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Ebola

Ebola466 posts

Ebola is a disease caused by an ebolavirus. Symptoms start two days to three weeks after contracting the virus, with a fever, sore throat, muscle pain and headaches. Vomiting, diarrhea and rash follow, along with decreased function of the liver and kidneys. Victims bleed both within the body and externally. From 1976 through 2013, the World Health Organization reported a total of 1,716 cases. In 2013 an outbreak started in Guinea, spreading to neighboring African countries and infectied doctors, some of who were transported back to the US for treatment. The virus continues to claim victims as it spreads to more countries.

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30 Oct, 2014

In crisis that is going to get worse

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The CEO of Sierra Leone’s Ebola Response Center says the country is ‘in a crisis situation which is going to get worse.’ Palo Conteh tells a press conference:

We need to go ahead to stop the transmission in order to arrest the situation. Our proud country has faced so many challenges, but none more serious than today. Today we have a new and vicious enemy, an enemy that does not wear uniform, that … attacks anyone that comes into contact with (it) and if unchecked will ravage our beautiful land and its fine people.

Report: Quarantines could increase

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A report for Forbes magazine says that if the virus spreads to somewhere geographically closer to the U.S., there will be more than the sporadic handful of cases that have occurred so far. It predicts that forced quarantine will be increased as a way to mitigate threat amidst uncertainty, and says the number of people quarantined could rise to the hundreds.

Two test negative in Western Australia

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The state Health Department doesn’t confirm any specific details about the people involved but stressed they tested negative after traveling from west Africa and exhibiting fevers. The latest cases take the total number of people tested in the state to four, after a woman was cleared of the virus Sept. 23 at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and a previous case also proved negative.

47 volunteers have returned to U.S.

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An NBC poll of 13 aid agencies including Doctors Without Borders, International Medicine Corps. Save The Children, and American Red Cross, shows that about 150 volunteers have gone to west Africa and 47 have returned to the U.S., without infecting anybody. California Department of Public Health director Dr. Ron Chapman:

Not everyone who has been to an Ebola affected area should be considered high risk.

‘Plot to weaponize virus’

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Spanish authorities say they have found discussions by jihadists in chat rooms on how to weaponize the virus, and are taking them seriously. Interior ministry:

The use of Ebola as a poisonous weapon against the United States [was discussed in a forum] linked to ISIS

Maine governor to force quarantine

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LePage says his office will file a court order to enforce Hickox to follow quarantine procedures. Health and Human Services commissioner:

We are hopeful that the selfless health workers who are brave and caring enough to care for Ebola patients in a foreign country will be willing to take reasonable steps to protect the residents of their own country. However, we will pursue legal authority, if necessary, to ensure risk is minimized for all Mainers. We are in the process of filing that court order.

29 Oct, 2014

Sues after daughter kept out of school

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Opayemi files the suit under the Americans With Disabilities Act against Milford Public Schools and the City of Milford, Conn., after his third-grader daughter Ikeoluwa is told not to return to school until Nov. 3. They had traveled to Opayemi’s home country of Nigeria for a wedding. They have lived in Milford for around six years. Lawsuit:

[The order to stay home was] because of rumors, panic and the climate of the school

State troopers enforce quarantine

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Two Maine State police cars are reported to be outside the rural home of hickox’s boyfriend in Fort Kent, where she has been living. The governors office says they are stationed there:

for both her protection and the health of the community.

Journalist monitored for virus

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DiPaola, a 23-year-old freelancer, is monitored by Chicago city health officials after a week in Liberia covering the virus, including visiting treatment centres and places where bodies were being collected. He has no symptoms and says he has not had contact with patients.

As a reporter, the rule is if you’re close enough to need PPE, which is the spacesuits, you’re too close. And you have to back up. I never got close enough to anybody to need to wear PPE.

Nurses are taking his temperature at home three times a week and are in contact by phone on the days when they don’t visit. He is free to come and go, including riding the train. He returned to Chicago on Oct. 20 but it was nine days before city health officials got in touch, which he says is because he is a very low risk.

Will challenge court order

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Hickox says she will challenge any court order obtained by the state of Maine to keep her isolated until Nov. 10:

They will not allow me to leave my house and have any interaction with the public, even though I am completely healthy and symptom-free….then I will challenge those legal actions. I’m not willing to stand here and let my civil rights be violated when it’s not science-based.

Obama: We can’t seal ourselves off

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Pres. Obama says that restrictive measures that confine U.S. healthcare workers on their return from west Africa could discourage from fighting the virus at its source:

We can’t hermetically seal ourselves off

Strict travel measures won’t prevent infections:

Yes, we are likely to see a possible case elsewhere outside of these countries, and that’s true whether or not we adopt a travel ban, whether or not you adopt a quarantine. We have to keep in mind that if we’re discouraging our health care workers, who are prepared to make these sacrifices, from traveling to these places in need, then we’re not doing our job in terms of looking after our own public health and safety.

Bush meat traders out of work

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Many restaurants in Ghana’s capital Accra have stopped serving rodents, snails, and wild pig parts, and there is only one bush meat vendor remaining at the Agbogbloshie market in the city after rumors that the traditional food carries Ebola. Yaa Kyerewaa says the bush meat she sold at the market used to keep her four children in school:

Bush meat is healthy. I usually eat it as a special food on Sundays. We have been consuming for years only for it to be made unpopular by these needless rumors flying around. No one wants to buy our products now. It is sad.

Decline in Liberia could be real trend

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The WHO says cases are declining in Liberia and this could be a real trend, although the epidemic is still continuing. There are empty beds in treatment centers and the number of burials has declined. There may be as much as a 25 percent week-on-week reduction in cases. WHO official:

The epidemic (in Liberia) may be slowing down

This is likely due to more safe burials, higher isolation rates, and public health campaigns.

Small clusters of cases could overwhelm system

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An AP review finds that the U.S. health system is so unprepared and short on resources that even small clusters of the virus could overwhelm parts of the system. Airborne viruses such as SARS, a new flu strain, or the Lassa virus could also crash the system. The review assessed training, manpower, funding, emergency room shortcomings, supplies, infection control and protection for health care workers as well as interviewing dozens of experts. One says that a small group of experts at each hospital knows procedures but worries this isn’t sufficient:

Will it be enough? We’ll find out.

Refused rental priveleges

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Dallas County chief executive Judge Jenkins says landlords are refusing to rent properties to Duncan’s fiancee, Troh:

The theory is maybe an African, [or] a West African, who has Ebola will come visit her. So, there’s a lot of fear still out there in our community.

Jenkins adds that his wife was told she cannot work in a school cafeteria as some moms at the school suspected that he may have Ebola due to his involvement in the Duncan case.

Test finds virus in 15 minutes

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ebola-test-15-minutesTulane University and Colo.-based Corgenix create a test that they say is as easy to use as a home pregnancy test and nearly as fast, detecting the virus in only 15 minutes from only a drop of blood. It is funded with $3 million from the government and is awaiting federal approval from the FDA before being used in west Africa. Potentially, someone with a fever could call the country’s 911 line, and a health worker could show up at the door and tell the individual if he or she has Ebola. Advisor to the president’s office in Guinea:

Just as important as getting people isolated is getting people isolated quickly

Bitcoin extortion attempt

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Unidentified individuals say they will release the virus in the Czech Republic if the Czech government doesn’t pay them 1 million Euros ($1.25 million) in three payments on Monday, Wednesday, and after they hand over the alleged infected materials. Threat:

[Failure to comply with] any of our requests will lead to the spreading of the infected material in Prague and other cities.

Obama: America may see more cases

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The President says more cases may be unavoidable while the outbreak continues in west Africa:

We may still continue to see individual cases in America in the weeks and months ahead.

He says the U.S. healthcare system has proven to be well capable of handling Ebola cases.

California issues quarantine policy

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California sets out rules giving county health officials the ability to screen people arriving from west Africa or who have worked with infected patients, to determine if they are at risk and if they should be quarantined. Failure to comply with a quarantine order could result in misdemeanor criminal charges. Health department statement:

This order will allow local health officers to determine, for those coming into California, who is most at risk for developing this disease, and to contain any potential spread of the disease by responding to those risks appropriately

Lysol fields queries on Ebola

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Lysol says it is taking a large number of queries from customers who want to know if its cleaning products are effective against the virus. Parent company spokeswoman:

We have seen an exponential increase in the number of queries we get from consumers. They want to know if our claim that Lysol kills 99% of all germs applies to Ebola.

It has purchased Google search terms relating to Lysol and Ebola and linked them to an Ebola subpage on its website, which directs people to the CDC. As the CDC hasn’t issued an official Ebola warning to the general public, the standard for effective Ebola-preventing disinfectants exists only for hospitals. Lysol says its products haven’t been tested to kill Ebola:

based on their ability to kill similar as well as harder to kill viruses, these products are likely to be effective against the Ebola virus.