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Is there not an Ebola in Dallas thread yet?


staceyobu
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My cubicle at work sits across from a guy whose mother-in-law just arrived a few weeks ago from the Ivory Coast.

 

I have several other coworkers from that region.

 

I work in a Dallas suburb.

 

I'm worried more about the bad case of diarrhea my dog has than about Ebola.

 

Also, Texas and Oklahoma are cut from the same cloth. So is Nebraska. DH and I refer to the whole unsightly region as Nebrahomas.

 

Maybe your dog has Ebola. And now you have deliberately exposed us all to it through the internet...

 

On a serious note, I really hope this person recovers.

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Hah, I watched that video last night. But should it be posted here, given the recent issues with copyrighted images?

 

Youtube videos are okay because they link back to the source. If the owners of the rights have issues with the video it is youtubes problem not SWBs or PHP. :)

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When I hear described what happened in Nigeria to get the outbreak there under control.  Yeah. We can do that here. CDC can rack down every person affected and take temps everyday and check for symptoms, etc. If they can do it in Nigeria, they can do it here.

 

If they know who is "affected."

 

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It was never a question of *if* ebola came to the U.S., it was a *when* and more importantly, what happens after that.

 

Like others, I am not at all happy to hear that someone recently out of LIBERIA (one of the main countries with ebola) went to any sort of medical professional with symptoms and was sent home. That, to me, was a huge red flag that there is a breakdown somewhere. People, particularly the medical profession, are not taking this serious enough, are not receiving correct training or information, or something.

 

On the other hand, I'm glad that they were truthful about it. I'm glad someone finally recognized it and got him into isolation and proper treatment. And I'm glad they're tracking down those that have been exposed. Those are good signs, to me.

 

I'm still waiting to see where this leads. Hopefully, it will be a wake-up call to those who have not believed that it poses a problem for the U.S. It does. Maybe not to the scale of west Africa, but it WILL infect people in the U.S. and the more serious it is taken, then less people it will infect.

 

I am also not very happy with all the reports I've read that seem to downplay its infectivity as though it's not something that will spread here in the U.S. I've spent the past few months attending ball games, school events, church events, and working at a grocery store. I don't know where others live that don't worry about the spread of non-aerosol viruses, but I've seen enough in the past three months to have absolutely no doubt that if it's not taken seriously, it could spread easily.

 

With ebola, IMO, the biggest things to remember regarding transmission are that

  1. It's not aerosol, but droplets CAN carry the virus. Which means that if something like diarrhea or vomit or heavy coughing happens, droplets can be propelled into the air and stay there for who knows exactly how long. The most likely place this would cause a problem is in public restrooms with poor ventilation.
  2. It's transmitted through bodily fluids of any kind, not simply blood. Eyes in particular are susceptible. You don't have to breathe it in or have an open wound come in contact with it to be infected.
  3. The most likely way it would be transmitted here in the U.S. is the same for the flu, cold, noravirus, etc.: hands to face, except with ebola, that includes the eyes, not just the mouth or nose.

Some of the most likely places for transmission that I've observed:

  • high school football games where porta-potties are often available for the increase in bathroom use (this is the case for EVERY game I've been to this fall)
  • restrooms in public facilities which often have very little ventilation, including doctor's offices and clinics
  • grocery stores where sanitizing wipes are available, but not often used and conveyor belts, check-out registers, credit card machines, etc. are not wiped down often enough to prevent the spread of any sort of disease
  • church or school gatherings where there are lots of little kids that like to touch their mouths/noses and then touch everything else, especially where food is served
  • theatres, where people rushing to get back to the movie do NOT wash hands
  • work and school, where people do not stay home if they are symptomatic. They wait until they are really sick. If they are simply symptomatic, they will be penalized for not showing up.--middle/high schools where kids swap desks which are not cleaned between classes. --work break rooms which are not cleaned that often --reception areas where people clock/sign in
  • public transportation, including school buses
  • medical offices and hospitals where symptomatic people would most likely go and sit and wait until they're called (if they're having stomach issues, the bathrooms in these areas could easily be a hot spot for transmission) 

The problem in America is not lack of the availability of hygiene measures, it's that so often

  1. People get rushed and don't take the time to follow decent procedures, and
  2. Illness is not something that many Americans really worry about avoiding. If they get it, they get it. They will take medicine or go to the doctor, and hopefully avoid missing work or school in the process. Most people do not stay home from work or school just because they are symptomatic. They wait until they are really sick. By that time, the disease has been spread.

This doesn't mean that ebola is going to hit us as hard as Africa, hopefully not even remotely close, but to think that it won't come here (it already has) and that it won't spread just doesn't fit with my experiences on virus transmission.

 

So, the question for me has always been, which areas of the country are going to be affected? How bad will it be in those areas? What procedures are going to be implemented once ebola has been discovered to be in an area?

 

The case in Dallas is not off to the best start because he was not quarantined until after four days of being infectious. But it's being dealt with now, so I'm watching to see how well they track it down and keep it from spreading. I will be happy to see them containing this (which I believe they can do). It will be very concerning if they fail to catch all other cases and it spreads even more.

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I suspect the vast, vast majority of people worry too much and do more harm to their body via the side effects of worrying than is likely to happen to them from ebola.  If they watch fiction instead - esp comedy - they will do more medical good for their body.

 

If one feels they might have come in contact with the victim's fluids, then they ought to take the proper precautions and get help at the first sign of any issue.

 

It's always best to keep risk in perspective rather than getting alarmed at very low risk deals.

 

One is more likely to get the flu and have issues from that to be honest.

 

One is ALWAYS more likely to die of a heart attack or in a car accident.

 

However there have to be certain people in the Dallas area who are wondering where that man may have traveled in the days before he made it to the ER.

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They had to lock down an area and send people door to door, in the US hypochondriacs are probably breaking down the doors of the ERs in Dallas. It is a different attitude.

 

There are many different attitudes in the US, and I've spent the past few weeks thinking "we" lean much more toward an "everything's fine" perspective.

In my local area, there is a huge outrage over the inconveniences of a large manhunt for an armed and dangerous criminal. People are spouting off about civil rights, personal freedoms, and government/LEO hate. And it's a teeny tiny area where public safety is being put first.  People are MAD (like, crazy mad) and want to be left to determine their own risks, regardless of the greater good.

 

Ebola doesn't make decisions. People do.  I don't trust people!

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I don't know that anyone said it wasn't ever going to be found here. Quite frankly, my money's on the CDC, our burial practices, and the infrastructure of civilization. I don't know that anyone is well served by watching CNN or other 24 hour news network where one has to fill the many hours with speculation in the absence of additional details.

 

As for getting Americans to stay home when ill - that would be very nice, but we're going to need paid sick leave for all before that's going to happen. We're also going to have to revamp our employer culture that takes the view of using sick leave = poor employee and then disciplines accordingly.

 

I just don't see the value in panicking about this. Statistically speaking I have a greater risk of suffering a serious complication from influenza, enterovirus, norovirus (or another gi cousin) than I am from ebola and a great deal more likely to be exposed to one of these viruses and yet there's no cable tv news person worrying over about the lack of handwashing and grocery store belt disinfection (hello, ecoli and salmonella) during flu season.

 

It's not sticking my head in the sand, it's statistics. Also, I am out of likes.

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Civil rights are kinda important.  Paranoia is never a good reason to curtail them.  Armed man or ebola.  

 

I don't argue their importance.  I won't ignore that refusing precautions has the potential to harm me and/or others, and I'm sure as heck not going to be happy about it.

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Calvin suggested that it would be like eating owls - not enough meat for the trouble, as they are mostly fluff.  Then he suggested that what one should really do with owls is shake them over dishes - it would taste like whipped cream.

 

L

I'm dying here.  :lol:

 

As for ebola-I'm not worried.  I know proper hand washing and disease prevention.  

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It was never a question of *if* ebola came to the U.S., it was a *when* and more importantly, what happens after that.

 

Like others, I am not at all happy to hear that someone recently out of LIBERIA (one of the main countries with ebola) went to any sort of medical professional with symptoms and was sent home. That, to me, was a huge red flag that there is a breakdown somewhere. People, particularly the medical profession, are not taking this serious enough, are not receiving correct training or information, or something.

 

On the other hand, I'm glad that they were truthful about it. I'm glad someone finally recognized it and got him into isolation and proper treatment. And I'm glad they're tracking down those that have been exposed. Those are good signs, to me.

 

I'm still waiting to see where this leads. Hopefully, it will be a wake-up call to those who have not believed that it poses a problem for the U.S. It does. Maybe not to the scale of west Africa, but it WILL infect people in the U.S. and the more serious it is taken, then less people it will infect.

 

I am also not very happy with all the reports I've read that seem to downplay its infectivity as though it's not something that will spread here in the U.S. I've spent the past few months attending ball games, school events, church events, and working at a grocery store. I don't know where others live that don't worry about the spread of non-aerosol viruses, but I've seen enough in the past three months to have absolutely no doubt that if it's not taken seriously, it could spread easily.

 

With ebola, IMO, the biggest things to remember regarding transmission are that

  1. It's not aerosol, but droplets CAN carry the virus. Which means that if something like diarrhea or vomit or heavy coughing happens, droplets can be propelled into the air and stay there for who knows exactly how long. The most likely place this would cause a problem is in public restrooms with poor ventilation.
  2. It's transmitted through bodily fluids of any kind, not simply blood. Eyes in particular are susceptible. You don't have to breathe it in or have an open wound come in contact with it to be infected.
  3. The most likely way it would be transmitted here in the U.S. is the same for the flu, cold, noravirus, etc.: hands to face, except with ebola, that includes the eyes, not just the mouth or nose.

Some of the most likely places for transmission that I've observed:

  • high school football games where porta-potties are often available for the increase in bathroom use (this is the case for EVERY game I've been to this fall)
  • restrooms in public facilities which often have very little ventilation, including doctor's offices and clinics
  • grocery stores where sanitizing wipes are available, but not often used and conveyor belts, check-out registers, credit card machines, etc. are not wiped down often enough to prevent the spread of any sort of disease
  • church or school gatherings where there are lots of little kids that like to touch their mouths/noses and then touch everything else, especially where food is served
  • theatres, where people rushing to get back to the movie do NOT wash hands
  • work and school, where people do not stay home if they are symptomatic. They wait until they are really sick. If they are simply symptomatic, they will be penalized for not showing up.--middle/high schools where kids swap desks which are not cleaned between classes. --work break rooms which are not cleaned that often --reception areas where people clock/sign in
  • public transportation, including school buses
  • medical offices and hospitals where symptomatic people would most likely go and sit and wait until they're called (if they're having stomach issues, the bathrooms in these areas could easily be a hot spot for transmission) 

The problem in America is not lack of the availability of hygiene measures, it's that so often

  1. People get rushed and don't take the time to follow decent procedures, and
  2. Illness is not something that many Americans really worry about avoiding. If they get it, they get it. They will take medicine or go to the doctor, and hopefully avoid missing work or school in the process. Most people do not stay home from work or school just because they are symptomatic. They wait until they are really sick. By that time, the disease has been spread.

This doesn't mean that ebola is going to hit us as hard as Africa, hopefully not even remotely close, but to think that it won't come here (it already has) and that it won't spread just doesn't fit with my experiences on virus transmission.

 

So, the question for me has always been, which areas of the country are going to be affected? How bad will it be in those areas? What procedures are going to be implemented once ebola has been discovered to be in an area?

 

The case in Dallas is not off to the best start because he was not quarantined until after four days of being infectious. But it's being dealt with now, so I'm watching to see how well they track it down and keep it from spreading. I will be happy to see them containing this (which I believe they can do). It will be very concerning if they fail to catch all other cases and it spreads even more.

I kinda agree.  I used to work med/surg and we had isolation units.  While the healthcare workers were extremely cautious, we would have visitors pop in and out without taking any precautions.  Some would claim it was because they had already been exposed and were fine and did not understand that they were going to get others sick.  So the raw stupidity of the general public worries me more than the healthcare system.  However, I still think that this will not become a major issue in the US. 

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They apparently have a second person under watch that they are concerned about. However the doctor that gave that interview may have said more than the CDC wanted him to, and I haven't seen any follow up or anything on the news about it this morning.

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Ambulance was used 48 times before being taken out of service for decontamination.

 

I know, you're more likely to be STRUCK by an ambulance than get ebola from one...

 

I feel reasonably certain that they know who these folks are and are watching them.

 

There's no doubt some people need to be concerned and take steps to be safe or to get help to have their best chances.  I just think the vast majority of Americans (or even Texans) don't need to be needlessly worried about ebola.  If someone I knew needed an ambulance, I'm not going to bypass that due to worries - even if I lived in Dallas.

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They apparently have a second person under watch that they are concerned about. However the doctor that gave that interview may have said more than the CDC wanted him to, and I haven't seen any follow up or anything on the news about it this morning.

Well that is to be expected isn't it? He came to the US to visit family and friends so its extremely likely that he infected some of them. But those people are being monitored by the CDC and that is how they know already that this person is more likely to be infected then the others they are monitoring.

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Middle son returned from a medial mission trip to Cote D'Ivoire this past July. A month later, in August, we were crossing the border at Niagara Falls (into the US) and the border agent looked at his passport. "Cote D'Ivoire! What's that?" the guy asked (not even "where's that," but what). "It's a small country in Africa" my guy replied. "What in the world were you doing there?" the agent asked. "A medical missions trip." "WHY would you want to do that?" That one stumped my guy... but after a short pause the agent switched to "Anything to declare?" and life continued on as it normally does when crossing a border.

 

We all shook our heads afterward and were glad my guy didn't tell him it was in West Africa in a country right next to the affected ones. Then we pondered what he would have done/said if my guy had told him it was an island in the South Pacific or next to France or similar and he went there to attend a bigwig's wedding. ;)

 

Silly us... we really would have expected border agents to know what countries are out there - even if they couldn't point to them on a map.

 

To be fair though, the Canadian border agent also looked perplexed when she looked at his passport, but she didn't actually say anything about it. She just stared at it for a bit, then continued on with our typical Canadian entry question - "You bringing money in?" :lol: (JK with that last bit, but it's close.)

My dad and his high school buddies took a trip up to Canada the summer after graduation; they got turned back at the border because they didn't have enough money between them to satisfy the border agents. My dad did cross over the border line and back walking on his hands just so he could say he had been in Canada...

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I think the reason for everyone having such a laid back attitude about it is that over the last few years, the media has tried so many times to whip us all into a frenzy over various illnesses.  "Bird flu!  Swine flu!  Influenza!  Pandemic!  Epidemic!  We're all gonna diiiiiiiiiie!!!!!!"  And then it turns out to be mostly a non-issue.  After years of that, I've come to have enough faith in our hygiene, sanitation, and medical systems that I'm not too worried about being taken out by something like ebola.  

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My dad and his high school buddies took a trip up to Canada the summer after graduation; they got turned back at the border because they didn't have enough money between them to satisfy the border agents. My dad did cross over the border line and back walking on his hands just so he could say he had been in Canada...

 

We go to Canada quite a bit since I grew up on the border (literally).  I love the country and consider it like a second home.  But there's definitely a difference between border crossing (theirs being better IMO).  In the "old days" it was quite similar with the US for those of us who were local and crossed often.  It still can be actually, but there are "other" times esp when one gets to a border where they don't know the border agents.

 

We were rather surprised with the Canadian agent at this crossing as there was a guy in front of us (walking in) who had a suitcase and couldn't answer the "usual" other questions (how long are you staying, what do you plan to do, etc).  He did not know how long he planned to stay nor how he was going to leave the country.  He only knew that he was meeting a "friend" there, but didn't know even specifics about that... and the agent still let him in.  I did not see that coming.  I thought she would finally get firm with that one and say, "no" or at least, "step aside for further questioning."  It sort of made me feel a little bit worried about just how "safe" they were "safeguarding" their country to be honest.  But the guy had money... and that appears to be what counted.  Come in, spend money, then we hope you'll leave without doing any sort of damage.

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I am concerned. I'm not panicking. I think ebola is unlikely to become a crisis situation in the United States. (but not impossible) I think there could be isolated pockets around the country that affect small numbers of people before we get it under control. That is likely to cause a nationwide panic with not fun consequences, but I'm not expecting riots in the street or anything. I'm concerned for the small pockets of people who could get it. I hope it would not affect any of my friends or family, but I don't want it affecting anyone's friends or family. I am concerned about the people in Liberia and Sierra Leone and Senegal too. I am concerned that the governmental response to small outbreaks would cause conflicts and that the affected people's civil liberties would be restricted. People won't like that. I think it could disrupt food and medical distribution if people refuse to do business in areas with known cases of infection.

 

The statistics that it is unlikely to affect me don't especially reassure me either. Up until this summer, the chances of me getting ebola in Monrovia, Liberia were practically 0 too. I am concerned enough to think that maybe I should stock up on food and other necessities but not concerned enough to actually do it. I would be more concerned if I lived in a large city or near an international airport. 

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This type of situation tends to be a huge trigger for those who suffer from health anxiety disorders.  People who have that tend to focus on the most unlikely disease scenario, and ignore the things that are 1000 times more likely to kill them.  I have zero worries about ebola in this country.  A pandemic of it is not even on my radar.  What will be a problem will be the people headed to the ER with flu symptoms who now think it's ebola.  People who have never been anywhere outside of their city and have had no contact with someone who has, will be convinced their ordinary cold is ebola.  And since we're already overrun with enterovirus D68...I'm not looking forward to it.  So far, all of our patients in Utah have only had breathing distress, but 10 kids in Colorado now have paralysis involvement.  And that doesn't resolve completely.  That's my main worry when I'm at work.

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I was really interested in the discussion about closing the TX border.  Presumably we are now focusing on the  northerly one instead of the southerly one.  It would protect us all from chili without beans in it and BBQ made with the wrong animal.  So I am in favor.

Them's fightin' words, Missy!  My dad would rise up out of his grave if I ever put beans in chili.  :)

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Yabbut, where's the Wee Dagger?  And is that penguin really from Texas, or just Nebraska, the also-ran?

 

He is from Chicago, and we had to take the wee dagger away from him on account of him being caught with alcohol too many times, as well as getting behind the wheel after imbibing a wee dram....or ten. He was a verra wild penguin on that particular trip.

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One is ALWAYS more likely to die of a heart attack or in a car accident.

 

However there have to be certain people in the Dallas area who are wondering where that man may have traveled in the days before he made it to the ER.

If I lived in the Dallas area I would be extra careful about hygiene.  And I would go to the doctor at the first sign of any problem.  If I was not taken seriously at first and I still was not sure if I could have ebola, I would quarantine myself.  Honestly if I had fever, vomiting, and diarrhea I would naturally quarantine myself.  I do not go out in that condition unless I were going directly to a doctor and even then I would stay away from others in the waiting room.  We are not banned from taking precautions for ourselves and for our loved ones.  

 

You cannot control everything in life.  So you control what you can.  But you make choices based on the information you have as to what that risk might be.  It can be dangerous for me to get the flu.  It is even dangerous for me to get a flu shot.  So I make choices based on that during flu season - including insisting on flu shots for family members - much to their dismay!  So yes, I worry a lot more about the flu than ebola because I know the risk is higher for me to get the flu than ebola.  But even then I don't tie myself in knots worrying about it.  

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Yeah...people eat all sorts of critters here. It just isn't in our wild life.

 

Most of the cases of leprosy in the continental US come from eating armadillos but people still eat them.

 

The things I learn around here . . . :ack2:

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I'm not even from Texas.

I don't think this was referring to you.  I think it was referring to the posts upthread where Texans were talking about things like armadillos and chilli and mentioned that they had posted things about Texas on your thread and then they implied that posting about Texas and having so many Texans posting on your thread was what got it locked.  Fairly certain it was tongue in cheek to say "Geez. Those Texans....."

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It was never a question of *if* ebola came to the U.S., it was a *when* and more importantly, what happens after that.

 

Like others, I am not at all happy to hear that someone recently out of LIBERIA (one of the main countries with ebola) went to any sort of medical professional with symptoms and was sent home. That, to me, was a huge red flag that there is a breakdown somewhere. People, particularly the medical profession, are not taking this serious enough, are not receiving correct training or information, or something.

 

On the other hand, I'm glad that they were truthful about it. I'm glad someone finally recognized it and got him into isolation and proper treatment. And I'm glad they're tracking down those that have been exposed. Those are good signs, to me.

 

I'm still waiting to see where this leads. Hopefully, it will be a wake-up call to those who have not believed that it poses a problem for the U.S. It does. Maybe not to the scale of west Africa, but it WILL infect people in the U.S. and the more serious it is taken, then less people it will infect.

 

I am also not very happy with all the reports I've read that seem to downplay its infectivity as though it's not something that will spread here in the U.S. I've spent the past few months attending ball games, school events, church events, and working at a grocery store. I don't know where others live that don't worry about the spread of non-aerosol viruses, but I've seen enough in the past three months to have absolutely no doubt that if it's not taken seriously, it could spread easily.

 

With ebola, IMO, the biggest things to remember regarding transmission are that

  1. It's not aerosol, but droplets CAN carry the virus. Which means that if something like diarrhea or vomit or heavy coughing happens, droplets can be propelled into the air and stay there for who knows exactly how long. The most likely place this would cause a problem is in public restrooms with poor ventilation.
  2. It's transmitted through bodily fluids of any kind, not simply blood. Eyes in particular are susceptible. You don't have to breathe it in or have an open wound come in contact with it to be infected.
  3. The most likely way it would be transmitted here in the U.S. is the same for the flu, cold, noravirus, etc.: hands to face, except with ebola, that includes the eyes, not just the mouth or nose.

Some of the most likely places for transmission that I've observed:

  • high school football games where porta-potties are often available for the increase in bathroom use (this is the case for EVERY game I've been to this fall)
  • restrooms in public facilities which often have very little ventilation, including doctor's offices and clinics
  • grocery stores where sanitizing wipes are available, but not often used and conveyor belts, check-out registers, credit card machines, etc. are not wiped down often enough to prevent the spread of any sort of disease
  • church or school gatherings where there are lots of little kids that like to touch their mouths/noses and then touch everything else, especially where food is served
  • theatres, where people rushing to get back to the movie do NOT wash hands
  • work and school, where people do not stay home if they are symptomatic. They wait until they are really sick. If they are simply symptomatic, they will be penalized for not showing up.--middle/high schools where kids swap desks which are not cleaned between classes. --work break rooms which are not cleaned that often --reception areas where people clock/sign in
  • public transportation, including school buses
  • medical offices and hospitals where symptomatic people would most likely go and sit and wait until they're called (if they're having stomach issues, the bathrooms in these areas could easily be a hot spot for transmission) 

The problem in America is not lack of the availability of hygiene measures, it's that so often

  1. People get rushed and don't take the time to follow decent procedures, and
  2. Illness is not something that many Americans really worry about avoiding. If they get it, they get it. They will take medicine or go to the doctor, and hopefully avoid missing work or school in the process. Most people do not stay home from work or school just because they are symptomatic. They wait until they are really sick. By that time, the disease has been spread.

This doesn't mean that ebola is going to hit us as hard as Africa, hopefully not even remotely close, but to think that it won't come here (it already has) and that it won't spread just doesn't fit with my experiences on virus transmission.

 

So, the question for me has always been, which areas of the country are going to be affected? How bad will it be in those areas? What procedures are going to be implemented once ebola has been discovered to be in an area?

 

The case in Dallas is not off to the best start because he was not quarantined until after four days of being infectious. But it's being dealt with now, so I'm watching to see how well they track it down and keep it from spreading. I will be happy to see them containing this (which I believe they can do). It will be very concerning if they fail to catch all other cases and it spreads even more.

 

That is exactly my concern, but people are in denial and want to talk about other nonsensical things (like whether we all know Africa is a large continent).  

 

In the meantime, what I feared is already going on:

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/10/01/texas-ebola-patient/16525649/

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Local news in Dallas is saying the ebola victim came in close contact with 12-18 people.

 

That's from a friend with a teevee. I don't live in Dallas.

 

I have a friend in Dallas, also.  I'm hearing a LOT.  It's not good.

 

Some people are worried enough to take precautions, others are on their way to the Dallas Fair for fair day.  All public school students were given free tickets and a day off.

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I think the reason for everyone having such a laid back attitude about it is that over the last few years, the media has tried so many times to whip us all into a frenzy over various illnesses.  "Bird flu!  Swine flu!  Influenza!  Pandemic!  Epidemic!  We're all gonna diiiiiiiiiie!!!!!!"  And then it turns out to be mostly a non-issue.  After years of that, I've come to have enough faith in our hygiene, sanitation, and medical systems that I'm not too worried about being taken out by something like ebola.  

 

That is a great point.  The difference is that ebola actually is causing devastating effects in Africa (Yes, in Africa.  We all know there are certain countries affected, but they are in AFRICA!  That wasn't directed to you, Mergath).  I'm just worried about children.  Their immune systems are not as strong as adult's and it's killing many adults.  

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That is exactly my concern, but people are in denial and want to talk about other nonsensical things (like whether we all know Africa is a large continent).  

 

In the meantime, what I feared is already going on:

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/10/01/texas-ebola-patient/16525649/

 

I don't think it's a huge surprise to find out that a close contact probably came down with the disease - nor does it negate what the rest of us have been saying.

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I don't think it's a huge surprise to find out that a close contact probably came down with the disease - nor does it negate what the rest of us have been saying.

 

I don't doubt that there will be more people.  This could get out of control.  

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I have a friend in Dallas, also. I'm hearing a LOT. It's not good.

 

Some people are worried enough to take precautions, others are on their way to the Dallas Fair for fair day. All public school students were given free tickets and a day off.

I don't go to fairs anyway, but I don't think this activity is high risk for Ebola. It is high risk for illness in general due to the large crowds of people in close proximity but no more so than attending school on that day instead of going to the fair.
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Yeah...people eat all sorts of critters here. It just isn't in our wild life.

 

Most of the cases of leprosy in the continental US come from eating armadillos but people still eat them.

I read the last line to D, and asked "Who eats armadillos?" Because surely someone we know does. 

Without missing a beat, he responded, "People with leprosy."  :lol:

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I don't doubt that there will be more people.  This could get out of control.  

 

I'm expecting several of his close contacts to be truly at risk including those who have treated him before it was known, but I doubt it will get out of control in the big picture.

 

I guess time will tell.

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I'd like to know what airline the guy flew on.  If I had been on his flight, I'd want to know.  

I'm seeing that there is another possible Ebola case and it's someone who the first guy knows.  One article says they have 16-18 people who came in contact with patient #1 under observation right now.  Why aren't they being quarantined?  

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People don't need to be quarantined unless they have symptoms since that is the only time the disease can be spread.

 

The people on his flight don't need to be concerned because he didn't have symptoms until several days after arriving in the US.

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The CDC feels confident that we will contain this. This article explains why it is out of control in Africa.

 

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/11/health/ebola-contact-tracing/index.html?iid=article_sidebar

 

 

Fifteen years later, Lt. Rebecca Levine, a newly minted officer with the U.S. Public Health Service, stepped off a plane in West Africa to fight Ebola, ready to implement the key strategy she'd been taught: contact tracing.

The process that's helped stop diseases like SARS and smallpox seems simple: Find everyone who had close contact with infected individuals and track them for 21 days. If any of these contacts comes down with the disease, isolate them from the community and repeat the process by tracking the contacts' contacts.

But tracing works only if you have a list of the contacts and their addresses. When Levine arrived at a Ministry of Health office in Sierra Leone, she found that the database she needed was "pretty much in shambles."

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He is from Chicago, and we had to take the wee dagger away from him on account of him being caught with alcohol too many times, as well as getting behind the wheel after imbibing a wee dram....or ten. He was a verra wild penguin on that particular trip.

 

Well, in honor of our shared connection with Edinburgh, here's my kilt picture.  Of a True Scotsman, no less:

 

 

post-75399-0-65915600-1412181921_thumb.jpg

 

It's the docent from the Thermos Museum.  Please don't tell me you missed the Thermos Museum!!  Yeah, you can't see the Wee Dagger here either.  Yeah, he too has had a wee dram.  Or 10...  But at least he didn't experiment with chili without beans.

 

 

 

 

ETA: Oh, I see he's actually keeled over.  Not sure why, since he's upright on my desktop, but it's not altogether surprising, given the aforementioned drams...

post-75399-0-65915600-1412181921_thumb.jpg

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I was really interested in the discussion about closing the TX border.  Presumably we are now focusing on the  northerly one instead of the southerly one.  It would protect us all from chili without beans in it and BBQ made with the wrong animal.  So I am in favor.

 

I used my one like that returned this morning for this post. Chili should have beans.

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I'd like to know what airline the guy flew on.  If I had been on his flight, I'd want to know.

 

He did not have symptoms on the airplane. Ebola is not contagious when the patient doesn't have symptoms, therefore no one on that plane is in danger of contracting Ebola from him. It also doesn't live on surfaces. so you can't get it from the proverbial shared toilet seat. Nothing he touched will have the virus, even if he spit on something or missed the bowl while using the toilet (since it spreads by bodily fluids some might wonder if he left fluids on the plane, but if he did that's still not a concern).

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He is keeled over because he has Ebola!

 

 

Well, in honor of our shared connection with Edinburgh, here's my kilt picture.  Of a True Scotsman, no less:

 

 

attachicon.gifCraig in Kilt.jpg

 

It's the docent from the Thermos Museum.  Please don't tell me you missed the Thermos Museum!!  Yeah, you can't see the Wee Dagger here either.  Yeah, he too has had a wee dram.  Or 10...  But at least he didn't experiment with chili without beans.

 

 

 

 

ETA: Oh, I see he's actually keeled over.  Not sure why, since he's upright on my desktop, but it's not altogether surprising, given the aforementioned drams...

 

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