70% of us are pretty screwed (up), but ebola is a separate issue IMO.

Departments at work are having specific Ebola protection training. Infection control dept is escalating the sessions to top priority

I have a mate who unblocks drains for a living and can regularly be found covered in a healthy splash of human excrement.

His prices will be going up.

The Spanish nurse who caught it must have done something more than touch her forehead with a gloved hand.

Did you see the pictures of her in the press?

Did you see the pictures of her in the press?

Is she fit?

monkeyfudger, i know quite a few black people who own houses, what are you trying to say?

It won’t take much to overwhelm the hospitals. A few people with no symptoms on arrival maybe telling a few fibs to get through customs then spend a few days wondering about a big city before seeking treatment. Again telling a few fibs about where they have been will see whole A&E departments contaminated and shut.

On a slightly worrying note my junior doc sis stayed at the weekend and told me about something that happened to one of her friends a couple of weeks ago. The friend is on call for the infectious diseases dept and received a call from an out of hours GP asking advice about an ill patient from west Africa, she passed this up to the consultant to query the best course of action. The advice given was to send the patient to A&E and let them deal with it.

It only takes one bad descision and lots of people will be screwed.

vickypea – Member
The Spanish nurse who caught it must have done something more than touch her forehead with a gloved hand.

Doesn’t seem too far fetched, touches sweaty brow sweat then gets in eyes.

I don’t understand how there is not an international flying medical squad backed by some armed forces who could go and close a place down and quarantine and treat all effected at point of outbreak as and when it occurs.

Because that’s a good idea and would cost a fair bit of money.

No one would ever agree to it.

rickmeister – Member
Interesting read… any thoughts ?

http://scgnews.com/ebola-what-youre-not-being-told

Brain Eating Nanobots

AIDS is much worse but doesn’t get this much media attention

I’m not worried, it’s killed a few thousnd in some densely populated slums with horrific hygene. It’ll take more than handwashing to spread it, but I doubt it’d be widespread even if it did reach Europe.

The problem will be the hysteria currently being whipped up by the media at the behest of the governmnet, to cover up their failings to date.

The media will make peeps afraid to go out, food will be delivered by a man in a van, there will be a rush on fuel,anti septic soap, and gloves, work places and schools will be deserted, public transport will grind to a halt as drivers refuse to drive without ppe, the cashless society will arrive as the public become affraid to handle cash.

Make a good horror movie.

But most sensible people will just carry on with their lives hopefully,while forums become full of horror stories of people being scared to death.

AIDS is much worse but doesn’t get this much media attention

The 80’s is over dude.

but I doubt it’d be widespread even if it did reach Europe.

I have to admit that I also assumed that it was the supposed poor infection control in West African countries that was the main reason why it has been so difficult to control, but it has now infected three health workers in developed countries- one in Spain and two in the US. So, although I’m not quite panicking yet, I am monitoring the situation a bit more closely..

The 80’s is over dude.

Pretty horrifically insensitive comment. AIDS is no longer much of an issue in the developed world because we can afford antiretroviral drugs. Meanwhile in sub-saharan Africa:

An estimated 1.1 million adults and children died of AIDS, accounting for 73% of the world’s AIDS deaths in 2013.

When aids first hit it was stigmatised by the ignorant as it was linked to homosexuality and even amongst the informed it was stigmatised as most STDs are because it was sexually transmitted.

The ignorant believed you could catch aids from a kiss or a cuddle, or drinking from the same cup.
Basically if Ebola comes here it will be everything the ignorant thought aids was , except you have a 30% chance of survival and there will be no stigma as you did not catch it playing hide the sausage.

Up to 8 October, 4,033 people had been reported as having died from the disease in five countries; Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and the United States. The total number of reported cases is in excess of 8,300.

From here.

(4,033/8,300) x 100 = 48.6%. The BBC, from whom that quote comes, keep giving fatality rates like 70%, 80%, 90%, while at the same time publishing uncalculated stats to the contrary. The news media needs to sort its shit out on this. The only thing likely to spread rapidly and dangerously is panic. As Mark Twain said well in advance of the WWW: “A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”

Oh dear,
Clicky

According the World Health Organisation Guinea has 0.1 doctors per 1000 people. Officially, according to WHO, Liberia and Sierra Leone have no doctors at all, the figure is simply too small to register.

In the UK we have 2.8 doctors per 1000 people.

There lies the problem in West Africa, it basically has no doctors.

http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.MED.PHYS.ZS

Three_Fish – Member

(4,033/8,300) x 100 = 48.6%. The BBC, from whom that quote comes, keep giving fatality rates like 70%, 80%, 90%, while at the same time publishing uncalculated stats to the contrary. The news media needs to sort its shit out on this. The only thing likely to spread rapidly and dangerously is panic. As Mark Twain said well in advance of the WWW: “A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”

all good points.

but the ‘dead’ numbers don’t include those who have the disease, but aren’t quite dead yet…

but the ‘dead’ numbers don’t include those who have the disease, but aren’t quite dead yet…

What?

I can’t help wondering when IS ( or whatever they’re called this week) are going to get themselves infected before embarking on a western world vomit and shit tour….

Seems as if social media and the press are looking for stories, chap transported to hospital today in north wales, paramedics wearing yellow protective suits and masks, episode filmed and put on social media, now deleted.

How many nurses/doctors will be phoning in sick if there starts to be cases where they work?

Three_Fish – Member

“but the ‘dead’ numbers don’t include those who have the disease, but aren’t quite dead yet… “

What?
The 8,300 includes people still ill – so haven’t decided whether they’re deaths or survivals. The correct denominator for % mortality is deaths+survivors and we don’t have those figures there

Is it called Ebola or Eebola? The black keys on my piano are made from Ebony so I reckon Ebola is correct.

No Idea – guess you’d need to hear it said by a native of Zaire or Congo really

Is it called Ebola or Eebola?

You say tomato I say tomato.

Oh dear

Absolutely, positively has to be the health and safety manager

What started as a raised eyebrow is growing into a concern.

To be honest, a resurgence of Ebola in Africa only ever manages to raise an eyebrow in the West, it’s only dead Africans after all. It only becomes a concern when it’s not just Africans dying from it.

I’m loving reading some of the comments above though 🙂 Some people on here are going to be absolutely bricking it when flu season hits and they think they’ve got ebola, that they must have picked up in the M&S toilets in Dudley.

Is M&S in Dudley the first port of call for a Liberian on a UK holiday?

Erm….

I’m loving reading some of the comments above though Some people on here are going to be absolutely bricking it when flu season hits and they think they’ve got ebola, that they must have picked up in the M&S toilets in Dudley.

My OH is a doctor currently working as a Paediatrician in Gateshead. She’s already fed up to the back teeth of being told by parents that their kids might have Ebola.

Pretty horrifically insensitive comment. AIDS is no longer much of an issue in the developed world because we can afford antiretroviral drugs. Meanwhile in sub-saharan Africa:

because we can afford antiretroviral drugs condoms and education.

I did not realise we had come as far as we had with the treatment of HIV untill last year when I was talking to the son of someone I worked with, who said one of his very good friends from uni, a young woman was HIV positive and that occasionally (normally if they are under the influence) they have casual sex.

Now this did not compute with me, but he seemed very laid back about it. Said they took precautions and it was fine.
He did not see it as the worst disease ever, more an STD that had to be managed with drugs and adamant his friends life would not be shortened at all by the fact she had HIV and did not think he was taking his life into his own hands by occasionally sleeping with her.

Anyone that compares HIV to something like Ebola should be instantly ignored.
With modern retrovirals etc HIV is not a absolute death sentence, it is the norm with modern drugs for children to be born with no virus load at all to positive mothers. Most people diagnosed will live mostly normal lives for decades after being diagnosed. A condom is all the protective equipment you would need and even without the risk isn’t huge.
I would rather chance an HIV needlestick then an Ebola kiss.

On a more alarmist note I have fully fitted out my winter bike with crud catchers complete with fast fender.

Fender looks ridicules but if dogs and the local wildlife are going to start shitting Ebola I figured the extra coverage would be worth the added derision .