CatherineM Posted October 13, 2014 Author Share Posted October 13, 2014 Ebola is not transmissible by air.(http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/transmission/?mobile=nocontent) I think you mean to say that transmission is possible by aerosolized body fluids from "animal to animal", (specifically humans in this case) but research has shown that respirable droplets are a marginal mode of transmission. (http://m.jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/179/Supplement_1/ix.long)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/15588056/ Also, poor sanitation may lead to an increased incidence of infection, but it has no effect on the mutation rate of a virus, which is a genetic process. I used mutation as a word most people would understand. Technically the process I was concerned about would be a antigenic drift. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted October 13, 2014 Author Share Posted October 13, 2014 As for how many people are going to die: Everyone, so far as I'm aware. You are very silly, but also very correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandelynmarie Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 (edited) I am aware of all the current information. I read Science and Nature each week in addition to reputable news sources. I also know that there has been a verifiable animal to animal transmission of Ebola by air. I also know that when viruses mutate, a prime ground for mutation is an area of overcrowding, poor sanitation and the like. I believe the slum areas that have been quarantined are a prime breeding ground for mutation. CatherineM, I'm with you on this. I work in the medical field. And so far the precautions are laughable...We have signs posted at all entrances stating that if you have traveled outside of the country in the past 30 days, please tell us so you can fill out this questionnaire. People lie on questionnaires all the time. Someone can also temporarily bring down a fever with meds. People with flu symptoms are so common in the ER...You see pholks with the CDC that are completely ensconced in personal protection items & the majority of what we wear for protection still leaves skin exposed on our faces...I am watching everything I can about the new positive cases. I believe we are in for a rough ride... Edited October 13, 2014 by brandelynmarie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted October 13, 2014 Author Share Posted October 13, 2014 CatherineM, I'm with you on this. I work in the medical field. And so far the precautions are laughable...We have signs posted at all entrances stating that if you have traveled outside of the country in the past 30 days, please tell us so you can fill out this questionnaire. People lie on questionnaires all the time. Someone can also temporarily bring down a fever with meds. People with flu symptoms are so common in the ER...You see pholks with the CDC that are completely ensconced in personal protection items & the majority of what we wear for protection still leaves skin exposed on our faces...I am watching everything I can about the new positive cases. I believe we are in for a rough ride... One of my best friends is a public health nurse. We have trouble having an entire lunch together without her pager ringing. She gets called when a cop gets a needle stick or a new immigrant shows a positive TB test. We had a bad measles outbreak a few months ago, and I'm not sure she even got any sleep. She is always telling me how people lie about stuff. Then when caught they say they didn't know it was important or forgot. If I'm in a hot zone, and have a chance to get out, and I'm asked if I was around someone who was sick, I'm going to say no if I don't feel sick. Well, I wouldn't, but lots would. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrossCuT Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 I second everything GM said. We need to not freak out...news stations are doing a good job of spreading the fear but we need to allow our intelligence to inform our reactions. The CDC is the experts on this issue and they are telling everyone to calm down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandelynmarie Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 I second everything GM said. We need to not freak out...news stations are doing a good job of spreading the fear but we need to allow our intelligence to inform our reactions. The CDC is the experts on this issue and they are telling everyone to calm down. Even the CDC doesn't know everything there is to know about Ebola. People can be asymptomatic for days. I'm not panicking, but I'm watching everything that's going down very carefully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandelynmarie Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 (edited) Yeah, if they need nicotine, they should just ask. I could send 'em tons of it. As for how many people are going to die: Everyone, so far as I'm aware. Except Elijah, Jesus, and Mary, of course. You forgot Enoch. "Enoch walked with God...then Enoch was not." ;) Edited October 13, 2014 by brandelynmarie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amppax Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 I have a friend who just spent a year in Africa, and her opinion was that cultural differences were a large reason for its quick spread. For example, they don't use toilet paper, they just use their hands. And everyone is very touchy. Which adds up to rapid spread of disease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrossCuT Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Even the CDC doesn't know everything there is to know about Ebola. People can be asymptomatic for days. I'm not panicking, but I'm watching everything that's going down very carefully. The CDC has said that a carrier is not contagious until symptoms appear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthfinder Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 I have a friend who just spent a year in Africa, and her opinion was that cultural differences were a large reason for its quick spread. For example, they don't use toilet paper, they just use their hands. And everyone is very touchy. Which adds up to rapid spread of disease. I think there were also mentions of burial practices and customs which probably weren't the safest either: shallow graves, and sometimes people lay on the graves (in mourning), etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted October 13, 2014 Author Share Posted October 13, 2014 Why does everyone assume I'm freaking out? I'm just very curious about these things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightofChrist Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Why does everyone assume I'm freaking out? I'm just very curious about these things. You question ever-so-slightly that the government via the CDC may not be completely honest about the threat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritasluxmea Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 You question ever-so-slightly that the government via the CDC may not be completely honest about the threat. I'm not concerned about ebola personally. Overall I think it will have a pretty small impact, if any, on me. But I don't think asking questions about the CDC or government in general constitutes panicking. In theory, it's possible the CDC isn't being "honest", for is withholding information- that's not necessarily a bad thing. It could be better that they do. Who knows? Or they may be mistaken on one or two facts or there could be something undiscovered on the virus which they don't know, which is improbable but not impossible. Whatever it is, questioning and being practical about any human institution doesn't mean someone is panicking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrossCuT Posted October 13, 2014 Share Posted October 13, 2014 Obama has brought our border defenses down so that Ebola can enter the US on the backs of ISIS kamikazes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted October 13, 2014 Author Share Posted October 13, 2014 You question ever-so-slightly that the government via the CDC may not be completely honest about the threat. I don't think they are lying. I think they might just not know where this might be heading. I may sound a bit ghoulish but I find this whole thing fascinating. I was raised on stories about the Spanish Flu from my Dad. He lost most of his family to it. He got it and survived as a three year old. Everyone else died. We were first in line every year for flu shots. So pandemics, epidemics, and the like fascinate me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now