Is Ebola a concern in the US?

Ebola only a plane ride away from USA

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/07/28/ebola-potential-to-spread/13267909/

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jul/28/ebola-outbreak-africa-key-questions

Skippy Skippy
Jul '14

http://www.wnd.com/2014/07/could-ebola-sneak-across-u-s-border/

Africans passing through Mexico raise new flags in 'out of control' outbreak

Skippy Skippy
Jul '14

Apparently not.

Now if you had said Ebonics.......... :>)

mistergoogle mistergoogle
Jul '14

I don't see how it can not be a concern.

Spring Fever Spring Fever
Jul '14

I agree @Spring Fever.

Globalization makes this a very real concern for the US but at least the disease does not spread like the cold or flu and requires direct contact with bodily fluids/secretions.


Globalization makes it a concern for anyone, anywhere, not specifically the US. But unless you plan on having sex with the guy that arrives on the airplane, or sharing some heroin with the guy, there's a certain level on hysteria being attempted that doesn't seem warranted.

Ebola has been a concern for people eating infected bushmeat since the 90's. Why, all of a sudden "out of control" when the quoted articles say otherwise? Why hasn't the US been dropping like flies for the past 25 years if this so concerning?

I know someone who was hit by West Nile. There is concern for something like that, and then there is concern Ebola have a few victims here and there for people that don't realize what's going on. It's all a matter of likelihood and what protection people need to use. Concern, sure, I don't want that. But hysteria that 75% of the population is going to die next week? No, not that kind of concern.


GC, please reread the three articles Skippy provided above. You are mistaken regarding the means by which Ebola virus is transmitted according to those articles and the sites I have been on for the past two days. This should not be taken lightly by any government or world power. I agree hysteria right now would be counter productive, but some serious education and preventative measures need to be in place and the sooner the better.

Spring Fever Spring Fever
Jul '14

I think we have more risk from bubonic plague than Ebola, and neither should be as much of a concern as new strains of influenza.

Gadfly Gadfly
Jul '14

And let's not forget this pending problem..

http://pix11.com/2014/07/29/confirmed-cases-of-chikungunya-virus-climb-in-new-york-new-jersey/

Gadfly, I also worry about the new strains of influenza and problems created by us taking way too many antibiotics.

Bessie Bessie
Jul '14

Is Ebola at risk to reach the United States? Potentially. Are Americans currently at considerable risk for the virus to proliferate stateside. No.

As dangerous as Ebola is, the way in which it is transmitted from person to person, the speed at which it affects an infected person, and the location of the outbreaks (remote areas) keep the virus from being a major global threat. Also, because of its fatality rate, it is being highly monitored by every developed country on the planet. The spread is being tracked closely, and the assumption can be made that any person exposed would have major difficulty traveling overseas without being closely monitored.

If the disease were to make it to the states, people could get sick. Friends and family of infected patients could get sick, as could unprepared hospital staff. However, because the disease is not airborne, because monitoring of the travel of this disease is intense, and because of awareness of the threat, it is reasonable to believe that a threat would be largely contained here.

That is my hope at least.


It does appear to be a bloodbourne pathogen, however in Reston VA there as an airborne transmission between primates - it appears that this particular strain is a mutation, all variants have displayed the ability to be transmitted through the air in the lab.

"Ebola-Reston appeared in a primate research facility in Virginia, where it may have been transmitted from monkey to monkey through the air. While all Ebola virus species have displayed the ability to be spread through airborne particles
(aerosols) under research conditions, this type of spread has not been documented among humans in a real-world setting, such as a hospital or household."

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/pdf/fact-sheet.pdf

Skippy Skippy
Jul '14

Spring Fever - I did read them the first time. As Skippy said, it's a blood based disease. Many of those articles being posted have scare tactics and headlines implying all you have to do is get one person on a plane and then there are 40,000 dead at a shot. That's not the way it works. Caution yes, but in the same ways as other bad diseases aren't supposed to cause mass hysteria. I'm not planning on being a medical examiner with open cuts on my hands working with autopsies of potentially infected bodies.

If anything, instead of being afraid of the African outbreak, what ever happened on our own soil (if confirmed which they're saying it isn't yet) in research labs is more of a danger.

Gadfly - Very true about plague. Folks that don't live in the desert west don't realize there is a big problem out there with rat and other small rodent populations. The good news though is that it can be treated.


http://www.ajc.com/news/news/breaking-news/emory-healthcare-to-treat-ebola-patient/ngrtm/

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Emory University Hospital is expected to receive a patient infected with the deadly Ebola virus within the next several days, the university announced Thursday.
It’s unclear when exactly the patient will arrive, according to a statement from Emory. The Clifton Road hospital has a specially built isolation unit to treat patients exposed to certain serious infectious diseases. Set up in collaboration with the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the unit is physically separate from other patient areas and is one of only four such facilities in the country.

LV Mom
Jul '14

The illegals coming into this country unchallenged by our government includes people from all countries carrying numerous diseases, some more deadly than Ebola. Not to mention the terrorists who maybe coming in as well.


http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/31/health/ebola-outbreak/index.html

"Flight leaves for Liberia to evacuate Americans infected with Ebola"

Skippy Skippy
Jul '14

If it was passed by breathing then it would be a great threat...


I heard that if you get Ebola and die that you can turn into a zombie. I think its about to time to bunker down.

sack
Aug '14

If my memory serves me right, wasn't there an ebola outbreak at the six flags park in jackson, nj around 1994 / 95?
Something about monkey crap, or from a baboon etc. ?
I remember the kids were going down after the graduation (HS), or something like that?

embryodad embryodad
Aug '14

Man being tested at NYC hospital for Ebola virus, report says

A man is being tested at Mount Sinai Hospital for the Ebola virus, the hospital said Monday afternoon.

According to a report from CBS 2 New York, the man arrived in the early morning suffering a high fever and gastrointestinal symptoms. A report from the New York Times says the man went to the emergency room late Sunday night.

The man told doctors that he recently traveled to a West African country exposed to an Ebola outbreak, the report said.

Officials withheld the man’s identity in order to protect his privacy, according to The Times.

He was placed in “strict isolation” and is underdoing further testing to identify the cause of his symptoms, WABC reported.

“All necessary steps are being taken to ensure the safety of all patients, visitors and staff,” the hospital said in a statement, according to CBS. “We will continue to work closely with federal, state and city health officials to address and monitor this case, keep the community informed and provide the best quality care to all of our patients.”

So far, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed at least 887 mainly in Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. An American doctor who was infected in Liberia is currently being treated in an Atlanta hospital.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NJ.com

gmeadows
Aug '14

Re: Is Ebola a concern in the US?

Were all doomed. Lock up your children. The zombies are a coming.

sack
Aug '14

This EV-D68 virus would worry me more than ebola, which doesn't worry me at all, especially since it seems to spread easily among children. It's a good idea to keep a child home, except for the doctor's office, if they have the symptoms in the article:

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/07/health/respiratory-virus-midwest/index.html?hpt=hp_c2


Thanks maja!

Skippy Skippy
Sep '14

Skippy, we need to advise everyone of what they should worry about when they wake up in the morning :) So far, ebola, EV, sandwiches that are too skinny and magnetic fields (although magnets may have healing properties some say). I'm hoping it's a good and safe week for all!


Sending our troops there? I heard it on the news. Is this a joke, are the government jesters making a funny?

auntiel auntiel
Sep '14

Judy kind of hit it on the head and why should we send our guys over there that's wrong let some other country do it for a change

Caged Animal Caged Animal
Sep '14

Yup it's for real, Obama wants to send 3k U.S. troops to west africa, what for? who knows - perhaps to start shooting the apes and baboons. Remember the old story about the source of aids? Don't know why he's worried about west africa, as ebola isn't in kenya - yet. We should worry more about u.s. hospitals who murder (excuse me, I mean accidently infect) 75k patients per year, One, seal the Mexican border!, two stop all flights from west African countries, period!

OldSam
Sep '14

Saw this on FB


Listening to Obama speech on attacking the virus Ebola just kinda wish he had been this proactive and energetic about confronting another virus, ISIS, back in January. Islamic jihadism is a virus that is already in America, guess that is cool with Barack Hussein Obama. I would rather send 3000 tough hard combat troops to fight ISIS and ensure the epidemic of Christian and religious minority genocide ceased. The world needs to step up against Islamo-fascism but I suppose fighting Ebola is easier for a faux Commander-in-Chief than to fight a real enemy of America. Nice optics there Barack, good try to change the subject, and make yourself seem like a leader fighting a really bad flu bug -- all the while you dismiss the cockroaches who behead Americans.

Onlooker
Sep '14

Is there a chance our troops could get infected?

auntiel auntiel
Sep '14

auntiel - yes, of course.

it's a given.

BrotherDog BrotherDog
Sep '14

3K troops to Africa, is 3K potential cases of Ebola brought back to America when their tour of duty is over. These troops will need to be (or should be) quarantined for the total incubation period of the disease before returning to their families or active duty. It will only take one soldier who is "healthy" when he returns, and gets sick a week or so later, to introduce the disease to this country.

JBJSKJ JBJSKJ
Sep '14

my thoughts exactly JBJSKJ... pretty scary stuff. let's go expose our troops to a deadly virus ... this sounds like a great idea. that's not going to help contain it, but help spread it.

Poppy Girl
Sep '14

So the US Government is purposefully deploying our troops to Africa knowing our troops will be infected?

auntiel auntiel
Sep '14

it's an effective way to weaken us from within, that's for sure,

what happens if several of the big military bases get infected?

how strong will america's armed forces be ?

BrotherDog BrotherDog
Sep '14

There was a Reddit AMA recently with a doctor h has ske knowledge on this. Google it. It's good reading.

btownguy btownguy
Sep '14

It is what it is and is it a shame yes

Caged Animal Caged Animal
Sep '14

Caged- you really didn't mean that did you? "It is, what it is." Wow!! Your being a funny guy again. You scamp. If our troops are to become infected. What then? They live with it. They die. What do their families do? Get infected also. Unless of course Ebola can be treated like having a cold. Take a couple of advil, drink fluids, and stay in bed. No big deal. I would like some real answers to this.

auntiel auntiel
Sep '14

Back to the Top | View all Forum Topics
This topic has not been commented on in 3 years.
Commenting is no longer available.