Ebola concerns

[noideawottoget]

i read this earlier and it worries me
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ebola-outbreak-britain-50-chance-4385728

is it really that likely? i dont generally keep up with newspapers and such so i dont know if the mirror is reliable or not

Well yes, it's possible!

i know its possible, but surely if the risk was that high we would have grounded flights etc to try and avoid it happening?

Unless you're involved in treating whoever arrives here with it, or they manage to bleed copiously on you, you'll be fine.
Ebola is worrying, but please try not to blow it out of proportion. You'll be perfectly ok.

It's certainly possible, whether it happens in that time frame is a different issue. I would imagine the chances of us to seeing another case are pretty slim.

Bloody statisticians! I'd be willing to bet the Mirror have taken a report requested for a very specific purpose and snipped bits out of context to determine how much mileage there is in ebola as a story.

Ebola's been here recently - admittedly under very controlled conditions but there's a world of difference between an outbreak in a poorly educated, dense population of poorly nourished people, and an infection risk in a country with excellent health provision and where people are generally healthier and more able to physically fight off ebola given the right treatment.

"not" seeing

thats the thing, i am trying to get it into perspective because i usually actively avoid as much news as i can. am i right in thinking its not airborne right now?

As the incubation period is so long I think we will see a few cases here

If it's later stages where it's most contagious then I think it's health workers who would be mainly at risk.... And then it's minimal

Its not airborne, its passed via bodily fluids, blood, mucus etc.

No - it's spread by contact/droplet

It's not airborne and it's massively unlikely that it ever will be. Viruses mutate but not like that! fond memories of watching Outbreak with best mate & spending the while film shouting "IT CAN'T JUST GO AIRBORNE at the screen

how long is the incubation period?

i watched that film. scary stuff

Flights have been very much curtailed, though there are stil a few running.

If the spread continues exponentially, then yes it could well move beyond the current outbreak areas. The WHO and aid agencies all seem to be saying that the next month is critical.

So no need to panic yet. But this is the time to donate to MSF (or any other organisation active there) and if you have the relevant skills, to continue volunteering.

what is msf? and volunteering for what? sorry if i sound daft but i avoid news as its just so bloody depressing.

It is scary and with these things the rate at which they spread can be astonishing. At the moment it's reasonably contained but as with all diseases nowadays its easier for them to spread further afield since there is so much international travel.

There's really not that much you can do though other than take sensible precautions if there are more cases in the UK.

SF is Medecins Sans Frontiers, an international health charity that has been at the forefront of the work required.

And I meant volunteering to go out there. NHS has facilitated about 100 HCPs who wanted to go. The countries affected are in desperate need of trained staff. I'm not sure what other skills NGOs might be actively recruiting for, but as infrastructure is collapsi in affected areas, then there are probably other logistic roles.

and sensible precautions presumably will include no contact with ill people, hospitals etc?

oh right. well i have no medical training past first aid so dont think they will want me.

you need to worry about the people in the countries that actually have the problem now, not about the UK. donate to MSF or other organisations on the ground if you can afford it

i will although i cant afford a lot. i do worry about it coming here because its scary

I think people are so scared because it's a 'no cure' illness. No pills to fix it etc

I believe incubation is 3 weeks

it is scary, but just do what you can, and concentrate your worries on the people for whom the risk of contracting EHF is significant - it really really isn't the case for those residing in the UK

Clearly no contact with a person who has it but also, if it came over here and started to spread then it would be things like frequent hand washing, using antibac gel when touching things in public etc. But the risk of catching it without direct contact with an infected person is far, far less than if it was airborne.

ok. so basically the stuff you do to avoid spreading germs anyway. anyone know what the first symptoms are please?