I Think I Feel A Hemorrhagic Fever Coming On...

[Scomagia]

You guessed it, we're talking about Ebola. For those of you who don't keep apprised of international medical developments there is yet again an Ebola outbreak in the Congo:
https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/health-49025298

How bad is the situation in DR Congo?
The outbreak, the second largest in history, started in August 2018 and is affecting two provinces in DR Congo - North Kivu and Ituri.

More than 2,500 people have been infected and two-thirds of them have died.

It took 224 days for the number of cases to reach 1,000, but just a further 71 days to reach 2,000.

About 12 new cases are being reported every day.

A global health emergency has been declared by WHO in the hopes of raising funding and awareness for the latest salvo in a recurring cycle of outbreak and containment.

What are your thoughts on this outbreak and Ebola more generally? What can we do to stop outbreaks in the future?

My thoughts: while Ebola is a lot lower on the list of problem diseases than Malaria, for instance, I think it deserves a greater response to curb outbreaks like this one. A vaccine exists and if we could only get vaccines into the regions most likely to be effected, we could possibly make large scale outbreaks such as the current one in the Congo a thing of the past. Alas, much like quarantine procedures and proper corpse disposal of the afflicted, I expect a large vaccination program would be met with fear and resistance by those in the afflicted areas.

Your take?

[Fartsniffage]

A 33% survival rate for Ebola in Africa is fucking brilliant. The doctors dealing with it must have learned new stuff.

[Scomagia]

A 33% survival rate for Ebola in Africa is fucking brilliant. The doctors dealing with it must have learned new stuff.

I imagine so, especially after the 2014 outbreak.

[Magocratic Aidonaia]

The important thing is whether they enjoyed it.

[Fartsniffage]

A 33% survival rate for Ebola in Africa is fucking brilliant. The doctors dealing with it must have learned new stuff.

I imagine so, especially after the 2014 outbreak.

As to the rest of your post, I think the priority needs to be finding where Ebola outbreaks actually come from. If we know that then we have a chance at stopping them in the first place. It sounds awful but that fact it is so lethal have been helping us since I imagine many outbreaks end before they begin as the index patient is dead before they infect others.

[Purpelia]

Ebola again? She was cool way back when but now its just so 2018. Africa really is behind the times.

[Chan Island]

Hopefully this outbreak gets dealt with. Ebola is hell of an awful way to go.

[Highever]

I thought Ebola was not necessarily an uncommon thing in the Congo area, at least smaller outbreaks. They happen more often then you think.

[Scomagia]

I imagine so, especially after the 2014 outbreak.

As to the rest of your post, I think the priority needs to be finding where Ebola outbreaks actually come from. If we know that then we have a chance at stopping them in the first place. It sounds awful but that fact it is so lethal have been helping us since I imagine many outbreaks end before they begin as the index patient is dead before they infect others.

Bushmeat is one source I'm aware of. We aren't going to be able to do all that much about that vector. If we could get people to not touch the corpses of the infected a lot of the outbreaks would stay relatively contained.

[The New California Republic]

A 33% survival rate for Ebola in Africa is fucking brilliant. The doctors dealing with it must have learned new stuff.

There have been new antiviral drugs tested against it in recent years, so that may account for part of it? None have been approved by the FDA, but I'm sure I read somewhere that some patients have received antiviral treatment. The drugs in question are ZMapp, Favipiravir and GS-5734 if I remember rightly.

[Fartsniffage]

As to the rest of your post, I think the priority needs to be finding where Ebola outbreaks actually come from. If we know that then we have a chance at stopping them in the first place. It sounds awful but that fact it is so lethal have been helping us since I imagine many outbreaks end before they begin as the index patient is dead before they infect others.

Bushmeat is one source I'm aware of. We aren't going to be able to do all that much about that vector. If we could get people to not touch the corpses of the infected a lot of the outbreaks would stay relatively contained.

We think that might be a cause but we don't really know. No scientist has found a bushmeat sample carrying the virus. There are even theories that it might be plant based. We literally have no idea.

[Fartsniffage]

A 33% survival rate for Ebola in Africa is fucking brilliant. The doctors dealing with it must have learned new stuff.

There have been new antiviral drugs tested against it in recent years, so that may account for part of it? None have been approved by the FDA, but I'm sure I read somewhere that some patients have received antiviral treatment. The drugs in question are ZMapp, Favipiravir and GS-5734 if I remember rightly.

You remembered those names? ......freak.

[Scomagia]

Bushmeat is one source I'm aware of. We aren't going to be able to do all that much about that vector. If we could get people to not touch the corpses of the infected a lot of the outbreaks would stay relatively contained.

We think that might be a cause but we don't really know. No scientist has found a bushmeat sample carrying the virus. There are even theories that it might be plant based. We literally have no idea.

That is decidedly disheartening.

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

A 33% survival rate is a great improvement where Ebola is concerned. At least.

[The New California Republic]

There have been new antiviral drugs tested against it in recent years, so that may account for part of it? None have been approved by the FDA, but I'm sure I read somewhere that some patients have received antiviral treatment. The drugs in question are ZMapp, Favipiravir and GS-5734 if I remember rightly.

You remembered those names? ......freak.

I used to work in a hospital, so...

[Fartsniffage]

We think that might be a cause but we don't really know. No scientist has found a bushmeat sample carrying the virus. There are even theories that it might be plant based. We literally have no idea.

That is decidedly disheartening.

You have to remember that even if doctors get to an index patient then they're usually long past being able to answer questions. The whole think is properly hard.

[The New California Republic]

That is decidedly disheartening.

You have to remember that even if doctors get to an index patient then they're usually long past being able to answer questions. The whole think is properly hard.

It's often hard to trace the source of outbreaks of various diseases in Western nations, never mind in African nations where the healthcare systems are shaky at best.

[Highever]

As to the rest of your post, I think the priority needs to be finding where Ebola outbreaks actually come from. If we know that then we have a chance at stopping them in the first place. It sounds awful but that fact it is so lethal have been helping us since I imagine many outbreaks end before they begin as the index patient is dead before they infect others.

Bushmeat is one source I'm aware of. We aren't going to be able to do all that much about that vector. If we could get people to not touch the corpses of the infected a lot of the outbreaks would stay relatively contained.

It can also be spread as an STD for quite a while even after one has been cured of symptoms

[EastKekistan]

A 33% survival rate for Ebola in Africa is fucking brilliant. The doctors dealing with it must have learned new stuff.

It isn't. The death rate of Ebola is 50-90% so 67% isn't a particularly great achievement.

[Fartsniffage]

Bushmeat is one source I'm aware of. We aren't going to be able to do all that much about that vector. If we could get people to not touch the corpses of the infected a lot of the outbreaks would stay relatively contained.

It can also be spread as an STD for quite a while even after one has been cured of symptoms

Evidence?

[EastKekistan]

Ebola is possible to control. If you look at how Nigeria controlled it in 2014 and how Uganda controlled it this year you know that under normal circumstances we can indeed stop a pandemic with less than 500 dead. However East DR Congo is politically very unstable which is why the problem is persistent despite availability of vaccines.

[Highever]

It can also be spread as an STD for quite a while even after one has been cured of symptoms

Evidence?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/25501666/
Evidently there are no confirmed cases of this occuring in ebola but it has been found to remain viable in semen and apparently other hemorrhagic fevers are similar.

[Scomagia]

Bushmeat is one source I'm aware of. We aren't going to be able to do all that much about that vector. If we could get people to not touch the corpses of the infected a lot of the outbreaks would stay relatively contained.

It can also be spread as an STD for quite a while even after one has been cured of symptoms

Huh. I had no idea. That's actually kinda scary.

Note to self: If I ever get divorced, inquire as to any prospective partner's Ebola history.

[The New California Republic]

It can also be spread as an STD for quite a while even after one has been cured of symptoms

Evidence?

I've heard this too, that ebola survivors are recommended to practice safe sex for months after they have been "cured". Struggling to find the article though.

[Vetalia]

A 33% survival rate is a great improvement where Ebola is concerned. At least.

Another interesting thing I thought of in this regard is that the Ebola virus might also be evolving to be less lethal in humans after the large outbreak in 2014. I honestly hope that's the case, even more so than the reduced mortality being the result of knowledge gained from that previous outbreak.