This blog shares worldwide news that gets "hyped up" by the media.

Monday, October 27, 2014

The Ebola Outbreak

Ebola has been in the United States since 1989 when researchers discovered that the virus killed experimental monkeys in a lab in Virginia just outside Washington D.C. Several humans tested positive for the virus, but none showed any symptoms or illness. The hype about Ebola dissipated for nearly 25 years until another recent outbreak in Africa in 2014. It was soon brought to the United States and has put people into an excessive panic. Here are some facts about Ebola that people may not have been aware of:


  • It is less contagious than other common viruses. 

A comparison of reproduction numbers, or R0s, for several viruses. R0 is one measure of contagiousness.

  • It is NOT airborne which means it can only be transmitted through bodily fluid. 
 
    Medical workers with the Liberian Red Cross carry the body of a victim of the Ebola virus on Sept. 4, in Banjor, Liberia.
  • It is however still contagious and the fatality rate is around 70% (Compared to some diseases or viruses which have a 90% fatality rate).

  • There are experimental drugs to try to stop Ebola, but they need more testing.
 
  • People who have come in contact with an Ebola patient should be quarantined for at least 21 days.



Citation:
Hensley, Scott. "Poll: Broad Support In U.S. For Ebola Travel Ban." NPR. NPR, 22 Oct. 2014. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.




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8 comments:

  1. Mr. TurtonOctober 27, 2014 at 5:07 AM

    Nice diagram to put the risk of spreading into perspective. How does the impact of the disease on the patient/victim affect our tolerance for risk of an epidemic?

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  2. UnknownOctober 27, 2014 at 5:37 AM

    Since there are very few cases, nothing is proven and there are only theories about the tolerance for risk of epidemic. However, scientists believe that survivors of Ebola may be immune to the virus, like chickenpox. There is no vaccine, but there are experimental drugs that so far are effective, but can only be distributed according to ethics. http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/21/health/ebola-treatment-drug/ Check this out for more info!

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  3. UnknownOctober 28, 2014 at 4:45 AM

    Nice job! There was a lot of useful information on here about Ebola that I was unaware of until now though I wasn't panicking over the disease before. I find it interesting that with all the time we've known about the virus scientists have not been able to develop an effective vaccine. I was wondering what exactly would have to happen in order for this outbreak to be considered an epidemic?

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  4. Alex AugustineOctober 29, 2014 at 4:30 AM

    Great information! Why haven't we heard a lot about this drug?

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  5. UnknownOctober 29, 2014 at 4:52 AM

    I never understood why people got so fanatical about diseases like this. If they don't come in contact with diseased contaminated things and if they don't put it in their eyes mouth or nose the likelihood of them getting Ebola is extremely slim. If they sanitize and are hygienic the likelihood they'll contract the disease is even less-likely. Thank you for finally putting this out there, good job.

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  6. UnknownOctober 29, 2014 at 5:05 AM

    So TJ! In order for this to be considered an epidemic, the percentage of overall deaths would have to be above a certain number which i believe is 7.7.% Ebola is still considered an outbreak because we haven't and hopefully will not reach that number.

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  7. UnknownOctober 29, 2014 at 5:07 AM

    And Alex, this drug has not been tested enough to be FDA approved or even considered safe, which is why people are so uneducated about it. Once it is tested more, it will be in the news and media as the new "vaccine" or cure for Ebola or whatever you'd like to call it.

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  8. UnknownOctober 30, 2014 at 4:32 AM

    Wow! This had so much information that I did not know about on the "Ebola Outbreak." Great topic to choose from!

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