Ebola discussion

[DMCakhunter]

Thank you!

[brat]

An article by a doctor for those interested...... Then make up your own mind and proceed as you feel comfortable.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2014/08/airborne_transmission_of_ebola.html

[Erick]

An article by a doctor for those interested...... Then make up your own mind and proceed as you feel comfortable.

Like I said before, every pathogen (just about) can and will be "airborne" at some point.
But that is not quite what people are imagining it to be.

Unlike some chemical there is not now, nor will there ever be, a danger where you walk someplace outdoors minding your business and you will inhale the pathogen.
Indoor is much more dangerous but even then you need to be in some kind of proximity to a aerosol producing procedure or person, such as ultracentrifugation of a sample OR a patient who is coughing (which they do not always do).

aerosol transmission is a rare event and the majority of aerosol transmission can be prevented by the 95 paper masks and goggles, simple shooting goggle offer some protection but lab type goggles with side protection are best.

If you suspect you are in proximity to aerosolization and you have  a proper protective mask like a M40 or M17 or foreign versions thereof,
Go ahead wear then.

But exercise care.
Dont wear them outdoors (where there is no need) and get hit by a car or  a robber due to diminished awareness.

[gadget99]

Erik,

Could you provide a bit of input?

The report on Sky News and the BBC that a nurse that was treating a priest who died in Madrid of Ebola has tested positive for Ebola worries me.

What is not adding up for this old soldier, is why there are so many health care workers coming down with Ebola. Yes I get the remote location instances and the instances where protocols were not properly followed.

Though I am getting the impression that there may be a bit more to the story.

An inordinate amount of people that are taking educated precautions are becoming infected.

The lazy part of me wants to paint this as human error, yet the old soldier in me is suspicious of the frequency.

Not really sure what I think of this.

I admit I am a bit more worried now.

[Erick]

Erik,

Could you provide a bit of input?

The report on Sky News and the BBC that a nurse that was treating a priest who died in Madrid of Ebola has tested positive for Ebola worries me.

What is not adding up for this old soldier, is why there are so many health care workers coming down with Ebola. Yes I get the remote location instances and the instances where protocols were not properly followed.

Though I am getting the impression that there may be a bit more to the story.

An inordinate amount of people that are taking educated precautions are becoming infected.

I admit this report is worrisome.

But last time my spider sense was tingling when I heard that five (!) healthcare workers had been infected by just one dude getting treated for 3 days before he died in Nigeria got infected.

That was crazy and made me think we are really missing something big and I was ready to call my buddies and start  executing a slow + deliberate withdrawal to the BOL plan.

BUT then a guy who was on the ground in West Africa told me that the nigerians did not realize it was ebola and the entire first day they treated him (that means be in close proximity to him and his fluids) w/o any special precautions.
Which explains the infections rather well.

So w/o knowing anything more about this case than the BBC writes, I will reserve judgement and based on previous experience not be worried yet until more details become available.

[special-k]

Here's a recent PubMed abstract: Ebola virus disease: Potential use of melatonin as a treatment.

The purpose of this report is to emphasize the potential utility for the use of melatonin in the treatment of individuals who are infected with the Ebola virus. The pathological changes associated with an Ebola infection include, most notably, endothelial disruption, dissiminated intravascular coagulation and multiple organ hemorrhage. Melatonin has been shown to target these alterations. Numerous similarities between Ebola virus infection and septic shock have recognized for more than a decade. Moreover, melatonin has been successfully employed for the treatment of sepsis in many experimental and clinical studies. Based on these factors, since the number of treatments currently available is limited and the useable products are not abundant, the use of melatonin for the treatment of Ebola virus infection is encouraged. Additionally, melatonin has a high safety profile, is readily-available and can be orally-self administered; thus, the use of melatonin is compatible with the large scale of this serious outbreak.

BTW, melatonin is OTC.

[Erick]

Here's a recent PubMed abstract: Ebola virus disease: Potential use of melatonin as a treatment.

The purpose of this report is to emphasize the potential utility for the use of melatonin in the treatment of individuals who are infected with the Ebola virus. The pathological changes associated with an Ebola infection include, most notably, endothelial disruption, dissiminated intravascular coagulation and multiple organ hemorrhage. Melatonin has been shown to target these alterations. Numerous similarities between Ebola virus infection and septic shock have recognized for more than a decade. Moreover, melatonin has been successfully employed for the treatment of sepsis in many experimental and clinical studies. Based on these factors, since the number of treatments currently available is limited and the useable products are not abundant, the use of melatonin for the treatment of Ebola virus infection is encouraged. Additionally, melatonin has a high safety profile, is readily-available and can be orally-self administered; thus, the use of melatonin is compatible with the large scale of this serious outbreak.

BTW, melatonin is OTC.

Well Melatonin is cheap and relatively harmless.
So if you are sick there is probably no downside in taking it... its just that this is new/untested and any upside for Ebola will be speculative.

[Nemo]

New Ebola vaccine.

Nemo

Ebola Vaccine Commercial

[gadget99]

Erik,

Could you provide a bit of input?

The report on Sky News and the BBC that a nurse that was treating a priest who died in Madrid of Ebola has tested positive for Ebola worries me.

What is not adding up for this old soldier, is why there are so many health care workers coming down with Ebola. Yes I get the remote location instances and the instances where protocols were not properly followed.

Though I am getting the impression that there may be a bit more to the story.

An inordinate amount of people that are taking educated precautions are becoming infected.

I admit this report is worrisome.

But last time my spider sense was tingling when I heard that five (!) healthcare workers had been infected by just one dude getting treated for 3 days before he died in Nigeria got infected.

That was crazy and made me think we are really missing something big and I was ready to call my buddies and start  executing a slow + deliberate withdrawal to the BOL plan.

BUT then a guy who was on the ground in West Africa told me that the nigerians did not realize it was ebola and the entire first day they treated him (that means be in close proximity to him and his fluids) w/o any special precautions.
Which explains the infections rather well.

So w/o knowing anything more about this case than the BBC writes, I will reserve judgement and based on previous experience not be worried yet until more details become available.

Thank you for the input Erik.

[Burt Gummer]

Here's a recent PubMed abstract: Ebola virus disease: Potential use of melatonin as a treatment.

The purpose of this report is to emphasize the potential utility for the use of melatonin in the treatment of individuals who are infected with the Ebola virus. The pathological changes associated with an Ebola infection include, most notably, endothelial disruption, dissiminated intravascular coagulation and multiple organ hemorrhage. Melatonin has been shown to target these alterations. Numerous similarities between Ebola virus infection and septic shock have recognized for more than a decade. Moreover, melatonin has been successfully employed for the treatment of sepsis in many experimental and clinical studies. Based on these factors, since the number of treatments currently available is limited and the useable products are not abundant, the use of melatonin for the treatment of Ebola virus infection is encouraged. Additionally, melatonin has a high safety profile, is readily-available and can be orally-self administered; thus, the use of melatonin is compatible with the large scale of this serious outbreak.

BTW, melatonin is OTC.

Well Melatonin is cheap and relatively harmless.
So if you are sick there is probably no downside in taking it... its just that this is new/untested and any upside for Ebola will be speculative.

And this is the entire plot of the movie "Contagion"...  Oooh we live in a simple world don't we.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1598778/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_15

[Erick]

Great CDC panphlet for managing infection in african setting OR it could work for a Prepper :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dhp8n5zh232opgi/african-healthcare-setting-vhf.pdf?dl=0

[thedigininja]

Interesting. I just recently started looking into storing Melatonin for this exact reason. Good to know there's some merit to my madness.

[Well-Prepared Witch]

And this is the entire plot of the movie "Contagion"...  Oooh we live in a simple world don't we.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1598778/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_15

OMG, Burt, that was EXACTLY what I was thinking when I saw the post about melatonin.

[Burt Gummer]

interesting article
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ebola-spread-shows-flaws-in-protective-gear-and-procedures/

The Cleaning Guys workers who operated in the apartment wore full-face respirators and Level B Saranac suits, which are completely enclosed to protect against particulates and liquids, as per Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. These workers typically wear this type of gear when cleaning biohazardous materials and crime scenes, both of which may require protection from blood-borne pathogens, according to Smith. He would not go into detail about the process used to clean the apartment and surrounding area but did say that all of the items in the apartment were removed and placed in containment, with transportation and disposal to be handled by a different company.
 
Smith also points out that his cleanup workers wore three layers of gloves to protect themselves while working but also to safely undress after the work was done. “That way, you can undress in layers, keeping your hands protected as you remove layers of possibly contaminated clothing,” he says.

[JohnyMac]

Interesting read Burt - Thanks.

As a side note: Erick will be away from the forum for a couple of days. When he can he will read and contribute to the topic however it will not be immediate.

[thedigininja]

Erick, would it be alright with you if I shared some of the info from your original posts on this thread  with a local "Ebola awareness" group that I'm a part of?  I do think that those involved could benefit greatly from it.

[Nemo]

May I suggest you invite them to come here.  I would suspect they would have some things that could contribute to the knowledge base here just like you have. 

I know its quite possible they are not really the general prepper type and could easily be turned off by this place.  But the whole status of the world might let you get some new friends/preppers/back up/ and the like where you are.  Just a thought.

Nemo

[special-k]

How Liberians remove an Ebola infected cadaver from a home:

Skip forward to about 4:40.

A TASTE OF REMOVING AN EBOLA DEAD BODY

[Nemo]

Between 6:45 and 6:55 it has a ticker stating that this is the removal of a single body in Virginia on August 6, 2014. 

I am relatively sure that did not happen in the Virginia I lived in (the USA Virginia) for 30 years a bit back.  That gives me a bit of doubt on all of it.  The vegetation is not generally Virginian as well as the language, spoken and body, and most other little things shown.  Those support it as the Central Africa area.

Details?  Corrections?  Explanations?  Any credibility enhancement?

At 7:40 the ticker comes on and praises those workers and says Liberia.  That fits but the Virginia error?  I am still unconvinced.

The Virginia ticker repeats at 12:04 to 12:17.

The Liberian ticker repeats at 12:42.

Nemo

[special-k]

@Nemo
Liberia was colonized by former slaves from America.  They named some of their areas (village, city, town, etc.) with names that were familiar to them.

[Nemo]

Special K, I am aware of that but its a bit short to me.

Nemo 

[Grudgie]

Will an N95 mask be enough to stop from breathing Ebola?

[special-k]

Will an N95 mask be enough to stop from breathing Ebola?

An N95 will not stop an airborne virus.     

[thedigininja]

From what I've heard an n95, goggles and gloves can reduce the risk but it is not nearly effective enough to keep you safe. But this is just hearsay, I cannot personally confirm it, not really sure why I mentioned it.

[special-k]

I'll just put this out here... y'all take from it what you like.

Yesterday I brewed 6 quarts of nano-silver (internal use) to add to my stocks.  So far today I've brewed 2 gallons of crude colloidal silver (external use antiseptic/hand sanitizer/surface disinfectant.)  I still have more empty jars.