Ebola..... so let me get this straight.

[ManglerYJ]

The news media is rife with panic stories which in turn has created a fear feeding frenzy in the open market. From a prankster donning a facemask that said, "I have Ebola - leave me alone" and boarding a bus which created mass hysteria and the bus driver immediately going to the hospital to be checked, to entire states essentially enacting martial law to quarantine medical professionals who have been remotely close to it.

The media has practically labeled Ebola as the worst death sentence in that you will die within a couple weeks of initial symptoms and you essentially hemorrhage blood, sweat and diarrhea. There is supposedly no approved cure for it.

Now, we do have one dead guy who came to the US with it and apparently spread it to two health care workers, neither of which have any idea how. Both, however, have been treated with blood and plasma from the Samaritan's Purse doctor who was immediately transported to the US for treatment. His blood successfully helped treat the other gal that he works with.

So this tells me that there actually IS a cure and we are just really slow addressing the problem. You would think that the minute that the CDC calls it an "epidemic" and successfully cures someone with it, that job one at the CDC would be to get that cure in the hands of everyone in Guinea and Sierra Leone to stop the spread.

NAWWWWWWWW it's just more fun to let people freak out.

 

[BigBody79]

There is no cure. There is treatment and we have way better treatment here in the states than in west Africa. If you start off relatively healthy and can manage the symptoms then you have a chance to survive it. The reason that it is spreading like crazy in Africa is that they don't have anywhere near the cleanliness that we do. The struggle with clean water much less hospital care. We know exactly why AIDS spreads but yet it is also in epidemic proportions in parts of Africa. Not always easy to stop disease. The problem in Africa is not access to health care it is much more basic than that. Access to clean water, food, and shelter.

 

[livetorun]

 

[Hunter44]

I'm in Pharmacy school, from what my professors have told me, there is no cure at the moment...

 

[StretchASU]

 

[ManglerYJ]

There is no cure.

So then the doctor that was transported back, treated and released claiming to be "Ebola free" is bunk? Also, the two healthcare workers?

Something still isn't adding up.

 

[RatLabGuy]

So then the doctor that was transported back, treated and released claiming to be "Ebola free" is bunk? Also, the two healthcare workers?

Something still isn't adding up.

No "cure" as in, we don't have a drug or treatment that makes it go away. It's a virus, the only way it is dealt with it the body naturally killing it off, either developing an immunity to it or just beating out the infection.
The reason people survive vs die is b/c their bodies are strong enough to beat it. People are "beating it" in the US, b/c the level of care here is so much better, and treatment (for teh symptoms_ has been starting almost immediately. E.g. your average US citizen is not undernourished and in as naturally bad health as most folks in underdeveloped countries, and we have the means to substantially flush people's bodies w/ fluids to (a) keep them hydrated and (b) flush out the funk... than in places where just having clean water is a challenge.

The "cure" is simply getting good care early in the infection. And that's not something you can just export in a vial.

 

[BigBody79]

Didnt say that you couldnt get better. Ebola is survivable. Not 100% death rate in west Africa. Ebola is like the flu. It is a viral infection. You can get better with out a specific antivirus such as tamaflu. But, there is nothing like that for ebola.

You can survive it and the death rate here will be much lower due to treatment of the symptoms.

Health care workers and doctor are not ebola "free" the virus is in their bodies but their bodies have developed the appropriate antivirus to combat it. Basically they have had their ebola shot and shouldn't contract it again for a long time.

This is just how viral infections work. Hopefully we can study their blood and create a injectable antivirus.

 

[RatLabGuy]

This is just how viral infections work. Hopefully we can study their blood and create a injectable antivirus.

and to continue on with this - developing an antivirus is something that necessarily takes years and really careful research. Most people seem to think we can comes up w/ something that seems to have worked a couple of times... then mass-produce it and send it out. But the truth is that you have to have lots of tests on lots of different people before you can know how effective it is. Sending a retrovirus "out into the wild" that isn't effective on almost everybody can be even more dangerous than doing nothing at all.

 

[strange1]

 

[XJsavage]

I think Ebola is much like AIDS and cancer, designed by the US to wipe out a portion of the population.

 

[GotWood]

I think Ebola is much like AIDS and cancer, designed by the US to wipe out a portion of the population.

 

[trailhugger]

Sending a retrovirus "out into the wild" that isn't effective on almost everybody can be even more dangerous than doing nothing at all.

Because zombies.

 

[5lugger]

Being a frequent traveler to Africa (southern) I know that there's been the presence of Ebola for many many years, the only reason the western world gives a hoot is because it's finally "reached the level" of interesting media coverage. Just a tool being used to get us to tune in.
Yes it's a horrid nightmare virus. But it is way less of a threat to the western world then the media is wanting us to believe. Fear equals positive news ratings, sadly this leads to over exaggerated almost false information.

What I find even more disturbing is the average reaction I have heard to Ebola is... "Keep those infected Africans the hell away from me" when it should be "what can we do to help Africa, which in turn will eradicate the virus."

 

[Paul]

Being a frequent traveler to Africa (southern) I know that there's been the presence of Ebola for many many years, the only reason the western world gives a hoot is because it's finally "reached the level" of interesting media coverage. Just a tool being used to get us to tune in.
Yes it's a horrid nightmare virus. But it is way less of a threat to the western world then the media is wanting us to believe. Fear equals positive news ratings, sadly this leads to over exaggerated almost false information.

What I find even more disturbing is the average reaction I have heard to Ebola is... "Keep those infected Africans the hell away from me" when it should be "what can we do to help Africa, which in turn will eradicate the virus."

Yep. Draws away attention from ISIS and our nations 17 trillion $ debt.
And Vlad Putin shooting down a plane.
Fawk the media.

 

[mommucked]

I think it's all an orchestrated,calculated distraction from the dismal performance of a VERY famous afrikan American, and ploy to drum up sympathy and insure votes from a certain group for his chosen ones in the upcoming elections. Look at the actions.........NO travel ban, even though peeps have mysteriously arrived here w the virus, despite supposed screening of incoming travelers. I also think the threat and/or reality of ebola becoming a serious problem in our country could ensure the new HC plan will be sustained...................I haven't heard any news on the 600 girls kidnapped over there in months, and even isis is now on the backburner w the ebamolla epidemic.............politics at it's finest.

 

[jeepinmatt]

 

[drkelly]

I haven't heard any news on the 600 girls kidnapped over there in months,.

This is what should be on the news ever night. Horrible.