Ebola

[Steve Walker]

I think the point is that once it gets going it amplifies itself massively, very quickly. It's got no subtlety at all. So I think the period between enough virus in the body to make fluids infectious and enough to cause illness is going to be short. It's conceivable that someone could still be working with fever, though.

[corydoras]

At least someone has sense ,pity we dont close all connections with the world for a few years just in case

The difference is though the world is now only a day away maximum ,in the past the traveller would have died long before he arrived by horse! Even on a ship the signs would show before it arrived ,now you can walk on a plane and walk off the same day half a world away

Got no problem with folks going abroad only the fact they come back ,got no problem with foreigners so long as they stay in a foreign country

 

I was going to say all the nasty virulent diseases come from foreigners but ofcourse one of our common colds wiped a fair few off the map ,perhaps i should say all the diseases that could wipe us out today will be from a foreigner down the line

I don't understand why you are so concerned. The survival rate is about 50%.

[Ken L]

I don't understand why you are so concerned. The survival rate is about 50%.

 

Dave doesn't do percentages. It's 50:50 - just like the survival rate for measles and your chances of winning the lottery.

[corydoras]

Dave doesn't do percentages. It's 50:50 - just like the survival rate for measles and your chances of winning the lottery.

But this time he would be right

[chesters1]

But this time he would be right

Or wrong

[Phone]

All,

 

Not real "up to date" on this but I remember the infective dose for this family of diseases is like 1 (one). Size ranges down to 40nm. Probably can live in a "dry" environment for something like 7 - 10 days then reconstituted.

 

For some reason I'm not all that concerned. I mean we've had Yellow Fever for a long time and it's essentially the same stuff. It's just that Ebola wasn't identified until the middle '70's so it is a lot more exotic.

 

I may be wrong

 

Phone

[corydoras]

....

 

I may be wrong

 

Phone

There's no may about it. There's a vaccine for Yellow Fever. When I was in the Merchant Navy, Yellow Fever shots were mandatory. One had to have an up to date WHO vaccination certificate before you could sign a Ships Articles. There is no vaccine for ebola.

[Ken L]

I see the crazies are coming out.

 

We have the god botherers in Liberia claiming that Ebola is their imaginary friend's retribution for homosexuality - Apparently using child soldiers and cannibalism are OK but bum-love really ticks him off.

 

We also have the conspiracy nuts claiming that this is all part of the illuminati's "Agenda 21" plan to kill off most of the world's population.

[Phone]

Cory,

 

You've made my point. 1,000 deaths (maybe 10,000) will make necessity the mother of invention - - and commercially profitable.

 

Phone

[corydoras]

Not at all. It's not that easy to make a vaccine for viruses. Millions of people have died from AIDS, there is still no cure and still no vaccine.