[quote]Health ministers from 11 African countries are meeting in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, to plan "drastic action" against the worst Ebola outbreak in history as dozens of new cases continue to emerge.
There have been 759 confirmed or suspected cases of the haemorrhagic fever in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the World Health Organisation says, with 467 people known to have died as of Wednesday.
The new death toll represented a rise of 129 - or 38 percent - since the UN agency's last update given just a week ago.
"This makes the ongoing Ebola outbreak the largest in terms of the number of cases and deaths as well as geographical spread," WHO said in a statement announcing a two-day conference in Accra.
The UN reassured West African nations on Wednesday that the world's deadliest-ever Ebola epidemic could be stopped in its tracks, telling the region's health ministers: "We can handle this."
"This is not a unique situation - we have faced it many times - so I'm quite confident that we can handle this," Keiji Fukuda, assistant director-general for health security at the WHO, said.
"This is, however, the most complicated Ebola outbreak ever because it is spreading so fast in both urban and rural areas." [/quote]
[url]http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/07/crisis-talks-held-as-ebola-death-toll-soars-20147282632436552.html[/url]
Ebola is a terrifying disease, since it has no cure and it has a high death rate.
Something needs to be done, fast.
I read a book about the Ebola virus, a very good book. I wish I could remember the name of that book.
[QUOTE=avincent;45275159]I read a book about the Ebola virus, a very good book. I wish I could remember the name of that book.[/QUOTE]
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hot_Zone[/url] ?
[QUOTE=joshuadim;45275155]Ebola is a terrifying disease, since it has no cure and it has a high death rate.
Something needs to be done, fast.[/QUOTE]
napalm and bleach
[QUOTE=The Aussie;45171381]Shock.
You see, Ebola virus invades your cells, all of them. It replicates, replicates, then you cell explodes and the viruses rush to infect new ones. It spreads under your skin, until it blows up like a balloon, filled to the brim with a hot agent. The patient vomits black vomit. Why black? It's filled with pieces of stomach lining, and you guessed it, blood. This is also incredible fucking hot. Nosebleeds are fun right? Especially when it simply just doesn't end, streaming out your nose like a fountain. Like your intestines? Ebola doesn't. It will cause the lining of your intestines to simply slough off as you shit it out. Like your testicles? Yeah, ebola does too, it'll make them swell up to the size of a baseball and sometimes even explode. Your bladder? Pretty much collapses and leaves. You better hope to fucking god you aren't pregnant, because, well, lets just say what happens is fucking nasty. Your body breaks down into a sludge while you're still alive, and turns itself into ebolavirus. Everything you touch is so fucking insanely hot it's ridiculous. It's a level 4 biosaftey agent for a reason folks. There's no know cure or treatment. Mercifully, the patient isn't lucid throughout the experience. They sit in some sort of daze while their brain breaks down inside their skull. It's fucking terrifying.[/QUOTE]
Whenever something like this hits an urban area there is cause for alarm.
glass the planet
[QUOTE=Shreddinger;45275216][/QUOTE]
Everyone I tell about Ebola doesn't believe me until they read about it. It's truly terrifying and proof people need to help take care of themselves to prevent disasters like Ebola from spreading. Fortunately(or rather unfortunately) Ebola kills so fast it doesn't often get a chance to spread.. which while terrible gives us a chance. The worst bit is, if it were to somehow be used as a bioweapon as is in a first world country and spread enough, it would be unstoppable. But we're busy with petty politics and seeing which political person gets the larger paycheck and bickering to bother fund helping cure disasters like this. :saddowns:
Some people appear to be immune to Ebola if they have a disease called Niemann-Pick disease type C.
This NP disease screws up cholesterol usage in the body and is linked strongly with obesity. If you're morbidly obese or if you were obese as a child, then there's a ~10% chance you got NP disease type C... I'm looking at you America... lucky bastards.
This knowledge is pretty great for a possible Ebola anti-viral drug.
Another thing I found while "researching" was a way to make yourself possibly immune: fertility drugs - containing clomiphene. In lab tests, mice that were on the drug, were way less likely to be infected with Ebola.
Some african doctors transfused the blood of survivors into those who still had it an apparently in most cases it worked. The actions were condemned by the western doctors though and it was really dangerous, especially since they couldn't 100% diagnose the sufferer with ebola (meaning they could be spreading it) or the blood donor might be infected with HIV.
[url]http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/179/Supplement_1/S18.full.pdf+html[/url]
[url]http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9988160[/url]
If its true or not is a matter of debate.
A huge part of the problem is people who are getting the disease dont believe in viruses, the culture of that region is very poorly educated and very supersticous, with various burial rituals that include kissing and eating with the corpse.
Also the healthcare facilities just dont have the resources to fight it
[QUOTE=Sableye;45280798]A huge part of the problem is people who are getting the disease dont believe in viruses, the culture of that region is very poorly educated and very supersticous, with various burial rituals that include kissing and eating with the corpse.
Also the healthcare facilities just dont have the resources to fight it[/QUOTE]
Also the early symptoms are similar to those of flu.
They would be in denial about the person being sick, believe they just have a cold then not want to risk have them be taken away to die. The health people who go round enforcing are hated in lots of places since they are associated with tragedy and loss.
I remember that a few months ago, and more than a year ago, there was also a 'massive' outbreak, and after a few days of panic the thread just slowly died out and the outbreak was never heard from again
[QUOTE=Kirbyfactor;45280843]I remember that a few months ago, and more than a year ago, there was also a 'massive' outbreak, and after a few days of panic the thread just slowly died out and the outbreak was never heard from again[/QUOTE]
That outbreak is still going, you just don't hear about it because the scare about it reaching canada was a fake. It's only africa after all.
fun fact: Scientists in Canada and the US believe some strains of Ebola have gone airborne, luckily they only found it in labs.
another fun fact: I'm posting way too much about this.
That is not fun at all
As much as I want to help these people, their governments have to setup proper medical infrastructure or else it'll continue to be a boiling pot.
Quarantine Ghana.
It's for the greater good.
[QUOTE=LoneWolf_Recon;45281833]As much as I want to help these people, their governments have to setup proper medical infrastructure or else it'll continue to be a boiling pot.[/QUOTE]
The WHO steps in to help with this kind of thing usually. They have super rigorous proceedures, to enter the safe zones they use bleach moats and when they leave they wear 3-4 layers of protective gear.
[QUOTE=booster;45281849]Quarantine Ghana.
It's for the greater good.[/QUOTE]
The outbreak isn't even in Ghana :rolleyes:
[QUOTE=mdeceiver79;45281856]The WHO steps in to help with this kind of thing usually. They have super rigorous proceedures, to enter the safe zones they use bleach moats and when they leave they wear 3-4 layers of protective gear.[/QUOTE]
True, and so does Doctors W/O Borders in conjunction. Have there been attempts to setup permanent health programs/facilities in these countries by/with-help-by WHO?
[QUOTE=LoneWolf_Recon;45281891]True, and so does Doctors W/O Borders in conjunction. Have there been attempts to setup permanent health programs/facilities in these countries by/with-help-by WHO?[/QUOTE]
Ah good point.
After each of these outbreaks they're left to their own devices again, all the good medical equipment and safety gear is taken/destroyed also.
It seems to be awfully reactive rather than working to prevent another outbreak.
[QUOTE=mdeceiver79;45281952]Ah good point.
After each of these outbreaks they're left to their own devices again, all the good medical equipment and safety gear is taken/destroyed also.
It seems to be awfully reactive rather than working to prevent another outbreak.[/QUOTE]
It'd also be a great opportunity to drive education/economic prospect with educating some of the people on health procedures, the whole "Give a man a fish" aspect.
[QUOTE=joshuadim;45275155]Ebola is a terrifying disease, since it has no cure and it has a high death rate.
Something needs to be done, fast.[/QUOTE]
I'd say its more terrifying because you die a really terrifying death.
Even if you had a cure, you could possibly show some effects, and you'd probably freak the fuck out if it started showing its symptoms.
I know I would.
[QUOTE=Rocâ„¢;45282033]I'd say its more terrifying because you die a really terrifying death.
Even if you had a cure, you could possibly show some effects, and you'd probably freak the fuck out if it started showing its symptoms.
I know I would.[/QUOTE]
The early symptoms are just that of the flu.
[QUOTE=Shreddinger;45275216]-Thing i posted in another ebola thread-[/QUOTE]
Hey, i wrote this. Really sums up the virus in my opinion.
[editline]4th July 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=mdeceiver79;45280985]That outbreak is still going, you just don't hear about it because the scare about it reaching canada was a fake. It's only africa after all.
fun fact: Scientists in Canada and the US believe some strains of Ebola have gone airborne, luckily they only found it in labs.
another fun fact: I'm posting way too much about this.[/QUOTE]
Reston isn't only found in labs though. Luckily it's confined to great apes.
[QUOTE=The Aussie;45282142]Hey, i wrote this. Really sums up the virus in my opinion.
[editline]4th July 2014[/editline]
Reston isn't only found in labs though. Luckily it's confined to great apes.[/QUOTE]
Pretty sure humans can be infected with reston too, it just doesn't harm us.
[QUOTE=RaptorJGW;45281884]The outbreak isn't even in Ghana :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]
You're right.
Quarantine Africa.
[QUOTE=Chubbs;45282515]Pretty sure humans can be infected with reston too, it just doesn't harm us.[/QUOTE]
Is it asymptomatic in humans? Oh jesus christ. One slightly wrong genetic replication could switch that to symptomatic, and then we've got airborne ebola virus on our hands. It'd be game over man, game over.
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