Ebola - one flight away from US

[miesl]

Ebola fears hit close to home

(CNN) -- Patrick Sawyer had one stop to make before heading home to Minnesota to celebrate his daughters' birthdays: a conference in Lagos, Nigeria.


But when he landed in Lagos, Sawyer, 40, collapsed getting off the plane. He had been infected with Ebola in Liberia, where he worked as a top government official in the Liberian Ministry of Finance.
 Sawyer was isolated at a local Nigerian hospital on July 20. He died five days later.


Sawyer's wife Decontee Sawyer, lives in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, with the couple's three young daughters, 5-year-old Eva, 4-year-old Mia, and Bella, who is 1. The Sawyers are naturalized citizens; their daughters were born in the United States.

"He was so proud when he became a U.S. citizen," Decontee told CNN. "He voted for first time in the last U.S. presidential election. He lived in the U.S. for many years, and wanted that for Liberia -- a better democracy."


Sawyer had been caring for his Ebola-stricken sister in Liberia, Decontee said, though at the time he didn't know she had Ebola.
 Sawyer is the first American to die in what health officials are calling the "deadliest Ebola outbreak in history." His death has sparked concerns that the virus could potentially spread to the United States.
 "People weren't really taking it [Ebola] seriously until it hit Patrick," Decontee said. "People are ready to take action."


--More at link.

This is very not good.  I'm perfectly justified in my panic, right?  (And not just because I live near Coon Rapids or anything).

[downtoearth]

It has been one flight away for awhile - I'm not saying that's a good thing, just that Ebola is f-ing serious and has been for years.

[mbcdefg]

I'm looking for the source, but I heard on the radio this morning that health officials aren't horribly concerned over the "one flight away" thing. Something about how the illness is not transmitted through the air, I think?

So sad for that poor family

ETA: www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/little-risk-ebolas-just-one-flight-away-risk-low-cdc-n166931

It’s the first time this virus has moved by jet, even though public health experts love to warn that any disease is just a flight away from anywhere with an airport.

But it's unlikely to come as far as the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

“Ebola poses little risk to the U.S. general population,” Stephan Monroe of CDC’s National Center for Emerging & Zoonotic Infectious Diseases told reporters in a conference call. It’s because you have to be in direct contact with someone who is ill to become infected.

“Transmission is through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person,” Monroe said. That includes vomit, blood or diarrhea. “Individuals who are not symptomatic are not contagious,” he said.

The incubation period can last for as long as 21 days, meaning it can take 21 days for someone to develop symptoms after being in contact with an infected person. So in theory, someone could be infected and get on a plane to travel to the U.S. before he or she got sick. But the odds of this are low.

[aurora]

Realistically, this is true of most diseases - people move around the world too much to hope to contain them easily geographically. Obviously some diseases spread more easily than others in general.

[Deleted]

I can't imagine.  I feel so bad for this man's family.  I start to panic when I think about how quickly and easily deadly viruses and get anywhere.

[msmerymac]

Jul 30, 2014 13:29:40 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

I'm looking for the source, but I heard on the radio this morning that health officials aren't horribly concerned over the "one flight away" thing. Something about how the illness is not transmitted through the air, I think?

So sad for that poor family

ETA: www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/little-risk-ebolas-just-one-flight-away-risk-low-cdc-n166931

It’s the first time this virus has moved by jet, even though public health experts love to warn that any disease is just a flight away from anywhere with an airport.

But it's unlikely to come as far as the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

“Ebola poses little risk to the U.S. general population,” Stephan Monroe of CDC’s National Center for Emerging & Zoonotic Infectious Diseases told reporters in a conference call. It’s because you have to be in direct contact with someone who is ill to become infected.

“Transmission is through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person,” Monroe said. That includes vomit, blood or diarrhea. “Individuals who are not symptomatic are not contagious,” he said.

The incubation period can last for as long as 21 days, meaning it can take 21 days for someone to develop symptoms after being in contact with an infected person. So in theory, someone could be infected and get on a plane to travel to the U.S. before he or she got sick. But the odds of this are low.

True, it's not like measles. If you're on the plane and have Ebola but aren't yet showing symptoms, you aren't contagious to those around you.

It's transmitted, though, through blood, and people with Ebola almost always end up hemorrhaging profusely.

But had he made it to the US WITH Ebola, he would have been treated in the US and at risk for spreading the infection IN the US. And Ebola is fatal in 90% of cases. So excuse me while I:

[ttt]

Jul 30, 2014 14:40:00 GMT -5 asdfjkl said:

Can I ask a very naive and also racially charged question?  Is ebola a virus that would have a vaccination and a cure and better treatment etc... if it weren't predominantly in Africa?  If this were hitting Canada or Scandinavia, would it be getter more funding, attention, research, etc...?

Or is it just deadly as fuck and pretty much your best bet is to just not get it?

As I understand it, it's so rare that it's been very difficult to do research into it because you never know when an outbreak is going to pop up so there just aren't very many opportunities to study it. 

[msmerymac]

I have another virology question. Is it ONLY human-to-human viral transmission? I mean, obviously people aren't getting Ebola from mosquitoes, or it would be in the western hemisphere by now. But if there are environmental factors that either encourage or impede the spread of Ebola, it is, theoretically, possible that the virus wouldn't survive as well in certain climates. I guess. But viruses are hearty little suckers.

[mbcdefg]

Jul 30, 2014 14:40:18 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

Jul 30, 2014 13:29:40 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

I'm looking for the source, but I heard on the radio this morning that health officials aren't horribly concerned over the "one flight away" thing. Something about how the illness is not transmitted through the air, I think?

So sad for that poor family

ETA: www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/little-risk-ebolas-just-one-flight-away-risk-low-cdc-n166931

True, it's not like measles. If you're on the plane and have Ebola but aren't yet showing symptoms, you aren't contagious to those around you.

It's transmitted, though, through blood, and people with Ebola almost always end up hemorrhaging profusely.

But had he made it to the US WITH Ebola, he would have been treated in the US and at risk for spreading the infection IN the US. And Ebola is fatal in 90% of cases. So excuse me while I:

Oh, I'm not doubting that it's scary. Just relaying what I heard this morning.

"What Ifs" are terrifying.

[nomad100]

This all scares the crap out of me. I am convinced it will be a virus or some other health crisis that will take us out, not Zombies (though I still like to prep like there may be Zombies ).

I am taking some solace in the fact that this outbreak only has a 60% fatality rate versus the usual 90% fatality rate.

[ChillyMcFreeze]

I remember in the 6th grade when ebola eclipsed tornadoes as my biggest fear. Scary stuff.

ETA: Nope, 9th grade. Ms. Taylor's biology class. (I don't like to lie to y'all.)

[MWOS]

Jul 30, 2014 14:43:02 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

I have another virology question. Is it ONLY human-to-human viral transmission? I mean, obviously people aren't getting Ebola from mosquitoes, or it would be in the western hemisphere by now. But if there are environmental factors that either encourage or impede the spread of Ebola, it is, theoretically, possible that the virus wouldn't survive as well in certain climates. I guess. But viruses are hearty little suckers.

I know bats spread it. I think there is a primate that can spread it as well.

[MWOS]

add this to the things I never knew about Ebola:

Men who have recovered from the disease can still transmit the virus through their semen for up to 7 weeks after recovery from illness.

[mominatrix]

I've played one too many games of Plague Inc. to be able to think coherently about this.





If you haven't played it, you really should. It's a fairly realistic disease outbreak simulator. You create a disease (virus, bacteria, fungus... etc) and try to take out the world. But there are people working on a cure, and you have to figure out how to make it transmit and whether to make it drug resistant. And what the symptoms are. Which is the most fun part.


www.ndemiccreations.com/en/22-plague-inc



What I've learned: it's almost too easy to kill everybody.

[Deleted]

Jul 30, 2014 14:40:00 GMT -5 asdfjkl said:

Can I ask a very naive and also racially charged question?  Is ebola a virus that would have a vaccination and a cure and better treatment etc... if it weren't predominantly in Africa?  If this were hitting Canada or Scandinavia, would it be getter more funding, attention, research, etc...?

Or is it just deadly as fuck and pretty much your best bet is to just not get it?

It doesn't affect many people and most of them are poor.

Diseases that affect a lot of people who can afford to pay for drugs is who pharmaceutical companies will target.

I suspect there are government agencies doing research, but industry certainly wouldn't at this point.

[ttt]

Jul 30, 2014 16:11:04 GMT -5 mominatrix said:

I've played one too many games of Plague Inc. to be able to think coherently about this.





If you haven't played it, you really should. It's a fairly realistic disease outbreak simulator. You create a disease (virus, bacteria, fungus... etc) and try to take out the world. But there are people working on a cure, and you have to figure out how to make it transmit and whether to make it drug resistant. And what the symptoms are. Which is the most fun part.


www.ndemiccreations.com/en/22-plague-inc



What I've learned: it's almost too easy to kill everybody.

I tried to play this game but it was too disturbing to me. I had to delete it. 

[Wanderista]

I ended up donating to Doctors Without Borders because it is clearly such a crisis over there. Not like there aren't plenty of other crises out there but I found this situation really compelling. In particular, I think the medical personnel of all backgrounds who are treating these patients are incredibly brave. I felt bad to be just reading about it from my armchair without chipping in a little, yes, even if my actual donation just helps to keep the lights on in some office somewhere. They are really out there in the trenches with this one.

As for it ending up here, it is true that the CDC is not too worried because of containment procedures, infrastructure and cultural practices in the developed world.

As for why there isn't a vaccine yet, part of the problem is a lack of clinical trials in humans. They basically need an epidemic (such as we have now) to do that. Also, it sounds like trials would start with medical staff. It is hard enough to get the local communities there to turn over the victims let alone to gain consent to undertake medical trials. From what I understand that is the main problem, but yes, hopefully they will try to make advances towards a vaccine. 

Additionally, the person who said it is carried by bats and symptomatic primates (I think pigs as well?) is right. Bats carry it without symptoms and in some parts of West Africa, they are considered to be a delicacy by locals. A lot of locals are angry because they feel like the medical advice for containing Ebola is an attack upon their local customs (not eating bushmeat, not allowing for traditional burials and nursing practices). Some of them think it is a conspiracy.