Ebola Patients Coming To North America

[Big Guy]

Ebola infected health workers are coming to North America.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/31/health/ebola-outbreak/index.html

Ebola has no known cure, is very infectious and has a very high fatality rate.

It has been reported that a long-range business jet with an isolation pod left the United States for Liberia, where it will evacuate two Americans infected with Ebola. The virus has already killed hundreds in four West African nations. Two infected Americans would soon be on their way back to the United States and questions are being asked – why?

It was not immediately known when the two Americans identified as Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, would arrive in the United States, or where the plane would land.

I do feel that these volunteers who went to Liberia to help with this disease deserve all the support they require but does that include bringing Ebola into North America for the first time? I assume that all possible methods will be used to isolate these patients but our reaction to SARS et al makes one wonder if the process is worth the chance.

Would you have any concerns if Canadian Ebola patients were relocated to Canada for treatment?

[eyeball]

Not if proper isolation protocols are in place. We need to learn everything we can about the disease and we can probably learn more here than we can in Africa.

That said, I guess my biggest concern is that the government is in charge.

[GostHacked]

I would have a problem with it indeed. Liberia closed their borders, Sierra Leon is in crisis, this spreads to one other country and Africa should be locked down. All you need is one patient to reach North America or Europe and it will spread very rapidly.

I don't care how much isolation is in place, this is not something you want to risk bringing back to North America.

[The_Squid]

Ebola has no known cure, is very infectious and has a very high fatality rate.

2/3 is pretty good... it is only infectious through the transfer of bodily fluids. That's not "very infectious".

Ebola has killed hundreds... That's hardly anyone as far as pandemics go.

If proper protocols are followed, which they will be, there is no danger to anyone else.

....but does that include bringing Ebola into North America for the first time?

Once again, you don't know what you're talking about. Ebola has invaded N. America already. In fact, a strain of Ebola is named after Reston, Virginia. But it is an easily controlled disease.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ebola_outbreaks

1989 USA REBOV 0 0 0% REBOV was introduced into quarantine facilities in Virginia and Pennsylvania by monkeys imported from the Philippines.^[14] 1990 USA REBOV 4 (asymptomatic) 0 0%

REBOV was introduced once again into quarantine facilities in Virginia and Texas by monkeys imported from the Philippines. Four humans developed antibodies but did not get sick.^[15]

[Bonam]

Probably the most interesting thing mentioned in the article is that an Ebola vaccine seems to be right around the corner (human testing starts in September). If successful, that would be a great success of modern medicine.

Disturbingly, it also sounds like American aid workers that were exposed to Ebola traveled around from country to country, potentially contributing to the spread of the outbreak. This seems like a drastic failure on the part of these aid organizations and suggests that they do not have the expertise, diligence, or seriousness to be aiding with outbreaks of serious diseases like this. This is not the kind of thing with which you can afford to make even one mistake.

Hopefully the people in charge of bringing the two Ebola patients back to the US are not from some amateurish organization but from a research division accustomed to working with extremely deadly pathogens with which there is absolutely zero room for error.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Bonam

[The_Squid]

Disturbingly, it also sounds like American aid workers that were exposed to Ebola traveled around from country to country, potentially contributing to the spread of the outbreak. This seems like a drastic failure on the part of these aid organizations and suggests that they do not have the expertise, diligence, or seriousness to be aiding with outbreaks of serious diseases like this. This is not the kind of thing with which you can afford to make even one mistake.

This is pure speculation on your part. And maybe a little right-wing conspiracy minded....

It's possible that they infected people, but highly unlikely. If they were taking proper precautions, which they likely were, they wouldn't have infected anyone else as it is not easily spread.

[Bonam]

This is pure speculation on your part. And maybe a little right-wing conspiracy minded....

It's possible that they infected people, but highly unlikely. If they were taking proper precautions, which they likely were, they wouldn't have infected anyone else as it is not easily spread.

From the article:

One American, 40-year-old Patrick Sawyer, died in a Nigerian hospital earlier this month -- having come from Liberia. He was in a plane to Lagos, when he became violently ill. He was planning to go back home to Minnesota to celebrate his daughters' birthdays, but the disease took his life before he could.

The Nigerian government said Thursday it has located 10 more people who had contact with Sawyer, the first American who died in the Ebola outbreak. Meanwhile, none of the 67 people under surveillance and the two people in quarantine have shown symptoms of the disease, Nigerian Minister of Information Labaran Maku said.

...

Nigeria's Minister of Health Onyebuchi Chukwu says the government is still searching for more people that had contact with Sawyer on his journey on a plane that stopped in Accra, Ghana and Lome, Togo, before traveling on to Lagos.

That is most definitely not proper quarantine procedure, and is illustrative of a major screw up. Clearly the "proper precautions" you refer to were not taken in this case, otherwise he never would have been on a public flight while sick with Ebola. They are still looking for people who may have had contact with him. Not sure how you can defend such a screw up.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Bonam

[Moonlight Graham]

Probably the most interesting thing mentioned in the article is that an Ebola vaccine seems to be right around the corner (human testing starts in September). If successful, that would be a great success of modern medicine.

....This is not the kind of thing with which you can afford to make even one mistake.

Hopefully the people in charge of bringing the two Ebola patients back to the US are not from some amateurish organization but from a research division accustomed to working with extremely deadly pathogens with which there is absolutely zero room for error.

Completely agree with the above.

[Moonlight Graham]

Nigeria's Minister of Health Onyebuchi Chukwu says the government is still searching for more people that had contact with Sawyer on his journey on a plane that stopped in Accra, Ghana and Lome, Togo, before traveling on to Lagos.

That is most definitely not proper quarantine procedure, and is illustrative of a major screw up. Clearly the "proper precautions" you refer to were not taken in this case, otherwise he never would have been on a public flight while sick with Ebola. They are still looking for people who may have had contact with him. Not sure how you can defend such a screw up.

Yes but was Sawyer an "aid worker"? All I can find is: "A naturalized American citizen who worked in Liberia, Sawyer flew to Nigeria intending to attend a conference". He also flew to Liberia to attend the funeral of his sister, who died of Ebola.

[Moonlight Graham]

Would you have any concerns if Canadian Ebola patients were relocated to Canada for treatment?

Good thread Big Guy, but are you able to edit the title and opening paragraph of the thread so to make this topic a general topic about this Ebola crisis. If not, maybe the mods can do it? I'm sure this story is going to have legs and more topics created.

[Bonam]

Yes but was Sawyer an "aid worker"? All I can find is: "A naturalized American citizen who worked in Liberia, Sawyer flew to Nigeria intending to attend a conference". He also flew to Liberia to attend the funeral of his sister, who died of Ebola.

You may be right. From the flow of the article I got the impression he was one of the aid workers, but that could be wrong.

[Big Guy]

Good thread Big Guy, but are you able to edit the title and opening paragraph of the thread so to make this topic a general topic about this Ebola crisis. If not, maybe the mods can do it? I'm sure this story is going to have legs and more topics created.

Don't know how to edit a PO. Feel free to take the thread into whatever direction you wish.

[bush_cheney2004]

I don't have any problem with American citizens being evacuated to the U.S. for treatment. Can't bungle things any worse than Ontario did with SARS !

[The_Squid]

SARS is much more contagious than Ebola.

In 2002/2003 SARS killed more people in more countries than this particular Ebola outbreak.

44 in Canada alone.

0 in the USA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severe_acute_respiratory_syndrome#Spread_to_other_countries_and_regions

[Bonam]

SARS is much more contagious than Ebola.

In 2002/2003 SARS killed more people in more countries than this particular Ebola outbreak.

44 in Canada alone.

0 in the USA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Severe_acute_respiratory_syndrome#Spread_to_other_countries_and_regions

SARS is much more contagious but much less fatal.

[The_Squid]

SARS is much more contagious but much less fatal.

yes, if you get it, it is less fatal. However, SARS has killed more people.

No one is going to die from Ebola in N. America that didn't catch it from where the outbreak is. And anyone who has ever caught it who is outside of those infected communities with the poor hygiene practices have always been healthcare workers. No one else.

Edited August 1, 2014 by The_Squid

[Bonam]

yes, if you get it, it is less fatal. However, SARS has killed more people.

No one is going to die from Ebola in N. America that didn't catch it from where the outbreak is. And anyone who has ever caught it who is outside of those infected communities with the poor hygiene practices have always been healthcare workers. No one else.

So let's make sure it stays that way. Not sure what the debate is?

[The_Squid]

So let's make sure it stays that way. Not sure what the debate is?

The "debate" is that this Ebola outbreak spreading to N. America isn't a realistic fear. I didn't bring up SARS... but pointed out that it is much more dangerous to N. America than Ebola is/was!

[Bonam]

The "debate" is that this Ebola outbreak spreading to N. America isn't a realistic fear. I didn't bring up SARS... but pointed out that it is much more dangerous to N. America than Ebola is/was!

8273 people were infected in the 2003 SARS outbreak, of which 775 (9.6%) died. In the US, out of 27 reported cases, there were 0 fatalities.

1323 people have so far been infected in the 2014 Ebola outbreak, of which 729 (55%) have died. The number of deaths is already almost as high as the SARS outbreak and this particular incident is potentially only in its beginning stages. Furthermore, advanced medical care that (I assume) helped reduce mortality rates (to zero) in the US in the SARS outbreak is not particularly effective against Ebola. Therefore, it very realistically presents a greater danger.

I do agree with you that with proper containment procedures, it is very likely that the Ebola outbreak can be contained and its spread to North America prevented. This is why it is especially important to make sure that these procedures are followed meticulously.

[The_Squid]

8273 people were infected in the 2003 SARS outbreak, of which 775 (9.6%) died. In the US, out of 27 reported cases, there were 0 fatalities.

1323 people have so far been infected in the 2014 Ebola outbreak, of which 729 (55%) have died. The number of deaths is already almost as high as the SARS outbreak and this particular incident is potentially only in its beginning stages. Furthermore, advanced medical care that (I assume) helped reduce mortality rates (to zero) in the US in the SARS outbreak is not particularly effective against Ebola. Therefore, it very realistically presents a greater danger.

I do agree with you that with proper containment procedures, it is very likely that the Ebola outbreak can be contained and its spread to North America prevented. This is why it is especially important to make sure that these procedures are followed meticulously.

And even if it does spread here, it will be a small handful of people. We don't hug and kiss our dead.... especially when it will be known that they are infected.

The odds of nay serious outbreak are so infinitesimally small that I would be more worried about being struck by lightening.

[Topaz]

I heard a guy from the US say, that he's not worried about this virus coming to the USA because they have means of handling it. Guess that may not be true. just another way to reduce the population of the world.

[The_Squid]

just another way to reduce the population of the world.

By hundreds....

[guyser]

I don't have any problem with American citizens being evacuated to the U.S. for treatment. Can't bungle things any worse than Ontario did with SARS !

Oh sure you can.

You call it the US medical system, kills 195,000 people a year.

Now THATS fucked up.

[overthere]

Furthermore, advanced medical care that (I assume) helped reduce mortality rates (to zero) in the US in the SARS outbreak is not particularly effective against Ebola. Therefore, it very realistically presents a greater danger.

lass advanced medical care can control the spread of Ebola. SARS spreads easily as it is airborne. Ebola is much harder to catch, mainly spreads through bodily fluids. And The West can isol;ate much better against that than can African nations.

For example, it is common at funerals in West Africa for people to touch the corpse. The virus stays live for days on the body, thus....

That does not happen here.

[Big Guy]

CDC has just issued its highest alert level for Ebola outbreak;

http://fox59.com/2014/08/07/cdc-issues-highest-level-alert-for-ebola-outbreak/