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Not only has this latest outbreak killed more people than all previous outbreaks combined, at nearly 2,000 dead it rivals many military conflicts occuring right now (Gaza, Ukraine) although Syria outstrips all of them by another 100,000 dead.

Ebola is currently found in 5 countries: Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and the USA (voluntarily brought here to attempt to save two US citizens infected with the disease, and the further study it and this specific strain).

It is not transmitted through the air, and it doesn't go through your skin. You have to not only come into direct contact with the bodily fluids of a noticably infected person, but those fluids have to enter your body through cuts, open sores, mucus membranes (nose, eyes, mouth, other orifices) before you can become infected.

So it's actually not a very easy to transmit disease, save for the fact that if you care for someone who is ill, you are likely to come into frequent contact with their vomit or diarrhea, and so without care and attention you can become infected. It can survive on surfaces for an extended period of time.

The greatest way to stop infection is to educate people - if someone in their family or community becomes sick, they should not attempt to treat them, they should be cared for in a medical facility with appropriate safeguards. This is why, even if it's released into the wild in the US, it wouldn't get very far.

There is no cure or treatment for Ebola. It runs its course, and currently treatment for symptoms is all that medical staff can do. Death occurs in up to half the cases of infection. More in some places, less in others, so we can probably reduce mortality with good medical care, but even in good conditions 1 in 5 infected will die.

It's currently believed that bats can carry it and incubate it. It kills primates, so infection from that source is unlikely. Investigators have traced this current outbreak to a suspect patient zero - a 2 year old child who became sick near the end of last year, died in a matter of weeks, whose family also died after suffering the same illness, and then people in the community started becoming ill and dying. There's no "smoking gun" as to how she got it, but the most likely theory is that she ate a fruit that an infect bat nibbled on and left saliva behind.

Public education and isolation are the only tools that will stop the outbreak at this point in time.

Thread: The fact that most funeral ceremonies in Africa (at least in the affected areas) have touching and kissing of the body and ebola is extremely contagious post-mortem, this poses a serious risk that is difficult to combat because you're basically telling people to not mourn their dead in the manner in which they were raised or accustomed. I don't think it would be as much a problem in more "first world" areas because of sanitation and customs.

Thread Title: Nice!

I saw the thread title and guffawed.

It's on the road from inside joke town to Memeville.

Ebola in Omaha!

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/latest...nebraska-hospital-treatment/story?id=25252017

Why can't they all send them to one secured place instead of flying them across continents for treatment?

Dave said:

Ebola in Omaha!

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/latest...nebraska-hospital-treatment/story?id=25252017

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Correction: Ebola: Playing in Omaha hospital Fall 2014! Get tickets now!

Here's a fun gem: http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandso...alysis-shows?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

Well, the two cases we've imported intentionally have survived and no secondary infections have occurred from them to care providers. I'm hoping the Omaha case survives as well, if so this supports the theory that exceptional care, as provided in first world countries, not only decreases mortality, but can do so without increasing risk to others.

As long as doctors are on alert and test patients showing symptoms, then investigate and test all those the infected have come into close contact with, we shouldn't see significant (more than 10-20) outbreaks even if it's imported without care.

Texas has first reported case of Ebola.

We really need to throw down some serious travel restrictions about now, because cases will keep coming in until there's a major outbreak here.

There won't be a major outbreak here. The way the disease transmits is way too specialized to have a big outbreak in a country like the US.

Dave said:

There won't be a major outbreak here. The way the disease transmits is way too specialized to have a big outbreak in a country like the US.

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Shows what you know. The U.S. is one of the EASIEST places to infect. It's Iceland and Madagasgar that are toughest because they're only accessible by ship.

Wait, we're not talking about Plague Inc, are we?

Dave said:

There won't be a major outbreak here. The way the disease transmits is way too specialized to have a big outbreak in a country like the US.

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If it grabs a foothold in a poor urban population we could see dozens or hundreds of deaths in the US.

But even that's not too likely. Once one case is found, they do a pretty extensive investigation into who they might have had contact with and test people while instructing them on how to minimize risk of transfer until the tests come back.

Distrust and poor communication in certain populations of the US will be our biggest risk, and given the anti vaccine crowd's success at disinformation and fergusen reducing the trust level of authority figures in some groups, we may see an interesting situation.

Still, I don't see it making a big impact here.

I've read (and perhaps it was here) that one of the reasons it gets around in Africa is due to some very unsanitary funereal practices that are part of the culture - IE, kissing the departed, etc. I think, here in the States, we're a bit more eager to adopt quarantine practices.

Edit - yeah, I did read it here. Dave's post half a page up.

My friend at the CDC posted this today:


"Calm yoself"

Ebola doesn't transmit if you aren't actually actively sick. When you are sick (looks like the common cold), physical contact must be avoid as well as any fluids that come from the body such as sweat, saliva, urine and feces.

It's a disease that is easily preventable by proper hygiene. Clean your hands. Bathe yourself. Do what you should normally do.

If it's properly taken care of, the infected in Dallas will most likely live and the caretakers be supervised for some time afterwards.

People who shared his flight aren't affected and quite frankly beyond not admitting the sick on the planes, there's not much you can do to avoid dormant carriers on-board until newer tech presents itself.

This is truly an African disease due to poor health conditions, western medicine superstition (they consult shamans...) as well as ridiculous burial rights where they bathe, kiss, touch... etc... the dead.

So @Jay, what was that disagree for?

He must not have understood that reference.

Reminds me of yesterday morning, on the MRT ride to work, I watched a guy play Plague Inc on his phone. My god he was bad at it. He'd apparently only just downloaded it and started playing, since he'd only unlocked bacteria (the first plague type) but he was doing everything wrong. He'd buy symptoms from the start, and only buy symptoms, until the world figured out a cure five minutes later.

I wanted to take his hand and teach him how to play.

bhamv3 said:

I wanted to take his hand and teach him how to play.

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Just like Nick's Prom Night.

I always hate myself afterwards...

GasBandit said:

He must not have understood that reference.

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Jay dislikes everything he doesn't understand.

Ravenpoe said:

Jay dislikes everything he doesn't understand.

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Well, yeah. He's French.

OH SNAP.

Ebola won't outbreak in the US. We have an educated population that understands things like quarantine and listening to government agency guidelines and universal healthcar...


... aww fuck.

Then half of us won't take a vaccine when it is available because it contains preservatives.

Just tell the public that the vaccines contain electrolytes. They'll take it because that's what they need. #IdiocracyReference

Is it morally reprehensible to try to spin this into an excuse to not got to work tomorrow? Yes. Will I try it anyway? Of course. I mean that hospital is only 10 miles away! clearly I should stay home at a much safer 11 miles away.

ThatNickGuy said:

Just tell the public that the vaccines contain electrolytes. They'll take it because that's what they need. #IdiocracyReference

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But are those electrolytes gluten free?

The preservative is GMO free and pesticide free, organically grown kale.

BOOM, done in one. It'll fly off the shelves.

Organically grown, you say?
Then it probably has e. coli.

--Patrick

PatrThom said:

Organically grown, you say?
Then it probably has e. coli.

--Patrick

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Ahem.

E. coli

/Nomenclature Nazi

Does anyone else hear the Ricola jingle when the news mentions Ebola?

drawn_inward said:

Ahem.

E. coli

/Nomenclature Nazi

Does anyone else hear the Ricola jingle when the news mentions Ebola?

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dammit, I do now.

drawn_inward said:

Ahem.

E. coli

/Nomenclature Nazi

Does anyone else hear the Ricola jingle when the news mentions Ebola?

Click to expand...

I actually debated looking up whether it was capitalized or not, because I thought I'd had to do that before, but then I realized I hadn't italicized it either and was all, "Meh, I'll just post it."
Thanks, though. Now I'll remember it for at least another 6 months.

And no, I don't hear the jingle.

--Patrick

drawn_inward said:

Ahem.

E. coli

/Nomenclature Nazi

Does anyone else hear the Ricola jingle when the news mentions Ebola?

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it was the version e.e. cummings contracted.

since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things

fade said:

it was the version e.e. cummings contracted.

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I considered making this suggestion as well, except that I did punctuate after the "e."

--Patrick

Well someone here may possibly have ebola. I say it's the stomach virus that's been going around for the last month. However that isn't stopping the panic and conspiracy theories (Agenda 21? The government is putting it in the water? Really?) from invading the comments on the station's FB page.

I hear Obama is doing this so that he can declare Marshall law and stay in office longer than his two terms.

I talk to a lot of morons.

...So we'll all be forced to wear Thundering Herd jerseys, and mourn over a plane crash from nearly 50 years ago?

(Martial Law, not Marshall.)

No, MARTIAN law! I'm forming a cadre of Martian Knights! Who wants to beat some ass?

Well, now that one hospital clearly botched things up and sent an ebola positive patient home, you can bet every other hospital will avoid that gaffe by going too far in the other direction.

I expect we will start seeing more ebola cases in the US, though, so it isn't a bad thing to be particularly careful.

Still, I don't think we're going to see an outbreak here. Isolated cases, with perhaps a small spread among family and healthcare workers.

What I'm really interested to find out is whether we will be able to save a significant number of those who fall ill in the US. Ebola seems scary because of the high rate of mortality, but that's because it occurs most often in regions with inadequate healthcare and sanitation practices. If, in the US, ebola has a significantly reduced mortality, even down to one in ten (which is still huge by our standards), then the public would breath a sigh of relief, and worry significantly less about it.

Further, the experimental vaccine may pave the way for resolving the issue entirely. It won't be needed in the US, only those areas of the world where natural ebola reservoirs exist (bats in south america are thought to be the main reservoir).

Hey, if you want to start a conspiracy theory, though, here's a beginning: GlaxoSmithKline started developing their ebola vaccine in 2013. But there's not a lot of money in a vaccine that's not needed, and of course they had ebola cultures for their internal use. Further, drug trials are annoying, particularly human drug trials, expecially when you have a drug/vaccine that no one actually needs.

So find a family in the region where ebola is often found who have poor sanitation practices, infect them, and suddenly the WHO appears on your doorstep asking how they can hep you fast track your ebola vaccine.

And because everyone hates big pharma, this conspiracy theory would take off like a rocket.

jwhouk said:

...So we'll all be forced to wear Thundering Herd jerseys, and mourn over a plane crash from nearly 50 years ago?

(Martial Law, not Marshall.)

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The funny part is, I spelled it incorrectly but had the right word. When I clicked the spellcheck I hit the wrong one to correct it. So it wasn't exactly autocorrect, but it was kinda.

And here I was joking, but the conspiracy theorists are already coming out of the woodwork:

http://www.naturalnews.com/046946_Ebola_outbreak_vaccines_patents.html#

stienman said:

And here I was joking, but the conspiracy theorists are already coming out of the woodwork:

http://www.naturalnews.com/046946_Ebola_outbreak_vaccines_patents.html#

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...wtf did I just read?

SpecialKO said:

...wtf did I just read?

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Stupidity squared.

SpecialKO said:

...wtf did I just read?

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I'm choosing not to click. I think my life will be happier that way.

ThatCrazyWebsite said:

The far more likely explanation, of course, is that all this was scripted in advance

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... how is that the most likely explanation?

This is the latest in HI ebola news -

UPDATE: Hawaii Department of Health has ruled out Ebola in a Honolulu patient who was reported yesterday as a possible case. “After investigation by the health department, it was determined that the individual did not meet the clinical or travel exposure criteria for an Ebola infection,” said Health Director Dr. Linda Rosen

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Yep. Norovirus or severe food poisoning I would bet.

stienman said:

"If I remove all other possible explanations that don't fit with my world view, then whatever's left must be true."

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--Patrick

Here's a good way to calm this silly ebola hysteria down... the soothing words of Texas Governor Rick Perry, backed by appropriate soothing string music.

The microbiologist in me does wonder about the seemingly lack of adequate quarantine. I've seen harsher quarantines for TB when I was an undergrad. There certainly is no need for panic in the US/Canada.

The News just loves this stuff though.

Haha I read that as if you're having sex with a microbiologist.

fade said:

Haha I read that as if you're having sex with a microbiologist.

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Well, my wife has her master's in microbiology so technically this does work.

drawn_inward said:

Well, my wife has her master's in microbiology so technically this does work.

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Then she must be using a strap on!

drawn_inward said:

Well, my wife has her master's in microbiology so technically this does work.

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We don't need to hear about her pipetting skills.

--Patrick

GasBandit said:

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Looks like a nurse got it in Spain while treating 2 spanish PRIESTS who were flown back from Africa infected by the virus in a hospital that wasn't prepared to contain the virus. They both died of Ebola and the nurse wasn't quarantined as per protocol... in fact... the day AFTER they died she was given time off and was let loose for 7 days before coming back with symptoms of Ebola.

WHAT THE FUCK SPAIN

1. Stop flying people out of Africa to places not fucken prepared for it.
2. Quarantine procedures for everyone.
3. Nurses/Doctors staying quarantined for 30 days after taking care of Ebola patients. Ebola has a max duration of 21 days. Even longer in some men.
4. Religion doesn't stop Ebola, stop sending priests there and more importantly getting them back.

Right now, a ticking timebomb may be in progress in Spain.[DOUBLEPOST=1412638549,1412638510][/DOUBLEPOST]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-29514920[DOUBLEPOST=1412639033][/DOUBLEPOST]

This is going to play serious havoc with this year's paella harvest.

--Patrick

PatrThom said:

This is going to play serious havoc with this year's paella harvest.

--Patrick

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Ah, the paella fields of southern Spain. Wading waste-deep through the warm, pungent saffron-scented rice.

drawn_inward said:

Ah, the paella fields of southern Spain. Wading waste-deep through the warm, pungent saffron-scented rice.

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And a light dew of chicken broth on every leaf.

--Patrick

Jay said:

...

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What the fuck indeed.

Worse even, she got a fever and several days ago (the 30th of september) she asked to be checked for ebola. They didn't test her until the 5th because her fever wasn't high enough, so the protocol said not to test her. Great jorb everyone!


PS.: The priest was a missionary that had been doing hospital work or somesuch for years over there. The repatriation was much discussed, the government was actually pressured into bringing him back. Still, not bringing him back would have avoided the problem, but that's not the point: if you bring him back then do a fucking correct job of keeping Ebola contained.

Well, I guess Liberia isn't prosecuting the guy in Texas. He has passed away.

The reason this guy died in the US was because by the time he got any treatment he was pretty far along. Probably because he showed up with symptoms and the nurse sent him home. He didn't come back for four days, which is a long time after symptoms present.

stienman said:

Right now the care may include zmapp - which is the experimental drug that destroys infected cells. All it does is work to slow down the spread of the virus through the body, giving your immune system time to catch up and do the rest of the work.

But in the absence of that drug (which he wouldn't have received until late in his treatment anyway - there wasn't any available until he got it late in his stay) the only care is maintaining their fluids and electrolyte balance, oxygen and blood pressure, and treating any complicating infections along the way.

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This is not accurate. Trust me, I'm getting a crash course in ebola care thanks to our local media stirring the pot like fucking morons. (Omaha has a patient in their care.)

There's a new drug called Brincidofovir that is being used and another called Sacra that is taken intravenously. In addition, he is being given an infusion using plasma from a survivor, which has been shown to be effective if not expensive.

So there are treatments available even in the absence of zmapp.

Dave said:

he is being given an infusion using plasma from a survivor, which has been shown to be effective if not expensive.

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I think it most societies they call this "a vaccine."
Actually, I think it just means he is getting donated antibodies, but as long as it's effective then more power to 'em.

--Patrick

As an employee of big pharma, I must warn you all that you're delving too deep into the rabbit hole. Trust no one.


[DOUBLEPOST=1412792945,1412792867][/DOUBLEPOST]Seriously though. Sometimes it's all I can do but hold in my laughter when I hear crazy pharma/FDA/WHO/CDC conspiracies from acquaintances.

Now I'm thinking about Dave Chappelle's skit where a white girl sings the thoughts he's too afraid to say.

"♪ ♫ ♩ Crack was invented and distributed intentionally to destroy the black community. ♪ ♫ ♩"

"♪ ♫ ♩ AIDS was too. ♪ ♫ ♩"

You mean the same jokes Eddie Murphy did years earlier?

fade said:

You mean the same jokes Eddie Murphy did years earlier?

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I don't remember Eddie Murphy joking about AIDS, but I do remember him joking about pooping in the tub and having a GI Joe stuck up your ass.

GasBandit said:

I don't remember Eddie Murphy joking about AIDS, but I do remember him joking about pooping in the tub and having a GI Joe stuck up your ass.

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And Fruit Roll-Ups.

--Patrick

There's two groups in the US that can turn this into an even bigger deal than it is now (and yoink this thread straight into the political forum): a) those who don't seek treatment because they lack health insurance and cannot afford to go to a doctor, and b) those who won't because they cannot afford to take time off to see a doctor. You hit one of those groups, and it'll spread like wildfire.

DarkAudit said:

There's two groups in the US that can turn this into an even bigger deal than it is now (and yoink this thread straight into the political forum): a) those who don't seek treatment because they lack health insurance and cannot afford to go to a doctor, and b) those who won't because they cannot afford to take time off to see a doctor. You hit one of those groups, and it'll spread like wildfire.

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3) and those who contract it in mexico or central america and make a desperate rush across our wide, unguarded border to fling themselves upon the doorstep of one of our emergency rooms, already vomiting blood and infecting everything along their path.

GasBandit said:

3) and those who contract it in mexico or central america and make a desperate rush across our wide, unguarded border to fling themselves upon the doorstep of one of our emergency rooms, already vomiting blood and infecting everything along their path.

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The "DayZ Republican" platform.
Well, it's less crazy than others, I guess.

--Patrick

For the record, it is best to not joke about "I just came back from Africa" after you sneeze on a flight attendant:

evilmike said:

For the record, it is best to not joke about "I just came back from Africa" after you sneeze on a flight attendant:

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The flight attendant handled it really well.

GasBandit said:

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This is a joke.... Right?

CrimsonSoul said:

This is a joke.... Right?

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Not at all, the president is a huge Garo fan.

GasBandit said:

Not at all, the president is a huge Garo fan.

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THANKS EBOLA.

--Patrick

Why was my comment deleted?

I know why mine was deleted, but don't remember seeing yours.

--Patrick

I have friends who are nurses. They work in the Dallas hospital where a second nurse has contracted ebola.

I'm worried and bummed out for them.

Apparently, the hospital that admitted the first Ebola patient was horrifically unprepared to deal with Ebola. The hospital did not have the proper protective gear for the nurses, had no protocols in place to handle the disease and, reportedly, administrators resisted putting the patient in isolation. Samples from the infected patient were sent to the lab using the normal pneumatic tube system instead of being sealed and hand delivered. This resulted in the entire tube system being contaminated. At least 76 people were potentially exposed. So far, only two people have contracted the infection from this incident. (via Gawker)

Could be that in a few weeks we will hear of Ebola spreading to more countries in West Africa.

Now that the rainy season is ending, tens of thousands of seasonal laborers from Sierra Leone and Liberia have for decades now migrated to Ivory Coast to work on the cocoa plantations. Ivory Coast government has closed the borders, but in reality there's pretty much nothing any government can do to stop the migration as the migrants don't cross along regular border crossing points but rather use jungle paths between villages. And when you look at the map, that's a lot of jungle.

But that's not all there is to it. Assuming the Ivorian authorities are succesful in preventing potentially infected people from crossing the border, the cocoa plantations in Ivory Coast, producing a third of all cocoa on the world market, might face labor shortages, leading to a hike in cocoa prices. If the authorities are unsuccesful, there is the risk of the Ebola virus spreading to Ivory Coast and eastwards to Ghana and beyond along the surprisingly good (by West African standards) infrastructure, but the plantations will get their labor, giving a better chance of the price of cocoa remaining stable.

So, how much do you enjoy your chocolate on Christmas?

evilmike said:

Apparently, the hospital that admitted the first Ebola patient was horrifically unprepared to deal with Ebola. The hospital did not have the proper protective gear for the nurses, had no protocols in place to handle the disease and, reportedly, administrators resisted putting the patient in isolation. Samples from the infected patient were sent to the lab using the normal pneumatic tube system instead of being sealed and hand delivered. This resulted in the entire tube system being contaminated. At least 76 people were potentially exposed. So far, only two people have contracted the infection from this incident. (via Gawker)

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Then all the nurses and techs that were in the hospital all went on vacation! 9 flights and a cruise ship have been endangered by the staff of the hospital.

I have both doctor friends and paranoia crazed friends on FB, my feed is amazing.

Dei said:

I have both doctor friends and paranoia crazed friends on FB, my feed is amazing.

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Mine as well. Here's a conversation I had earlier with a friend of a friend.

Have we reached the point where the press has started masturbating to themselves yet? Because it seems like all this has reached a point where the media can start reporting about their fear mongering.

More people are killed annually in the US from having vending machines fall on them than have been diagnosed with Ebola. I say we make a vending machine czar and create a panic.

Don't be ridiculous Dave. We'll never be able to get the public in a frenzy over vending machines. You need a horribly overblown outrage in order to needlessly expand the reach of the federal government.

Here's a great map of the current outbreak outside of Africa. Note that the US only has one state with symptoms that generated here and they are all contained.

Covar said:

Have we reached the point where the press has started masturbating to themselves yet? Because it seems like all this has reached a point where the media can start reporting about their fear mongering.

Click to expand...

Does it count if the press is trying to spread the infection themselves?

NBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman apologizes for breaking Ebola isolation agreement

evilmike said:

Does it count if the press is trying to spread the infection themselves?

NBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman apologizes for breaking Ebola isolation agreement

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It shows they're starting to drop trou.

stienman said:

Honestly, ebola may be scary, but you might as well worry about aids or malaria unless you live in an area with a significant (>100 known infected) ebola outbreak.

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HIV and Malaria have definitely made a huge impact. Influenza may still be the top dog in sheer numbers (of deaths) and communicability, and it will likely never go away.

HIV can be contained, but probably won't. Malaria is a tough nut to crack though it seems to be an easier fix than HIV/Ebola, and it's not transmitted from human to human.

Ebola can survive longer than HIV outside the body. You are way less likely to get HIV from vomit (usually no blood in HIV-infected patient). Aerosolized Ebola from vomiting, coughing, and diarrhea is a concern of mine. I don't care that they say it's not transmitted that way. The good news about Ebola is that death comes fairly quick. Faster death should knock out the threat

I am still shocked at NIH/CDCs lack of planning and slow response, but then again the good ol bureaucratic machine only has one gear.

I still think that North America is fine and is going to be fine, but I sure think we should be a bit more proactive going forward.

But, yes, worldwide, HIV, malaria, and influenza are likely to rack up way more numbers than Ebola ever will.

The issue isn't that the CDC/NIH was unprepared, it's that the guy went to a hospital that was not set up to handle infectious diseases and they tried to treat him using substandard processes. There are hospitals specifically ready to handle such cases and the CDC/NIH tried to show that other places could as well, which was incorrect.

As posted in another thread:

Nice, good to see someone from that network showing calm.

sixpackshaker said:

Nice, good to see someone from that network showing calm.

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Doesn't solve my desire to punch his face. I don't even know why... I don't even know who he is, I don't watch Fox News, but his face... so punchable.

You want to punch Shepard? Are you sure?

A few snapshots of Ebola Panic:
Maine school board puts teacher on leave after she traveled to Dallas -- Teacher was within 10 miles of the hospital that treated the Ebola patient, gets a 3 week vacation.

Syracuse University disinvites Washington Post photographer because he was in Liberia 3 weeks ago -- A journalism workshop provides hands on experience in journalistic hysteria.

Kids pulled out of class over concerns about principal's trip to Zambia -- Principal visits the same continent as the Ebola outbreak (3000 miles away) and causes a panic.

Friend of my gf just got back from West Africa where he was a nurse helping treat Ebola victims. And we're trying to keep that relatively quiet as he sits in a 21 day quarantine. No need to have his neighbours flipping out.

In b4 <NewsOrg> starts reporting about African terrorist organization "EBOLA" that may have managed to install a sleeper cell in TX.

--Patrick

Sorry, been away for most of the weekend.

Just an FYI, my information comes from a buddy of mine who is an infectious disease doctor practicing in Dallas. So while I don't have a pedigree to talk about this stuff myself and don't have a PhD in anything, I'm not just talking out my ass. So I still think careful but not panic is the way to go. Just as you would for anything else that's potentially deadly.

People react in a panicked fashion for any reason. That's why you can't yell "fire" in a crowded theater. Hell, anytime a snow storm was predicted in Oklahoma, people would clear the shelves at Walmart as if a 30 ft blizzard was coming. I would expect no less. However, I don't really see anyone on this board "panicking". I am/was surprised about the actions at the Dallas hospital. Just ineptness. I dealt with a patient with MRSA when I was a CNA, and you would've thought the guy had Ebola or Marburg, by the precautions that were set up. I don't understand how these nurses got infected. They didn't take enough precautions I guess.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/19/health/us-ebola/

Duncan's fiance and family are to be released from quarantine soon, no further infections.

Worse yet, this person was a doctor and should damn well know better.

The two nurses that contracted Ebola in Dallas have recovered, and all individuals that were being watched for the 21 day incubation period have remained healthy, so the "outbreak" in Dallas is over.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...1/07/ebola-outbreak-in-texas-officially-over/

That was about as much of an outbreak as I am a long distance runner because I took a few steps.

But it sure helps to panic the populace to secure a few more votes.

(I'd love to force THAT as a new meme)

Dave said:

That was about as much of an outbreak as I am a long distance runner because I took a few steps.

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hmm.. I can't find the "congratulations on your 0 minutes of jogging" picture.

sixpackshaker said:

But it sure helps to panic the populace to secure a few more votes.

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I can almost hear it.

EBOLA/OBAMA: Two words with obvious similarity, and they're even both from Africa! You can't explain that!
I think my eyes are stuck now.

--Patrick

CrimsonSoul said:

hmm.. I can't find the "congratulations on your 0 minutes of jogging" picture.

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I remember being the one who posted it, I think it was in the funny pictures thread you posted.

Found it

Thank you. I was looking on google for it and couldn't seem to find it @GasBandit

Dramatic drop in ebola interest and coverage coincides with same drop in ISIS interest, and the midterm elections. More people have died in the US from the flu since the midterms than have ever died in the US due to Ebola. Out of over 18,000 cases of Ebola infection, over 6,000 deaths are attributed to Ebola. The director of the CDC is still worried Ebola may yet become an endless epidemic:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandso...a-endemic-thats-the-risk-we-face-now-cdc-says

Sierra Leone is cancelling Christmas & New Years - may use army to enforce rule disallowing travel and family gatherings:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/12/sierra-leone-christmas-gatherings-banned-ebola

At this clinic 59% of the admitted patients survive Ebola:
http://www.wired.com/2014/12/ebola-patients-sierra-leone-survival-takes-medecine/

Also dropping off is the aid from Western countries, especially the US. Why? Not because they fear the disease or don't want to help, but they fear the reaction of people when they find out they were in these countries. Unnecessary mandatory quarantines, social stigmas, and uninformed and reactionary media coverage means that the doctors and nurses most in need aren't helping because it's too much of a pain in the ass for them.

So far we're at 24k people who have been infected during this outbreak, and 10k dead. That's a 42% mortality rate, which is better than the last big outbreak. Would be nice to see the mortality rate over time - I kindof expect to see survival rates improve over the period of infection due to better education, procedures, etc.

Further, we're seeing less than 100 new cases a week in the three most infected countries - down from peaks of 600, 500, and 200 new cases per week in the three countries respectively.

So while it's still harming and killing a lot of people, it appears to be on its way to becoming a footnote1 in history.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2015/03/ebola-graphics


1 Unless someone successfully weaponizes it.

Did - did you just footnote the word footnote? You're crazy, man. Like, Indiana Jones leaping from a plane on a rubber raft crazy.

... Huh. I bet Short Round was really wishing they had that raft on the rope bridge .



... Hmm, I bet rafting on that rush of water would be more fun than fleeing from it in that rickety mine cart. Would've saved them from that whole rope bridge scene, too, since they could have just para(raft)chuted down to the bottom of the canyon and leisurely cruised on home.

Did you get into Yoshimickster's stash?

Maybe.

Emrys said:

Did you get into Yoshimickster's 'stache?

Click to expand...

...how did you get out?

--Patrick

I'll never tell.

PatrThom said:

...how did you get out?

--Patrick

Click to expand...

It's right there in front of your face...

Emrys said:

The answer is always "doomweasels".

Click to expand...

Doomweasels. Is there anything they can't do?

--Patrick

PatrThom said:

Doomweasels. Is there anything they can't do steal?

--Patrick

Click to expand...

FTFY

As of February 2016 there are only two active confirmed cases worldwide.

http://apps.who.int/ebola/current-situation/ebola-situation-report-3-february-2016

Ebola is SO last year. Now we're all in a panic about the Zika virus.

GasBandit said:

Ebola is SO last year. Now we're all in a panic about the Zika virus.

Click to expand...

Until the next big scare. Horse flu! IT'LL KILL YA!

Dave said:

Until the next big scare. Horse flu! IT'LL KILL YA!

Click to expand...

After HIV there was NRS. After NRS there was UBT! So no, kissing's not allowed!

But how do the seashells work?!

Dei said:

But how do the seashells work?!

Click to expand...

Well, one is labeled "WW," one is labeled "PP," and one is labeled "ATR..." stop me if you've heard this one...

New update to old-er story:

Successful Ebola vaccine will be fast-tracked for use

Yes, vaccine. That's f'n awesome. This is a HORRIFIC disease that the fact we now have a vaccine is beyond awesome.

For the TL;DR; crowd, a trial of 6000 people injected, only one reaction (they recovered, and think it was HOW it was administered to the one person), and NO infections. For reference, 23 people in the "control" (no vaccine) group got Ebola.


New Vaccines is always good news. I hope it's not necessary, but I'm EXTREMELY glad we have it now.