Ebola is NOT a threat to the US.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

Quit with the fear-mongering.



http://www.npr.org/2014/10/04/353679069/why-ebola-is-not-a-threat-to-the-u-s

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/28/ebola-united-states_n_5628364.html

[uppityperson]

1. I worry about clinics and ERs being overwhelmed with people this winter who have influenza

Last edited Tue Oct 7, 2014, 01:05 PM - Edit history (1)

and panic they have ebola. I got my flu vaccine last week, hope others are doing do also to stay healthy now.

[maryellen99]

14. More afraid of a flu epidemic

Due to people going to work sick due to not having no sick days and being afraid of losing their job.

[uppityperson]

16. It would be something if this were to change the way employers view sick days

[maryellen99]

19. Yes it would nt

[MineralMan]

27. Got my flu shot yesterday.

I'm 69, so I got the quadruple dose version. My arm's a little sore from it. Last year, they were out of that high dose vaccine, so I got the normal shot. Caught a mild case of the flu at Christmas time after flying to California.

Flu shots are the very best protection against the flu you can get.

[SheilaT]

31. A few years ago during the bird flu hysteria,

ERs were overwhelmed by people who thought they might possibly have the flu. They'd even bring in the entire extended family, including the babies and the elderly aunts and uncles because ONE person felt ill. This is NM, where the extended families routinely show up at the hospital, by the way.

While flu can certainly be serious, and whether or not you've had a flu shot, the very vast majority of people who have or think they have the flu do not need to show up at the ER.

Similarly, if you haven't had contact with someone with Ebola, you don't need to show up at the ER thinking you might have it.

[B2G]

2. Are you a real doctor or

do you just play one on DU?

[LanternWaste]

3. I imagine many people believe only doctors may state the absurdly obvious.

I imagine many people believe only doctors may state the absurdly obvious.

[cali]

5. that is not absurdly obvious. not according to quite a few experts

[Dr Hobbitstein]

20. It is the name of my electronics company.

I do not make any claim to be a doctor.

I do, however, recognize hair on fire and fear mongering.

[cali]

4. that is dependent on whether the epidemic in W. Africa

is brought under control.

[FLPanhandle]

6. I wouldn't say it's NO threat, but I would agree it's a minimal threat

West Nile, rabies, influenza. Hell, even Malaria which is far more easily spread than Ebola has infected almost 2000 people in the US last year.

These more dangerous diseases are old news though. Ebola is the new scary thing and, human psychology being what it is, everyone is predictably over-reacting.

[seveneyes]

7. You're saying we are more likely to be mauled by a Pit Bull dog?

What if the Pit Bull dogs start chewing on Ebola stricken people and only nip at our heels?

[Dr Hobbitstein]

22. I like the way you think. n/t

[kestrel91316]

8. Go tell the nurse in Spain how it's no big deal - as you scold her for bathing in the priest's blood

[LisaL]

9. Some people in US now can answer YES to this question.

So your quiz is stupid.

[Little Star]

10. Hear, hear......

If you want to talk about it they act like you are in a panic. That's just stupid.

[AverageJoe90]

11. Yes, but unfortunately, I don't think it'll stop for a while.

So much misinformation has been going around that it may seem almost Herculean to try to sort thru it all sometimes. E.X., some people are claiming that we practically know nothing about Ebola, despite several decades' worth of studies on it.

[cali]

12. I haven't seen anyone saying we know nothing. I have said and others have said

that we don't know enough to declare that it is no threat. Btw, read Pion. He's concerned. He discovered and named it.

[pnwmom]

18. We know plenty. Enough to be more cautious than we have been in limiting exposure.

Facemasks for medical personnel are not enough.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025632558

[Dr Hobbitstein]

24. According to this study...

It does not spread from a sneeze.

http://www.nature.com/srep/2014/140725/srep05824/full/srep05824.html

[pnwmom]

25. The article I linked explains why your article is wrong. And when there is a dispute,

with the issue of the safety of our healthcare personnel in the balance, the conservative recommendation by infectious disease experts should be followed.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

28. I linked to a current study.

You linked to commentary that has yet to be studied.

[pnwmom]

29. The article I linked to contains references to numerous studies. As I said, until there is proof

that there is no possibility for airborne transmission (which your single study does not do), then we should error on the conservative side and provide health care workers with the same respirators that scientists who conduct these studies routinely use themselves. Health care workers are subject to exposure to much greater amounts of the virus than scientists. It is inexcusable for scientists to claim that they are the only ones who need this protection.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

30. If it were airborne. we would be dealing with a global pandemic.

Ebola has been outbreaking in Africa since the 70s. It's not airborne.

[librechik]

13. don't forget: if you're over 50, get a pneumonia shot

so many deaths are caused by pneumonia rather than the virus---opportunity bacteria

[KittyWampus]

15. I have seen no DU'ers guilty of fear mongering. I HAVE seen a few "skeptic"

DU'ers who seem to get off on trying to make others look uninformed.

[pnwmom]

17. It IS a threat if we don't properly protect our healthcare personnel. And we aren't,

according to these experts in disease transmission.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025632558

[Puzzledtraveller]

21. Why do you care?

[Dr Hobbitstein]

23. Because all I've seen today is

what if ebola this, what if ebola that... None of it based in any sort of reality. Ebola is quite containable with modern sanitation.

[valerief]

26. How would we know the answer to this? nt