Ebola in Texas

[jon-nyc]

The problem with all this is our priors suck. We have data from Africa, but it isn't that relevant here. And our data here doesn't yet rise above the level of anecdote.

The anecdote, however, is very encouraging. If it's not mere luck that a Duncan-scale screw up leads to zero community infections we can turn off the Ebola channel and maybe find one covering entero virus 68.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Three days later, Ebola has mostly disappeared from the American scene.

Doing a control F search on the Google news website there were three results... two of which related to a panic on a nude beach. The Drudge headlines showed no mention of Ebola. Alternet had two mentions, both having only to do with the economy. Trending Fox News featured something about Jesse Duggar and BBC featured the Victoria's Secret story....

How soon we forget.

I googled ebola and got hundreds and hundred of news results

 

[timo2]

For my opinion devoid of science, I choose to believe that we have latent Ebola in thousands of people wandering around Texas, New York, and Minnesota. I don't' have facts to back that up. I just decided that is what is going on here.

 

[samclem]

From ABC News:

Former President George W. Bush Visits Dallas Hospital That Faced Ebola

The Texas hospital that battled Ebola this fall got a special visit from former President George W. Bush today.



Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas became the first to diagnose an Ebola patient in the United States and then faced a nightmare as that patient died and two nurses became infected.



“The last five weeks have been a trying time for the city and residents of Dallas and especially the people of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas,” Bush told the hospital staff, including Ebola survivor nurse Amber Vinson. “I appreciate the way the hospital and its professionals are sharing lessons learned in a way that helps the broader United States health care community respond to this terrible virus. As someone who has gone to Presbyterian hospital for care myself, I know it is a dedicated, professional and caring place, and I’m confident it is doing what is necessary to reaffirm the community’s trust.”
Today, Texas's Ebola ordeal ended when the last of its 177 people who had contact with the three Ebola patients completed the 21-day monitoring period, Ebola-free.

The high-profile visit might help dispel any lingering doubts prospective patients might have about getting treated at a hospital that was tied so prominently to this nasty infectious disease. A good news story.

 

[travelover]

Three days later, Ebola has mostly disappeared from the American scene. .............

I'm sure it was not spun up due to the election.

 

[Fermion]

I guess it was kind of like the fear over nuclear reactors near oceans. After the one incident, we have not had another nuclear reactor meltdown caused by a tsunami, showing that all of that fear was unjustified.

 

[Gumby]

I guess it was kind of like the fear over nuclear reactors near oceans. After the one incident, we have not had another nuclear reactor meltdown caused by a tsunami, showing that all of that fear was unjustified.

But feel free to keep trying.

 

[clifp]

New York doctor cleared of Ebola, which means there are no known Ebola cases in the U.S.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Monday that people should be reassured by the fact that tried-and-true approaches, such as contact-tracing and active monitoring, have helped to prevent broader transmission of the disease in the United States.
“In fact, it has worked,” he said, noting that contacts of patients in Dallas have all been cleared and that people who interacted with Spencer so far appear healthy.

On the other hand the real battle in West Africa continues and while there are signs of hope in Liberia, that isn't true in Sierra Leone.

 

[lemming]

I wonder how Doctors without Borders is holding up for volunteers/medical teams. I know they have the funds but keeping up staff when the pressure is so high must be difficult.

When the tsunami hit in 2003/? they had so many donations they could not take restricted donations specific to that disaster because they were maxed out on available teams.

 

[Lancelot]

I contacted several AirBNB hosts in the Houston area inquiring about a medium stay of a week or two. One guy has young children and was alarmed about me infecting his family with "infectious diseases coming out of Thailand."


I wrote back and asked him which particular 'infectious diseases' he was referring to. He had no idea but he still wanted reassurances that I was free of 'infectious diseases.'


You know, Thailand, that disease ridden country in the heart of Africa...

 

[Walt34]

You know, Thailand, that disease ridden country in the heart of Africa...

There is just no hope sometimes....

 

[Lancelot]

^ Yeah, I was thinking 'Ebola reported in Dallas and he was interrogating me on some disease that he couldn't identify'


Some people

 

[travelover]

What happened to the Ebola "crisis"?

It seems to have evaporated after the election.

 

[audreyh1]

What happened to the Ebola "crisis"?

It seems to have evaporated after the election.

Once no more people in the US contracted the disease, everyone lost interest.

 

[travelover]

Once no more people in the US contracted the disease, everyone lost interest.

Yea! Problem solved.

 

[imoldernu]

A little bump here... just to look at the projected cost:

Ebola: Here's How Much the Next Ebola Will Cost Us

partial excerpt:

The global community cannot withstand another Ebola outbreak: The World Bank estimates the two-year financial burden price tag of the current epidemic at $32.6 billion. Unfortunately, the virus has revealed gaping holes in our preparedness for major infectious disease epidemics. Because of these, plus the urbanization of rural communities and globalization of travel and trade, more of these epidemics are expected.

.... and "Chikungunya" ?

hmm.. lest we forget...

 

[Fermion]

What is Ebola?

 

[Alan]

What is Ebola?

A South American throwing weapon made with balls and ropes.

 

[timo2]

The last Ebola patient being treated in Mali has survived the disease and been released, the Health Ministry said Friday, leaving no known cases in the West African country.
Mali: Last Known Ebola Case Has Recovered - ABC News

 

[imoldernu]

Today's Chicago Trib has this update on Ebola in the US

U.S. Ebola panic vanishes just as money is about to flow - Chicago Tribune

Two months after the first U.S. Ebola patient died in Dallas, thousands of people have been screened at airports and tracked by health workers, and millions of dollars have been spent readying hospitals.

And just one new case has been diagnosed in America.

Of 10 patients treated for the disease in the U.S., most of whom were controlled medical evacuations from the outbreak in West Africa, eight have survived.

While the disease is still ravaging Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, last week Congress allocated more than $800 million to prepare and compensate states for readying for Ebola in the U.S., more than a month after the last case was diagnosed in the country. Thirty-five hospitals nationwide are ready for an influx of contagious patients. At this rate, they may see only a handful, under highly controlled circumstances.

 

[aja8888]

A South American throwing weapon made with balls and ropes.

I thought it was electronic bowling..

 

[Ronstar]

Insect eating bat may be the origin of Ebola outbreak

Insect-Eating Bat May Be Origin of Ebola Outbreak, New Study Suggests

 

[REWahoo]

An old thread but definitely worthy of an update:

A vaccine against the deadly Ebola virus has led to 100% protection and could transform the way Ebola is tackled, preliminary results suggest.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said the findings, being published in the Lancet, could be a "game-changer".

Experts said the results were "remarkable".

Ebola vaccine is 'potential game-changer' - BBC News

 

[MichaelB]

An old thread but definitely worthy of an update:

Ebola vaccine is 'potential game-changer' - BBC News

If it works it is very welcome news. Of course, that means you'll have to update your "reasons not to live in Texas" list, dropping one item.

 

[Meadbh]

I'm delighted that the vaccine is effective. I just wish the Canadian federal government didn't give it away for $200,000.