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Ebola virus


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Just curious to see if anyone has been asked about this topic during their interview. With it becoming more and more of an issue, I wasn't sure if it would come up in an interview. If so, any thoughts on how it is being handled in the states and nationally and what should be done to prevent the continuous spread of this disease?!?

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I just heard the very troubling news that despite current interventions new cases of Ebola are doubling every 3 weeks:

 

regarding your availability to volunteer for a minimum of 6 weeks. 1st team leaves 11/1. I may go 1/1/15 as that is the soonest I can get a 6 week block off.

No new grads please. Folks with prior overseas or disaster experience and/or a public health background(MPH, etc) are especially encouraged to apply. This is a volunteer position without salary, however all expenses for travel, lodging, food, and hazmat training will be covered.

more info from the NYCMedics.org site:

WEST AFRICA EBOLA RESPONSE

Declared an international public health emergency by The World Health Organization (WHO), the Ebola outbreak in West Africa continues to outpace current humanitarian efforts.  The CDC’s message has been clear:

  • If the response remains unchanged, the situation will continue to deteriorate and spread globally.
  • The plan to halt the epidemic requires placing up to 70% of patients into either an Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU) or in a community setting in which the risk of disease transmission is reduced and safe burials are provided.
  • The cost of delay will be devastating. The number of cases is doubling every 20 days. Each day that passes without an adequate response, the number of cases will grow, there will be more deaths, and the chances of a global pandemic will increase.
  • Save the Children UK confirmed that in Sierra Leone five people are being infected every hour and without intervention it will double to 10 people infected each hour by the end of October.

As a sign of the seriousness of this epidemic, the US government has taken a leadership role and is partnering with NGO’s to establish and staff 17 Ebola Treatment Units with highly experienced teams comprised of medical and disaster professionals.

A response by NYC Medics is being considered and we are in conversation with other NGOs working on the ground in West Africa.  We have has a long history of working in difficult, remote environments and have a deep well of highly qualified volunteers; it is our hope  to build a response team to assist in the ETU effort and help bring the epidemic under control.  We will provide information as it becomes available.

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First it's a virus and ebola is not an issue. If brought up in an interview, I'd bring up things as such, in no particular order.

 

1.) Ebola makes headline news only because of its 50% death rate, however, only 5900+ cases have been identified since the 70's, all located in West Africa, unfortunately with poor healthcare access/treatment

2.) It's spread value is about 2 people, considerably lower than HIV, measles, and mumps with those having spreads of up to 10 from only one person. (To be fair though, the last two have vaccines now - but at the time the rate at which someone getting it was very high)

3.) As long as people stay 3 feet away ( physical contact), avoid saliva/sneezing one should hopefully be fine.

4.) Although, the CDC states it's not airborne, take precaution and keep distance.

5.) Wash hands

6.) Pretty sure the CDC will contain it, and I believe they're following every procedure needed in order to do so. We'll see how the "outbreak" plays out.

 

That's all I would say.

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The number of cases is still doubling every 3 weeks. it IS a big deal and has the potential to get very bad very quickly. most of the patients in history who have died of Ebola have done so in the past 2 months. in the past this disease had a quick incubation period. now it is 21 days so the chance for folks to leave an infected area and spread it distantly is much greater.

read this: http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/10/health/reporter-notebook-ebola/index.html

and this: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/index.html

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Aside from the human cost, the outbreak has severely eroded the economies of the affected countries. A Financial Times report suggested the economic impact of the outbreak could kill more people than the virus itself. As of 23 September, in the three hardest hit countries, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, there were only 893 treatment beds available while the current need was 2122. In a 26 September statement, the WHO said, "The Ebola epidemic ravaging parts of West Africa is the most severe acute public health emergency seen in modern times. Never before in recorded history has a biosafety level four pathogen infected so many people so quickly, over such a broad geographical area, for so long."[110]

By 10 October, 8,376 suspected cases and 4,024 deaths had been reported;[7] however, the World Health Organization has said that these numbers may be vastly underestimated.[111] The WHO reports that more than 216 healthcare workers are among the dead, partly due to the lack of equipment and long hours

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Its unfortunate that people dont believe it is an issue. Although western medical infrastructure may have the resources to combat proliferation of the virus, the majority of developing countries have zero to little access to such resources and this poses a threat to any population group because it is REALLY easy to get on a plane and travel. Until the proper resources are made available to the people that REALLY need them then this will continue to be a public health threat on US soil. Here is some info on the drug they are using to fight the virus. 

 

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/globenewswire/10101305.htm

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It's not an issue if we stop incoming flights from that region, and although there's bipartisan support for this case, it doesn't seem the President is inclined to do anything about it. That's the issue on top of the CDC downplaying everything.

 

Primary concern and interest is to keep it off U.S soil. Yes, it's spreading in West Africa along with a variety of diseases that they can't contain due to their own poor leadership and state infrastructure.

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You realize how culturally imperialist and elitist that sounds, Torshi?  "Let the rest of the world (or just Africa, whichever) burn, we'll be safe if we just keep those 'undesirables' (substitute the ethnic slur of your choice) out!"

 

We live in an interconnected world, and even if we could 100% keep out direct contacts from West Africa (and I submit that that is not possible), the virus can be transmitted elsewhere and arrive via a contact from a first-world country.

 

Everyone who gets Ebola, whether they live or die, is a human being with families, hopes, aspirations, fears.  Formed in the image of a benevolent Creator God if you share my belief system, and individually sufficiently valuable for that reason to risk my own life for them.  If you didn't get into (or aren't considering getting into) medicine to help save the lives of those who cannot help themselves... then why get into medicine at all? Engineers do good work and make good money; Lawyers and MBAs make much more money for their contributions to society.

 

Sometimes, being a provider means putting your brave face and best PPE on, and going to do a job you know might get you killed if you do it wrong.  Same kind of stuff I do as a firefighter, just with an epidemic rather than a fire or other hazard.

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Just signed up - I could start as soon as Nov 1, for a 6 week stent!

 

I'm wondering what they are looking for, my wife is a RN and I'm a CNA, while my knowledge of infectious diseases is limited to what I learned through undergrad if they need help and people I'm totally open to help!

 

Seeing as how I'm going to Pa school in June I'd love more experience!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Primary concern and interest is to keep it off U.S soil. Yes, it's spreading in West Africa along with a variety of diseases that they can't contain due to their own poor leadership and state infrastructure.

Nevermind the generations of colonial exploitation and economic sabotage that these countries have endured, its their fault. Well spoken Rev. 

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I'm taking a very objective stance, emotion aside for a minute, on a broad issue here. As a healthcare provider, anyone is free to do what they want, and if that means you want to travel down there and risk your life to do so, then so be it, people will admire that. I admire that. I'm not trying to sound like an "elitist," but if we're trying to decide on public policy in regards to this specific issue, it's not easy and as a U.S citizen, as every U.S citizen should be, no matter what, in regards to war, famine, disease, our primary concern and interest should always be us first. To me, this stance seems irrefutable. This does not mean we don't help. I'm just acknowledging that one nation can't safe-keep the entire world by itself or that it should be on top of their priority list before themselves. Likewise for another country, say U.K, their primary concern and the interests they pursue as a nation should only concern them first. I'm not stating we shouldn't help or do anything and have a one-side all mentality. Hopefully, one now understands my stance and it's from a basic public policy decision. Once contained first, then if needed, or if it's in our interest as a nation to help do something about it, then so be it. And as we know, the President sent 4,000 troops down there to help contain it, as for treating it, any individual can go down there on their own terms and help.

 

 

Lastly, I don't want anyone to think I'm "heartless" simply based off what I write on a forum. Of course, writing on a computer, it takes away other aspects in regards to how I'm expressing my view, I ask to not jump to such bold conclusions. On another note, I have a fond desire to travel the world and help those in need because it'd definitely be a gratifying experience to say the least.

 

You realize how culturally imperialist and elitist that sounds, Torshi?  "Let the rest of the world (or just Africa, whichever) burn, we'll be safe if we just keep those 'undesirables' (substitute the ethnic slur of your choice) out!"

 

We live in an interconnected world, and even if we could 100% keep out direct contacts from West Africa (and I submit that that is not possible), the virus can be transmitted elsewhere and arrive via a contact from a first-world country.

 

Everyone who gets Ebola, whether they live or die, is a human being with families, hopes, aspirations, fears.  Formed in the image of a benevolent Creator God if you share my belief system, and individually sufficiently valuable for that reason to risk my own life for them.  If you didn't get into (or aren't considering getting into) medicine to help save the lives of those who cannot help themselves... then why get into medicine at all? Engineers do good work and make good money; Lawyers and MBAs make much more money for their contributions to society.

 

Sometimes, being a provider means putting your brave face and best PPE on, and going to do a job you know might get you killed if you do it wrong.  Same kind of stuff I do as a firefighter, just with an epidemic rather than a fire or other hazard.

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@jtmathew Majority of African nations currently are led by corrupt officials, have poor infrastructure, and are extremely undemocratic even after years of help leading towards that direction. It's akin to the type of leadership in the Middle East, the only exception is they're not abundant in resources. It hasn't been until recently, such as Nigeria, (the fastest growing country in Africa), that we've been seeing development in that part of the world. Slowly, but surely, if accepted, Western and Eastern nations are moving their businesses down there. Many telecom and Indian migrants are moving there currently. It's becoming a hub. But, again, their corrupt leadership, who've stolen and funneled countless billions of dollars is the problem, their own leaders ruining their own people.

 

 @nandosport
I'm aware of history, I don't like the fact one is trying to belittle me simply because of disagreement. As for the past. That's the past. We're not going to move forward if we keep blaming Westerners as perpetrators of abuse of things that are happening over there today, it makes absolutely no sense, and all it does is push guilt amongst Westerners when in fact, so much more was involved. As for many nations in the past, it was pretty much a clash between new emerging societies, a developing one and primitive (non-advancing one), a prime example is the advancement of American settlers in the U.S versus  Native Americans. History for any nation is never perfect, and until we stop focusing on the negatives and pointing fingers, we should acknowledge and praise the advancements, despite history, and continue trying to help current nations that still haven't caught up yet in the 21st century. Life isn't a perfect Utopia and destruction is ever-lasting. Sorry to burst any ones bubble. It's like blaming what's happening in the Middle East, the rise of fundamentalism as a result of past-American imperialism and pressure, when in fact, it's an ideology bent on going after any nation regardless because one does not abide to their interpreted scripture.

 

 

 

Nevermind the generations of colonial exploitation and economic sabotage that these countries have endured, its their fault. Well spoken Rev. 

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Torshi,  I absolutely don't want to conflate what one forum post sounds like when taken in isolation, as if it were the sum total of your thoughts on the topic, and appreciate your clarification.

 

I agree with you that governments are formed--at every level--to primarily look after the interest of their own constituents, and that Africa is a political mess on so many different levels it's hard for me to keep track.

 

But then, sometimes the best defense is a good offense, and rather than spending herculean effort to close borders--a task which has its own political overtones and roadblocks--we may be better off at improving the common welfare of the American public by doing what the various African nations have failed to do, which is to directly attack the spreading epidemic where it is.

 

Even in a coldly logical cost/benefit analysis, it's not obvious that keeping resources in-country is the best way (or even a remotely effective way!) for any industrialized nation to reduce the risk to its citizens from the spread of Ebola. Even if the primary beneficiaries are a bunch of poor Africans who have ineffective governments and infrastructure, the ultimate beneficiaries may indeed be their own citizens who avoid exposure to the disease.

 

Sometimes, the most effective thing and the most ethical thing to do may be the same thing, even if that might not be the obvious thing.

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Just to clarify, my stance is in align, as is with many of the President's own colleagues, that we should stop flights from infected countries. I don't believe I suggested closing our borders, although I did not specify. As we know, the nation doesn't have the manpower nor resources to close down the borders, but, on a side note, border security should be heavily enforced against illegal/unknown immigrants who may also carry unknown pathogens.

 

As for containing and treating the disease overseas, I agree. Again, I simply believe in a self-interested foreign policy. A government that protects the life of their citizens first and foremost, and if that means containing a virus that has made its way from across the world here, then yes we should help. But, my only statement earlier, was simply in regards to containing it here first, stop flights, and then contain it overseas if need be or if the CDC believes its a severe threat to the U.S.

Regardless, we know, along with countless world health organizations and nations, everyone plays a major role in contributing to alleviating such known diseases. A good example of this type of cooperation is the success of vaccines for Measles and Mumps.

On a side note, I just want to clarify when expressing my view about the illegitimate leadership in that region, I do not use it as a primary reason or justification not to help. Just to be clear and I'm not stating that anyone assumed that.

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I just read the news.  A health care worker who had contact with the Ebola patient has been diagnosed with the illness.  This is not good and I wonder how many others were exposed and have the illness?  The story I read is not identifying what type of health care worker the person is. 

 

Pundits and commenters are blaming RIck Perry, Obama, Bush, the Hospital, the ER, and illegal immigrants.

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