Anyone following the ebola outbreak?

[Dawnbreaker]

Ebola outbreak? Seriously? That what you are afraid of?

[Mobius]

Ebola outbreak? Seriously? That what you are afraid of?

This is very serious. This is a disease that does not have a proven cure. Yes the one doctor was able to make a recovery when given the experimental drug, but it is far from certain that it would work on the masses. This is something that can kill you in a matter of days. If you get it you are almost certain to die from it.

[RedDiamond]

" On Monday, August 11, WHO is convening a panel discussion of medical ethicists, scientific experts and lay people from affected countries to assess the role of experimental therapies in the Ebola outbreak response.
Issues to be considered include:

• Whether it is ethical to use unregistered interventions with unknown adverse effects for possible treatment or prophylaxis. If it is, what criteria and conditions need to be satisfied before they can be used?

• If it is ethical to use these unregistered interventions in the circumstances mentioned above, then what criteria should guide the choice of the intervention and who should receive priority for treatment or prevention?"

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/ethics-panel-discussion/en/

"The World Health Organization gathered a group of ethicists to decide whether untested medications and vaccines should be used in the current Ebola outbreak. As the death toll from the epidemic soared over 1,000, the WHO panel unanimously concluded it is ethical to offer medications to fight the Ebola virus, even if their effectiveness or adverse effects are unknown."

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/08/12/health/ebola-outbreak/

[AnonyMint]

Ebola may have gone airborne already. Also there is another early stage plague potentially developing. Details at the following thread.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=365141.msg8305515#msg8305515

[Swordsoffreedom]

It looks like the panel decided that Ebola treatments are fine and they will also decide who will get the experimental drugs.
Canada's Ebola vaccine recipients to be picked by WHO

Canada will donate doses of its experimental Ebola vaccine to the international community and the World Health Organization will help determine who receives it, a federal official says.

The Canadian government expects to donate 800 to 1,000 doses of the experimental Ebola vaccine developed at the National Microbiology Laboratory.

On Wednesday, Heritage Minister Shelly Glover, who represents Winnipeg, where the National Microbiology Laboratory is located, said the WHO, advised by experts, will decide how to strike a balance on who gets the vaccine Canada offers to the international community.

"This is a decision made by experts not politicians," Glover told a news conference.

It takes about two to three months to make a batch of the experimental vaccine, said Dr. Gary Kobinger, who heads the special pathogens research program at the Winnipeg laboratory. The current batch was produced in Germany, he said.

The number of doses available depends on whether the vaccine is used in its traditional form to prevent infection, or as a treatment, said Kobinger.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/canada-s-ebola-vaccine-recipients-to-be-picked-by-who-1.2735161

[bryant.coleman]

President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirlea apologized publicly for many deaths of medical staff who died while taking care of virus victims. She also promised help in the amount of eighteen million dollars. Since February Ebola killed 963 people.

She should first apologize to the Nigerians.

A Liberian national (Patrick Sawyer), who was under 24-hour surveillance for suspected Ebola was able to travel to Nigeria and then infect more than a dozen people there. Even after the Nigerian medical staff admitted this person to a local hospital, the Liberians refused to provide any information regarding his medical state. Had this happened to any Western nation, bombs would have been raining down in Monrovia already.

[Kluge]

Good news for people who like bad news (in real-time!). http://healthmap.org/ebola/

I know there's more than a couple who'll be excited if dots start appearing every second or so.

[Balthazar]

Mikhail Shchelkanov of the Ivanovsky Institute of Virology in Moscow and Russia’s chief infectious disease specialist, Viktor Maleyev, who arrived Guinea in early August to help fight the epidemic, said although controlling the spread of Ebola virus has so far proved a near impossibility, and the number of people infected with Ebola fever in West Africa continues to grow, in recent days it has been possible to at least improve the situation, according to a leading Russian expert in virology.

“While in the past only the most difficult cases were tracked, now, thanks to earlier diagnosis, infected people are coming to doctors’ attention sooner. As a result, the mortality rate from Ebola is falling from usually 90 per cent to around 50 per cent now,” said the scientists.

click

[bryant.coleman]

Here is the latest report from the WHO:

http://www.who.int/csr/don/2014_08_13_ebola/en/

A very worrying development. 128 new cases in a time span of just 48 hours. 71 in Liberia and 53 in Sierra Leone. During the previous 72-hour period, there were only 69 new cases.

[Wafel16]

Hmm, i hope the americans just get the medicin right in time.

[NewLiberty]

http://ewn.co.za/2014/08/14/Korean-Air-suspends-flights-to-Kenya-over-Ebola-concerns
Korea seems more concerned.

[bigtimespaghetti]

http://ewn.co.za/2014/08/14/Korean-Air-suspends-flights-to-Kenya-over-Ebola-concerns
Korea seems more concerned.

Seems like a reasonable thing to do. I still think that it's too early to know how serious this could be.

[Microbit001]

Less than 5000 people have died from Ebola since we became aware of it some 30 to 40 years ago. Somewhere between 20,000 to 30,000 die from influenza every year. Sure, Eola has a mortality rate of 50 percent while influenza is significantly less,  usually taking those with compromised immune systems,  but I think we would be better served if we tamp down the freak out.  Let's help these two individuals and, as a result, hopefully develop a treatment against Ebola before it becomes a global threat.

[bryant.coleman]

Hmm, i hope the americans just get the medicin right in time.

The news is that both the infected Americans are showing great improvement (Nancy Writebol and Kent Brantly). They were being treated with the experimental drug (ZMapp). Dr. Kent Brantly might be discharged from hospital within two or three days. 

[NewLiberty]

Almost 10 percent of the deceased are health care workers caring for the patients it seems...  81 when this was written, so maybe more than 10% then.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/08/12/the-challenge-of-stopping-ebola-when-it-keeps-killing-doctors/

Ebola is wrecking the health care system there.  Doctors and Nurses are not going in, and the sick don't really want to either.
When the top Doctor in the country, the foremost expert on Ebola within the region that it strikes, can't protect himself...  They start to lose hope.

[bryant.coleman]

Almost 10 percent of the deceased are health care workers caring for the patients it seems...  81 when this was written, so maybe more than 10% then.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/08/12/the-challenge-of-stopping-ebola-when-it-keeps-killing-doctors/

Ebola is wrecking the health care system there.  Doctors and Nurses are not going in, and the sick don't really want to either.
When the top Doctor in the country, the foremost expert on Ebola within the region that it strikes, can't protect himself...  They start to lose hope.

Those who carried on with their profession are heroes. Check this:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Ebola-outbreak-India-asks-hospital-in-Nigeria-to-return-Indian-doctors-passports/articleshow/40202604.cms

A bunch of cowards want to go AWOL.

[NewLiberty]

Yes, those that stay are heroes or saints.  Mother Teresa would be proud of them.
I don't judge people for not being a hero.  Heroes are not so common, that is why they are heroes.

[bryant.coleman]

Yes, those that stay are heroes or saints.  Mother Teresa would be proud of them.
I don't judge people for not being a hero.  Heroes are not so common, that is why they are heroes.

Hmm... that is true. Many healthcare workers are dying due to shortage of protection equipment, such as bodysuits and gloves.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/ebola-doctors-with-no-rubber-gloves-1408142137

Considering the fact that Ebola can be spread through just touching the infectious patient, this can be fatal.

[NewLiberty]

Just having the equipment is a major issue, using it is another big one.  Wearing a full SCBA suit is hot and using one in that environment would be untenable for long periods of time.  Keeping hydrated is an issue, and failing to do so seriously impacts competence in most every way.
The high risk times then are when it comes on and off and maintaining a clean room to do that... and then cleaning the equipment.
It doesn't take just the medical staff, but also trained support that can do that sort of cleaning safely.  This is process intensive work, and following clinical procedure in the field is very different than doing it in a lab.
When people are dieing and afraid, and not completely in control of their bodies, they can also act very unpredictably.

[Daniel91]

Hmm, i hope the americans just get the medicin right in time.

The news is that both the infected Americans are showing great improvement (Nancy Writebol and Kent Brantly). They were being treated with the experimental drug (ZMapp). Dr. Kent Brantly might be discharged from hospital within two or three days. 

This is great news for them but not for people in Africa, also infected.
It's not fair that infected people in America can get the experimental drug (ZMapp) but infected people in Africa can't, like that they are second class people.
I really hope in the future all infected people will receive the same treatment and have the same chance to survive.