Ebola: Hype Or Legitimate Threat?

[preach4bass]

Before Ebola it was H1N1, bird flu, swine flu, and a host of other things that were going to wipe us out. So, is Ebola the real deal? If so, what precautions are you and your family taking? It's funny, I never thought much about this stuff before, but I've got two little girls at home and some days I just want to build a big fence around our property and live in seclusion. I know that's not the answer, but a little overreaction is good for the soul every once in a while!

[Sam]

It is the real deal.

 

Very lethal.

 

If it hits South and Central America the infected people will stream into the USA by the thousands.

 

That is all I am going to say about it as we do not discuss politics on the Forum.

[Catch and Grease]

Its the "real deal" and it needs to be taking seriously, but that being said I'm not worried about it much.

[F14A-B]

To answer you're question, Both!

[slonezp]

Handling threats with a PC attitude will be the death of the U.S., not ebola.

[Glenn]

Just ran a quick analysis using CDC data.  Based upon the overwhelming barrage of news stories on ebola, which do you think the news should focus on?

 

Sensationlized Diseases Data: 1999-2013 – people who contracted the disease in the U.S. and subsequently died from it.

 

Virus            U.S. Cases        Resulting U.S. Deaths

West Nile       39,557                            1.668

Bird Fle              0                                   0

SARS                 8                                   0

Ebola                 1                                   0

Car Accidents    ????                          33,000 per year

 

That's not to say these aren't terrible and prolific illnesses worldwide.  They do need to be addressed and eliminated.  But the news hype in the U.S. does not match the actual threat level.  Not even close.

[einscodek]

I hope its hype cause if its legit were in a heap o trouble

..and car accidents arent contagious.. but ebola is extremely

[DogBone_384]

The Ebola Virus is, in many cases fatal, but is also difficult to get. It's transferred through bodily flui'sd exchange, not an airborne method. My department's been trained and is coordinating with my state EMS through the PFFM, along with other local departments.

I think much of it is blown up through news & social media. Think about it this way, had this occurred 40 - 50 years ago Walter Cronkite would have mentioned it briefly or you'd have read a paragraph or two in the paper. We also now live in a instant-knowledge world full of 'supposed', 'possibly' and 'alleged' - meaning society's afraid 'something' might happen.

Something else will replace it in the news in a few months.

[slonezp]

They (media) fail to remind us the disease is widespread in an area with less than adequate healthcare. As is the AIDS epidemic. That being said, maybe we shouldn't invite the disease to our soil.

[Raul]

It really depends don't you think ? If you are living a crappy unsanitary third world of the third world country like Liberia where not you only have to deal with lousy sanitary conditions plus ignorance then the possibilities of you catching something deadly like Ebola are going to be a lot higher than if you live in a first world country where not only sanitary conditions are better but also people are a lot more educated. Incredibly enough the people more exposed to contagious diseases are preciselly the people that take care of the diseased.

[F14A-B]

I wanna be careful, but, I strongly believe in curtailing air traffic..

[Lund Explorer]

It's been almost 100 years since the last true pandemic and the world has learned quite a bit about containing the outbreak of such things. 

 

Of course there will always be a dedicated group that will fall victim to fear.  One simply needs to look at the viewership numbers of Faux News to see that this is indeed true!

[aavery2]

It's been almost 100 years since the last true pandemic and the world has learned quite a bit about containing the outbreak of such things. 

 

Of course there will always be a dedicated group that will fall victim to fear.  One simply needs to look at the viewership numbers of Faux News to see that this is indeed true!

H1N1 and AIDS are both pandemic diseases that are more recent than 100 years. 

[Skeeter Dan]

Take me to the River. Put me in the water. Be happy don't worry !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[.ghoti.]

As Raul correctly stated, the risk to us in the USA is significanly less than in other less fortunate parts of the world. But, our media has a long standing policy best stated by the expression "if it bleeds, it leads".

I pay almost no attention to mass market media. I have completely lost my taste for manufactured hysteria.

[Raul]

Ebola has the WOW ! factor associated to it, why ? because it literally liquifies the diseased, really impressive, but as a contagious disease in the scale of dangerous it´s at the lower end of the scale, more than 2/3 of BR members have never seen really contagious diseases that have decimated people for generations, vector borne diseases like yellow fever & malaria, or diseases like small pox ( now extinct in wild form ), I´m old enough to remember small pox, your grandparents, specially those that served in the Pacific during WW2 can tell you about malaria. Not many WW1 veterans around anymore to tell us about the Spanish Flu ( the Spanish flu killed more soldiers in a year than all the bombs and bullets put together ).

 

So it´s not doomsday, evaluating the risk, you have much more chances of catching Lyme disease than catching Ebola.

[F14A-B]

The thing that concerns me more than Ebola is mosquito borne west nile, it's in all the county's I travel, as well as the oh so lovely Flu monster..

[SirSnookalot]

It's the nature of cable news to report the same story 24/7, not all people are watching around the clock.  If you've had enough just change the station.  I'm not hysteric but I want to know what's going as soon as it happens.

The threat is real, but the risk is minimal, precaution is vital.  Nigeria is right in the mix, yet they are doing an outstanding job against ebola with entry screening and rapid isolation

Dr. Anthony Fauci said on tv that closing borders could have the reverse effect and make matters worse.  Not allowing health care workers in or out may possible allow the disease to spread more in Africa.  It was also mentioned the effect on the economy by not allowing business people in or out.  We have seen already some negative affect on the stock market, some of it attributed to ebola but in fairness that isn't the only issue.  The administration did say that while monitoring the situation if necessary will curtail flights.  I'm comfortable with steps that are being taken, I'm not finding fault.

[deaknh03]

Just keep in mind that scared people are more easily manipulated and controlled than those without fear.

[Josh Smith]

Hello,

 

It's the nature of disease germs to evolve.  If the germ is confined to a few hosts, it cannot afford to kill them because it would threaten the survival of the germ.

 

However, when it because wider-spread (more hosts), the germ can become lethal without endangering the strain.  Ancestral HIV, for example, was not as readily lethal as later (HIV-2 and other) strains.

 

The Ebola virus can and will mutate to be more virulent if we allow it to spread to a wider population.

 

That said, I "ain't skeered."

 

Josh

[K_Mac]

As Raul correctly stated, the risk to us in the USA is significanly less than in other less fortunate parts of the world. But, our media has a long standing policy best stated by the expression "if it bleeds, it leads".

I pay almost no attention to mass market media. I have completely lost my taste for manufactured hysteria.

I have watched enough media coverage of the threat to come to the same conclusion. Sure it is a dangerous disease and we don't really understand as much about it as we would like. We have to establish better protocols and provide better training. Our world-class hospitals do not protect us unless we train and drill healthcare professionals to properly handle this threat and make sure the proper equipment is in place. There is plenty to be done here in my opinion.

I know that many would simply like to stop all travel from anywhere that poses a threat. Sounds good, but as SirSnook says it really is not that simple...

[Raul]

I have watched enough media coverage of the threat to come to the same conclusion. Sure it is a dangerous disease and we don't really understand as much about it as we would like. We have to establish better protocols and provide better training. Our world-class hospitals do not protect us unless we train and drill healthcare professionals to properly handle this threat and make sure the proper equipment is in place. There is plenty to be done here in my opinion.

I know that many would simply like to stop all travel from anywhere that poses a threat. Sounds good, but as SirSnook says it really is not that simple...

Preventing travel from and to.

[F14A-B]

Containment is rather simple, no one goes in & no one comes out, I couldn't care less about the markets.. They dance to the beat of their own drum.. Taking a temperature @ airport screenings to & fro.. Is pretty comical to say the least. Now 4000 Troops from Ky. Are to go, and do what? It's redicilous . That will also be mission creep...

[flyfisher]

Just keep in mind that scared people are more easily manipulated and controlled than those without fear.

Same can be said about ignorant ones as well....

[EvanT123]

http://m.timesunion.com/local/article/Ill-Schenectady-woman-triggers-Ebola-check-5827239.php

Here's a good one. I'm from Liberia no wait its Ghana. Aw shucks I dunno.