Ebola outbreak - general thread #3

[LinasK]

It's possible that he had obtained a fiance Visa, but I just don't know. Another way to look at it is that the round trip ticket would cost twice as much, $2600+. I have no idea which type he had.

Wonder who paid for that?

 

[LinasK]

Ebola sufferers may have red eyes. From what I have read, some patients during later stages of the disease will show that symptom. The first symptoms shown by an Ebola patient are indistinguishable from the flu.

Marthalene was in the last stage- she would have had bloodshot eyes. Duncan did have bloodshot eyes when Younger Jallah called the ambulance for him.

 

[Hiandmighty]

It's unnerving. I have several first degree relatives who are in the medical field.... Frightening to think they could bring something like Ebola home.

As an aside, if people here start to have to be placed in isolation for 3 weeks, would disability insurance cover that?

 

[passionflower]

It is not important but if the baby was delivered and died from Marthalene, that would be another source of Ebola contact to those at the delivery. No one says anything about her baby.

 

[Brightbird]

Marthalene was in the last stage- she would have had bloodshot eyes. Duncan did have bloodshot eyes when Younger Jallah called the ambulance for him.

How can you say with certainty that she would have red eyes? Just because Duncan had red eyes? According to the WHO, Ebola patients MAY develop red eyes.

http://www.afro.who.int/en/clusters...ked-questions-on-ebola-hemorrhagic-fever.html

 

[LinasK]

It is not important but if the baby was delivered and died from Marthalene, that would be another source of Ebola contact to those at the delivery. No one says anything about her baby.

I think the baby died with her.

 

[elfie]

Marthalene Williams died 3 days before Thomas Duncan hopped his flight. She died at 3a.m. at her house on the day he transported her. There is no possible way he did not know of her death!!!

It was possible that all were in denial about the cause of her death, but with the diagnosis from the clinic, M. Williams was never officially diagnosed with Ebola. They probably thought the diagnosis was accurate: pregnancy related and malaria. No one in that circle of neighbors had previously died from Ebola.

 

[Elley Mae]

It is clear that Americans are afraid of Ebola, but the only way to stop this is to quash the epidemic in West Africa. Who is willing to donate to organizations like Doctors Without Borders that are on the ground at the epicenter of this epidemic?

I stopped donating when I asked United way if I donate to the heart association and no one donates to the city kids fund to bring them to the county to ride horses and the rep said that the money would be distributed as needed. So the answer is NO. They need to understand what the word Quarantine means. I will not and can not help people that can't help themselves. jmo idk

 

[ButForFortune]

I think the baby died with her.

IIRC the woman was only seven months pregnant. With the lack of medical care and the situation as it was it is almost certainty that the baby did not survive this.

 

[elfie]

I think the baby died with her.

Just breaks your heart.

 

[Muffet]

Girl (his niece I think)who was in ambulance with Duncan has been given clear to go back to work as a CNA. She was around him when he was puking all over the place.

I sure hope her nursing home has the good sense to make her take sick leave and not report back for a couple more weeks, otherwise she could be infecting a whole, very weak in general population.

It's the 'step-daughter' Youngor. How can she call herself any relative to Duncan? Don't get it.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...given-clear-return-work-nursing-assitant.html

She's not a blood relative. She's Louise's daughter from another relationship, but I guess she views Duncan as a step-father.
Youngor and Aaron are the only ones in the this family who seem to have any sense. They are the ones for whom I will save my compassion.

Snippets from the article, with a few notes by me in [ brackets ]:

(Youngor Jallah), who took him to hospital [she rode in the ambulance] as he was 'vomiting wildly' - is given all clear to return to work as nursing assistant
...
Nursing assistant Youngor Jallah, 35, has been in 'quarantine' in her small Dallas apartment along with her husband, Aaron Yah, 43, and their four children ages 2 to 11 since Thomas Duncan's devastating diagnosis last Monday.

MailOnline has reported that Mr Yah, also a nursing assistant, had been told he could return to work at the end of last week.
...
Ms Jallah's contact with Mr Duncan ... was far more intimate and prolonged than that of her husband
...
But it is unlikely that Youngor will return to work until the family have gone through the 21 days considered the latest time between exposure and manifestation of Ebola.

She does not intend to allow her eldest child to return to school before the October 17.
...
She does not hug or kiss her children out of fear
...
It was Ms Jallah who first raised the alarm after Mr Duncan’s condition suddenly worsened.
....
Her children had slept in the apartment.
[I've been unclear about WHAT NIGHT This sleepover occurred... ?]
...
Ms Jallah did not bring her children with her when she went over, though Mr Yah also saw Mr Duncan that morning.
He told MailOnline: 'He was lying on the bed. I asked him how he was and he said, "I'm not okay".'
By the time Ms Jallah arrived Mr Duncan had no appetite for breakfast.
She recalled: 'I brought him hot tea but he could drink only half of it.'
A trained nursing assistant, Ms Jallah took his temperature which was 104F and his blood pressure which was low.

The CDC came yesterday. They said I can go back to work but I do not know what I will do. I will not go back yet.

- Youngor Jallah


​

I think the CDC is justifying their laxness on their faith in 2 things:

1. Her diligence

2. Their belief that no shedding of the virus is possible until after the patient becomes febrile.

I too have confidence in both beliefs, but I think it's irresponsible of the CDC to assume 100% surety, especially considering the consequences of error.

There's no science-based reason to justify taking the risk, but a very good one to keep her isolated. I.e., if she is free to wander, then she becomes an unnecessary factor complicating future equations.

The ability to cancel out a possible source of infection is so pivotal, the only reason I can think of for them to blow it off is PR.

(Sitting on my hands, setting aside my soapbox about keeping a wall between science and... not-science.)



(sent from Tapatalk, so please forgive typos, formatting, etc. )

 

[passionflower]

IF YOU ARE BRAVE, google 'stages of ebola'...............warning you may see some terrible photos
you will see that rashes, bleeding from eyes, mouth and orifices.................
Marthalene would be in last stage because she died that night.............so she suffered a horrible death and IMO would have all the signs of ebola.
Malaria doesn't seem to have the same symptoms.

 

[Elley Mae]

JMO I wonder how many Jewish people LIED to escape their fate in Germany. I wonder how many German citizens LIED to assist them. I wonder how many lives were at risk in the process. Think about it. Liberia is in crisis. Anyone who can escape is probably more than willing to find a way. It is a rather natural HUMAN reaction. JMO

I didn't know Jewish people were contagious.

 

[Hiandmighty]

Yeah, I mean, CDC really need to scratch their heads and rethink how Ebola is spread. I'm not convinced they know 100% about it.

 

[SStarr33]

Since April this year it was well known in Liberia that there was an Ebola outbreak:

1 April 2014 Last updated at 15:08 ET

Eyewitness: Ebola outbreak fears

An Ebola outbreak which is so far suspected of killing at least 83 people in Guinea has spread to Liberia, sparking concerns it could spread further afield in West Africa.

View attachment 60740

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26844105

IMO, Thomas Eric Duncan is an educated man, he was able to use a computer, having a FB site, having plenty of connections to the USA, where the Ebola threat was discussed on national TV since months. I believe, he knew very well about the fear of Ebola and the threat in Liberia. IMO, he lied about Ebola. IMO, he knew very well what was going on.

Great post. According to this, ebola came to Monrovia in June:

The first cases in Monrovia were reported only in June. Infections have multiplied quickly here in recent weeks, illustrating the speed with which Ebola can spread in a major urban area. The county containing Monrovia quickly registered the nation’s biggest death toll — now 274 deaths out of a national total of 754, according to the Ministry of Health.

“The Conakry outbreaks have been very small, and they haven’t exploded in Freetown,” said Dr. Armand Sprecher, an Ebola expert for Doctors Without Borders here. “So something is different in Monrovia. It’s something in the disease transmission behaviors in Monrovia that has done this. That’s my guess. We’ve never seen this kind of explosion in an urban environment before.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/29/w...tal-an-ebola-outbreak-like-no-other.html?_r=0

 

[jjenny]

It is not important but if the baby was delivered and died from Marthalene, that would be another source of Ebola contact to those at the delivery. No one says anything about her baby.

I am pretty sure baby was not delivered and died when she died.

 

[jjenny]

Yeah, I mean, CDC really need to scratch their heads and rethink how Ebola is spread. I'm not convinced they know 100% about it.

I am convinced they don't know a 100 %. There are people who used PPE and still managed to get it somehow (latest case-nurse in Spain).

 

[LinasK]

I am convinced they don't know a 100 %. There are people who used PPE and still managed to get it somehow (latest case-nurse in Spain).

And we now know there is a risk of Ebola Zaire mutating and becoming airborne. NOT FEARMONGERING- fact: http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/12/health/ebola-airborne/

 

[cady]

I didn't know Jewish people were contagious.

WOW. No, they were not contagious. They were at great RISK for their lives. And anyone associated with them was at great RISK for their lives. Thankfully, some people were able to escape the ugly machine that threatened their lives. Lies to authorities, in many cases, SAVED their lives. Please do not misunderstand the point: sometimes LIES save lives. As I said, in a crisis, lies can save lives. Liberia is in crisis. JMO

 

[Elley Mae]

Great post. According to this, ebola came to Monrovia in June:

The first cases in Monrovia were reported only in June. Infections have multiplied quickly here in recent weeks, illustrating the speed with which Ebola can spread in a major urban area. The county containing Monrovia quickly registered the nation’s biggest death toll — now 274 deaths out of a national total of 754, according to the Ministry of Health.

“The Conakry outbreaks have been very small, and they haven’t exploded in Freetown,” said Dr. Armand Sprecher, an Ebola expert for Doctors Without Borders here. “So something is different in Monrovia. It’s something in the disease transmission behaviors in Monrovia that has done this. That’s my guess. We’ve never seen this kind of explosion in an urban environment before.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/29/w...tal-an-ebola-outbreak-like-no-other.html?_r=0

Found this today too.

The largest-ever outbreak of Ebola was triggered by a toddler's chance contact with a single infected bat, a team of international researchers will reveal, after a major investigation of the origins of the deadly disease now ravaging Guinea, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Nigeria.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/aug/23/ebola-outbreak-blamed-on-fruit-bats-africa

Scientists have suspected for several years that bats are the wild "reservoirs" of Ebola, but direct transmission to humans is extremely rare, despite communities regularlyhunting the bats for food. Nearly all previous epidemics had been linked to the bushmeat trade, with hunters picking up dead infected animals in the forestand selling them on.

Chimps, gorillas, some antelopes and even pigs – which possibly eat fruit dropped to the ground by infected bats – have all been linked by the World Health Organisation to the spread of the disease, but the researchers now say no evidence has been found of other animals apart from bats being infected.