Ebola in the news... still!

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Specializes in Emergency, ICU.

There was a long thread last month regarding Ebola "coming to the US!!" panic, but no one has posted in that for almost 4 weeks, so I'm starting a new one. Today, I got this great video in my Upworthy feed made by John Green. If you don't know who he is, then it must be because you don't have tweens and teens in your home. Mr. Green, besides being a fiction author (think The Fault in Our Stars), has been producing videos on YouTube for years. These videos are amazing social commentaries and are generally science based. As in, evidence based commentary. My kids love them and I have to admit, I do too. I even read the book with my daughter...

Anyway, recently, he was hospitalized with viral meningitis but the Internet was filled with "John Green has Ebola!!" gossip because he happened to have visited Ethiopia prior to getting sick. As John explains in this video that I am linking to here, Ethiopia is as close to the Ebola virus as "England is to Afghanistan". But, people just don't think that way. Africa is the Ebola continent in the Western mind.

breaking down the panic, hope you enjoy!

[video=youtube_share;M-24RP_-X-U]

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Specializes in L&D, Women's Health.

I dropped out as I got tired of nonscientific utterances. I did post on the other ebola site of Nigeria's promising containment statistics. All the early news headlines "NY exposed to Ebola", etc, have all proven, gee, surprise, WRONG. Totally agree with John Green! Hopefully, a lot of the hysteria here in US has died down.

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Specializes in ER.

per the WHO, the outbreak is "underestimated." UK Ebola alert as infected medic to fly home | Mail Online

"out of control" British national contracts Ebola in Sierra Leone | Reuters

UK Ebola alert as infected medic to fly home | Mail Online

looking at the map of Africa and Ebola's spread, it is pretty scary.

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Specializes in ER.

and aiding the spread: Ebola facility in Liberia attacked, police say - CNN.com

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Specializes in LTC.
As John explains in this video that I am linking to here, Ethiopia is as close to the Ebola virus as "England is to Afghanistan". But, people just don't think that way. Africa is the Ebola continent in the Western mind

Word. I loved the video. Thanks for the link.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.
per the WHO, the outbreak is "underestimated." UK Ebola alert as infected medic to fly home | Mail Online

"out of control" British national contracts Ebola in Sierra Leone | Reuters

UK Ebola alert as infected medic to fly home | Mail Online

looking at the map of Africa and Ebola's spread, it is pretty scary.

Hi, for your information, ignore the Daily Mail items on this (and on anything really). It is a rag and sensationalises everything. Will quite happily report that something causes cancer and the next month report that the same thing 'cures' cancer. See here, especially at 1:50

The Reuters item was at least balanced, non-sensationalist and also mentions the American victims.

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Specializes in L&D, Women's Health.
per the WHO, the outbreak is "underestimated." UK Ebola alert as infected medic to fly home | Mail Online

"out of control" British national contracts Ebola in Sierra Leone | Reuters

UK Ebola alert as infected medic to fly home | Mail Online

looking at the map of Africa and Ebola's spread, it is pretty scary.

So, Britain, like the US, has decided to bring back one of their nationals who has been volunteering in the infected areas in order to ensure optimal care. Good for UK!! Emory showed us it can be done. Ebola did not escape from Emory, contrary to the fears of many which the media lapped up and played on. The scary headlines about people isolated and being tested for Ebola in CA, NM, NY, and wherever else in the US turned out to be just that . . . scary headlines! An undeveloped country like Nigeria is containing its exposure exceptionally well but you don't seem to care about acknowledging anything unless it's doomsday. I do agree that the infection is out of control in some areas due to all the cultural, educational problems they have . . . I mean, yelling "No Ebola Here" (or something to that) just ain't gonna work. WHO has said it will still take months to contain . . . but it IS containable. Will it hit the US? Perhaps. But the GOOD news is that it is not contagious until a person has symptoms, and we are all educated re those symptoms. If Nigeria can do it, I'm pretty sure we can contain it.

To add a little balance:

Americans, Stop Worrying About Ebola: Every U.S. Case Thusfar Has Been A False Alarm. - Forbes

Ebola outbreak: Specialist cautions against 'irrational fear' of disease spreading to Pa. | PennLive.com

Let's put the Ebola outbreak in perspective | Fox News (yeah, I know . . . Fox News. But, if you can't believe in Fox News, who can you believe??)

FDA-approved selective estrogen receptor modu... [sci Transl Med. 2013] - PubMed - NCBI

What do we really fear? The epidemiological... [Epidemiol Health. 2014] - PubMed - NCBI

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Specializes in L&D, Women's Health.
Hi, for your information, ignore the Daily Mail items on this (and on anything really). It is a rag and sensationalises everything. Will quite happily report that something causes cancer and the next month report that the same thing 'cures' cancer. See here, especially at 1:50

The Reuters item was at least balanced, non-sensationalist and also mentions the American victims.

OMG, that video was soooooo funny! Thanks for the laugh.

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Specializes in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology.
Hi, for your information, ignore the Daily Mail items on this (and on anything really). It is a rag and sensationalises everything. Will quite happily report that something causes cancer and the next month report that the same thing 'cures' cancer. See here, especially at 1:50

The Reuters item was at least balanced, non-sensationalist and also mentions the American victims.

True about the Daily Mail. I read a quick rundown of some of the more exaggerated, frightful headlines for medicine (can't seem to find the link now) and the majority of them were all Daily Mail. Hmph

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Specializes in LTC.

I just would like to say congratulations and God bless to Dr. Brantly and Mrs. Writebol for their recovery at Emory University Hospital from this nightmare. My and my family's prayers have been with them since this all started. :)

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Specializes in L&D, Women's Health.
True about the Daily Mail. I read a quick rundown of some of the more exaggerated, frightful headlines for medicine (can't seem to find the link now) and the majority of them were all Daily Mail. Hmph

So, you and GrumpyRN are saying the Daily Mail is not a scientific journal??

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Specializes in ER.
So, Britain, like the US, has decided to bring back one of their nationals who has been volunteering in the infected areas in order to ensure optimal care. Good for UK!! Emory showed us it can be done. Ebola did not escape from Emory, contrary to the fears of many which the media lapped up and played on. The scary headlines about people isolated and being tested for Ebola in CA, NM, NY, and wherever else in the US turned out to be just that . . . scary headlines! An undeveloped country like Nigeria is containing its exposure exceptionally well but you don't seem to care about acknowledging anything unless it's doomsday. I do agree that the infection is out of control in some areas due to all the cultural, educational problems they have . . . I mean, yelling "No Ebola Here" (or something to that) just ain't gonna work. WHO has said it will still take months to contain . . . but it IS containable. Will it hit the US? Perhaps. But the GOOD news is that it is not contagious until a person has symptoms, and we are all educated re those symptoms. If Nigeria can do it, I'm pretty sure we can contain it.

To add a little balance:

Americans, Stop Worrying About Ebola: Every U.S. Case Thusfar Has Been A False Alarm. - Forbes

Ebola outbreak: Specialist cautions against 'irrational fear' of disease spreading to Pa. | PennLive.com

Let's put the Ebola outbreak in perspective | Fox News (yeah, I know . . . Fox News. But, if you can't believe in Fox News, who can you believe??)

FDA-approved selective estrogen receptor modu... [sci Transl Med. 2013] - PubMed - NCBI

What do we really fear? The epidemiological... [Epidemiol Health. 2014] - PubMed - NCBI

give me a break.

Any way you'd like to slice it, it's formidable and there is no cure. Those at highest risk are healthcare workers. You call it "doomsday", I call it like it is.

April 2014

August

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