Saturday, September 20, 2014

What You Need to Know About Ebola

As I have already pointed out, the number of cases of Ebola could climb to 60,0000 by the end of the year. (SEE: How Many Cases of Ebola Could Develop by the End of the Year?)

Key points (via NYT):
The risk that anyone will contract Ebola in the United States is extremely small.

You are not likely to catch Ebola just by being in proximity to someone who has the virus; it is not airborne, like the flu or respiratory viruses such as SARS.

The virus can survive on surfaces, so any object contaminated with bodily fluids, like a latex glove or a hypodermic needle, may spread the disease.

Symptoms usually appear about eight to 10 days after exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At first, it seems much like the flu: a headache, fever and aches and pains. Sometimes there is also a rash. Diarrhea and vomiting follow.

Then, in about half of the cases, Ebola takes a severe turn, causing victims to hemorrhage.

In the current outbreak, most new cases are occurring among people who have been taking care of sick relatives or who have prepared an infected body for burial.




1 comment:

  1. "The risk that anyone will contract Ebola in the United States is extremely small."

    Coming from the NYTimes, I find that reassurance hollow.

    "You are not likely to catch Ebola just by being in proximity to someone who has the virus;"

    Define proximity. It can survive in sweat, saliva, urine, semen, emesis, blood and feces for days in a cool, damp medium or surface that doesn't get direct sunlight.

    "it is not airborne, like the flu or respiratory viruses such as SARS."

    Agreed. This bullshit about mutation leading to airborne "flu-like" transmission is just bad science. 99.999% of the mutations will be detrimental to survival of the virus- but when it is creating trillions of mutations a day, all bets are off.

    "The virus can survive on surfaces, so any object contaminated with bodily fluids, like a latex glove or a hypodermic needle, may spread the disease."

    See above- direct exposure to bleach, sunlight or oxidization are the only way to kill it.

    "Symptoms usually appear about eight to 10 days after exposure,"

    But in at least one case the carrier was asymptomatic for nearly 28 days before dying.

    "according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

    Like the NYTimes, I am skeptical of the CDC/WHO. At least they admit their infected/dead numbers are extremely conservative.

    "At first, it seems much like the flu: a headache, fever and aches and pains. Sometimes there is also a rash. Diarrhea and vomiting follow."

    Don't forget the hiccups/hiccoughs. The best "tell" in determining an Ebola diagnosis is a persistent hiccough.

    "Then, in about half of the cases, Ebola takes a severe turn, causing victims to hemorrhage."

    Actually it's closer to 80%, once you dig deeper into the CDC/WHO data.

    "In the current outbreak, most new cases are occurring among people who have been taking care of sick relatives or who have prepared an infected body for burial."

    Yes. But now the inner circle of Liberian president Sirleaf has been infected, and 57 members of her security detail are under quarantine.

    Will this kill the Christmas shopping season!!!

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