Thread: Ebola

Originally Posted by DickWhitman

More like 4.5 thousand.

If we don't care what happens in Africa then why have we had troops deployed there for over 6 yrs in like 50 different outposts? It's called Africom.

Because above else we need their minerals and ores. We don't care what happens to the actual people or which warlord is in charge. We're happy enough to supply weapons so they can kill each other. As long as they do their dying in their own countries and the trucks keep moving, it's 12 o' clock and all's well.

EDIT: I guess it would be more correct to say that we do care about what happens to / in Africa, a lot. We just don't care about the Africans.

Just to throw a fly in the ointment, Flu season and the winter crud is just around the corner you know feaver, chills, sweating the works. Wonder how many cases will be misdiagnosed as can't do anything for you it is a virus going around.

Originally Posted by hidestoart

Just to throw a fly in the ointment, Flu season and the winter crud is just around the corner you know feaver, chills, sweating the works. Wonder how many cases will be misdiagnosed as can't do anything for you it is a virus going around.

I'm stationed at the US Army Medical Research Materiel Command at Fort Detrick, so we're right in the middle of all this ebola stuff. This topic came up last week, and is a very real concern. We had the same issues during the anthrax and dirty bomb threats a few years back. Our biggest issue when things like this get into metropolitan areas is how to triage - meaning how to quickly determine who just has random symptoms vs who is actually very sick/exposed.

It is rather interesting that the Cruise ship that has the Lab Tech on board form the Dallas Hospital was denied docking privileges in Belize and in Mexico specifically for that reason...

Sounds to me like some countries have no problem to err on the side of caution... We also know that this is a purely political response, but it was a response..


Remember that she has NOT tested positive for Ebola in fact she is at 19 or 20 days after POSSIBLE exposure

Originally Posted by gssixgun

It is rather interesting that the Cruise ship that has the Lab Tech on board form the Dallas Hospital was denied docking privileges in Belize and in Mexico specifically for that reason...

Sounds to me like some countries have no problem to err on the side of caution... We also know that this is a purely political response, but it was a response..


Remember that she has NOT tested positive for Ebola in fact she is at 19 or 20 days after POSSIBLE exposure

I always say that when things seem to make absolutely no sense that you have to ask yourself, under what circumstances DO they make sense. Then you get to think real hard about that.

Originally Posted by MajorEthanolic

I'm stationed at the US Army Medical Research Materiel Command at Fort Detrick, so we're right in the middle of all this ebola stuff. This topic came up last week, and is a very real concern. We had the same issues during the anthrax and dirty bomb threats a few years back. Our biggest issue when things like this get into metropolitan areas is how to triage - meaning how to quickly determine who just has random symptoms vs who is actually very sick/exposed.

Yep you are spot on. This has been my concern since the first talk of it escaping West Africa. I have traveled 36 countries in the world. In 2001 I was on a flight to Porto madrin from Uruguay - Montevideo it was a small plane. There were 12 of us and not two of us from the same country. I got sick after that flight as well as 4 others it was some sort of virus that ruined a week of diving. You are the expert here but it would seem to be a problematic not knowing how to triage even for a small town doctor thus causing it to keep moving.

Originally Posted by hidestoart

Yep you are spot on. This has been my concern since the first talk of it escaping West Africa. I have traveled 36 countries in the world. In 2001 I was on a flight to Porto madrin from Uruguay - Montevideo it was a small plane. There were 12 of us and not two of us from the same country. I got sick after that flight as well as 4 others it was some sort of virus that ruined a week of diving. You are the expert here but it would seem to be a problematic not knowing how to triage even for a small town doctor thus causing it to keep moving.

The problem is that the initial symptoms are all the same - nausea, vomiting, etc. That could be anything from ebola to flu to radiation sickness. We're doing a lot of studies to develop quick tests for TRIAGE in order to identify actual problems vs ordinary sickness.

Major, i am sure you have seen malaria when it is active. You are right everything starts out about the same. Hospitals being over run with panic taxing the system. People at home with the it's just the flu attitude Seems to me the best bet now is to get a flu shot in order to help stop the spread of flu so it is not taxing the system as well.

Mark my words on this one. The pharmaceutical companies that took the time and experience to work on this when it was of little concern are the great hope now but when they stsrt making money they will be no good SOB's that don't care about the 99%

Originally Posted by hidestoart

Major, i am sure you have seen malaria when it is active. You are right everything starts out about the same. Hospitals being over run with panic taxing the system. People at home with the it's just the flu attitude Seems to me the best bet now is to get a flu shot in order to help stop the spread of flu so it is not taxing the system as well.

Mark my words on this one. The pharmaceutical companies that took the time and experience to work on this when it was of little concern are the great hope now but when they stsrt making money they will be no good SOB's that don't care about the 99%

Pharmaceuticals and their deals with our government are one of the biggest problems we have with healthcare. They get a monopoly, even though tax dollars fund everything up to the patent. But they have really good lobbyist. There's a reason that things like the Hep C vaccine cost 10,000% more here than anywhere else in the world.

Originally Posted by hidestoart

Mark my words on this one. The pharmaceutical companies that took the time and experience to work on this when it was of little concern are the great hope now but when they stsrt making money they will be no good SOB's that don't care about the 99%

In the case of the Canadian vaccine now in human trials at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the USA, the vaccine was developed at a Canadian government lab in Winnipeg MB and licensed out to be manufactured. So in this case no pharmaceutical company was really concerned in it's development. I bet they sure as heck are rubbing their hands now that they have the rights to produce it. I think you can thank the Canadian tax payer and the dedicated small group of people who kept at it for over a decade to get there all the while fighting for continued and sufficient funding. So NO, the pharmaceutical industry gets no praise from me. They were too busy making money on the likes of Viagra and indigestion pills during that time.

More info How a Winnipeg lab became an Ebola research powerhouse - Manitoba - CBC News

Bob