Sorry if this is a dupe somewhere. Didn't see it on main, and needs to be posted.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/07/28/ebola-potential-to-spread/13267909/
Ebola only a plane ride away from USA
EBOLA VIRUS RAPIDLY SPREADING IN WEST AFRICA
Since it was detected in March, the number of cases attributed to Ebola in the West African nations of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea stands at 1,201, including 672 deaths. Two U.S. doctors contracted the virus while trying to stop the spread of the infectious disease.
1
Outbreak area
2
Symptoms
WHO, USA TODAY research; Note: As of July 25, 2014
Janet Loehrke and Anne R. Carey, USA TODAY
Liz Szabo and Karen Weintraub, Special for USA TODAY 1:37 p.m. EDT July 28, 2014
Ebola could easily arrive in the USA on board a plane, but wouldn't spread far, experts say.
AP__SIERRA_LEONE_WEST_AFRICA_EBOLA_66134298
(Photo: Youssouf Bah, AP)
398 CONNECT 181 TWEET 9 LINKEDIN 28 COMMENTEMAILMORE
The growing Ebola outbreak in West Africa serves as a grim reminder that deadly viruses are only a plane ride away from the USA, health experts say.
The outbreak is the deadliest on record, with more than 670 deaths and nearly 1,100 infections in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organization. Fatality rates for Ebola have been as high as 90% in past outbreaks, according to the WHO.
The virus — which has an incubation period of a few days to three weeks — could easily travel to the USA through infected travelers, says Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
EBOLA OUTBREAK: What you need to know
"A case very well could fly out of Africa, only to be detected in some distant country," says Osterholm, who served as an adviser to the George W. Bush administration on bioterrorism.
But Ebola "would not pose a major public health risk" in the USA, he says.
Ebola is unlikely to cause large outbreaks here, he says, because people need to be in intimate contact to spread the virus.
While Ebola is a fearsome disease, it's actually much harder to spread than respiratory infections, such as influenza or measles. Those viruses pose a much greater threat on a plane or any confined space, says Osterholm, who notes that people cannot spread the Ebola virus simply by sneezing or coughing.
But Ebola does spread readily through body fluids, such as blood and saliva, Osterholm says. On a plane, a sick person could potentially contaminate the bathroom if he or she vomits or has diarrhea.
But Stephen Morse, an epidemiologist at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, says the issue of how Ebola spreads is complex.
Sweat and saliva carry much lower levels of the Ebola virus than blood and stool, so the virus spreads less readily through those fluids.
"I don't think we've seen actual cases (passed through contact with sweat or saliva)," Morse says. "There may someday be a strain that's more capable of doing that, but so far it's more theoretical than actual."
Ebola has spread in Africa partly because of religious customs, in which family members wash the bodies of deceased relatives to prepare them for burial.
The virus also has spread to health care workers in Africa, where six or seven patients may share a single hospital room. Hospitals in developing countries also may lack certain infection-control measures — such as special containers to dispose of syringes — that are standard in U.S. facilities, Osterholm says. Wearing full-body protective garments – commonly called "moon suits" – is also more of a challenge in open-air clinics, because the restrictive outfits can cause people to quickly overheat.
More help is needed from around the world, Morse said. He received an e-mail today from a friend who is treating patients in the region and working 12- to 24-hour days. "When people tell me they're working flat-out 20 hours a day, obviously more resources are needed," he said.
The region needs more health care workers, especially those well trained in infection control procedures, he said, more equipment to keep health care workers and family members safe while treating patients, and more training for the general public about how to avoid and cope with the virus. "With something this size, it's obvious that we're under resourced right now," Morse said.
Symptoms of Ebola include fever, muscle aches, chills, sore throat, vomiting and diarrhea and a rash, according to the WHO. Advanced cases also can cause heavy bleeding, both internally and from the mouth and nose. Ebola can damage multiple organs, causing kidney and liver failure.
Hospitals in the USA are on high alert for Ebola, however, and would quickly isolate anyone with suspicious symptoms who has recently returned from Africa, Osterholm says.
"Right now, we'd have to assume every case is an Ebola case," in people with suspicious symptoms, Osterholm says.
In a worst-case scenario, Osterholm says, a handful of emergency room workers could be exposed before a sick person is diagnosed.
Once people are infected, however, there is no effective treatment, Osterholm says. Anti-viral medications used for other illnesses, such as the flu and HIV, don't appear to work on Ebola. Instead, hospitals could provide supportive care, dealing with symptoms as they occur.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/07/28/ebola-potential-to-spread/13267909/
Ebola only a plane ride away from USA
EBOLA VIRUS RAPIDLY SPREADING IN WEST AFRICA
Since it was detected in March, the number of cases attributed to Ebola in the West African nations of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea stands at 1,201, including 672 deaths. Two U.S. doctors contracted the virus while trying to stop the spread of the infectious disease.
1
Outbreak area
2
Symptoms
WHO, USA TODAY research; Note: As of July 25, 2014
Janet Loehrke and Anne R. Carey, USA TODAY
Liz Szabo and Karen Weintraub, Special for USA TODAY 1:37 p.m. EDT July 28, 2014
Ebola could easily arrive in the USA on board a plane, but wouldn't spread far, experts say.
AP__SIERRA_LEONE_WEST_AFRICA_EBOLA_66134298
(Photo: Youssouf Bah, AP)
398 CONNECT 181 TWEET 9 LINKEDIN 28 COMMENTEMAILMORE
The growing Ebola outbreak in West Africa serves as a grim reminder that deadly viruses are only a plane ride away from the USA, health experts say.
The outbreak is the deadliest on record, with more than 670 deaths and nearly 1,100 infections in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organization. Fatality rates for Ebola have been as high as 90% in past outbreaks, according to the WHO.
The virus — which has an incubation period of a few days to three weeks — could easily travel to the USA through infected travelers, says Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
EBOLA OUTBREAK: What you need to know
"A case very well could fly out of Africa, only to be detected in some distant country," says Osterholm, who served as an adviser to the George W. Bush administration on bioterrorism.
But Ebola "would not pose a major public health risk" in the USA, he says.
Ebola is unlikely to cause large outbreaks here, he says, because people need to be in intimate contact to spread the virus.
While Ebola is a fearsome disease, it's actually much harder to spread than respiratory infections, such as influenza or measles. Those viruses pose a much greater threat on a plane or any confined space, says Osterholm, who notes that people cannot spread the Ebola virus simply by sneezing or coughing.
But Ebola does spread readily through body fluids, such as blood and saliva, Osterholm says. On a plane, a sick person could potentially contaminate the bathroom if he or she vomits or has diarrhea.
But Stephen Morse, an epidemiologist at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, says the issue of how Ebola spreads is complex.
Sweat and saliva carry much lower levels of the Ebola virus than blood and stool, so the virus spreads less readily through those fluids.
"I don't think we've seen actual cases (passed through contact with sweat or saliva)," Morse says. "There may someday be a strain that's more capable of doing that, but so far it's more theoretical than actual."
Ebola has spread in Africa partly because of religious customs, in which family members wash the bodies of deceased relatives to prepare them for burial.
The virus also has spread to health care workers in Africa, where six or seven patients may share a single hospital room. Hospitals in developing countries also may lack certain infection-control measures — such as special containers to dispose of syringes — that are standard in U.S. facilities, Osterholm says. Wearing full-body protective garments – commonly called "moon suits" – is also more of a challenge in open-air clinics, because the restrictive outfits can cause people to quickly overheat.
More help is needed from around the world, Morse said. He received an e-mail today from a friend who is treating patients in the region and working 12- to 24-hour days. "When people tell me they're working flat-out 20 hours a day, obviously more resources are needed," he said.
The region needs more health care workers, especially those well trained in infection control procedures, he said, more equipment to keep health care workers and family members safe while treating patients, and more training for the general public about how to avoid and cope with the virus. "With something this size, it's obvious that we're under resourced right now," Morse said.
Symptoms of Ebola include fever, muscle aches, chills, sore throat, vomiting and diarrhea and a rash, according to the WHO. Advanced cases also can cause heavy bleeding, both internally and from the mouth and nose. Ebola can damage multiple organs, causing kidney and liver failure.
Hospitals in the USA are on high alert for Ebola, however, and would quickly isolate anyone with suspicious symptoms who has recently returned from Africa, Osterholm says.
"Right now, we'd have to assume every case is an Ebola case," in people with suspicious symptoms, Osterholm says.
In a worst-case scenario, Osterholm says, a handful of emergency room workers could be exposed before a sick person is diagnosed.
Once people are infected, however, there is no effective treatment, Osterholm says. Anti-viral medications used for other illnesses, such as the flu and HIV, don't appear to work on Ebola. Instead, hospitals could provide supportive care, dealing with symptoms as they occur.
