The Ebolas

[The Sybian]

I'm gonna go full on hipster and say I was freaking out about Ebola before it was cool.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hot_Zone" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I read that book when it came out and was absolutely convinced we were doomed, DOOMED! I never really put it completely out of my mind and would occasionally check back in... Here's where the story turned in my head:

There have been MULTIPLE EBOLA OUTBREAKS, it's just that this one found a region not able to contain it as effectively as in the past outbreaks. http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/ ... aries.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I don't watch CNN or Fox, so I'm not being caustic when I ask if they are reporting the following:

* Nigeria and Senegal are very close to containing/wiping out this iteration of the outbreak in their countries.

* Carriers are only able to pass along the virus when they are exhibiting symptoms. In other words, during the (up to) 21 day incubation period, you can't pass the virus along. If you are running a 102 fever and vomiting... Yeah, maybe don't go out to the pub.

* This virus is not airborne. It's extremely contagious, don't get me wrong. But the fear mongering on this point is just horrible. I have a fear that aliens will populate my ear canal and force me to listen to Hall & Oates for the rest of my life. So what?

Yes, this is a huge issue and hopefully the coverage will a) get help to the people of Liberia and Guinea and b) focus people (again) on the need to be prepared to address the threat of epidemics --> pandemics.

But I think the speculation and what I assume is rampant fear mongering is just another example of just how horrible and fucked up our media is these days.

While it is clearly a horrible disease, and I don't mean to make light of the disease itself, it just isn't a disease that will rapidly spread. I don't watch any of the news channels, but I do read sites that post clips from Fox and CNN. I'm sure I am just seeing the worst of it, so I can't speak to the overall coverage, but CNN seems to be talking about Ebola every time I am at the gym, and that in itself it unwarranted hype.

Fox has taken a different approach, using Ebola cases in the US as another issue to blame on Obama. Obama refuses to cancel all flights to and from Africa. Obama hates America and wants it destroyed by an AFRICAN virus, because he is a Kenyan Fascist Commie terrorist. Fox's entire premise is to terrify the elderly and feeble minded. I've seen a lot of interviews with medical professionals saying there is no reason to fear, then the interviewers completely ignore them and throw out hypotheticals like, "but if I am on a plane and some guy sneezes, I'm guaranteed to get Ebola, right?" "There is a case in Dallas, I'm a Seahawks fan. Since the Seahawks lost to the Cowboys, I am guaranteed to get Ebola, right?"

Then you have the true nutters. Alex Jones saying that Obama brought Ebola into the country because he wants to kill 90% of Americans. Others saying Obama either plans to spread Ebola or is going to conveniently use Ebola as an excuse to quarantine millions of Americans in internment camps.

[P.D.X.]

Well, it certainly makes sense that a government would want to drastically eliminate most of its taxpayers.

[rass]

Rass, you sir are the greatest swamper of all time.

No credit from me for the higher level trolling? That was set 'em up, knock 'em down.

Yikes! I think I might need to resurrect an old thread theme this week...

[Pruitt]

Well, it certainly makes sense that a government would want to drastically eliminate most of its taxpayers.

I taught my son at an early age that when dealing with conspiracy theorists, all you need to ask is "and what would (insert nefarious organization name here) stand to gain from this?"

I'm old enough to remember when AIDS was a government conspiracy. But I can't remember what it was meant to accomplish.

I also remember when the US government flooded the poor parts of its cities with crack in order to (I guess) turn those cities into bankrupted war zones devoid of businesses or taxpayers.

And you know, Ebola - as noted elsewhere - seems to be a slow spreading disease. The death toll is about 4,500. I seem to remember it being around 1,500 back in July. While it's obviously horrible that 4,500 people have died, it is certainly not spreading as fast as the news networks would have us believe.

[howard]

hey nonlinear:

something about the strident tone of the Nigerian government claims struck me and makes me wonder. How credible are their claims to have shut this shit down? Their measures are definitely aggressive (and appropriate), but damn if their aren't a fuckload of poor people crowded into a small space in Lagos. I wonder if they are premature with the mutual dick-sucking. Just my natural skepticism of government proclamations, and the perfect breeding ground, I'm not considering any other evidence.

I haven't delved deeply on this count, because with all those millions of people, the answer will be clear sooner than later.

[degenerasian]

hey nonlinear:

something about the strident tone of the Nigerian government claims struck me and makes me wonder. How credible are their claims to have shut this shit down? Their measures are definitely aggressive (and appropriate), but damn if their aren't a fuckload of poor people crowded into a small space in Lagos. I wonder if they are premature with the mutual dick-sucking. Just my natural skepticism of government proclamations, and the perfect breeding ground, I'm not considering any other evidence.

I haven't delved deeply on this count, because with all those millions of people, the answer will be clear sooner than later.

I'm sure if a Million people died in Nigeria they could hide it.

[howard]

I will not be harping on this. But just a little example of the folly of believing the authorities.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-ebo ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Dallas nurses describe Ebola hospital care: 'There was no protocol'
…

They described a hospital with no clear guidelines in place for handling Ebola patients, where Duncan’s lab specimens were sent through the usual hospital tube system “without being specifically sealed and hand-delivered. The result is that the entire tube system, which all the lab systems are sent, was potentially contaminated,” they said.

"There was no advanced preparedness on what to do with the patient. There was no protocol; there was no system. The nurses were asked to call the infectious disease department" if they had questions, they said.

The nurses said they were essentially left to figure things out for themselves as they dealt with “copious amounts” of body fluids from Duncan while wearing gloves with no wrist tapes, gowns that did not cover their necks, and no surgical booties. Protective gear eventually arrived, but not until three days after Duncan’s admission to the hospital, they said.

The nurses’ allegations conflict with what hospital officials have been saying since Duncan’s admission: that they have strict protocols in place for handling such patients and that a mistake led to Pham becoming infected while she treated him.

[Weatherfrog]

So, in support of the above post, evidence of a second hospital worker becoming infected.

http://www.breitbart.com/system/wire/ap ... 1a4a14c60e

Yeah, its breitbart. Sue me.

[The Sybian]

I will not be harping on this. But just a little example of the folly of believing the authorities.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-ebo ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Dallas nurses describe Ebola hospital care: 'There was no protocol'
…

They described a hospital with no clear guidelines in place for handling Ebola patients, where Duncan’s lab specimens were sent through the usual hospital tube system “without being specifically sealed and hand-delivered. The result is that the entire tube system, which all the lab systems are sent, was potentially contaminated,” they said.

"There was no advanced preparedness on what to do with the patient. There was no protocol; there was no system. The nurses were asked to call the infectious disease department" if they had questions, they said.

The nurses said they were essentially left to figure things out for themselves as they dealt with “copious amounts” of body fluids from Duncan while wearing gloves with no wrist tapes, gowns that did not cover their necks, and no surgical booties. Protective gear eventually arrived, but not until three days after Duncan’s admission to the hospital, they said.

The nurses’ allegations conflict with what hospital officials have been saying since Duncan’s admission: that they have strict protocols in place for handling such patients and that a mistake led to Pham becoming infected while she treated him.

I certainly don't trust a government agency to properly prepare or provide adequate support to hospitals. Not at all, you know I've seen the inner workings of a federal agency, including a branch of the former INS. I do believe the doctors saying that Ebola is not airborne, and there is no chance of getting the disease without having direct contact with bodily fluids of a symptomatic patient. I understand that the disease causes unusually high amounts of fluids to seep out of every orifice, so there is a danger to health professionals treating the patient or cleaning their sheets, but I think the media scare tactics are completely unwarranted.

[Nonlinear FC]

Rass, you sir are the greatest swamper of all time.

No credit from me for the higher level trolling? That was set 'em up, knock 'em down.

Yikes! I think I might need to resurrect an old thread theme this week...

:D ... Fair enough. Revised statement: I'm just happy to have played a small part in that epic post. It's a team game and any role I play is a blessing. I want to thank my parents, but most of all, all praise to Yahweh.

[Nonlinear FC]

I will not be harping on this. But just a little example of the folly of believing the authorities.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-ebo ... story.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Dallas nurses describe Ebola hospital care: 'There was no protocol'
…

They described a hospital with no clear guidelines in place for handling Ebola patients, where Duncan’s lab specimens were sent through the usual hospital tube system “without being specifically sealed and hand-delivered. The result is that the entire tube system, which all the lab systems are sent, was potentially contaminated,” they said.

"There was no advanced preparedness on what to do with the patient. There was no protocol; there was no system. The nurses were asked to call the infectious disease department" if they had questions, they said.

The nurses said they were essentially left to figure things out for themselves as they dealt with “copious amounts” of body fluids from Duncan while wearing gloves with no wrist tapes, gowns that did not cover their necks, and no surgical booties. Protective gear eventually arrived, but not until three days after Duncan’s admission to the hospital, they said.

The nurses’ allegations conflict with what hospital officials have been saying since Duncan’s admission: that they have strict protocols in place for handling such patients and that a mistake led to Pham becoming infected while she treated him.

I certainly don't trust a government agency to properly prepare or provide adequate support to hospitals. Not at all, you know I've seen the inner workings of a federal agency, including a branch of the former INS. I do believe the doctors saying that Ebola is not airborne, and there is no chance of getting the disease without having direct contact with bodily fluids of a symptomatic patient. I understand that the disease causes unusually high amounts of fluids to seep out of every orifice, so there is a danger to health professionals treating the patient or cleaning their sheets, but I think the media scare tactics are completely unwarranted.

SARS showed just how difficult it is to keep a virus from spreading in hospitals. What they started doing in a lot of hospitals was putting a "monitor" in place, whose sole purpose was to ensure proper protocols were followed at all times. Once they got rid of all the shortcuts that medical staff were taking, they locked it down.

[Sabo]

The following was sent to Ohio Department of Health employees this morning:

This morning October 15, 2014, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified the Ohio Department of Health that the second healthcare worker in Dallas diagnosed with Ebola visited family in Akron from October 8-13.

ODH is working with the Summit County Public Health and the CDC to identify people who may have been in close contact with this healthcare worker and to implement quarantines as necessary. In addition, ODH is working with CDC to identify individuals that may have traveled on the same flight to Dallas.

It is critical that healthcare workers ask about travel to West Africa. It is now also important to ask whether individuals have had contact with a person ill with Ebola in the USA. Healthcare workers are reminded of the appropriate use of PPE as indicated. We are working to identify close contacts of this newly diagnosed case and we will work with local health departments to conduct contact monitoring.


Alert Id: 12948
Acknowledge: Yes
Alert Program: HAN
Delivery Time: 60 minutes
Event Status: Actual
Jurisdictional Level: State, Local
MessageType: Alert
Sensitive: No
Severity: Extreme

Time Sent: 10/15/2014 11:47:56 AM

So maybe DTW will get his hospital bed wish that everyone in Ohio die a horrible death.

[The Sybian]

Megyn Kelly had a typically unprofessional interview with the CDC Director Frieden. She was on the verge of yelling at him the entire time, kept cutting him off repeating the same damn things. Mostly haranguing the guy for not stopping all flights to and from Africa. Frieden said several times flights are necessary to bring in relief workers and supplies, that without flights in, the spread would be much worse. doesn't matter, she kept chastising him for not closing the borders. Congressman Pete Sessions had the same argument with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, as replayed on The Daily Show. Sessions cried about closing the borders, Gupta explained why that was a horrible idea, and Sessions, without any argument or basis, repeated that we need to close the border.

I would love to see the reaction if Obama did stop all flights. "Obama is restricting our freedom!" "Worst abuse of Constitution in history!" "Blah, blah Dictator, tyrant, fascist communist Hitler!"

[howard]

In answer to my Nigeria question above: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/ebo ... r-2014/en/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Are the Ebola outbreaks in Nigeria and Senegal over?

Ebola situation assessment - 14 October 2014

Not quite yet.

If the active surveillance for new cases that is currently in place continues, and no new cases are detected, WHO will declare the end of the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Senegal on Friday 17 October. Likewise, Nigeria is expected to have passed through the requisite 42 days, with active surveillance for new cases in place and none detected, on Monday 20 October.

For Nigeria, WHO confirms that tracing of people known to have contact with an Ebola patient reached 100% in Lagos and 98% in Port Harcourt. In a piece of world-class epidemiological detective work, all confirmed cases in Nigeria were eventually linked back to the Liberian air traveller who introduced the virus into the country on 20 July.

The anticipated declaration by WHO that the outbreaks in these 2 countries are over will give the world some welcome news in an epidemic that elsewhere remains out of control in 3 West African nations.

In Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, new cases continue to explode in areas that looked like they were coming under control. An unusual characteristic of this epidemic is a persistent cyclical pattern of gradual dips in the number of new cases, followed by sudden flare-ups. WHO epidemiologists see no signs that the outbreaks in any of these 3 countries are coming under control.

[BSF21]

So maybe DTW will get his hospital bed wish that everyone in Ohio die a horrible death.

Speaking of, anyone heard from him in the last few days? Last time he checked in here or FB was Sunday.

[BSF21]

So maybe DTW will get his hospital bed wish that everyone in Ohio die a horrible death.

Speaking of, anyone heard from him in the last few days? Last time he checked in here or FB was Sunday.

He posted on FB within 5 seconds of me hitting submit on this. Doped up MFer is watching us. WATCHING US I TELL YOU!

[Johnnie]

Just updated Facebook literally 2 minutes ago.

[Giff]

He stupidly bet the over in my alma mater's game last night.

[The Sybian]

Yay, my idiot Congressman is petitioning Obama to stop all flights to Ebola-stricken foreign countries. Fuck, Leonard Lance is an idiot. I'm seeing more FB posts with people upset to freaking out about ebola. 3 fucking cases. 3!!!! OMFG it's an epidemic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know I am beating Barbaro here, but this is seriously starting to piss me off.

[howard]

We've had fear-mongering by the media and by politicians. Next up, fear-based behavior, on a growing scale. Like, if someone vomits on a commercial flight--quarantine of that flight. If someone has a fever in an emergency room anywhere in Dallas, Akron or Cleveland--assume the worst, lockdown. This is gonna be fun when flu season starts, and vomiting, febrile people will be pretty common.

In conjunction with these ad-hoc fear based behavior, we are gonna have governments declaring states of emergency, using cops and extra-legal measures in the name of safety and caution.

Again, I have no idea if such measures are warranted or not. If they are rational or irrational responses. I don't know. I do know, they will be taken. I also know, they will be taken in part (and likely in large part) for cynical purposes, w/o regard and at times in opposition to the best interests of the public. Guaranteed. Hell, it has already happened during this ebola response.

Unless you think the response to 9-11 (endless war, shredding of the constitution, the Patriot Act) was a one-off. Never let a crisis go to waste.

[brian]

I appreciate the concern. But yeah, I'm doped to the gills. My vision is still kinda weak so I'm trying to avoid using my phone as a computer.

[brian]

And I would only want 80 percent of Ohioans to die an agonizing death. At most.

[DSafetyGuy]

And I would only want 80 percent of Ohioans to die an agonizing death. At most.

I am more than willing to throw some of my extended family in the 80 percent.

[howard]

Let me say something nice. I think Obama's public statements and actions yesterday and today have been apt and proper, and serve to reduce unnecessary panic and fear. Good PR job, Barry.

I object to good PR when it serves as a substitute for actual good action (or as cover for actual bad action.)

[rass]

The wife is edging towards some form of, well maybe not panic. Full blown concern. Between hearing about it all day at work (a lot of educational sessions with first responder types) and a not insubstantial West African population at the girls' elementary school, it's weighing on her. Good thing we have a break coming up in a couple weeks! Heading down to Disney World. Flying out of JFK.

[mister d]

Sit her down and calmly explain there's a far greater chance of you, her or one of your children dying in a horrific car crash than there is of even being within a 1,000 yard radius as someone with Ebola.

[rass]

Sit her down and calmly explain there's a far greater chance of you, her or one of your children dying in a horrific car crash than there is of even being within a 1,000 yard radius as someone with Ebola.

OK. She's on the phone. I'll read that verbatim when she's done and let you know how it goes!

[The Sybian]

Sit her down and calmly explain there's a far greater chance of you, her or one of your children dying in a horrific car crash than there is of even being within a 1,000 yard radius as someone with Ebola.

OK. She's on the phone. I'll read that verbatim when she's done and let you know how it goes!

I'd recommend starting the conversation by slapping her in the face. Hard.

[rass]

Sit her down and calmly explain there's a far greater chance of you, her or one of your children dying in a horrific car crash than there is of even being within a 1,000 yard radius as someone with Ebola.

OK. She's on the phone. I'll read that verbatim when she's done and let you know how it goes!

I'd recommend starting the conversation by slapping her in the face. Hard.

[Pruitt]

The SARS outbreak in Toronto led to near panic among those who are prone to panicking. The vast majority of the city pretty much went about its business and laughed at the thousands of people walking around wearing surgical masks.

While our leaders - including a boob of a mayor (not Ford) and a greaseball Premier - were no help whatsoever, the Toronto media shone its spotlight on the city's Medical Officer of Health, a woman who spoke with gravitas and knowledge about the risks and percentages of coming down with SARS.

She really did a lot of good, and if the local media had merely followed the pronouncements of our ignorant elected officials, there really would have been much wider spread panic.

So while I am not one to instinctively blame the media when things go wrong, in this case, I am blaming the media for the focus on the scaremongers and the sensational projections rather than on the reality of the situation.

But then again, some people are just prone to irrational fears.

[DSafetyGuy]

So while I am not one to instinctively blame the media when things go wrong, in this case, I am blaming the media for the focus on the scaremongers and the sensational projections rather than on the reality of the situation.

I just imagine that, in an earlier era of news media, any report of this, or any similar, outbreak, would be capped with a frank reminder of how the disease is transmitted and what steps people should take to limit their risk.

Instead, we get fear-mongering and hysteria-inducing reports without facts to help the general populace.

[mister d]

For-profit news is the best.

[wlu_lax6]

And they are now having a ebola scare at the Pentagon.
http://www.arlnow.com/2014/10/17/develo ... -pentagon/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[The Sybian]

Didn't see this coming. Gohmert calls Obama admin's handling of Ebola a "War on Women." I keep thinking about changing my sig lines, but Gohmert always says something else incredibly stupid that keeps him on my sig. He takes a hilarious swipe at Geraldo for no reason at all, which I found hilarious. Brian Kilmeade didn't like the comment, and said so. When I googled for this video, I clicked on a link to Breitbart without looking, so I had to read the comments. Unanimous agreement with Gohmert, who "is always SPOT ON." (What is it with idiot wingnuts on both sides and the need for allcaps? What ever happened to Swamper Allcaps, anyways?) More people commented on Kilmeade's rude treatment of Gohmert.

[Johnnie]

From that possible Pentagon ebola case, is the CNN link that let's you know Ron Klein is the new Ebola Czar.

I know the usage of 'Czar' has been around for a minute, but why? Is Caesar or King not good enough? And why not use Tsar? Is the letter 'Z' just cooler?

Anyhoo, I found this from Shep Smith to be refreshing during all of this madness:

[howard]

That was a nice piece. One nit to pick--the stock market decline has zero to do with ebola fears. But, you will be told this lie.

Ron Klain--what a fucking joke. Nice enough guy I'm sure, very accomplished at what he has done,but a political lawyer/lobbyist/investment banker. Great skillset for the job of preventing an infectious disease pandemic. Typical.

ETA: I would pick someone like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Fauci" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Pruitt]

I was listening to the great "On The Media" podcast earlier and they had an interview with the editor of this Liberian website - http://www.frontpageafricaonline.com/

His stories were incredible - journalists risking their lives to get literally close to the story, horrifying anecdotes...

But two things he discussed stand out. 1) Nigeria and Senegal have kept Ebola from spreading by using a coordinated plan that involved quarantines, tracing back the people a victim has been in contact with and properly informing the populace as to what is going on.

2) In Liberia, the government has removed media access from the "front lines" of the crisis because some journalists asked the difficult questions about how the government is handling the outbreak.

The interview is here -
http://www.onthemedia.org/story/liberia ... ist-ebola/

Further claims that the Liberian Government - led by a Nobel Laureate no less - is using Ebola as an excuse to crack down on the press.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/201 ... ss-freedom

It is a REALLY venal government that makes the Nigerian leadership look strong and principled.

[howard]

Harvard. World Bank. Citibank. That lady is a piece of work--they should've elected the soccer player.

[Nonlinear FC]

I was listening to the great "On The Media" podcast earlier and they had an interview with the editor of this Liberian website - http://www.frontpageafricaonline.com/

His stories were incredible - journalists risking their lives to get literally close to the story, horrifying anecdotes...

But two things he discussed stand out. 1) Nigeria and Senegal have kept Ebola from spreading by using a coordinated plan that involved quarantines, tracing back the people a victim has been in contact with and properly informing the populace as to what is going on.

2) In Liberia, the government has removed media access from the "front lines" of the crisis because some journalists asked the difficult questions about how the government is handling the outbreak.

The interview is here -
http://www.onthemedia.org/story/liberia ... ist-ebola/

Further claims that the Liberian Government - led by a Nobel Laureate no less - is using Ebola as an excuse to crack down on the press.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/201 ... ss-freedom

It is a REALLY venal government that makes the Nigerian leadership look strong and principled.

I heard this last Sunday. It is a great piece. (It's where I got the info about Nigeria and Senegal we discussed earlier in the week. The other segment about the Post reporter is also worth a listen... Basically saying that most folks working in around the infected area are cautious and very careful... but not overly concerned about getting infected. Basically, don't touch anyone and you'll be fine. Huge caveats about certain really grim settings, like really decrepit "hospitals," but other than that... No need to panic.

Which, you know... We have fucking 3 cases here and it's time string everyone up and run around like the panic scene in Airplane... Without those awesome boobies.)

[Johnnie]

#AndNowIHaveEbola is the top trend for the US on Twitter as of this moment.