ebola, anyone else mildly terrified?

[avinalarf]

Has anybody else read a profile in last Saturday's Guardian about a Pakistani woman fundamentalist terrorist now imprisoned in USA.
Amongst the stuff they found in her possession were details of weaponising the Ebola virus.
I am not one for conspiracy theories but thought it was apposite little known fact.

Edited by avinalarf on Wednesday 3rd September 13:26

[Rocksteadyeddie]

avinalarf said:

Has anybody else read a profile in last Saturday's Gaurdian about a Pakistani woman fundamentalist terrorist now imprisoned in USA.
Amongst the stuff they found in her possession were details of weaponising the Ebola virus.
I am not one for conspiracy theories but thought it was apposite little known fact.

Whilst that stuff makes for good reading, if you were in the business of weaponising a virus why not choose one that is transmitted in air? Ebola is currently the "poster boy" of the virus world but is inefficient particulalrly in its transmission mechanism, but also in the way it kills off its host.

[FredClogs]

The head of Medicins san Frontieres suggested yesterday the battle against Ebola is being lost and the world is facing a "bio-disaster"

http://www.msf.org/article/global-bio-disaster-res...

Just saying...

[avinalarf]

Rocksteadyeddie said:

avinalarf said:

Has anybody else read a profile in last Saturday's Gaurdian about a Pakistani woman fundamentalist terrorist now imprisoned in USA.
Amongst the stuff they found in her possession were details of weaponising the Ebola virus.
I am not one for conspiracy theories but thought it was apposite little known fact.

Whilst that stuff makes for good reading, if you were in the business of weaponising a virus why not choose one that is transmitted in air? Ebola is currently the "poster boy" of the virus world but is inefficient particulalrly in its transmission mechanism, but also in the way it kills off its host.

My knowledge of the efficacy of weaponising different viruses is somewhat limited but no doubt your experience as a pimp (occupation in profile) gives you a better understanding of the subject.

[nonuts]

As the MSF appear to be saying, does appear to be getting quite a lot worse and I'd guess now there are confirmed cases and deaths in 4 countries it doesn't get much worse than this for the people near by.

Case counts updated in conjunction with the World Health Organization updates:

Total Cases, Updated: August 28, 2014:

Suspected and Confirmed Case Count: 3069
Suspected Case Deaths: 1552
Laboratory Confirmed Cases: 1752

Or to put it another way from the wiki entries:

[Rocksteadyeddie]

avinalarf said:

Rocksteadyeddie said:

avinalarf said:

Has anybody else read a profile in last Saturday's Gaurdian about a Pakistani woman fundamentalist terrorist now imprisoned in USA.
Amongst the stuff they found in her possession were details of weaponising the Ebola virus.
I am not one for conspiracy theories but thought it was apposite little known fact.

Whilst that stuff makes for good reading, if you were in the business of weaponising a virus why not choose one that is transmitted in air? Ebola is currently the "poster boy" of the virus world but is inefficient particulalrly in its transmission mechanism, but also in the way it kills off its host.

My knowledge of the efficacy of weaponising different viruses is somewhat limited but no doubt your experience as a pimp (occupation in profile) gives you a better understanding of the subject.

One of many <cough> talents </cough>

[Rocksteadyeddie]

nonuts said:

As the MSF appear to be saying, does appear to be getting quite a lot worse and I'd guess now there are confirmed cases and deaths in 4 countries it doesn't get much worse than this for the people near by.

Case counts updated in conjunction with the World Health Organization updates:

Total Cases, Updated: August 28, 2014:

Suspected and Confirmed Case Count: 3069
Suspected Case Deaths: 1552
Laboratory Confirmed Cases: 1752

Or to put it another way from the wiki entries:

Don't like the shape of those graphs much.

[Fartomatic5000]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGIPba3fq6o

Published on 2 Sep 2014

A patient suffering from the deadly Ebola virus leaves quarantine in Monrovia and searches for food at a local market before being caught by doctors and forced back into an ambulance while scared and angry crowds watch. Rough Cut (no reporter narration)

[QuantumTokoloshi]

I am winding my way down Congo way next week. thankfully only in the far North at the moment. I will give Nigeria and most other West African countries a miss for the next few months.

[nonuts]

That is some scary st, any rational person would surely just walk / run away rather than crowd around the poor infected sod.

[otolith]

Rocksteadyeddie said:

Whilst that stuff makes for good reading, if you were in the business of weaponising a virus why not choose one that is transmitted in air? Ebola is currently the "poster boy" of the virus world but is inefficient particulalrly in its transmission mechanism, but also in the way it kills off its host.

An outbreak where the disease is endemic doesn't raise any alarm bells with me.

Not being easily transmitted is an advantage for a weaponised virus if you only want to kill the people you expose. Not so good as a WMD against civilian targets or a terrorist's weapon, but there are other viruses for that.

[Halmyre]

Rocksteadyeddie said:

One of many <cough> talents </cough>

Nasty cough there, you've not been to central Africa recently have you?

[superkartracer]

Ebola could mutate.

[Rocksteadyeddie]

superkartracer said:

Ebola could mutate.

And that should be a genuine and real concern. Bird flu is at least as "deadly" and airborne transmission.

[Sway]

Antibiotic resistant Staph. could become more deadly too - that'd be a real stter.

Lots of nasties out there that could become a very real species problem.

[nonuts]

Seems this is hardly in the news anymore which I find rather shocking... it isn't slowing down for the poor people in that part of the world.

[otolith]

Those are cumulative deaths, which makes it look worse, but it still doesn't look good when you look at new cases.

[BlackLabel]

The British Ebola surviver is returning to Sierra Leone to once again work with Ebola victims.

He says that the evidence suggests that it's very likely he's now immune to Ebola - at least in the short term.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-29169014

He is taking a massive risk imo.

[littlegreenfairy]

I think I would like a little more reassurance than 'highly likely' if I was going to launch myself back into the vipers nest.

[Rocksteadyeddie]

BlackLabel said:

The British Ebola surviver is returning to Sierra Leone to once again work with Ebola victims.

He says that the evidence suggests that it's very likely he's now immune to Ebola - at least in the short term.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-29169014

He is taking a massive risk imo.

It should be made quite clear that he's on his own if it goes tits up again.