To be getting concerned about Ebola?

[Meh84]

Do you think it would reach the UK?

Everyday I'm reading more and more stories, and some of the front papers today suggest it might happen.

I'm actually feeling really worried about this right now....anyone else?

[FrankelandFilly]

Article about US Ebola victim

Quote: "Sawyer said she and her husband were born in Liberia and that both immigrated to the United States and became citizens. Patrick Sawyer returned to Liberia in 2008 to work in the economic development sector, she said, and came home to visit every few months. But she hadn’t seen him for more than a year."

[Suzannewithaplan]

Afaik in order for the disease to become endemic there needs to be an animal host to act as a reservoir.

In Africa fruit bats are the reservoir, same goes for plague, it persists in some countries because it is carried by certain rodents and occasionally jumps into humans.

'successful' diseases don't kill their hosts, they adapt to live in symbiosis with them.

[tigermoll]

Numanoid, you're absolutely right - just because it's not in the UK doesn't mean it's not important. I just meant that a UK based person doesn't have to be scared of catching it.

[Stratter5]

The DM's coverage is appallingly irresponsible. Also, full of factual errors, and contradicting themselves; in one article, one of the infected US doctors is 'gravely ill', yet in another article he is sitting up in bed, working on his laptop.

The articles on the suspected UK cases are misleading, the titles read as if they actually have Ebola, the write up then confirms that they do not have the virus. And don't get me started on the bloody HK headlines. Follow the links at end of the articles, and the DM is running at least 8 separate stories, FFS.

[Mammuzza]

DM scaremongering it to high hell

^^That.

So nice of the to lead with a map where they have coloured Italy pink... and then failed to mention the country again in the article.

[Thurlow]

I have to read all the newspapers every morning for work and the different takes on the ebola story were fascinating. DM scaremongering it to high hell, broadsheets being much more practical.

It is a worry as it seems to be a very large outbreak - but unless it mutates to become airborne, which is very unlikely, then countries with good healthcare systems are well set up to contain the virus. The Telegraph had a good article about it today. It's only highly contagious through bodily fluids, and the UK healthcare authorities are on alert for it, so they can easily quarantine people if they are worried.

[externalwallinsulation]

innogen - Please try not to worry. In answer to your question about why doctors are catching it, I think you underestimate how very messy medicine is at times! Those doctors are in environments where there are bodily fluids all over the place. Even with suits and lots of handwashing, they are at very much higher risk than the general population.

'Contagiousness' is a bit of a meaningless concept, one of those journalist shorthands that actually creates confusion and panic rather than clearing it up. It's not a word used much by epidemiologists: they prefer to define disease in more precise terms, like prevalence (the number of people infected at a time, which is very low for Ebola), transmissibility (how easy it is to catch, in Ebola's case, not that easy - it means exchange of bodily fluids) and virulence (the ability of the virus to replicate in tissue in a particular case, which is quite high for Ebola). Basically, this is a very rare disease that is quite hard to catch in normal circumstances, but nasty if do you get it. As I posted on another thread, please bear in mind that since records began there have only been 2,500 deaths from Ebola, whereas there are 500,000 a YEAR from your 'bogstandard' flu.

[Nancy66]

Anewmean - don't know where you were looking there are currently 5 stories on Mailonline main page about Gaza

[MTWTFSS]

YANBU. I just pray the people in charge know what they are doing!!!

[innogen75]

Yanbu I am getting very concerned.

I realise they say it is hard to catch but in the same breath they say it is highly contagious. Why have so many of the doctors treating the infected succumbed despite the protective suits?

I think its just a matter of time before it gets here to be honest and I for one will be home educating if that happens. I dont trust young kids with hygiene. Its not worth the risk.

[Numanoid]

In reality, there is simply no risk to the UK population.

Just because it doesn't affect us, doesn't mean it shouldn't be a concern. It affects other human beings, I would hope the government and humanitarian charities would be contributing to getting medical aid out to the affected places.

[Mostlyjustaluker]

Lucid lady that man was planning on travelling to the USA but he did not board a plan which was bound to the USA. There is no way he can spread the diseases by think about getting on plane.

[Anewmeanewname]

Yes, I've just had a look at the Mail Online and - low and behold - lots of stories about Ebola yet Gaza/Israel is nowhere to be seem. Interesting.

[ExcuseTypos]

I just went on the DM ot have a look, so you don't have to

It's the top story with 3 other Articles about it.
It's so fucking irresponsible, scaremongering at its worst.

[tigermoll]

In the nicest possible way, get a grip. this is tabloid scaremongering in order to sell papers. Ebola is both frightening and 'foreign' which is why the DM et al have fastened on to it - the scary African disease that's going to come over here and kill us all. In reality, there is simply no risk to the UK population.

[PittTheYounger]

i keep reading ebola and thinking

[Goldmandra]

AS pointed out on the other thread, the best thing we can do is make some decent donations to Medecins Sans Frontieres whose staff are on the frontline, risking their own lives and trying to contain the outbreaks.

The more resources they have, the better they can manage it.

[FrankelandFilly]

The US citizen that died was not on his way to the US. He was heading back to Nigeria where he worked after attending the funeral of his sister who died of the disease. He was not due to travel to the US until August so there is no risk of the disease being there at present.

[AuntieStella]

This Ebola AIBU thread has been running for a few days now, and has a number of posts (from posters with relevsnt expertise) and useful links.

Those who are concerned might like to look at it, because it's possible not all that information will be reposted on every Ebola thread.

[HowAboutNo]

Should say - if you haven't seen Contagion, uh, don't. You'll never want to touch anything again

[gordyslovesheep]

Gosh there is a fair bit of drama on this thread ... Look it's not airborne and not in the uk. It may come to the uk but unless you roll around in medical waste it's unlikely you will catch it. COBRA meetings are fairly standard and not an indication of a forth coming zombie apocalypse

[HowAboutNo]

I'm not hugely worried, I just feel huge admiration for the doctors in the thick of it, battling against it and obviously feel extremely sad for those who have it, it sounds horrific

It reminds me of that film Contagion and why I'm never going outside again

[clam]

"we've had 2 suspected cases in the UK too"

Erm, "two suspected cases" that were found to be clear. So that's "no cases" in the UK.

Yet.