequal market relations, arms sales, I believe all these things and more besides have contributed to the absolutely fcked up backwards state of some African countries and now it's coming to bite the West in the ass."

Again 54 countries in Africa, 4 have ebola today.

Creative Juices · 15-10-2014 10:03PM

realweirdo wrote: »

He only quoted a doctor who works in the area and is more qualified on this than anyone else. Difficult to lockdown an area though.

It was this generalisation that I was providing numbers for.

"Realweirdo pointed out this is going to come back to haunt the west and now it is. Colonialism, a history of exploitation, unequal market relations, arms sales, I believe all these things and more besides have contributed to the absolutely fcked up backwards state of some African countries and now it's coming to bite the West in the ass."

Again 54 countries in Africa, 4 have ebola today.

Joe Doe · 15-10-2014 10:04PM

afraidofplanes wrote: »

Even if it's just bombarding our TDs/government with letters? ...Has this been set up or organised already? If not, is it time to do so?

Heard that Ireland was the 1st in EU to send a gov' Minister over there for 1st hand fact finding etc. Imagine as usual Ireland will punch above it's weight in donations, aid etc. Only so much a small gdp/country of 4.5m can do...

----

On a separate note Ebola has already killed more than 200 Doctors, Nurses, And other healthcare workers this year. Perhaps it's time to mobilise healthcare robots. There are robots available for all other dangerous tasks from meltdowns, deep sub exploration, b-disposal, landing on mars etc...

String · 15-10-2014 10:05PM

Nigeria seemed to have done amazingly well to contain it considering they are located so close to the source.

Dr Turk Turkelton · 15-10-2014 10:05PM

afraidofplanes wrote: »

Has anyone done anything proactive to help combat this abroad or at home if it should come here? Donating to MSF is a given and we should all be doing what we can here. I know Ireland has pledged money to the crisis as well. But what can we do as a group force? Even if it's just bombarding our TDs/government with letters? We need to ensure that we are doing what we can to combat the spread of disease in West Africa and to set up a system of proper education and if needs be, proper training and equipment for HCWs in Ireland if it comes here.

Has this been set up or organised already? If not, is it time to do so?

I propose another ice bucket challenge.
That will teach Ebola.

realweirdo · 15-10-2014 10:11PM

Creative Juices wrote: »

It was this generalisation that I was quoting numbers for.

"Realweirdo pointed out this is going to come back to haunt the west and now it is. Colonialism, a history of exploitation, unequal market relations, arms sales, I believe all these things and more besides have contributed to the absolutely fcked up backwards state of some African countries and now it's coming to bite the West in the ass."

Again 54 countries in Africa, 4 have ebola today.

Honestly you'd swear Africa was some paradise on earth. Yes it has 54 countries. All but 1 experienced colonialism at one stage or another. Most were ill equipped for independence. There has been very little investment in Africa and its largely been ignored by the rest of the world. In light of this it was hardly surprising something like ebola would get a foothold there and if left unchecked threathen everywhere else. Its irrelevant whether it was 4 countries or 54 and given that its out of control in those countries its only a matter of time before more countries suffer outbreaks. So yes ignoring africa's longterm plight was always going to come back to haunt the west which it is already doing.

nyarlothothep · 15-10-2014 10:13PM

Creative Juices wrote: »

Huge generalisation and the last 2 sentences make you appear drunk.

There are 54 African countries.

5 have ebola. (4 if you consider Nigeria contained and got rid of it).

So is that your pathetic attempt at an AH jibe? So stereotypically AH. 10,000 cases per week by December. Come back to me when you've grown up and dropped the childish, contemptible insults.

realweirdo · 15-10-2014 10:16PM

String wrote: »

Nigeria seemed to have done amazingly well to contain it considering they are located so close to the source.

They have indeed but I doubt thats the last of it for them. Having a reasonable healthcare system and a plan of action is a big help. Liberia has a terrible healthcare system. I'd also imagine education and literacy standards are far higher in Nigeria which also helps. Also the probability that people aren't living as much in one room shacks.

realweirdo · 15-10-2014 10:21PM

Joe Doe wrote: »

----

On a separate note Ebola has already killed more than 200 Doctors, Nurses, And other healthcare workers this year. Perhaps it's time to mobilise healthcare robots. There are robots available for all other dangerous tasks from meltdowns, deep sub exploration, b-disposal, landing on mars etc...

Thats actually an ingenious idea given that ebola requires a human host. Anything that lessons human interaction with for example a dead ebola victim has to be encouraged. I think you are years ahead of your time though.

Highflyer13 · 15-10-2014 10:26PM

Obama has spoken strongly in the last few minutes about getting SWAT like teams to deal with ebola in the states within next 24hrs. Strong language from him is making me wonder just how many were infected at that Dallas hospital.

the_syco · 15-10-2014 10:28PM

AngryHippie wrote: »

Napalm.

Unless you can guarantee 100% that it will not cause the disease to spread, either by causing animals to migrate, or partial parts of humans getting heated enough to float away, but not kill the disease, napalm is not the answer.

realweirdo wrote: »

He only quoted a doctor who works in the area and is more qualified on this than anyone else. Difficult to lockdown an area though.

4,500 from the US armed forces can help enforce a lockdown.

Also, fear, guns, and NIMBY will also ensure no-one gets to leave their country during lockdown.

Expect to see Italy, Spain, and Saudi Arabia get a load of guns, anti-boat and anti-aircraft weapons over the next month or so.

RobertKK · 15-10-2014 10:31PM

Ebola is airborne, according to a new report by the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota. Researchers at the university just advised the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that “scientific and epidemiologic evidence” now exists that proves Ebola has the potential to be transmitted via exhaled breath and “infectious aerosol particles.”

The article goes onto say

The working theory about Ebola transmission currently being uttered by the CDC and the agency’s director Thomas Frieden, is incorrect and “outmoded” according to the University of Minnesota CIDRAP report. “Virus-laden bodily fluids may be aerosolized and inhaled while a person is in proximity to an infectious person and that a wide range of particle sizes can be inhaled and deposited throughout the respiratory tract,” University researchers concluded.

http://www.inquisitr.com/1541821/ebola-is-airborne-university-of-minnesota-cidrap-researchers-claim/

ceadaoin. · 15-10-2014 10:37PM

Highflyer13 wrote: »

Obama has spoken strongly in the last few minutes about getting SWAT like teams to deal with ebola in the states within next 24hrs. Strong language from him is making me wonder just how many were infected at that Dallas hospital.

4 or 5 showing symptoms if you believe the rumours.

Reading how the hospital managed the original patient, it would be more surprising if there weren't more cases.

RobertKK wrote: »

The article goes onto say

http://www.inquisitr.com/1541821/ebola-is-airborne-university-of-minnesota-cidrap-researchers-claim/

All this is already known. That's why the CDC define close contact as being within 3 feet of an infected person. They know it has the potential to spread through the air in aerosolized particles. It still isn't technically airborne.

ectoraige · 15-10-2014 10:38PM

Lucy and Harry wrote: »

This thing could go air born and get worse those doomsday survivalists are not looking as weird nowadays.

It hasn't happened before, but there a first time for everything. Also, the common cold could mutate into a haemorrhagic virus with a 95% mortality rate. It hasn't before, but there's a first time for everything. Also, you might be trampled by an elephant during your lunch tomorrow. It hadn't happened before, but there a first time for everything.

wexie · 15-10-2014 10:41PM

ceadaoin. wrote: »

All this is already known. That's why the CDC define close contact as being within 3 feet of an infected person. They know it has the potential to spread through the air in aerosolized particles. It still isn't technically airborne.

While I'm quite happy to believe you on this (and certainly the alternative is pretty frightening) what then is the actual definition of : technically airborne?
What they're saying is that the virus can be caught by inhaling the exhaled breath of patients? Is that airborne?

realweirdo · 15-10-2014 10:49PM

If you define spreading by sneezing or coughing as airborne then technically yes it can be spread by this manner although its low risk. Put it this way if an ebola victim sneezed on you, you should be worried, but the chances of that happening soon are minimal. Physical contact is the most usual.form.of transmission and its no less serious than airborne infection. Lets hope someone comes up with a vaccine soon.

AngryHippie · 15-10-2014 10:50PM

the_syco wrote: »

Unless you can guarantee 100% that it will not cause the disease to spread, either by causing animals to migrate, or partial parts of humans getting heated enough to float away, but not kill the disease,

Then you haven't used enough. I'm talking lots and lots of napalm:eek:

afraidofplanes · 15-10-2014 10:51PM

The Inquisitr article is referring to a CIDRAP commentary from September, so as scary as all forms of transmission are it isn't exactly breaking news.

http

/www. cidrap .umn.edu/news-perspective/2014/09/commentary-health-workers-need-optimal-respiratory-protection-ebola

ceadaoin. · 15-10-2014 10:52PM

wexie wrote: »

While I'm quite happy to believe you on this (and certainly the alternative is pretty frightening) what then is the actual definition of : technically airborne?
What they're saying is that the virus can be caught by inhaling the exhaled breath of patients? Is that airborne?

Its droplet borne so it can only survive and travel for a limited distance in droplets created when someone sneezes, coughs or vomits. I agree though, to you and me, that means airborne. If it really was able to travel in the air then it would spread a lot quicker than it does now.

This explains it better

http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2014/10/13/read-this-to-get-a-better-understanding-of-how-ebola-spreads/

Doctors mean something different from the public when they talk about a disease being airborne. To them, it means that the disease-causing germs are so small they can live dry, floating in the air for extended periods, thus capable of traveling from person to person at a distance. When inhaled, airborne germs make their way deep into the lungs.

Chickenpox, measles and tuberculosis are airborne diseases. Droplets of mucus and other secretions from the nose, mouth and respiratory tract transmit other diseases, including influenza and smallpox.

When someone coughs, sneezes or, in the case of Ebola, vomits, he releases a spray of secretions into the air. This makes the infection droplet-borne. Some hospital procedures, like placing a breathing tube down a patient’s air passage to help him breathe, may do the same thing.

Droplet-borne germs can travel in these secretions to infect someone a few feet away, often through the eyes, nose or mouth. This may not seem like an important difference, but it has a big impact on how easily a germ spreads. Airborne diseases are far more transmittable than droplet-borne ones.

youtube! · 15-10-2014 10:58PM

I just can't get the Walking Dead out of my head when I think of Ebola, it's really freaking me out!

Ebola virus outbreak

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