Ebola Patient in Atlanta Hospital

a reply to: soficrow

No. I'm not kidding. This started out as one person, coming home for treatment. Now there are two, and I just read that Germany is now opening their hospitals to receive the infected. How many have been left to die in those tents already? They're just Africans.... I know. Just because he is an American citizen does not give the authorities or his family the right to put anyone at risk who live within their own borders minding their own business.

The health workers who took on this plaque did so by their own volition. I say that the CDC and the medical complex does have the where with all to construct and manage a small contained facility in order to treat American health workers with in the country where they fell ill. Why take the risk of not only spreading Ebola to a country that has never had a case, along with in-sighting fear and concern with the citizens of that area?

I wonder if the care givers at the Atlanta hospital has the same patriotic sentiment as you have for these two people.

originally posted by: jhn7537
People, People, we have nothing to worry about... Our Govt. has a beautiful track record of never screwing anything up... RELAX!

I knew I had seen that POD for the medivac plane before. It's a small green house kit for home gardeners. I was looking to buy one a few years back.

One would think with the U.S. Defense Department being the contractor for the POD, it would be a bit more sophisticated.

It looks like a last minute thrown together POS for photo ops...

How many millions of our tax dollars made this *containment pod*...



Des

a reply to: Destinyone

I am not certain of this, but I believe that the reason that the thing looks shoddy, is because it is designed so that it can be rapidly deployed, and if necessary, all it's components can be destroyed after use rather than cleaned and stored.

If they made those containment pods out of anything too hefty, they would not be as easily portable, nor would they be as easily or safely disposed of, in the event of such a thing being necessary.

originally posted by: MrCynic
Whether a good idea or not, there are two Ebola cases in the United States now for the first time.

Not exactly correct. Google "Ebola Reston". Think back almost 25 years ago in Reston, VA, just outside Washington D.C. Yeah, Ebola was here before, but, out of SHEER LUCK, she mutated ever-so-slightly in a way that made her airborne, yet not deadly to humans (however, extremely deadly to the poor monkeys that bled out).

I suggest reading some Richard Preston, a little night time reading of his book, "The Hot Zone" should keep you wide awake for weeks.


Reston’s Link to Ebola, Nearly 25 Years Later

a reply to: TrueBrit

I understand what you are saying TB...but, that certainly couldn't contain anything airborn.

It really is a home gardeners green house kit. With what looks like a free standing unit for recycling air. All I'm saying is, it doesn't instill any sense of confidence in me, that they have a firm handle on what they are doing. There are still questions to if this strain of ebola can be classified as airborn.

Des

a reply to: Destinyone

Hey Dez - No doubt Ebola is one of the scariest diseases known to man - right up there with rabies (which is already spread through the US of A in wildlife). And not to mention hantavirus or Mad Cow Disease. Fact is, the world -and America- is chock full of scary diseases. But I'm thinkin' Ebola in the US will present a danger about equivalent to rabies in the US.

Better we should take care of the environmental contamination and pollution that's bringing these diseases to the fore and making them adapt, mutate and scare us.

AND - nevermind planning "Fortress America" - it's West Africa that needs help. Right now. Forget the so-called "civilized" world.

West Africa needed -and still needs:

* Actual hospitals to isolate patients. There are few hospitals there, maybe about 5 spread out between Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Isolation works, but quarantine is little more than a political response.

* Doctors and medical staff - there are about 0.04 doctors per 100,000 people there - so far the CDC has sent n 12 advisors, and the WHO only 120 assorted personnel. Doctors Without Borders and other charities have been carrying the load for the past 6 months - and begging for help, and saying all along it was out of control and bigger than they could handle.

* Water and food for patients (if not saline solution for rehydration).



For starters.




ETA: As I told loam in another thread a day or 2 ago - I think cases are being vastly underreported - and more likely there are 10's of thousands of cases already, if not 100's of thousands. ...Still, a little charity does go a long way and I think we should give Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Samaritan's Purse and SIM a whole lot of credit for keeping the death rate at just 60% - instead of the usual 90%.

originally posted by: Destinyone

Crap, that looks more like a greenhouse for growing something, made by a 5th grader for the Science Fair. When they said special POD, was I wrong to envision something more state-of-the-art and sturdy, like Stainless Steel with an Air-Lock???

No chance that plastic will get snagged pulling it out of the plane. Nope. Nada.

a reply to: Destinyone

Not only does Atlanta have direct flights to/from Africa... the CDC is conveniently nearby.

I would worry that these morons are bringing it to America to "study" - or weaponize. The USA has never been exposed to ebola, there is no telling what could happen if it "escapes/spreads" into America's virgin ebola population.

originally posted by: Destinyone
a reply to: TrueBrit

I understand what you are saying TB...but, that certainly couldn't contain anything airborn.

It really is a home gardeners green house kit. With what looks like a free standing unit for recycling air. All I'm saying is, it doesn't instill any sense of confidence in me, that they have a firm handle on what they are doing. There are still questions to if this strain of ebola can be classified as airborn.

Des

However, the current strain of Ebola that is ravaging west Africa now is not airborne. However, it does not mean it cannot mutate to become airborne. It has a precedent in the Ebola Reston strain. In that case, that particular mutation that made it airborne, also made it non-lethal in humans (a human infected wit Ebola Reston just has flu-like symptoms and no more). If it mutates again during this outbreak, what are the probabilities of an airborne mutation being non-lethal to humans....TWICE. That is my main concern as I follow this story. The more people she infects, the more chance of a mutation occurring that is both airborne AND lethal to humans.

Better stock up on bleach and formaldehyde crystals folks....just in case.

originally posted by: WCmutant
a reply to: Destinyone

Not only does Atlanta have direct flights to/from Africa... the CDC is conveniently nearby.

I would worry that these morons are bringing it to America to "study" - or weaponize. The USA has never been exposed to ebola, there is no telling what could happen if it "escapes/spreads" into America's virgin ebola population.

See my post, a few above yours. Ebola HAS been here in the past, almost 25 years ago.

a reply to: soficrow

I'm sorry for all the people in Africa. But, don't give me grief and tug at my compassion strings when there will be 2 active ebola patients 2 hours from my home. Stop that crap of telling me I have to worry about people I've never met half way around the world, when I am quite frankly a little concerned for my own neighbors and friends who work at Emory and CDC.

Yes, Africa needs help. Nothing I can do about that. My tax dollars are being used to help them in some way I'm sure.

But, that is not going to stop my own concern for my own back yard. Sorry if that upsets you or you think I'm a selfish person.

I know there are hundreds of thousands who've died in the bush because they don't go to doctors or hospitals. The MSM is way under reporting, we are only getting the actual numbers of those who've died in hospitals.

It got out of control in Africa, and those who think because this is America, it could never happen here, need to stop and rethink their complacent lives.

Des

a reply to: Destinyone

uh oh I'm about 3 hours away from Atlanta >_< I saw this news last night also.

originally posted by: WCmutant
a reply to: Destinyone

Not only does Atlanta have direct flights to/from Africa... the CDC is conveniently nearby.

I would worry that these morons are bringing it to America to "study" - or weaponize. The USA has never been exposed to ebola, there is no telling what could happen if it "escapes/spreads" into America's virgin ebola population.

Now that it's out in the news that the U.S. Defense dept is working with the CDC on bringing the 2 ebola patients here, it's to look at ebola for possibly 2 things.

Looking at Ebola as a biological weapon. Or 2, looking at Ebola if it were to be used as a biological weapon.

No matter which, it makes me uncomfortable.

Des

a reply to: Destinyone

I think we would be in a better position to help Africans if we are not stretched thin by combating our own unnecessary plaque.

My question is.....why oh why was the CDC not there to help back in February when the doctors and the statistics demanded more help? I suppose it will take an outbreak here before anyone takes it seriously.

a reply to: Witness2008

Ebola is just the disease du jour. Why focus on it exclusively when the US has other, even worse diseases spread throughout the nation? We have rabies (scary as hell), hantavirus (another hemorrhagic fever), XDR-tuberculosis (way bad), Mad Cow Disease and CWD, and the list goes on.

Rabies and hantavirus are about on par with Ebola - which will likely present the same risk as rabies and hantavirus if/when it does reach our shores.

Ebola is definitely worth attention as the disease du jour - but it's West Africa that's in big, big trouble.

You are...this was a planned transfer to study the disease. This patient came in no contact with anyone. ATL is where the CDC is. Emory has a containment wing for pathogen study.

a reply to: kosmicjack

a reply to: Destinyone

Destiny,

Aren't you the bringer of sunshine and rays of happiness today.

a reply to: Destinyone

Actually, I am pretty certain that it could. The transparent and the opaque parts of that tent are sealed at the seams by heat, and form an unbroken bubble around the containment area, aside from the access port of course, but at that point there is likely some fancy sealing method in place for when the pod is in actual use.

You can see that there is negative pressure inside the containment pod, the skin around the containment area is being sucked inward, commensurate with the air inside being cycled out through that air scrubber there on the side, which is yet another layer of protection for everyone concerned.

a reply to: Witness2008

It was always two.

a reply to: soficrow

I understand and share your sentiment. However, adding yet another dangerous pathogen to the already dangerous ones that we contend with here already is just bad decision making, something that I am getting used to from the "know it alls" that are in power at the moment. By the way....rabies is not only preventable but treatable when discovered early enough. Comparing rabies to ebola is a pretty far stretch.