Ebola Virus in the US

[Michael]

I Hope they get a handle on the potential spread of this disease now that it has made it to America. http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/10...bola-case.html

[NeedaVaca]

Pretty scary...I figured it was bound to happen.

[Thriftylady]

I agree it is scary and agree that it was bound to happen. As much as people travel these days and it isn't at all in control where it is right now. Hopefully we can keep it from spreading here.

[NeedaVaca]

The pharmaceutical stocks are going crazy. My parents have a lot invested in one that is ready for human trials!

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

I will share what my my friend/chiropractor put out there on Facebook that I agree with. I am not worried and I don't live terribly far away from where this is.


Everyone just chill out!!! Ebola is nothing to worry about. Go read my post and article from August 3rd. Or do you not trust your government? Bwahahaha!!!! The vaccine is already being tested on 20 healthy individuals. Guess my prediction was right. It'll probably be ready for susceptible individuals by January....and I can bet it will be put in your children's schedules not long after that. Don't fret...you can have a vaccine for it!

[Angelsj]

The reason it spreads so quickly in third world countries is poor sanitation. As long as we use good sanitation, as well as the access we have to medical care, we should be fine.

When an infection does occur in humans, the virus can be spread in several ways to others. Ebola is spread through direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with

blood or body fluids (including but not limited to urine, saliva, feces, vomit, and semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola
objects (like needles and syringes) that have been contaminated with the virus
infected animals
Ebola is not spread through the air or by water, or in general, food. However, in Africa, Ebola may be spread as a result of handling bushmeat (wild animals hunted for food) and contact with infected bats.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Originally Posted by Angelsj

The reason it spreads so quickly in third world countries is poor sanitation. As long as we use good sanitation, as well as the access we have to medical care, we should be fine.

And culture. In a West Africa, it is common to touch or handle the body of the decreased during funerals. In rural areas, neighboring villages often send representatives to attend funerals. Hospitals are generally not trusted, and family members try to care for the ill themselves. Of course poverty and lack of education go hand in hand with poor sanitation.

(Anthropology nerd)

[Cat Herder]

Maybe the bushmeat trade should be better policed? Cause/effect.

Nature says enough.

[Michael]

Originally Posted by Angelsj

The reason it spreads so quickly in third world countries is poor sanitation. As long as we use good sanitation, as well as the access we have to medical care, we should be fine.

Why here in America? Most from that part of the Africa would end up in India or Europe.

Likewise, we are a very mobile country and travel a lot. I worry about keeping this virus contained. We will always be waiting for those 21 days of incubation to pass and the flu season will mask it. This one (ebola) worries me. I'm preparing but I hope I'm wrong.

[Country Kids]

I can see it getting to the point of no one in or out of the country.

Now start it before its to late.

[SignMeUp]

As information about the patient and his contacts come out, it becomes more worrisome to me. It sounds as if this family is all quarantined (though I don't think anyone has used that word) in the same apartment, which has not been cleaned, or even had the bed stripped that the patient slept in.

If the family hasn't had proper sanitation guidance (which who knows if they have or not - I have not heard anything about that) they may have slept in the bed. They may be using the same bathroom and be continually exposed to the body fluids of the patient there too. And yet if they clean, they are then exposing themselves to fluids by doing so. If things happened properly, the CDC or someone should have gotten them out of that apartment and done a proper medical containment/hazardous medical waste cleanup. Maybe that has happened - I hope so, but I keep reading that the family is being "monitored at home".
Now, IF the above is the situation, let's say most of the family doesn't become ill. But one person does. Now, within the 21 day confinement, this one person comes down with the illness. Now they have re-exposed the entire group. The 21 days have to re-set. The cleanup/containment has to be done again. Etc.
This is the kind of thing that I worry about.

[NeedaVaca]

Originally Posted by SignMeUp

As information about the patient and his contacts come out, it becomes more worrisome to me. It sounds as if this family is all quarantined (though I don't think anyone has used that word) in the same apartment, which has not been cleaned, or even had the bed stripped that the patient slept in.

If the family hasn't had proper sanitation guidance (which who knows if they have or not - I have not heard anything about that) they may have slept in the bed. They may be using the same bathroom and be continually exposed to the body fluids of the patient there too. And yet if they clean, they are then exposing themselves to fluids by doing so. If things happened properly, the CDC or someone should have gotten them out of that apartment and done a proper medical containment/hazardous medical waste cleanup. Maybe that has happened - I hope so, but I keep reading that the family is being "monitored at home".
Now, IF the above is the situation, let's say most of the family doesn't become ill. But one person does. Now, within the 21 day confinement, this one person comes down with the illness. Now they have re-exposed the entire group. The 21 days have to re-set. The cleanup/containment has to be done again. Etc.
This is the kind of thing that I worry about.

The family is quarantined now because evidently they were having trouble staying home... They also are now saying it's possible he lied during the screening process for the flights.

[Angelsj]

Originally Posted by Michael

Why here in America? Most from that part of the Africa would end up in India or Europe.

Likewise, we are a very mobile country and travel a lot. I worry about keeping this virus contained. We will always be waiting for those 21 days of incubation to pass and the flu season will mask it. This one (ebola) worries me. I'm preparing but I hope I'm wrong.

I hear you, but we have been protecting ourselves from bodily fluids for a long time. So many nasty viruses spread through fluids. I would hope we could contain it as a country, but for the protection of MY family, proper standard precautions, which include NOT exposing myself or them to anyone's bodily fluids or dirty needles.
I do think it is a scary disease, but I try to stay focused on my own crew and those around me, not freak out about what is happening all over. It would just keep me up at night.

[Annalee]

Originally Posted by Michael

Why here in America? Most from that part of the Africa would end up in India or Europe.

Likewise, we are a very mobile country and travel a lot. I worry about keeping this virus contained. We will always be waiting for those 21 days of incubation to pass and the flu season will mask it. This one (ebola) worries me. I'm preparing but I hope I'm wrong.

Containing this disease is the primary issue that concerns me as well...scary!!!

[e.j.]

Originally Posted by Michael

Likewise, we are a very mobile country and travel a lot. I worry about keeping this virus contained. We will always be waiting for those 21 days of incubation to pass and the flu season will mask it. This one (ebola) worries me. I'm preparing but I hope I'm wrong.

I hate to sound alarmist but I agree and worry, too. Here in the news, they are reporting that there is now a 2nd confirmed case and there is the possibility that the first man came into contact with at least 100 - 120 people before he was quarantined. If those people become sick, will they each go on to infect 100 more people before they're diagnosed and quarantined? Ebola spreads exponentially. How do you even begin to stop the spread once it gains ground here?

Other reports I've heard on the news state that initially, when the man arrived at the hospital with symptoms, his travel history was taken but not passed on to the doctors treating him. He was given an antibiotic and allowed to go home. We assume our medical workers are trained and know what they're doing but mistakes and miscommunication still happen.

As far as the level of sanitation in this country is concerned, I'm thinking we may be far ahead of other places in the world but....employees still show up at work when they're sick, parents still drop off their kids at day care and schools when they're sick. Often, when I visit the ladies' room anywhere, I see people using the facilities and walking out without washing their hands - some going back to the kitchen to prepare food. I've seen pee and feces on toilet seats and on the floor of the stall. In the news today, there was an unrelated story about parents who changed their baby's diaper on the top of a restaurant table. I'm sure someone came along and sat down at that same table, never giving any thought to the germs or bodily fluids left on that table top. There are so many opportunities for this disease to spread that it's very scary to me.

When I first heard stories of Ebola in Africa, I swore that if this disease ever hit the US that I'd be looking for another job where kids couldn't poop, pee or puke on me, my furniture or my rugs. I'm doing some serious thinking and will watch what happens carefully. How many times have we all heard, "Oh, don't worry. He's just teething..."?

[SignMeUp]

I heard about another case today, but it's an American camera man who is working in Liberia.

[Michael]

Originally Posted by e.j.

As far as the level of sanitation in this country is concerned, I'm thinking we may be far ahead of other places in the world but....employees still show up at work when they're sick, parents still drop off their kids at day care and schools when they're sick. Often, when I visit the ladies' room anywhere, I see people using the facilities and walking out without washing their hands - some going back to the kitchen to prepare food. I've seen pee and feces on toilet seats and on the floor of the stall. In the news today, there was an unrelated story about parents who changed their baby's diaper on the top of a restaurant table. I'm sure someone came along and sat down at that same table, never giving any thought to the germs or bodily fluids left on that table top. There are so many opportunities for this disease to spread that it's very scary to me.

No one has said yet that washing hands kills the virus. How long is it active once on a door handle? Will a hand sanitizer work? I doubt it. One good thing is that daycare providers use a bleach solution to sanitize. I bet that works.

As far as cleanliness; I was at the LAX airport men's bathroom a few weeks ago. Out of the four men in there, I was the only one to wash my hands before leaving.

[midaycare]

Originally Posted by Michael

Why here in America? Most from that part of the Africa would end up in India or Europe.

Likewise, we are a very mobile country and travel a lot. I worry about keeping this virus contained. We will always be waiting for those 21 days of incubation to pass and the flu season will mask it. This one (ebola) worries me. I'm preparing but I hope I'm wrong.

I know everyone says it won't spread here and it's not a big deal, yada yada. But just yesterday dcg had her finger in her mouth and when I was reading a book shoved that finger into my mouth when it was open . So if dcg had ebola, well, then I would too. It's really not that hard to travel if saliva is an option.

[e.j.]

Originally Posted by Michael

No one has said yet that washing hands kills the virus. How long is it active once on a door handle? Will a hand sanitizer work? I doubt it. One good thing is that daycare providers use a bleach solution to sanitize. I bet that works.

I was thinking more in terms of the fact that so many people don't even follow basic, easy sanitation practices like washing hands after using the bathroom. How can we expect that everyone will take more time consuming measures that require some effort to keep Ebola from spreading? I read this morning that "Ebola dried on surfaces can survive for several hours." The fact that hand washing, after possibly touching a contaminated surface, may not help just makes it all the more frightening to me.

[Cat Herder]

I found this timeline and it is fascinating to me. It has been around (known/studied) since 1976 and has a pattern.

Info listed in this order: 1. Year(s) 2. Country 3. Ebola subtype 4. Reported number of human cases 5. Reported number (%) of deaths among cases 6. Situation

1976 Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo - DRC) Ebola virus 318 280 (88%) Occurred in Yambuku and surrounding area. Disease was spread by close personal contact and by use of contaminated needles and syringes in hospitals/clinics. This outbreak was the first recognition of the disease. 1

1976 Sudan (South Sudan) Sudan virus 284 151 (53%) Occurred in Nzara, Maridi and the surrounding area. Disease was spread mainly through close personal contact within hospitals. Many medical care personnel were infected. 2

1976 England Sudan virus 1 0 Laboratory infection by accidental stick of contaminated needle. 3

1977 Zaire Ebola virus 1 1 (100%) Noted retrospectively in the village of Tandala. 4

1979 Sudan (South Sudan) Sudan virus 34 22 (65%) Occured in Nzara, Maridi. Recurrent outbreak at the same site as the 1976 Sudan epidemic. 5

1989 USA Reston virus 0 0 Ebola-Reston virus was introduced into quarantine facilities in Virginia and Pennsylvania by monkeys imported from the Philippines. 6

1990 USA Reston virus 4 (asymptomatic) 0 Ebola-Reston virus 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. 7

1989-1990 Philippines Reston virus 3 (asymptomatic) 0 High mortality among cynomolgus macaques in a primate facility responsible for exporting animals in the USA. 8
Three workers in the animal facility developed antibodies but did not get sick. 9

1992 Italy Reston virus 0 0 Ebola-Reston virus was introduced into quarantine facilities in Sienna by monkeys imported from the same export facility in the Philippines that was involved in the episodes in the United States. No humans were infected. 10

1994 Gabon Ebola virus 52 31 (60%) Occured in Mékouka and other gold-mining camps deep in the rain forest. Initially thought to be yellow fever; identified as Ebola hemorrhagic fever in 1995. 11

1994 Ivory Coast Taï Forest virus 1 0 Scientist became ill after conducting an autopsy on a wild chimpanzee in the Tai Forest. The patient was treated in Switzerland. 12

1995 Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) Ebola virus 315 250 (81%) Occured in Kikwit and surrounding area. Traced to index case-patient who worked in forest adjoining the city. Epidemic spread through families and hospitals. 13

1996 (January-April) Gabon Ebola virus 37 21 (57%) Occured in Mayibout area. A chimpanzee found dead in the forest was eaten by people hunting for food. Nineteen people who were involved in the butchery of the animal became ill; other cases occured in family members. 11

1996-1997 (July-January) Gabon Ebola virus 60 45 (74%) Occurred in Booué area with transport of patients to Libreville. Index case-patient was a hunter who lived in a forest camp. Disease was spread by close contact with infected persons. A dead chimpanzee found in the forest at the time was determined to be infected. 11

1996 South Africa Ebola virus 2 1 (50%) A medical professional traveled from Gabon to Johannesburg, South Africa, after having treated Ebola virus-infected patients and thus having been exposed to the virus. He was hospitalized, and a nurse who took care of him became infected and died. 14

1996 USA Reston virus 0 0 Ebola-Reston virus was introduced into a quarantine facility in Texas by monkeys imported from the Philippines. No human infections were identified. 15

1996 Philippines Reston virus 0 0 Ebola-Reston virus was identified in a mokey export facility in the Philippines. No human infections were identified. 16

1996 Russia Ebola virus 1 1 (100%) Laboratory contamination 17

2000-2001 Uganda Sudan virus 425 224 (53%) Occurred in Gulu, Masindi, and Mbarara districts of Uganda. The three most important risks associated with Ebola virus infection were attending funerals of Ebola hemorrhagic fever case-patients, having contact with case-patients in one's family, and providing medical care to Ebola case-patients without using adequate personal protective measures. 18

October 2001-March 2002 Gabon Ebola virus 65 53 (82%) Outbreak occured over the border of Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. 19

October 2001-March 2002 Republic of Congo Ebola virus 57 43 (75%) Outbreak occurred over the border of Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. This was the first time that Ebola hemorrhagic fever was reported in the Republic of the Congo. 19

December 2002-April 2003 Republic of Congo Ebola virus 143 128 (89%) Outbreak occurred in the districts of Mbomo and Kéllé in Cuvette Ouest Département. 20

November-December 2003 Republic of Congo Ebola virus 35 29 (83%) Outbreak occured in Mbomo and Mbandza villages located in Mbomo distric, Cuvette Ouest Département. 21

2004 Sudan (South Sudan) Sudan virus 17 7 (41%) Outbreak occurred in Yambio county of southern Sudan. This outbreak was concurrent with an outbreak of measles in the same area, and several suspected EHF cases were later reclassified as measeles cases. 22

2004 Russia Ebola virus 1 1 (100%) Laboratory contamination. 23

2007 Democratic Republic of Congo Ebola virus 264 187 (71%) Outbreak occurred in Kasai Occidental Province. The outbreak was declared over November 20. Last confirmed case on October 4 and last death on October 10. 24 25

December 2007-January 2008 Uganda Bundibugyo virus 149 37 (25%) Outbreak occurred in Bundibugyo District in western Uganda. First reported occurance of a new strain. 26

November 2008 Philippines Reston virus 6 (asymptomatic) 0 First known occurrence of Ebola-Reston in pigs. Strain closely similar to earlier strains. Six workers from the pig farm and slaughterhouse developed antibodies but did not become sick. 27 28

December 2008-February 2009 Democratic Republic of the Congo Ebola virus 32 15 (47%) Outbreak occurred in the Mweka and luebo health zones of the Province of Kasai Occidental. 29

May 2011 Uganda Sudan virus 1 1 (100%) The Ugandan Ministry of Health informed the public that a patient with suspected Ebola Hemorrhagic fever died on May 6, 2011 in the Luwero district, Uganda. The quick diagnosis from a blood sample of Ebola virus was provided by the new CDC Viral Hemorrhagic Fever laboratory installed at the Uganda Viral Research Institute (UVRI). 30

June-October 2012 Uganda Sudan virus 11* 4* (36.4%) Outbreak occurred in the Kibaale District of Uganda. Laboratory tests of blood samples were conducted by the UVRI and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 31

June-November 2012 Democratic Republic of the Congo Bundibugyo virus 36* 13* (36.1%) Outbreak occurred in DRC’s Province Orientale. Laboratory support was provided through CDC and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)’s field laboratory in Isiro, and through the CDC/UVRI lab in Uganda. The outbreak in DRC has no epidemiologic link to the near contemporaneous Ebola outbreak in the Kibaale district of Uganda. 31

November 2012-January 2013 Uganda Sudan virus 6* 3* (50%) Outbreak occurred in the Luwero District. CDC assisted the Ministry of Health in the epidemiologic and diagnostic aspects of the outbreak. Testing of samples by CDC's Viral Special Pathogens Branch occurred at UVRI in Entebbe. 31

March 2014-Present Multiple countries(http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbrea...map.html#areas)
Ebola virus 3974* 2007 (51%)* Ongoing outbreak across multiple countries(http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbrea...map.html#areas) in West Africa.
Ongoing outbreak across multiple countries in West Africa. Number of patients is constantly evolving due to the ongoing investigation

[KiddieCahoots]

One of my daughters lives in Texas. She works with the public, I can't help but be worried too

[Blackcat31]

Well, I guess getting a monkey as a classroom pet is out of the question then...

[SignMeUp]

Hey now! I had a monkey as a pet

[NeedaVaca]

What's really bothering me are all the mistakes being made. Goes to the hospital-sent home after telling them where he's from, people told to confine themselves but aren't, 5 kids told to stay home and Wednesday one of them went to school, the relatives under quarantine still haven't had the house cleaned, people power washing the vomit off the sidewalk with no protective gear....seriously?

[Cat Herder]

And yet when you practice a shelter in place/meet up safe drill and hospital infection control techniques in a child care setting... you are mocked as an alarmist.

Pandemic Training has been around for a while. Grants were given to States. Equipment was purchased... the educational outlets and supports fell through and it is all now sitting in store rooms and county lot's, rotting. We should have been ahead of the game.... now Ebola.

[TwinKristi]

Originally Posted by Sugar Magnolia

And culture. In a West Africa, it is common to touch or handle the body of the decreased during funerals. In rural areas, neighboring villages often send representatives to attend funerals. Hospitals are generally not trusted, and family members try to care for the ill themselves. Of course poverty and lack of education go hand in hand with poor sanitation.

(Anthropology nerd)

I think this is the PRIME source of transmission and they were able to trace it back to Patient Zero through this. This is what cause the vast spread in this current outbreak. They came in from other villages to touch the dead body and then take it back to their village and then the same thing happens over and over. It's scary but I honestly believe the U.S. could maintain better control of this than Africa could/can.

[Second Home]

A possible case in D C .
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/t...like-symptoms/

[Margarete]

Possible case in DC is not very definitive yet. He wasn't even in one of the three main countries affected by the virus, but was in 'Africa', is sick, and they are being cautious (as they should). There was news of someone being tested at a hospital about 20 miles from where I live a couple of months ago... tests came back negative.

[SignMeUp]

Originally Posted by Margarete

Possible case in DC is not very definitive yet. He wasn't even in one of the three main countries affected by the virus, but was in 'Africa', is sick, and they are being cautious (as they should). There was news of someone being tested at a hospital about 20 miles from where I live a couple of months ago... tests came back negative.

He was in Nigeria.
The first U.S. citizen to die of ebola died in Nigeria over the summer. He was on his way to the U.S. to his family. He held dual citizenship in Liberia and U.S. I believe there have been around a dozen cases there since then, including deaths of his medical personnel and illness of the medical personnel's families.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebo...n-wife-n167546

[KiddieCahoots]

Originally Posted by Blackcat31

Well, I guess getting a monkey as a classroom pet is out of the question then...

..............

[Margarete]

Originally Posted by SignMeUp

He was in Nigeria.
The first U.S. citizen to die of ebola died in Nigeria over the summer. He was on his way to the U.S. to his family. He held dual citizenship in Liberia and U.S. I believe there have been around a dozen cases there since then, including deaths of his medical personnel and illness of the medical personnel's families.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebo...n-wife-n167546

woops, sorry I read a different story in the last few days about someone getting tested in DC, and/or there was some misinformation in one of the stories.

[Michael]

Just bought this: https://www.spectrasan.com/index.php...e-gallon.html/



Yes, I am always OVER prepared. It will sit next to my solar cube.

[Armywife]

I think it's something to keep a watch on, but not worry too much about yet. We're being told by the CDC that we have the best infrastructure and medical professionals in the world; true but it's human error that worries me.

My husband dealt with biological contaminants, and safety for the Army; his concern is human error at the hospitals. On a scale of 1-10 for how concerned he is, he says he's at a 3.5 right now

If it does get bad here, it won't be like a movie where it quickly grows out of control. I believe we'll have plenty of time to think through our options. It started in West Africa December in December 2013, and has been apparently doubling every 21 days; that's apparently where these predictions of half a million cases in Africa by February are coming from. Exponential growth starts slowly and then explodes; if we get to a point where we have 1,000 cases in the US then we should worry; it will grow very fast after that.

I agree with Michael, .05% bleach solution is the best cleaning agent.