Ebola virus

Except the necessary Aid, which should be conducted under a strict cross infection regime.
Think the really scary thing is that as well as the viral and bacterial security issues, it brings to the fore food security as we are now a global market not many countries can afford to isolate themselves (like the brave folk of the plaque villages) our fates are interlocked and we are dependant on others who may be affected, for our daily produce.

 

It is of course a matter of concern, as it is a serious disease. But before we get too panicked, we should consider a few things.

Putting it into perspective, it is a lower risk than many, many every day risks that we don't even consider.

Ebola has, by some, been likened to the AIDS outbreak in the 1980s that also cause mass panic. And just like AIDS, ebola is transmitted by direct contact with the bodily fluids of a sufferer. That means blood, saliva, or erm, 'other' fluids being mixed. I'm led to believe that it is not airborne, so it is not like someone simply has to breath near an infected person just to catch it.

The current high risk areas are also areas that don't have excellent medical facilities, and where there is widespread denial. People have even looted hospitals that were set up for sufferers. I can't see that happening here. I think we'd have much better containment.

Also, some very swift work has been done to try to develop a vaccine. Such research has been fast tracked, to the extent that a vaccine has already been trialled, and is now in mass production.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...-africa-following-british-trials-9786737.html

Its early days for a vaccine, but I think if 10,000 doses are already in production, that says something about the level of confidence that it can work.

And of course there has already been a previous much more crude vaccine trial that seemed to show good results.

 

I just read they are gonna be screening people at all major airports and Eurostar...Surely the best way is for no flights going and coming from these infected areas..Hope this deadly disease does not spiral out of control

 

My daughter and I have a few days planned in Marrakech, middle of November, we are monitoring the situation

 

How would that work then? It would mean that quite literally we'd have to put the whole of Britain into isolation. Totally close the borders. A flight coming in from Alicante, Spain, could be full of Brits returning from their holiday, or it could have people who came from parts of Africa, used Spain as a stepping stone, then into Britain. What about Brits who are there and want to come home?

Then of course there's all the freight. Would we put a ban on ships arriving that might be carrying food, just in case the crew have been to Africa? Britain is currently not self sufficient. If we isolate ourselves out of fear, we'll have a lot more to worry about than just some virus.

 

So just carry on the way things are now until we have a epidemic in the UK...As what joolz68 says it just takes one person and it will spread like wildfire..

 

It doesn't spread like wildfire though does it. If it did it would be sweeping through Britain by now regardless of what anyone did. Remember bird flu and swine flu? They arrived here within a very short time of being discovered on the other side of the globe. They were very contagious and spread like wildfire.

Like bird flu, we saw a fairly effective response in Britain. It largely consisted of advice to stay at home (ie put yourself in isolation) backed by a propaganda campaign to make people feel guilty about going out, which was fair enough in the circumstances, but it also consisted of changes in the structure of front line NHS services.

Personally I'd rather our government makes us take our chances than simply isolate Britain from the rest of the world. I like being able to eat, and fuel my car, and heat my home.

Realistically, what can we do? We can't build a dome over the entire UK, so we might as well carry on as normal.

 

Whilst not wanting to underestimate how deadly it is, so far I believe that 4000 people have died, and that is likely to double in a few weeks time, and so on.

The chance of you or I coming into contact with a sufferer, and further more coming into contact with their bodily fluids, is infinitesimally small.

The fact that it is spreading is a worry, as it means that regular travellers to that area are increasingly likely to have the misfortune to become infected, and then travel to their country of origin ... as happened with the poor person who died recently having given assistance to a pregnant lady in difficulty who happened to be infected.

But the chance of you, me, anyone we know, of that they know, becoming infected is as close to zero as makes no odds. Same thing if we get to the point where there are 1,000 people in the UK infected, although at that point "risk" will be increasing, along with panic etc., the chance of it being you or me will still be zero.

1,000 people in the UK dead from Ebola would still only be half the number of people killed on the roads in a year. You are pretty much as likely to die from a fall, less so if you are young, evens if you are 55 - 74, and hugely more if you are elderly, and also a similar risk of dying from poisoning - and that is just accidental death, leaving out Cancer and the like.

I heard on the radio that someone from Sierra Leone, who campaigns and raises charitable money , and who visits the UK from time to time, has had her son excluded from primary school because the parents, collectively, had demanded it. Apparently the boy has been to the school on numerous previous occasions when his Mum has been working in UK, has friends there, loves it, etc. His Mum has never been anywhere near areas where Ebola is a threat. The Head whom I heard interviewed was outraged at having been boxed into a corner by ignorant parents, and she countered with suggesting that all the parents should give handsomely to the charity in question - I doubt that many/any of them will.

I was surprised that the Head didn't just require the child be tested for Ebola thus avoiding this type of kneejerk reaction from the parents, but perhaps a simple test is not available.

 

Here's the news story about the excluded primary school kid:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ra-Leone-parents-feared-classmates-Ebola.html

 

I think there is a need to publicise to garner the funding and aide support for epidemics, however it will always be a double edged sword as it also sparks fear. This fear is fed by the media, who tend to sensationalise and over report, to bulk up the 24 hour news we now have.
Ebola is a deadly disease and god willing with the courage of the aide workers going in to try to contain and manage this disease in the affected areas, we will not have to go through the heartache that others are suffering.
As for the school argument, I think it is wrong to call folk ignorant, for being protective of their children. Knowing the difficulty of overcoming fear, belief and cultural issues surrounding containing Ebola in affected countries, the Mum, as a seasoned charity worker should have been a little bit more sensitive.
She could have arranged a medical for herself and her son on arrival in this country and offered the results of this with her request for school admission. Having this information from the start, would have helped promote a more persuasive argument for the child's inclusion and maybe have helped raise the profile of the needs of her charity and the plight of Ebola victims in a more positive way.
Frankly the way she has handled the media here and has been unable to educate and persuade local people, hasn't impressed me.

 

She was very sanguine, appeared very tolerant and certainly did not appear to be holding any grudge etc. when I heard her interviewed on the Radio (which I take to be more accurate, as I heard her speak , than what I might read in the paper ...) the paper says she branded the parents "ignorant" (which is technically correct in my book) but the radio interview didn't come across like that at all.

No mention was made, on the radio, of any tests being done and offered to the school as proof that there was no threat but the paper says "despite being tested for ebola and given the all-clear on his arrival in Britain last week, parents mounted a campaign to have Kofi’s trip cancelled" which, if true, is deplorable.

She has handled the media? or been handled by the media? Hence why I refer to the radio program on which I heard her speak, rather than anything reporting in the press, particularly the Tabloids whose agenda is to sell papers of course.

But I only heard the one interview, so if there is other material which has a contrary view I'd be very happy to hear of it

 

I dont think ebola is a disease to mess around with.
If it gets into this country uncontained, we are in deep ****.

So any practical ways of stopping it should be explored, and if one kid cant go to school, its not the end of the world.
To call the other parents ignorant is slightly condescending.

 

I find it ironic that the Mother of that child campaigns tirelessly to get funds for education in Sierra Leone (for which she received an MBE) and yet "educated" parents in this country have taken such an ignorant stand. From reports that I heard the Head of the school makes that very comment, albeit more politely using the words "misguided hysteria"

 

I may be wrong but think she is portrayed as somebody who speaks to raise funds, so should be reasonably media savvy?
I think in her shoes I would have just not spoken to the media, at all. It has not done anyone concerned any favours I feel and in my humble opinion nobody involved comes out of this in a positive light.
There is nothing the media likes more than casting heroes and villains and unfortunately this is how this is now being spun. It could have been a real opportunity for establishing best practice for this type of scenario.

 

I know this is what they are telling us, but is this true?? would they just say this to stop panic?? The nurse who became ill said she only brushed her own cheek, how is that exchanging bodily fluids? Do they mean sweat also? this is why people are panicking because they do not have the information they want.
As for the schoolboy I think it was right to stop him attending school if the other parents were so concerned.