Ebola – The next terrorist attack?

[Pens1566]

Whoever made the decision to bring infected people to the US needs to be infected themselves. Morons.

Why? The patient will be less likely to infect anyone in our standards of care than in whatever facility they were being taken care of in Africa.

 

[GlacierFreeze]

Why? The patient will be less likely to infect anyone in our standards of care than in whatever facility they were being taken care of in Africa.

Less likely is the point. There's still that chance. Sure, it may not spread at all and probably won't. But what if it does spread and takes off. Obviously talking hypothetical situations here, but still don't think knowingly bringing an infected person inside your borders is smart. If I had it, sure I'd want to come home, but wouldn't expect anything more than medical quarantine at my current location until it passes.

 

[zanejohnson]

situations actually getting kind of scary...


if it's actually airborne... get real scared.

 

[smackababy]

Ebola wouldn't work for a large scale attack. I mean, sure, if they had some kind of ebola spewing bomb, they could infect everyone at a train station or something. But, after that it wouldn't get very far. It is far too deadly and far too quick to cause a real epidemic; especially in a country with decent sanitary conditions. Transmission is actually rather hard.

The reason anthrax was so fear was because it was the opposite. It was airborn, spores could survive extreme conditions, and had a longer incubation period. The symptoms are also very similar to the common cold at first, which most people just shrug off. Plus, we no longer vaccinate against it, and that leaves us vulnerable. Well, not me. Thanks Air Force! =(

 

[Mai72]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/02/w...ensify-effort-to-combat-ebola-virus.html?_r=0

WHO says outbreak is outpacing efforts to control it. Also, the chance is that this thing could spread is very high.

Why couldn't this be the next pandemic? We are probably due for one, and I'm not naive to think that it could never happen in my lifetime. Presently, overcrowding is an issue. We haven't had a major war or a world wide catastrophe in a very long time. IMO, we need people to die. Our resources are beginning to be stretched thin. I don't think people living past 70 is doing the environment any favors.

Imagine if this virus wiped out a quarter of the Earth's population? I know it sounds morbid but look at it another way. The human race could benefit from a population decrease.

 

[Gibsons]

The reason anthrax was so fear was because it was the opposite. It was airborn, spores could survive extreme conditions, and had a longer incubation period. The symptoms are also very similar to the common cold at first, which most people just shrug off. Plus, we no longer vaccinate against it, and that leaves us vulnerable. Well, not me. Thanks Air Force! =(

Anthrax would only be good as a first cause sort of thing though, people who are infected aren't infectious. The spores are appealing to a terrorist though, because they're super stable and can be aerosolized. I don't think there was ever a time when it was regularly vaccinated for.

 

[smackababy]

It won't be a pandemic in the US. Ebola can't be spread by someone not exhibiting symptoms, and even then, it is fairly difficult to transfer. In a country like Africa, there is little training. The CDC head has just stated that in the entirety of the program to send aid workers to Africa to help wit h ebola, there hasn't been a single death by the trained people.

 

[smackababy]

Anthrax would only be good as a first cause sort of thing though, people who are infected aren't infectious. The spores are appealing to a terrorist though, because they're super stable and can be aerosolized. I don't think there was ever a time when it was regularly vaccinated for.

Anthrax is also extremely hearty once it is in spore form. There have been cases where animals that died from Anthrax were dug up 70+ years after and people were infected. Ebola is hardly evolved to that level.

 

[Gooberlx2]

Whoever made the decision to bring infected people to the US needs to be infected themselves. Morons.

You're right. We shouldn't care for our own, especially when we have the best facilities to both treat and isolate a disease like Ebola. Fuck those people, amiright? I mean, it's not like the virulence and method of transmission totally works against Ebola in a 1st world country where common people have standards of hygiene, don't tend to handle dead bodies or believe in witch doctors.

 

[Raizinman]

oh and btw, Ebola is patented lul

https://www.google.com/patents/US20120251502

Ebola is NOT a lab created patent. If you would have read the full link you reference, the patent is for a new strain of Ebola that that found on a patient, being stored in the US and available for 30 years for any research lab. You made it sound like Ebola was created in a lab. Not so. As each new strain of numerous diseases come about doctors and scientists patent them to identify each strain and make them available for research.

 

[Pens1566]

Less likely is the point. There's still that chance. Sure, it may not spread at all and probably won't. But what if it does spread and takes off. Obviously talking hypothetical situations here, but still don't think knowingly bringing an infected person inside your borders is smart. If I had it, sure I'd want to come home, but wouldn't expect anything more than medical quarantine at my current location until it passes.

It's been here in the states for decades in lab environments already. I view this patient transfer as the same situation.

The real worry is that it gets here via a carrier that doesn't know they have it and hasn't been quarantined before infecting others.

 

[smackababy]

It's been here in the states for decades in lab environments already. I view this patient transfer as the same situation.

The real worry is that it gets here via a carrier that doesn't know they have it and hasn't been quarantined before infecting others.

The thing though is ebola isn't contagious until you are actually sick from it. The longest known incubation period was 21 days. So, say you get infected in Africa and leave for the US right away. If after 3 weeks you start bleeding from your eyes, you become contagious. And the disease progresses rapidly. It is highly unlikely you would unknowingly infect someone else. And even then, it is easy to monitor everyone you've been in contact with (have them take their temperature every day for 3 weeks, if it elevates, they go to a doctor immediately for quarantine and testing). This isn't some kind of hidden disease that doesn't cause problems for 40 years (like HIV) or has some type of spores that are airborn and can live for years on their own, waiting for a host (like Anthrax).

The real worry is that the media will fear monger and drum up enough bullshit "hype" that it causes people to panic.

 

[jayzds]

I may be wrong but I thought I read that in the first stage you get fever symptoms, muscle aches, soar throat, etc... and it can spread at that point. Stage 2 is the bleeding from the eyes/ears/etc...and you will pretty much die at that point.

 

[smackababy]

I may be wrong but I thought I read that in the first stage you get fever symptoms, muscle aches, soar throat, etc... and it can spread at that point. Stage 2 is the bleeding from the eyes/ears/etc...and you will pretty much die at that point.

Yes, you start with flu like symptoms, but from what I've read they hit hard and fast. Following by organs failing. Bleeding actually only occurs in something like 40% of cases. Your organs eventually shut down though.

 

[Pens1566]

Yes, you start with flu like symptoms, but from what I've read they hit hard and fast. Following by organs failing. Bleeding actually only occurs in something like 40% of cases. Your organs eventually shut down though.

And how many people do you know/work with that will attempt to tough it out through regular flu-like symptoms and not stay home? It's a pretty common occurrence. Hell, the american that contracted it and got pulled off the flight in Nigeria became "violently ill" on the flight into Lagos. That would be enough to possibly infect others on his flight. Did the attendant/crew clean up the "mess" with hazmat gear? Probably not. I'm not saying it's going to happen, but it's definitely more possible than youi're allowing for.

 

[smackababy]

And how many people do you know/work with that will attempt to tough it out through regular flu-like symptoms and not stay home? It's a pretty common occurrence. Hell, the american that contracted it and got pulled off the flight in Nigeria became "violently ill" on the flight into Lagos. That would be enough to possibly infect others on his flight. Did the attendant/crew clean up the "mess" with hazmat gear? Probably not. I'm not saying it's going to happen, but it's definitely more possible than youi're allowing for.

Actual flu symptoms or the "oh I feel bad I must have the flu" symptoms? I doubt most people that actually get the flu go to work and tough it out. And even if they did, it takes transmission of bodily fluids.

Now, I am not saying it is impossible for the disease to spread (because then it wouldn't be around anymore), just that it is extremely unlikely to cause a pandemic in the US. If someone made it into the US right before they became violently ill, it is easy to monitor everyone they had close contact with.

 

[Pens1566]

Actual flu symptoms or the "oh I feel bad I must have the flu" symptoms? I doubt most people that actually get the flu go to work and tough it out. And even if they did, it takes transmission of bodily fluids.

Now, I am not saying it is impossible for the disease to spread (because then it wouldn't be around anymore), just that it is extremely unlikely to cause a pandemic in the US. If someone made it into the US right before they became violently ill, it is easy to monitor everyone they had close contact with.

Coughing is enough of a "real symptom" for transmission of fluids. You don't have to drink the blood or eat the feces of the infected.

And I'm not saying it will create a pandemic at all. That's unlikely unless our commonly available health advancements (over the typical ebola outbreak areas) somehow allow the earlier, contagious periods to become longer and more drawn out.

 

[Wreckem]

Coughing is enough of a "real symptom" for transmission of fluids. You don't have to drink the blood or eat the feces of the infected.

And I'm not saying it will create a pandemic at all. That's unlikely unless our commonly available health advancements (over the typical ebola outbreak areas) somehow allow the earlier, contagious periods to become longer and more drawn out.

Spreading via coughing and sneezing in not very likely. You actually have to ingest/inhale their saliva. They'd have to be right up on you coughing/sneezing and doing that alot.

 

[Pens1566]

Spreading via coughing and sneezing in not very likely. You actually have to ingest/inhale their saliva. They'd have to be right up on you coughing/sneezing and doing that alot.

Right. Someone coughing without covering it in close proximity. The guy on the plane was vomiting everywhere supposedly. In a tight, enclosed area.

 

[MustISO]

I for one think this is a terrible idea. Hopefully they keep it contained but I have a feeling someone will accidentally forget to take precautions and infect someone else.

 

[smackababy]

Right. Someone coughing without covering it in close proximity. The guy on the plane was vomiting everywhere supposedly. In a tight, enclosed area.

And bigfoot was supposedly seen in the forests of BFE. Someone would have to cough and liquid from that would have to enter your body. And, it would have to be enough to cause an infection.

 

[Gooberlx2]

The guy on the plane was vomiting everywhere supposedly. In a tight, enclosed area.

And yet no reports of any other passengers or staff on that flight being sick. That flight is a good example of how quickly a disease can hop to another country by plane. But also a good example of how difficult it is to actually give Ebola to someone else, if those people exercise common sense (like getting the fuck away from someone puking all over the place).

 

[MongGrel]

With Ebola spreading at an alarming rate, is anyone else fearful that some religious fanatic will self-contract this virus, and then do their best to spread the virus in the US?

A terrorist just needs to fly down to West Africa, infect himself, and then the incubation period is between 2 and 21 days before symptoms start to show up, and then this terrorist goes from salad bar to salad bar sneezing on the food or some other means of spreading the virus.

This could cause much more damage than 911 especially since there is NO KNOWN CURE for the virus and it spreads fast.

Should I be worried?

I'd actually considered this myself, but had just not thrown it out there.

 

[MongGrel]

Its more of a lack of sanitation spreading disease. Its kind of like aids, you need to have contact with an infected persons fluids to be at risk. Hospitals wouldn't be impacted because they have strong standards.
I'm more concerned about a mutated bird flu. We keep getting warnings about this and people are starting to think the warnings are funny.

Not really, you can contract it through sweat, and it will stay active.

A bottle of Ebola sweat wiped around on things could do a lot of damage.

Or someone walking around with it active touching people while sweating.

How do you think the Doctors there have contracted it ?

 

[Pens1566]

And yet no reports of any other passengers or staff on that flight being sick. That flight is a good example of how quickly a disease can hop to another country by plane. But also a good example of how difficult it is to actually give Ebola to someone else, if those people exercise common sense (like getting the fuck away from someone puking all over the place).

They wouldn't know either way. Everyone from that flight was let go.