Ebola- Culture, the real issue

24

Replies

  • RedArizona5
    RedArizona5 Posts: 465 Member
    edited October 2014
    Kim Kardashian has been married more times than people in america with ebola virus…..its not serious and its scare tactics and its why I don't listen or pay attention to it….some have it….you will have a better chance of winning the lottery…ok maybe bad comparison but 1 person dying is yeah unfortunate my sympathies but in reality this will not affect us. we even had a news anchorman on fox news having to calm people down because its easy to get caught up in all that and get paranoid…its not worth it…if it was serious the government would really let us know-and we would know...
  • w734q672
    w734q672 Posts: 578 Member
    Kim Kardashian has been married more times than people in america with ebola virus…..its not serious and its scare tactics and its why I don't listen or pay attention to it….some have it….you will have a better chance of winning the lottery…ok maybe bad comparison but 1 person dying is yeah unfortunate my sympathies but in reality this will not affect us. we even had a news anchorman on fox news having to calm people down because its easy to get caught up in all that and get paranoid…its not worth it…if it was serious the government would really let us know-and we would know...
    Oh, I'm not worried at all about the virus. I already know there are going to be cases in the U.S, but this isn't the reason why I started the thread. I wanted to discussion solutions, which involve changing the culture that perpetuates a very preventable virus.
  • Falcon
    Falcon Posts: 853 Member
    What can you do? Not sure at this point, people are knocking their heads against brick walls because people over there don't understand and the ones that do are frustrated because someone they know is ill and there is no room at the ebola treatment centers.

    Unless someone steps forward they trust without question, it will be very difficult to get them to change their ways because it's the only thing they know.
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    edited October 2014
    w734q672 wrote: »
    Kim Kardashian has been married more times than people in america with ebola virus…..its not serious and its scare tactics and its why I don't listen or pay attention to it….some have it….you will have a better chance of winning the lottery…ok maybe bad comparison but 1 person dying is yeah unfortunate my sympathies but in reality this will not affect us. we even had a news anchorman on fox news having to calm people down because its easy to get caught up in all that and get paranoid…its not worth it…if it was serious the government would really let us know-and we would know...
    Oh, I'm not worried at all about the virus. I already know there are going to be cases in the U.S, but this isn't the reason why I started the thread. I wanted to discussion solutions, which involve changing the culture that perpetuates a very preventable virus.
    Changing the culture? Good luck with that.
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,793 Member


    Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest.

    Sound Familiar? AIDS was introduced in a very similar way. Both have been introduced to other countries via Flights from the infected countries. In both cases, the first person to introduce each disease has been identified. The only thing going for us this time is that people are more aware and working towards a treatment. Unfortunately, 3 decades ago, Aids was dimissed as "Gay Cancer" and nobody gave a shlt and just dismissed it as a disease that only affected perverts. (Note -- Don't give me any crap about the Gay Aids reference. That's not my opinion, but, rather the opinion of an ignorant society 30 years ago. My brother died of AIDS.)
  • wamydia
    wamydia Posts: 259 Member
    TheRoadDog wrote: »

    Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest.

    Sound Familiar? AIDS was introduced in a very similar way. Both have been introduced to other countries via Flights from the infected countries. In both cases, the first person to introduce each disease has been identified. The only thing going for us this time is that people are more aware and working towards a treatment. Unfortunately, 3 decades ago, Aids was dimissed as "Gay Cancer" and nobody gave a shlt and just dismissed it as a disease that only affected perverts. (Note -- Don't give me any crap about the Gay Aids reference. That's not my opinion, but, rather the opinion of an ignorant society 30 years ago. My brother died of AIDS.)

    Agreed. And this is exactly why dismissing Ebola as something we don't have to worry about because it just affects ignorant villagers in Africa is foolish. When a populations becomes infected and the infection isn't stopped, it spreads exponentially. The more people who are infected in one place, the more opportunities the virus has to continue spreading to populations in other places. Eventually, even in a country like the US with excellent medical care and generally educated people, there is a chance that someone will bring it into the country, not realize they are infected, then go bowling and spread it to others. Who then do not realize what they have until it is too late and they have also spread it to others.

    While I agree that the current hysteria is unwarranted, I also blame excessively downplaying the danger and the ease of spread for helping people along in making terrible decisions after they have been exposed to Ebola. We've already had a nurse board two different flights, a doctor ride around in a cab and go bowling, and a lab worker get on a cruise ship without bothering to wait out the 21 day incubation period to make sure they are safe to be around others. I'm going to argue that in order for first world countries to keep incoming infections contained and continue having the means to treat patients effectively, we also need to adjust our cultural behaviors and priorities.

    As for Africa, I agree that there needs to be a great deal of education about cultural practices regarding burials and that is not an easy thing to fix. But in order for the virus to get stopped at it's source, we have to keep trying. Otherwise we will continue to see Ebola pop up in other countries around the world.
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,793 Member
    wamydia wrote: »
    TheRoadDog wrote: »

    Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest.

    Sound Familiar? AIDS was introduced in a very similar way. Both have been introduced to other countries via Flights from the infected countries. In both cases, the first person to introduce each disease has been identified. The only thing going for us this time is that people are more aware and working towards a treatment. Unfortunately, 3 decades ago, Aids was dimissed as "Gay Cancer" and nobody gave a shlt and just dismissed it as a disease that only affected perverts. (Note -- Don't give me any crap about the Gay Aids reference. That's not my opinion, but, rather the opinion of an ignorant society 30 years ago. My brother died of AIDS.)

    Agreed. And this is exactly why dismissing Ebola as something we don't have to worry about because it just affects ignorant villagers in Africa is foolish. When a populations becomes infected and the infection isn't stopped, it spreads exponentially. The more people who are infected in one place, the more opportunities the virus has to continue spreading to populations in other places. Eventually, even in a country like the US with excellent medical care and generally educated people, there is a chance that someone will bring it into the country, not realize they are infected, then go bowling and spread it to others. Who then do not realize what they have until it is too late and they have also spread it to others.

    While I agree that the current hysteria is unwarranted, I also blame excessively downplaying the danger and the ease of spread for helping people along in making terrible decisions after they have been exposed to Ebola. We've already had a nurse board two different flights, a doctor ride around in a cab and go bowling, and a lab worker get on a cruise ship without bothering to wait out the 21 day incubation period to make sure they are safe to be around others. I'm going to argue that in order for first world countries to keep incoming infections contained and continue having the means to treat patients effectively, we also need to adjust our cultural behaviors and priorities.

    As for Africa, I agree that there needs to be a great deal of education about cultural practices regarding burials and that is not an easy thing to fix. But in order for the virus to get stopped at it's source, we have to keep trying. Otherwise we will continue to see Ebola pop up in other countries around the world.

    You're right, of course, but, practically speaking, we can't afford to police the world.

  • mikeshockley
    mikeshockley Posts: 684 Member
    w734q672 wrote: »
    Well that sucks. Why aren't healthcare workers who are sent back to the US screened for the virus?

    He was. He didn't have a fever when he went through the screening, so they let him go.

    This whole 'screening' thing if a freakin joke, and absolutely, absolutely useless.
  • TheRoadDog
    TheRoadDog Posts: 11,793 Member
    w734q672 wrote: »
    Well that sucks. Why aren't healthcare workers who are sent back to the US screened for the virus?

    He was. He didn't have a fever when he went through the screening, so they let him go.

    This whole 'screening' thing if a freakin joke, and absolutely, absolutely useless.

    I believe that the healthcare workers coming back should go through a mandatory quarantine, before being allowed on a plane.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    Falcon wrote: »
    A doc just came back earlier in the week, developed symptoms Tuesday night and still went bowling on Wednesday. No telling if he infected anyone. He went to the hospital earlier this morning. Yeah our healthcare workers can't get quarnatine right, and this doc should know better considering he was caring for others with Ebola in Africa. It's people's mind set like this is what gets the rest of the country into trouble.

    Yup he came back here and was working closely with Bellevue (NYC's designated Ebola center) doctors and recording everything, paying attention to everything, as doctors do. As soon as his fever hit 103 and he started having intestinal cramping, he alerted the docs and they moved him over to Bellevue and sent cultures to CDC in Atlanta, but CDC here says they confirmed it's ebola.

    I can look at this realistically and know that the chances of most people coming in contact with it and getting it are slim. But I am also not naive about living in NYC and the mass amounts of people and how we all lean on each other in the sweltering trains in winter, sweating and people sneezing everywhere without covering their mouths and spitting all over the subways and such. If there is an outbreak here in NYC, of any aggressive kind, it could be huge and spread exceptionally fast, ya know?

    When homeboy got diagnosed yesterday, I marked it on my calendar as Day 1 for NY, just in case.
  • wamydia
    wamydia Posts: 259 Member
    TheRoadDog wrote: »
    wamydia wrote: »
    TheRoadDog wrote: »

    Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest.

    Sound Familiar? AIDS was introduced in a very similar way. Both have been introduced to other countries via Flights from the infected countries. In both cases, the first person to introduce each disease has been identified. The only thing going for us this time is that people are more aware and working towards a treatment. Unfortunately, 3 decades ago, Aids was dimissed as "Gay Cancer" and nobody gave a shlt and just dismissed it as a disease that only affected perverts. (Note -- Don't give me any crap about the Gay Aids reference. That's not my opinion, but, rather the opinion of an ignorant society 30 years ago. My brother died of AIDS.)

    Agreed. And this is exactly why dismissing Ebola as something we don't have to worry about because it just affects ignorant villagers in Africa is foolish. When a populations becomes infected and the infection isn't stopped, it spreads exponentially. The more people who are infected in one place, the more opportunities the virus has to continue spreading to populations in other places. Eventually, even in a country like the US with excellent medical care and generally educated people, there is a chance that someone will bring it into the country, not realize they are infected, then go bowling and spread it to others. Who then do not realize what they have until it is too late and they have also spread it to others.

    While I agree that the current hysteria is unwarranted, I also blame excessively downplaying the danger and the ease of spread for helping people along in making terrible decisions after they have been exposed to Ebola. We've already had a nurse board two different flights, a doctor ride around in a cab and go bowling, and a lab worker get on a cruise ship without bothering to wait out the 21 day incubation period to make sure they are safe to be around others. I'm going to argue that in order for first world countries to keep incoming infections contained and continue having the means to treat patients effectively, we also need to adjust our cultural behaviors and priorities.

    As for Africa, I agree that there needs to be a great deal of education about cultural practices regarding burials and that is not an easy thing to fix. But in order for the virus to get stopped at it's source, we have to keep trying. Otherwise we will continue to see Ebola pop up in other countries around the world.

    You're right, of course, but, practically speaking, we can't afford to police the world.

    No, absolutely the US can't afford to police the world. But maybe the world as a whole can afford to keep trying to intervene in Africa in a lot of ways -- medical resources, protective equipment, education, recruiting locals to spread the word about how burial rituals cause infection. I just don't see the suggestions of treating it like a leper colony or placing travel bans as being useful - people will find a way out and spread the disease anyway, but then it will be that much harder for the epi people to track where someone got it and who else they may have infected. The end result would still be that Ebola isn't just Africa's problem -- it's everyone's. So, in that light, what else is there to do except keep trying to stop the spread at the source and keep trying to educate people about Ebola in hopes that they will come around?

    What the US and other countries absolutely can do right now is exactly what you suggested above -- require a 21 day quarantine for anyone entering the country who has been exposed to Ebola. I think we can also put our resources to use in developing a quicker test to identify Ebola in people coming into the country. Temperature screening clearly isn't getting the job done, but the blood test takes too long and is too cumbersome to do for every single person coming into the country from an infected nation anyway. A faster way to get a definite answer would be ideal. Unfortunately, it is likely that a test like that could take a long time to develop if it is even possible at all.
  • w734q672
    w734q672 Posts: 578 Member
    TheRoadDog wrote: »
    w734q672 wrote: »
    Well that sucks. Why aren't healthcare workers who are sent back to the US screened for the virus?

    He was. He didn't have a fever when he went through the screening, so they let him go.

    This whole 'screening' thing if a freakin joke, and absolutely, absolutely useless.

    I believe that the healthcare workers coming back should go through a mandatory quarantine, before being allowed on a plane.

    Wouldn't this disincentives doctors to volunteer their time?
  • w734q672
    w734q672 Posts: 578 Member
    ?
  • Falcon
    Falcon Posts: 853 Member
    w734q672 wrote: »
    TheRoadDog wrote: »
    w734q672 wrote: »
    Well that sucks. Why aren't healthcare workers who are sent back to the US screened for the virus?

    He was. He didn't have a fever when he went through the screening, so they let him go.

    This whole 'screening' thing if a freakin joke, and absolutely, absolutely useless.

    I believe that the healthcare workers coming back should go through a mandatory quarantine, before being allowed on a plane.

    Wouldn't this disincentives doctors to volunteer their time?

    When dealing with a deadly contagious disease such as Ebola, you would think the health and safety of others should their be top priority. It's selfish to think you don't need to quarantine just because you don't exhibit symptoms right away. 21 days versus keeping your family safe seems like a small price to pay then losing it all.
  • Bushmeat is another word for wild game. It's not just the assumed food source but a lifestyle primed for an outbreak. The spread is also from living in crowded shanty towns and sharing everything from toiletries to eating utinsils. Ebola is contained by contact tracking but when everyone in town is sipping the soup cup an outbreak seems inevitable.

    I don't think a foreign healthcare worker should be prevented from going on location, however, a mandatory 21 day quarantine before leaving should be in place until earlier detection tests exist. People have proven to be stupid without those measures.

  • Falcon
    Falcon Posts: 853 Member
    The reason everyone is suiting up head to foot is because Ebola actually slips between the skin cells. Washing your hands isn't good enough, this is why they need to suit up every inch of their body. Touching a body for a few seconds unprotected guarantees you will be infected. This is why everyone needs to step up in an effort to contain Ebola.
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    edited October 2014
    Falcon wrote: »
    The reason everyone is suiting up head to foot is because Ebola actually slips between the skin cells. Washing your hands isn't good enough, this is why they need to suit up every inch of their body. Touching a body for a few seconds unprotected guarantees you will be infected. This is why everyone needs to step up in an effort to contain Ebola.
    What? How?

    There would have to be a break in the skin and close contact with victims bodily fluids. From what I've read it doesn't randomly slip between skin cells.

  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    edited October 2014
    w734q672 wrote: »
    TheRoadDog wrote: »
    w734q672 wrote: »
    Well that sucks. Why aren't healthcare workers who are sent back to the US screened for the virus?

    He was. He didn't have a fever when he went through the screening, so they let him go.

    This whole 'screening' thing if a freakin joke, and absolutely, absolutely useless.

    I believe that the healthcare workers coming back should go through a mandatory quarantine, before being allowed on a plane.

    Wouldn't this disincentives doctors to volunteer their time?
    I would imagine if treating Ebola patients and risking your life is not disincentiv-izing enough then a measly 21 days loss in their social calendar shouldn't be that big of a deal.
  • Falcon
    Falcon Posts: 853 Member
    They weren't sure what had changed in this particular mutation but there was an article a couple of months ago explaining what the studies revealed about this particular strand that is spreading easily from human to human. It's not airborne, and you still need to be in direct contact but Ebola can survive in a dead body for weeks as long as there is fluids.

    The how does it slip past skin cells is the same way someone sweats. Once it lands on the skin it can slip in past the cells themselves, shut down your immune system, replicate like crazy then in the end it's your immune system that kills you trying to get rid of it.

    This is why they say if someone is sweating, they're shedding the virus at the same time...
  • w734q672
    w734q672 Posts: 578 Member
    BansheeCat wrote: »
    Bushmeat is another word for wild game. It's not just the assumed food source but a lifestyle primed for an outbreak. The spread is also from living in crowded shanty towns and sharing everything from toiletries to eating utinsils. Ebola is contained by contact tracking but when everyone in town is sipping the soup cup an outbreak seems inevitable.

    I don't think a foreign healthcare worker should be prevented from going on location, however, a mandatory 21 day quarantine before leaving should be in place until earlier detection tests exist. People have proven to be stupid without those measures.

    Do you think a mandatory 21 day quarantine would violate the personal rights of the doctors?