Ebola epidemic

WebSlave said:
mandatory
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I am of the opinion that early childhood vaccines should be mandatory. I hope that any controversy surrounding an Ebola vaccine will not erode what has been done to protect little kids from diphtheria, polio, pertussis.


WebSlave said:
Not to mention that there will have to be some way of verifying that you actually had such a vaccination. Sure would be interesting to see what they would come up with for that. :rolleyes:
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Vaccines are essentially antigens. The presence of antigens in a person will ordinarily, in a process, get the body to create antibodies.
There are already certain tests which can detect some antibodies called titer tests. (The titer tests do not know if the antibodies they find were created via vaccine or by exposure to the disease).
 
Lucille said:
Vaccines are essentially antigens. The presence of antigens in a person will ordinarily, in a process, get the body to create antibodies.
There are already certain tests which can detect some antibodies called titer tests. (The titer tests do not know if the antibodies they find were created via vaccine or by exposure to the disease).
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That is not what I meant. Suppose that an Ebola vaccination becomes mandatory and, for instance, banks will not extend long term loans to people who do not have that vaccination done. They aren't going to test your blood for an application, but they will certainly need to see SOMETHING as verification that it has been done.

Making something MANDATORY implies that in order for it to be enforced, the enforcers will need to have a relatively quick and easy method of determining whether it has been done or not. Otherwise it is not really mandatory at all.
 
Lucille said:
A second Texas health care worker tests positive for Ebola:http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/16/us/ebola-outbreak-texas.html?emc=edit_na_20141015&nlid=57474085
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And here's a quote from that article that caught my eye:
The second woman was one of 76 health care workers at Presbyterian who were being monitored daily for symptoms of Ebola.
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So are those 76 health care workers that are being monitored still on the job having contact with other patients? Tell me honestly, would YOU want any one of them around you while you were in that hospital?

So for each new confirmed case of Ebola, how many health care workers is that going to knock off of the job when they have to be monitored for contagion?

Kind of makes you wonder about how many health care workers who are now considering a change of career.
 
WebSlave said:
they will certainly need to see SOMETHING as verification that it has been done.
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Other vaccinations (immunizations) are now verified by the provider, date, and vaccine lot number, either on an immunization card or electronic record.

Texas has ImmTrac, I believe many other states have similar.

Here from the ImmTrac site:

ImmTrac, the Texas Immunization Registry, is a no-cost service offered by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). It is a secure and confidential registry available to all Texans. ImmTrac safely consolidates and stores immunization information electronically in one centralized system. Texas law requires written consent for ImmTrac participation and limits access to individuals who have been authorized by the Texas Immunization Registry.
 
WebSlave said:
Kind of makes you wonder about how many health care workers who are now considering a change of career.
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I think that the cost cutting hospitals have done in recent years is going to come back and bite them.
If I was part of a group, for instance, that was dedicated at all levels to each other and to their patients, I would take care of Ebola patients. Especially the children, my heart goes out to them.
But I remember that when I worked in hospitals they would cut my shift in a heartbeat depending on the census, even if I was already there. And since then (it's been years since I worked in a hospital) managed care has developed into a fine (not fine for nurses) art. It was all about money.
It is my opinion that if the Dallas hospital spent as much money on safety and thinking things through as they did on the reassuring (not) PR statements, they would be much farther ahead than they are now.
I read in an article that nurses allege that the Ebola lab samples went through the hospital's pneumatic tube system. How stupid is that.
 
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/10/15/ebola-patient-traveled-day-before-diagnosis/

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – The CDC has announced that the second healthcare worker diagnosed with Ebola traveled by air Oct. 13, the day before she first reported symptoms.

The CDC is now reaching out to all passengers who flew on Frontier Airlines flight 1143 Cleveland to Dallas/Fort Worth. The flight landed at 8:16 p.m. CT.

The CDC is asking all 132 passengers on the flight to call 1 800-CDC INFO (1 800 232-4636). Public health professionals will begin interviewing passengers about the flight after 1 p.m. ET.

Authorities say that the healthcare worker did not exhibit symptoms while on the flight, according to crew members. However, the precaution is needed due to the proximity in time between the flight and the first reported symptoms.

Frontier Airlines is working closely with the CDC to identify and notify all passengers on the flight.

Complete Coverage Of Ebola In North Texas

The diagnosis was announced by the Texas Department of State Health Services early Wednesday morning. CBS 11 has confirmed that the patient is 26-year-old Amber Joy Vinson of Dallas.

Vinson, who is the second worker at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas to be diagnosed, provided health care to Thomas Duncan.

Duncan, the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, died last week.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings addressed the media on Wednesday, saying the patient lives alone and has no pets.

“It may get worse before it gets better,” Rawlings said, “but it will get better.”

Nina Pham was diagnosed with the virus over the weekend and remains isolated in good condition.

Frontier Airlines released the following statement:

“At approximately 1:00 a.m. MT on October 15, Frontier was notified by the CDC that a customer traveling on Frontier Airlines flight 1143 Cleveland to Dallas/Fort Worth on Oct. 13 has since tested positive for the Ebola virus. The flight landed in Dallas/Fort Worth at 8:16 p.m. local and remained overnight at the airport having completed its flying for the day at which point the aircraft received a thorough cleaning per our normal procedures which is consistent with CDC guidelines prior to returning to service the next day. It was also cleaned again in Cleveland last night. Previously the customer had traveled from Dallas Fort Worth to Cleveland on Frontier flight 1142 on October 10.

Customer exhibited no symptoms or sign of illness while on flight 1143, according to the crew. Frontier responded immediately upon notification from the CDC by removing the aircraft from service and is working closely with CDC to identify and contact customers who may traveled on flight 1143.

Customers who may have traveled on either flight should contact CDC at 1 800 CDC-INFO.

The safety and security of our customers and employees is our primary concern. Frontier will continue to work closely with CDC and other governmental agencies to ensure proper protocols and procedures are being followed.”

“This is a developing story…
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Do health care workers have to sign some sort of waiver of liability from the hospital they are working in that holds the facility blameless in case they contract a pathogen while on the job?
 
A statement from National Nurses United on the treatment of Dallas Ebola patient said that “nurses were asked to call the Infectious Disease Department” to learn the policies on how to treat Duncan.

The statement, which was played in its entirety on CNN on Wednesday morning, also reports that Ebola training at the hospital was “optional,” “nurses have been left to train each other,” and that nurses who interacted with Duncan simply continued treating other patients.

According to the statement, “there was no advanced preparedness on what to do with the patient. There was no protocol, there was no system. The nurses were asked to call the Infectious Disease Department. The Infectious Disease Department did not have clear policies to provide either.”

The union added that “advanced preparation that had been done by the hospital primarily consisted of e-mailing us about one optional lecture or seminar on Ebola. There was no mandate for nurses to attend training or what nurses had to do in the event of arrival of a patient with Ebola-like symptoms.” And “there was no hands-on training on the use of personal protective equipment for Ebola, no training on the symptoms to look for, no training on what questions to ask.”

The statement further says that trainings that took place after Duncan was diagnosed were “limited,” and did not include training on how to avoid contamination for all nurses. The union says “nurses have been left to train each other. Nurses have substantial concern that these conditions may very well lead to further infections of nurses or other patients.”

The union also claims that staff and other patients who came into contact with Duncan were not properly isolated “nurses had to interact with Mr. Duncan with whatever protective equipment was available at the time when he had copious amounts of diarrhea and vomiting, which produces a lot of contagious fluids. Hospital officials allowed nurses who interacted with Mr. Duncan to then continue normal patient care duties, taking care of other patients, even though they had not had the proper personal protective equipment while providing care for Mr. Duncan, that was later recommended by the CDC,” and hallways were not kept properly clean according to the statement.

Also, “patients who may have been exposed were one day kept in strict isolation units. The next day they were ordered to be transferred out of strict isolation and into areas where other patients, even those with low-grade fevers who could potentially be contagious.”
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http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-...e-Told-to-Call-Authorities-for-Ebola-Protocol
 
When "The Hot Zone" and the follow up movie "Outbreak" came out, I never thought that this may be a reality I could face in my lifetime... low and behold...

anyone want to talk about what sort of supplies might be handy in case of a bio-disaster?
for a typical disaster, Most of us have the basic canned goods: spam, peas, corn, etc.
dry goods: powdered milk, fake mashed potatoes, grains, noodles etc.
lots of bottled water and a basic medical kit
but what about stuff like rubber gloves, surgical masks, bleach (although reptile people have this)?
In a bio-disaster, the fridge and freezer would still be good, so extra frozen stuff like meats, cheeses, etc...
Anything else that anyone would like to add that could prove useful?
Not trying to be totally paranoid, but things just seem to be getting worse by the day so it could not hurt to be prepared, and share ideas.
 

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Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

If this gets REALLY bad, nearly everyone will stop going any place that other people are present. That most definitely includes work of all kinds. Deliveries to the grocery stores will stop. Places that produce shelf-ready food will stop production. Workers going into power production plants and other utilities will stop. All needed periodic maintenance to everything will stop. And especially health care workers will stop going into the place most likely to harbor Ebola on the loose. So if you have an accident, stroke, heart attack, etc., and need a doctor for anything, you are going to be SOL.

So what will you do if there is no ready food source, power, and medical care available?

Also, bear in mind, the worse it gets, the less you will hear about it in the licensed public media channels. The government's first priority is going to be to try to avoid a panic, no matter how many people that policy may ultimately kill. Yeah, some people may be crying "Wolf!", but is that any better or worse than NOT crying "Wolf!" because it may frighten some people to know it really is outside your door? In the above scenario, who would be most likely to actually be eaten by that wolf?

If you are going to err in precautions, I think it would be best to err on the side the most heavily insures your own health and safety. That would have to be better than the alternative.

Oh, I'm sure things will get better eventually. But it might be a completely changed world by that time.
 
WebSlave said:
Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

If this gets REALLY bad, nearly everyone will stop going any place that other people are present. That most definitely includes work of all kinds. Deliveries to the grocery stores will stop. Places that produce shelf-ready food will stop production. Workers going into power production plants and other utilities will stop. All needed periodic maintenance to everything will stop. And especially health care workers will stop going into the place most likely to harbor Ebola on the loose. So if you have an accident, stroke, heart attack, etc., and need a doctor for anything, you are going to be SOL.

So what will you do if there is no ready food source, power, and medical care available?

Also, bear in mind, the worse it gets, the less you will hear about it in the licensed public media channels. The government's first priority is going to be to try to avoid a panic, no matter how many people that policy may ultimately kill. Yeah, some people may be crying "Wolf!", but is that any better or worse than NOT crying "Wolf!" because it may frighten some people to know it really is outside your door? In the above scenario, who would be most likely to actually be eaten by that wolf?

If you are going to err in precautions, I think it would be best to err on the side the most heavily insures your own health and safety. That would have to be better than the alternative.

Oh, I'm sure things will get better eventually. But it might be a completely changed world by that time.
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I know it's all Hollywood drama, but the movie "Contagion" outlines the worst case scenario... more or less.
I suppose having at least a couple month's worth of supplies would be reasonable, and if we get hit with a massive solar storm in the meantime, those supplies will be very handy.

Also: propane powered generator (a must for reptile people) and lots of extra supplies of propane for cooking etc.

If you want to hit the extreme: full face respirator, duct tape and full body protective suits (like for mold abatement).

If the s**t really hits the fan: a well stocked armory

growing and canning or pickling your own food would once again become a coveted skill too. I'm currently learning the canning and pickling part.
Learning how to ferment and distill your own alcohol for fuel would also be useful.

Better learn some first aid as well. My mom is a retired nurse and my mother in law is a nurse, so I have some knowledge on that front. better yet, try not to get injured. Serious medical emergencies will just mean death is likely.

having some basic construction tools and materials around may also be good.

I'm of the idea that with enough of the right supplies I could hole up and ride out the storm. Could always hunt squirrels, birds, etc at the park if need be.
The survival aspects of "walking dead" could be what we are looking at if there is a worst case scenario (minus the zombies).
I have my doubts about things getting that bad, but it should at least be considered for any survivalist types.
Definitely worth having some sort of basic plan.
 
Starting right about 7-8 minutes strikingly similar today's headlines to about 14 minutes in talking about closing the borders.
 
I think just knowing that something could happen that would leave you on your own is important. Most will assume nothing will happen, and most of the time they will be right. but when that one big disaster happens...
Being prepared before things happen is worthwhile. Just the basics can go a long way if stocked well and managed properly.

in a worst case scenario, If you can get past the point where the mass hysteria has driven people out of the city and caused widespread looting, then you have a fighting chance. it is often the fools who doom themselves.
 
Ebola Outbreak: Liberia Needs 79,940 More Body Bags

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/eb...k-liberia-needs-79-940-more-body-bags-n226346
The West African nation where the Ebola outbreak has taken the most devastating toll needs nearly 80,000 more body bags over the next six months as it battles the deadly virus. An inventory of supplies from the Liberian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare shows the massive gap between the resources the government has and the key supplies it desperately needs to crush the epidemic. Liberia projects a gap of 79,490 body bags and 989,985 protective suits.
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I recently read where the WHO says they are expecting 10,000 new infections PER WEEK in west Africa. Which is going to mean an average of 7,000 deaths per week. :eek:
 
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