Ebola On The Move

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog about the Ebola outbreak in West Africa as well as a documented case in America.  The first reported case of Ebola saw its host die due to complications from the infection.  There has been a large amount of support from American doctors and health care providers traveling to West Africa to help relieve the symptoms of the infected people.  The thought behind traveling to go help people is a great gesture and shows great humanity in the people that are going however the long distance traveling and interacting with Ebola infected patients could be helping the spread of the disease.  The first reported case of Ebola has recently been reported in New York City.(Ebola in NYC )   As many people know, NYC has one of the heaviest population densities in the western hemisphere.  The first reported case came from a doctor that had recently returned from helping the sick people in West Africa.  This is an issue that could see much more media coverage in the coming weeks and it has a valid reason to be covered.

Like many infectious diseases, with good hygiene and proper precautions, the disease can be contained at an efficient level.  We know that the time before someone shows symptoms of Ebola can take up to 21 days yet we still neglect to hold people in quarantine for at least that amount of time.  The fact that this doctor that was infected was in NYC riding the subway and interacting with thousands of people on the streets is frightening in that one simple case of Ebola could blossom into a thousand cases within a months time.  I do agree that many people are over reacting to the Ebola outbreak in thinking that they have as much of a chance to contract Ebola as the common cold however the people in charge of the safety of the country are taking it too lightly.  The fact that cases of Ebola popping up on totally different sides of America shows that a more strict quarantine system must be implemented immediately or else our hospitals will soon be over-run with Ebola infected people and our streets will be filled with a population full of fear for the safety of themselves and their families.  Ebola in NYC

Related Articles:

1. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/10/23/ebola-in-nyc-the-answer-will-be-here-in-12-hours/17786777/
2. http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/doctor-tests-positive-ebola-new-york-city-n232801

Enterovirus D68: Protecting the Children

Enterovirus D68 has been around for many years however this virus has been getting much more news coverage as well as invoking fear into many parents in the world in the recent weeks and months.  This virus shows many symptoms very similar to the common cold with the runny nose, achy body, and a cough which sometimes gets severe.  In some severe cases this virus can lead to wheezing and eventual death.  There have currently been seven reported child deaths from enterovirus D68 and the virus has been taken from these children for further testing. http://www.vice.com/read/what-actually-is-enterovirus-d68-and-why-are-people-freaking-out-about-it-116

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ajc1/8405362662/

This virus does effect primarily children, which is a cause for alarm for the obvious reason that we always want to protect the children.  As of October 16, 2014 there were 780 people in 46 US states and the District of Columbia that were infected with the virus.  With this number of people infected compared to the vast number of uninfected people in America, it may not be a major issue as long as parents are watching their children for severe symptoms and getting proper treatment if the symptoms do persist.

Enterovirus D68 is a virus that comes and goes on a yearly basis.  The numbers and frequency of the virus have increased this year and this is likely the reason that there has been some panic among parents who are very protective of their children's health.  With good hygiene and regular hand washing in public, the virus can be controlled to a point that it really should not cause a widespread panic in the United States.  There are hundreds of viruses that are constantly circulating through the population and if panic ensued for every outbreak of a virus then children would not be aloud outside of their homes.  Parents should go on with their lives with the thought of accentuating the importance of good hand washing and overall good hygiene to help protect their children in the best way possible.http://www.cdc.gov/non-polio-enterovirus/about/ev-d68.html

Related Articles:

-http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/10/03/6-things-all-parents-should-know-about-enterovirus-d68/
-http://www.cbsnews.com/news/protecting-your-kids-from-enterovirus-d68-respiratory-illness-sending-hundreds-to-hospitals/

Ebola In The World

The Ebola outbreak in the world has been mainly concentrated in West Africa.  I find this especially interesting because it is is a sickness that is very difficult to treat, even with the first world medication in the United States.  There has been one documented case of Ebola in the United States from a man who contracted the illness in Liberia.  This man did pass away on October 8, 2014 at around 7:00am central time.

Ebola is very dangerous because people can go up to 21 days without realizing that they have been infected which makes this very hard to control.  The Ebola epidemic in West Africa has been shown to be very deadly and if this illness begins to infect other parts of the world, it could produce a pandemic in a very short amount of time.  To go along with this notion, the USA has transported infected Americans from West Africa back home to treat them for an Ebola infection.  This is dangerous in that it could potentially aid the rapid spread of this illness.  It is crucial that these people be quarantined and that they must be transported from one location to another as little as possible.

The Center for Disease Control has been in the process of producing a vaccination for Ebola however this is still in an early stage of development.  People in the United States should not have the infinite feeling of safety from this virus.  Even with the first world medical treatment that the United States has, this does not mean that you are guaranteed to survive once you have been infected.  Overall the Ebola virus is a current issue in the news and is spreading throughout the world. The virus is still in  the early stages in the United States however it is unknown how severe the virus will infect people on US soil.  It is a race to try and get a vaccine created and distributed before the virus spreads and begins killing more people at a virtually unpredictable rate.    

Picture Credit:

-http://www.nairaland.com/1848781/scary-pictures-ebola-virus-victims

Related articles:

-http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/
-http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/07/28/ebola-virus-deadly-africa-outbreak/13260541/

Sources:

-https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/science-ticker/first-ebola-patient-diagnosed-us-dies
-http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/07/31/world/africa/ebola-virus-outbreak-qa.html?_r=0