i have a quick couple questions for anyone with any information. as this is the first im really hearing of it kind of is freaking me out.

1. how many people in the United States have the virus?

2. how long has it been since this all started?

3. what has happened to these said victims?

4. are they in quarantine?

5. how long has it been since this whole ebola scare has started?

my personal opinion, im not to worried about it. after the whole bird flu and swine flu thing its just another scare everyones blowing out of the water. as i said though i am not very educated on this subject. from other responses though it seems as though its rather hard to catch and is really only relevant in third world countries. still from what i understand its a horrifying disease never the less.

a-sassy-black-lady : The last I heard, there were only 5 patients with it in the United States, and it started a few weeks ago.  The first one that brought it here died a day or two ago.  I'm pretty sure the others are in quarantine.

As for your last question, do you mean within the US... or when did the scare start period?

Personally, as I stated earlier.. I think it really sucks, but I'm not going to start wearing a face mask or anything. I'm not particularly frightened, as I don't think things have gotten to a point that they warrant panic.

thenumberone : thanks for the educational post! There is one thing you're overlooking though: moisture droplets. Whenever a person talks, droplets of moisture come out of their mouth. Or if they sneeze, that's another way Ebola could get around. Just a thought

Rasenganfan2 :
The vast majority of transmission occurs between familly members or people caring for infected.
As a disease, yes its dangerous. 
But there are far larger dangers out there.

I have a lot of family in Texas. They don't live anywhere close to Dallas, but it's still scary knowing that there's a case of Ebola there. I wish them and everyone else there and anyone here who has family members in Texas the best of luck.

I heard Auburn University is doing a study on ebola, since their Agriculture department is so prominent. Also, they can't catch anything there

WAH WAH WAH WAAAAAAAAAAAAH

I heard about this disease and it sounds really awful to go through. The side effects of having the disease are intense and warnings are the same. I am scared about the disease spreading more into my area since I heard about a person having Ebola in my state recently.

bobq : thank you for addressing this issue. I am very worried for those in Texas, and for myself, because with our luck, it'll spread to Michigan. And then we will be living in an infected world.

noahs_brother : Oh God... I have family in Michigan too.

You people need to stop scaring me so much!!! This virus has gone from Pandemic to Epidemic, and something has to be done about it as soon as humanly possible.

Considering how inter-connected our society and the globe is nowadays, it would have gotten here eventually.

That being said, I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT AT ALL. That is what many people I know are constantly spewing in defense of the CDC and the current administration, both of which are not doing a good job of handling the crisis, on any level. First of all, why haven't flights from West Africa been cancelled? Screening people will not be very effective, considering that many with the disease could be passed on because of the disease's incubation period, and only show the disease's symptoms when they're already in the U.S. 

Secondly, the CDC is being rather... I'd say strange. First they say it can't be contracted except through fluids and close contact, then they say it's airborne, then they RETRACT that statement, and now I have no idea what they're doing. I'm also quite irritated that when that poor nurse in Texas contracted the disease, they blamed HER for not following protocol. The hospital and the CDC didn't have adequate protocol written! The nurse did as she was told. If the outlined protocol she was following, or the equipment she was using, was inadequate, it's certainly not her fault. Why are they blaming the victim? 

I pray for those in Texas and the others who are sick/ quarantined/ suspected of having it. At the same time, I worry about Entrovirus D68. Two epidemics at once... that's not pleasant at all. 

If I have stated anything wrongly above, please let me know. I apologize, and I will correct it. It is not my intention to be uneducated on this forum or start an argument. I'm simply putting my thoughts out there.

Dragonlord Stephi :  I was listening to a radio program today that was talking about all those statements from the CDC about how the disease is spread.  It's rather ridiculous that nobody can get their story straight.  And as for the nurse.... I don't believe that hospital was ready and adequately equipped at all. I'm glad to see that they got her the proper help she needed, and quick.

I know ebola is dangerously serious... but I can't help but think that media always blows these things way, way out of proportion... just like they did with the bird flu awhile back.

Just wanted to reiterate what some of you other folks were saying in regards to it not being a big deal. I mean yes it's a big deal, but it's not something that's just going to wash over the whole country and leave us all dying in a heap of bloody vomit. For one, the CDC knows what they're doing. One nurse contracted it from the now-deceased gentlemen who brought it from overseas, and they caught hers and are studying extensively to figure out what breach in protocol resulted in her contracting it. It's something that we don't know a whole ton about dealing with yet because we haven't had to worry about it in such close proximity, but they've got her quarantined and they've got all their 'disease detectives' out what they do. It's a huge organization with a ton of trained professionals. The healthcare front is going to have the highest vulnerability with these sorts of things because of having to deal with all the bodily fluids, and the US expected that. We have ways to keep it from happening (only 1 in the two dozen-ish people dealing with the man contracted the virus) but the issue is that we haven't had to practice the process of dealing with these sick people. They're already on the path to figure out what that nurse did wrong so that it doesn't happen again. (Singelli said that 5 people have contracted it, which is possible; I haven't heard anything about it, but I also don't follow this story, or the news in general, very closely.)

Then there's to consider that our living conditions are way above where they're at in Africa, Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone, which to my knowledge is where Ebola is currently thriving the most. Nigeria, which practiced some serious border control after learning of the virus, is either officially Ebola-free or about to be declared so (I've read sources saying both). They spread flyers so that everyone was on the same page about what the virus was all about, stayed in their houses and avoided public places and talking and being near anyone outside their direct family, and washed their hands as much as possible. It takes a long time to get everyone on board and keep the few lose ends from spreading it, but like it's been stated: It's not something you're going to get just by standing in the same room as someone, or passing someone on the street. Sitting in the same chair or place, etc. If you touch something they've touched that may have their saliva on it, as long as you don't put your hands in your mouth, rub your eyes, etc., there's not a lot it can do to you. Americans practice healthy habits like washing hands, covering your mouth when you sneeze/cough and such, factored in with that we're not living in a country that's squished together like a bunch or sardines (in most places) that the virus just isn't that practical here. Ideally if most people exhibit symptoms, they'll seek health care instead of potentially spreading it, which will be a big help as well. Everyone just needs to be mindful of themselves and their surroundings if they hear of cases near them.

So in the long run, I feel sorry for the people in the hospitals who have to deal with the patients and have that real threat in their lives. However, I don't really fear that it's going to become the huge disease apocalypse that some people seem to imagine.

legacyme3 : already in Ireland.

Ok... I am probably going to get yelled at or banned for this.

If you are freaking about about Ebola and have not had direct contact with an infected person, you are an idiot and need to calm the heck down.

Do not listen to the media hype. Just don't.

There have been THREE cases diagnosed in the US. Five people total have been on US soil with ebola (the two flown in from Africa for treatment). One has died, and the two other cases diagnosed here are nurses that treated him who apparently did not follow proper protocol. The NIH and CDC know what to expect, are not panicking, and are managing the situation.

To put this in perspective... there have been 3 cases of ebola in America since this crisis began a few month ago. There are 5,000 to 10,000 cases per WEEK in Africa.

The nature of the 24 hour news cycle makes this even worse. The claims that the CDC said the disease is airborne is insane. The official said that it was a new strain that they were studying and that they could not rule out airborne transmission. "Could not rule out" and "is" are two very VERY different things in the medical profession. However, the media nutjobs grabbed that snippet, twisted it, and ran. Yes, I am looking at you, Fox News.

You know what America could really use right now? Our Surgeon General. You know, that office that is supposed to be in charge of all this? The Nation's Doctor? But we don't have one because Congress won't stop playing their bs political games and approve the President's appointment to the position.

This is a medical epidemic in Africa that has world-wide implications. We, as a nation, cannot afford to be divided over political parties on this. You dislike the President, that is fine... it has nothing to do with this crisis and if you try to make it into that, you are a horrible person and should just stay the hell out of it because you have nothing of value to add to the discourse! Yes, I am sick and tired of the partisan crap in this country. Can you tell?

Isolation isn't going to work. Unless you are proposing turning all those countries into walled-off death camps with fences and guards, you are not going to keep people from leaving. Such tactics will also, inevitably, lead to increase racial problems because idiots that are afraid of ebola (and yes, they are idiots) are going to freak out at every black person on a plane, in a doctor's office, or with a cough. Think I am wrong? Remember  the uptick in violence and discrimination against anyone that even looked Arab after the 9/11 attacks? I do.

I am watching the Congressional hearing with the CDC right now. The questions that some of these people are asking are beyond idiotic and repetitive. It literally hurts my brain to watch this.


UPDATE: The CDC has stated, factually, that they have ruled out airborne transmission as a possibility. See, research.

Also, this... at least one person on Fox News actually cares about facts. Watch this, it is really all you need to know.

http://www.upworthy.com/keep-calm-and-listen-to-this-guy-debunk-the-ebola-scare-in-3-minutes?c=ufb1

Honestly though, I am getting really sick and tired of people and the Ebola jokes at school, or just in general, for the past week or two in school, you can't sneeze or cough without someone shouting Ebola or making some stupid joke. To me, Ebola isn't a laughing matter in the slightest, and the fact that people are joking around about it 24/7 really kind of irks me. In the end though, I don't see Ebola spreading across the nation like KG said, it just seems unlikely because the CDC seems to have it under control. People have a tendency to make a big deal out of something that really isn't all its cracked up to be (not to say that Ebola isn't a big deal) but, it just seems unlikely that anything apocalyptic will come of it. I just don't see it happening. There has been only a handful of people that have had it, or have it in the US and they are being closely monitored, whereas it is a completely different story in Africa, so people really just need to calm down already. 

People are making jokes? And not even good ones? Wow... that is just... sad.

If you aren't concerned about this after hearing how things have gone so far for the US then you've got your head in the sand.


1 guy comes back from Africa, infects 2 different nurses in Dallas, and one of them travelled the day before testing positive for Ebola. There are now hundreds of possible people who have come in contact with these 3 people and exponentially more who will come in contact with them. Good luck keeping it contained at this point.

Oh Ebola... how much I love you... I joke about it when on twitch for those people that post links. 

"oh yes Entei301, I would love that link of Ebola... I'll take it in Purple pls."  

In all seriousness though, it is a pretty interesting disease, but there are much worse out there.  Disease's that can infect much more effectively, and kill much more rapidly.  Based on some stats I've looked up since this issue became the biggest thing on the news since Bieber, I noticed that Ebola isn't actually the most deadly, infectious disease we are dealing with right now.  Infact while we worry about ourselves getting infected, we can die of many more things than Ebola could even begin to best.  I could walk outside my Floridian home and drive down the road to be shot by a passer-by (not that it would happen, but it is possible, anythings possible).  I could find myself in the path of a hurricane that could cause a tree to crush me, or just major winds for that matter.  Yes I'm talking about things that could kill or seriously injure me than a disease, but I'm more likely to get it than I am Ebola at this time.  

There is a majority of Africans still dying from many other diseases than Ebola, in fact, Ebola isn't even close to being the leading killer of Africans right now, despite all the media attention it's getting.  I haven't even heard of one report yet about a US citizen meeting their end from the disease.  I have actually heard two people being let back into society from being infected by the disease, so right now Ebola has a -2 score of killing Americans.  And no I don't mean just white americans, any americans.  If the government can kill the flights to Africa for now or have just peace missions to save lives go out there, then fine I can live with that.  But they should atleast work to control and contain the outbreak for the peoples mental sake than let people run rampant with fear.  

bobq : I just read that the idiot nurse who knew she had ebola and carried it to Clevand and akron.  I also read that a student in Boardman has a relative that was on the plane with that nurse. Boardman is practically in my backyard. I may be the FaithFighter, but even I am scared by this. I just hope the LORD does not let it go any further. 

I will admit that I am a bit nervous now, last night I rqndommly tun on the tv to see Obama having some sort of a press conference, but I couldn't understand any of it and I was freaked out.