Is this outbreak of ebola going to be the end of humans?

[BlotOnTheLandscape]

My sister is convinced that we are all doomed. I prefer not to think like that, but do you think that she is right?

Definitely not then. Mine are emphatically not 'lovely'.

I think Nessie will surface and lead the resurgence of the dinosaurs who will eat us like twiglets

The DM have excelled themselves, they are running an article in which Lord Winston is banging on about it mutating to become airborne. With not even a balanced view from an actual virologist ffs.

I really shouldn't read the DM, but it actually makes me feel pretty sane most days.

Oh dear. It appears he spoke in the House: said that viruses can mutate, and asked if there was close expert monitoring of the virus during these outbreaks. The answer was 'yes'.

That's a pretty slender exchange on which to pin an article.

Apparently its international hand washing day today!

AuntieStella, glad you mention other transmissable diseases which currently exist in the UK certainly one of those diseases you mention is rarely talked about for fear of causing panic even though scientists have recently said that 1 in 2000 of the UK population is thought to be infected with. There is no treatment or cure for that particular disease but urine and nasal brushing tests have recently been developed by scientists.
I am all for raising awareness of any disease which is transmissable and glad to see that mumsnet are in favour these issues by allowing Ebola to be freely discussed without discrimination.

Is that CJD Beaware? I've noticed that other countries are very much more concerned about it than the UK. I can't give blood in Ireland, for instance, because I lived in the UK during the mad cow era.

I can't give blood either, as I had a blood transfusion during the scare :(

Anyone who's played Pandemic will know that this won't be the end of humanity. Madagascar will close their ports and survive.

Yy. Greenland are also sods for that ime

meteorite, thats the best bet for across the board annihilation, probably wouldnt even need to be all that big

any disease, any one you like, there's going to be a percentage of people who just wont be susceptible

No virus that causes disease in humans has ever been known to mutate to change its mode of transmission. This means it is highly unlikely that Ebola has mutated to become airborne.

Rational perspective

It's not that the UK aren't concerned about vCJD, it's a numbers thing. They have to balance the potential risk with maintaining bloodstocks. Other countries banning people who lived in the UK from giving blood will have a minimal affect on the amount of blood they have available. The UK banning people that lived in the UK during the BSE years would have catastrophic affect on blood stock levels and would mean that people die now from lack of blood for transfusion. Given they haven't yet found a reliable test for testing blood for transfusion, they are stuck for the moment.