Ebola

Aren't two cases being brought to Atlanta, Georgia, for treatment? That is what I read in the news today, anyway. Supposedly will be isolated, of course. Since I am in Florida, that is too close for comfort for me! I couldn't really glean much information from the CDC main site. It was very general.

It's not a matter of will ebola come to the US, it's a matter of when ebola will come to the US. Just like Dengue Fever, SARS, West Nile, and every other foreign born disease.. it will eventually migrate here. Ebola has been around since the mid to late 70's. It's not something new and when it does finally land here we won't see mass, uncontrollable contagion like in the movies or see a difficult, chaotic spread of the disease like in Africa. We are far better equipped and capable of doing so. Context of environment, and certainly a difference in culture, is one of the things that you have to look at when considering the dangers of possible outbreaks of anything.

I think I might watch the film "Contagion" tonight.

I think I might watch the film "Contagion" tonight.

If that's the one with that British actor I can't think of the name, it sucked lol. I vote for Outbreak with Dustin Hoffman.

Other countries spray aircraft before you get off the plane. It isn't antiviral but to protect from mosquito borne illness as well as to protect their agriculture. I have been wondering why we couldn't do the same with an antiviral of some sort. Surely in this day and age there is something that would at least stem the tide...

But yeah it will get here.

I think I may start looking for isolation gowns in the ER and masks. Otherwise, I don't worry too much.

I am just more glad that I am not on a fire department at the moment. That was one thing I wondered about. If there was ever a Contagion-like outbreak, then I'd probably die as back then, I worked as a paramedic in the ER primarily as triage and in the ambulances, we rarely used any masks/n-95. Although we did start using goggles for intubation (which at one place I was a student at, we saved someone from exposure because I asked about goggles and the guy put one on).

I'd be much more worried about an airborne virus, though certainly ebola is nothing to sneeze at.