Ebola

[Steve]

Ebola has been "self confined" by the fact that it kills so quickly, ironically it will be more dangerous if a less deadly version appears or if some people develop immunity.

[bigpaul]

no need to panic just yet then. I imagine IF it ever got into this country it will affect those cities where West Africans settle and I think we MIGHT just notice a "leeetttle bit"(as George "Gabby" Hayes would say)if lots of people started dropping dead.

[Mortblanc]

If it works like the entry of MERS into the US the transfer will be made by a middle class white business man who is a consultant to one of the in-country firms, and not by some penniless refugee that just fell out of a row boat.

[Devonian]

http://news.sky.com/story/1293312/africa...d-of-ebola

This does seem to be getting worse and worse and the chances of the disease being contained are looking very slim. I think its only a matter of time before we see the development of further hot spots and then further transmission of the disease to other countries.

I wonder how many students and others are planning trips to West Africa during the summer holidays..........

[bigpaul]

at the moment I am more concerned about terrorists returning from Syria and Iraq than a disease only affecting West Africa(at the moment), when I see reports of it affecting the more ethnic parts of British cities then i'll sit up and take notice.

[Devonian]

(2 July 2014, 11:35)bigpaul Wrote: at the moment I am more concerned about terrorists returning from Syria and Iraq than a disease only affecting West Africa(at the moment), when I see reports of it affecting the more ethnic parts of British cities then i'll sit up and take notice.

Admittedly there is very little we can do about it, but the concern is that it could get into other countries including the UK, before it is even noticed, at which time with our much greater population density, we could have a serious problem.....

As outlined on the Sky News Report, the nurses are getting infected and dying as there are no signs of the disease in the patients at first contact. Sooner, rather than later, someone carrying the disease with get on a plane and either spread it on the plane, or get back into their local community before they even realise anything is wrong......

The threat of returning ISIS Terrorists probably deserves its own thread .....

[bigpaul]

from what limited amount I can see on the news, it seems to be killing off the poor peasants rather than the affluent types(are there any in Africa?) and they aren't liable to have the price of an air ticket, also the fatality rate seems to be around 90% so I don't see them getting anywhere near an airport anytime soon.

[Devonian]

Ahhh, but taking that view, it is this time of year that all of the well doing students from the UK and US etc volunteer to go to Africa to dig wells and set up irrigation schemes or just help with schooling and vaccination programmes etc......

[bigpaul]

yes, to be sure, its summer holidays soon, but it seems to me its the already ill and weak which are getting it, not the strong and well ones.

[CharlesHarris]

World Health Organization 1 July bulletin:

http://www.who.int/csr/don/2014_07_01_ebola/en/

New cases and deaths attributable to Ebola virus disease (EVD) continue to be reported by the Ministries of Health in the three West African countries of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Between 25 and 30 June 2014, 22 new cases of EVD, including 14 deaths, were reported from the three countries, as follows: Guinea, 3 new cases and 5 deaths; Liberia, 8 new cases with 7 deaths; and Sierra Leone 11 new cases and 2 deaths. These numbers include laboratory-confirmed, probable, and suspect cases and deaths of EVD.

As of 30 June 2014, the cumulative number of cases attributed to EVD in the three countries stands at 759, including 467 deaths. The distribution and classification of the cases are as follows: Guinea, 413 cases (293 confirmed, 88 probable, and 32 suspected) and 303 deaths (193 confirmed, 82 probable, and 28 suspected); Liberia, 107 cases (52 confirmed, 21 probable, and 34 suspected) and 65 deaths (33 confirmed, 17 probable, and 15 suspected); and Sierra Leone, 239 cases (199 confirmed, 31 probable, and 9 suspected) and 99 deaths (65 confirmed, 29 probable, and 5 suspected).