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Ebola: Guinea Facing 'Unprecedented Epidemic'


Four Winds

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This is a bit worrying.

http://news.sky.com/...dented-epidemic

"MSF coordinator Mariano Lugli said: "We are facing an epidemic of a magnitude never before seen in terms of the distribution of cases in the country."

Mr Lugli said previous outbreaks handled by MSF were "much more geographically contained and involved more remote locations.""

Basically, the virus has made it out of the isolated areas and into the capital city. It kills 9 out of 10 people that become infected and there is no treatment or vaccine.

Edited by Razer
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i hope the people in the affected countries can stay safe.

I hope they stay safe and stay put. The incubation period for this strain is like 3 weeks or so. Someone could easily get on a plane seemingly healthy and be pretty much anywhere in the world the next day. Now that the virus has found its way from the jungle to the capital, to me, is the scary part.

Edited by Razer
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Thus far - I believe - Ebola has not mutated into a pneumonic/airborn version. Lets hope it stays that way.

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What a nasty, painful way to die. If something like this gets loose in a major US or European city it could kill thousands.

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Thus far - I believe - Ebola has not mutated into a pneumonic/airborn version. Lets hope it stays that way.

Yeah, no kidding. I did read somewhere recently that this strain could be passed on though if someone was to sneeze on you and you inhaled the droplets. I really hope that is not the case.

Edit: found the article

http://www.bbc.com/n...onment-20341423

According to this blog... "International Flights Still Operating From Conakry Airport Despite Ebola Risk"

http://undergroundmedic.com/?p=5996

"Bookings are still being taken on all the main sites today. I managed to get flights without any warnings or advisories appearing. Had I not failed to pay I would be the proud owner of several tickets that would drop me right in the middle of the hot zone by the end of this week. Then of course they would fly me back home at a later date…"

Edited by Razer
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Thus far - I believe - Ebola has not mutated into a pneumonic/airborn version. Lets hope it stays that way.

Not wishing to sound alarmist, but this is largely down to the fact it has remained out of centres of population, and so has a low host count which means a lower potential for mutation. If it has reached a large population centre, the threat of mutation is much greater.

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Airborne Ebola - or something similar - could go a long way toward solving the overpopulation concerns in the world. Of course it would be in the most horrific way imaginable. The fact that the Conakry airport is still open seems criminal to me.

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  • 2 weeks later...

........ If it has reached a large population centre, the threat of mutation is much greater.

Mutation ? Eeeeek !

"My god, you are right professor. Not only has the virus mutated into an airborne variety, but now it also has lasers in their foreheads"

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Not wishing to sound alarmist, but this is largely down to the fact it has remained out of centres of population, and so has a low host count which means a lower potential for mutation. If it has reached a large population centre, the threat of mutation is much greater.

Mutation is both a curse and blessing. The purpose of a virus is to live within a host not to kill a host as that also then kills the virus. Mutation = a less virulent but more contagious virus as the optimal outcome, those mutations which meet this criteria are the ones that larger populations are more likely to see. Widespread Ebola will not be the virulent strain we see pockets of today as it does not sustain a host long enough to ensure it's own capacity to survive and propagate.

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Yeah, no kidding. I did read somewhere recently that this strain could be passed on though if someone was to sneeze on you and you inhaled the droplets. I really hope that is not the case.

It is, unfortunately.:

When an infection does occur in humans, there are several ways in which the virus can be transmitted to others. These include:

  • direct contact with the blood or secretions of an infected person
  • exposure to objects (such as needles) that have been contaminated with infected secretions

http://www.cdc.gov/v...sion/index.html

Edited by toast
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Mutation is both a curse and blessing. The purpose of a virus is to live within a host not to kill a host as that also then kills the virus.

You are mixing up the characteristics of parasites and viruses. A parasite use a body to live and survive (mostly) and a

virus use a body for copying and dispersal purposes. And a maximum dispersal gets achieved by, in case of Ebola, diarrhea,

emesis and bleedings. In addition, the infected body gets weak so that the infected person requires assistance by others,

giving the virus the next options for distribution. It`s the virus strategy, a deadly one in this case.

Edited by toast
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You are mixing up the characteristics of parasites and viruses. A parasite use a body to live and survive (mostly) and a

virus use a body for copying and dispersal purposes. And a maximum dispersal gets achieved by, in case of Ebola, diarrhea,

emesis and bleedings. In addition, the infected body gets weak so that the infected person requires assistance by others,

giving the virus the next options for distribution. It`s the virus strategy, a deadly one in this case.

Regardless, a virus as virulent as Ebola will still need to mutate to a point where the host is not destroyed so quickly that the virus has little chance of further distribution - I think the same rule still applies, only through a mutation that is less virulent will something like ebola stand a chance of reaching global epidemic proportions.

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Ebola - another lab pathogen

Africa - disease testing ground

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