Ebola arrives in America tomorrow on a fancy private jet

[tyty333]

So they were just saying on TV that the guy in Dallas that has Ebola helped carry a women that was infected with Ebola to
the hospital then carried her home again where she died. I wonder what body fluids were exchanged?

Also, they are reporting that before people fly they are asking if they may have been exposed to Ebola. So, there was
either a breakdown in the process and this guy was never asked, or he chose not to tell the truth. Would/should you ever expect
everyone to be truthful when it will prevent them from getting on their flight??? And what about those who did not know
that they were exposed so would give a negative response? I hear they are taking peoples temperature to determine if they
are sick. Someone suggested they also take their temperatures when they get off the flight (some of the flights are very long)
see if anything has developed.

They are now saying that they are looking at 80 people who may have come in contact with this man. Included are the children
that go to 5 different schools. I am hoping that it is as hard to catch as they say it is and that no one else has been infected.

I am alarmed/surprised that these officials are speaking out that it will be contained and it will go no further. I wonder how
they are so sure? I don't want to be an alarmist but I just get the feeling that we should be doing a little more.

 

[Rena7]

Some of you all may remember I live in Dallas. What you don't know is that most in my family are doctors, and many of them epidemiologists. So this is a very exciting time for them.

Anyway, if there's an outbreak, I'll likely be the first PSer to succumb.

I live in North Texas as well, not in Dallas itself but to close for me to feel comfortable right now. Some of the people my husband and I see daily do live in Dallas. I surely hope they can contain this.

 

[Trekkie]

So they were just saying on TV that the guy in Dallas that has Ebola helped carry a women that was infected with Ebola to
the hospital then carried her home again where she died. I wonder what body fluids were exchanged?

Also, they are reporting that before people fly they are asking if they may have been exposed to Ebola. So, there was
either a breakdown in the process and this guy was never asked, or he chose not to tell the truth. Would/should you ever expect
everyone to be truthful when it will prevent them from getting on their flight??? And what about those who did not know
that they were exposed so would give a negative response? I hear they are taking peoples temperature to determine if they
are sick. Someone suggested they also take their temperatures when they get off the flight (some of the flights are very long)
see if anything has developed.

They are now saying that they are looking at 80 people who may have come in contact with this man. Included are the children
that go to 5 different schools. I am hoping that it is as hard to catch as they say it is and that no one else has been infected.

I am alarmed/surprised that these officials are speaking out that it will be contained and it will go no further. I wonder how
they are so sure? I don't want to be an alarmist but I just get the feeling that we should be doing a little more.

It is scary, isn't it?

What's really alarming is that this man was displaying symptoms, told the hospital that he had travelled from Liberia but he was still sent home!

Let's hope that he didn't infect even more people once he left the hospital!

How was he allowed to return home? What is wrong with people?!

 

[iLander]

http://news.yahoo.com/texas-ebola-patients-neighborhood-scores-sick-140016735.html

Here's an article that talks about the town that the Texas patient, Thomas Duncan, left behind. Excerpt:

Thomas Eric Duncan rushed to help his 19-year-old neighbor when she began convulsing days after complaining of stomach pain. Everyone assumed her illness was related to her being seven months pregnant.

When no ambulance came, Duncan, Marthalene Williams' parents and several others lifted her into a taxi, and Duncan rode in the front seat as the cab took Williams to the hospital. She later died.

Within weeks, everyone who helped Williams that day was either sick or dead, too — victims of Ebola, the virus that is ravaging Liberia's capital and other parts of West Africa, with more than 3,300 deaths reported.

The disease is spread through direct contact with saliva, sweat, blood and other bodily fluids, and all those who fell ill after helping Williams had touched her. She turned out to have Ebola.

As 9-year-old Mercy Kennedy sobbed along with neighbors mourning news of her mother's death, not a person would touch the little girl to comfort her. Mercy's mother had helped to wash the pregnant woman's clothes, and had touched her body after she died at home when no hospital could find space for her, neighbors said.

This is hell on earth. My heart goes out to the victims.

But obviously, I'm not touching them . . .

 

[distracts]

I live in North Texas as well, not in Dallas itself but to close for me to feel comfortable right now. Some of the people my husband and I see daily do live in Dallas. I surely hope they can contain this.

lol, meanwhile, I drove by Presby like three times yesterday.

It seriously doesn't spread very well. And due to what my family does, I've been sitting in on FBI and CDC conferences on containing the spread of epidemics since I was a little kid. They've got this. Plus, there is literally one person who is showing symptoms. At this point, anyone who came in contact with him is not yet contagious, which is why they've got boots on the ground ferreting out who those people are and putting them in quarantine.

 

[distracts]

So they were just saying on TV that the guy in Dallas that has Ebola helped carry a women that was infected with Ebola to the hospital then carried her home again where she died. I wonder what body fluids were exchanged?

The fluids only have to go to a mucous membrane, and you've got those on your nostrils, eyelids, lips, etc. So it's very easy to, say, carry someone or touch someone who is contagious, get their sweat on your hands, and then wipe your face. As well, it's very easy to not be aware of small cuts or abrasions that could let it into your skin elsewhere.

 

[kenny]

...That picture of the starving African child is real, but it's not the only story.

First off, and I know this is going to sound stupid but we need to start here because it's easy to know this academically but not quite understand it intellectually (not directed at anyone in particular, just people in general): "Africa" is NOT a country - it's the world's second largest continent. I get annoyed when people make blanket statements about "Africa" as if what's true in one part of it is true in another. I can imagine that life, culture and customs in the US South are vastly different from life, culture and customs in New York or Idaho or Mexico or Montreal, yet all these places are in North America. North America has what, three languages? Yet it is diverse and everyone accepts and celebrates this.

Now imagine a continent with 55 countries (well, sort of, but that's another point for another day), each country having many languages and customs and cultures. In South Africa alone we have 11 official languages but there are at least 14 languages spoken here (other than the European languages brought by immigrants). Ethnic groups are generally divided along linguistic lines and have their own cultures and belief systems. For instance, Nelson Mandela was Xhosa, so no Xhosa complained when Barrack and co laughed and smiled at his memorial service - it was considered right and fitting because it was a celebration of Madiba's life and as such was meant to be a joyous occasion. Other African cultures (perhaps our Arab brethren in Morocco or Egypt?) may believe differently.

We have internet and iPhones and iPads and kindles and all sorts of electronics. BMW and Mercedes are so common they aren't really regarded as prestige vehicles - the wealthy drive Jaguar, Maserati, Ferrari and Lamborghini. We have world class universities with large numbers of international students. We have huge cities with skyscrapers and shopping malls with Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Cartier etc. In the capital cities you will find private hospitals staffed by world leaders. These hospitals would rival anything in the US and people come from all over the world to see our specialists, at a fraction of the price they'd pay in their home countries. Drug and alcohol rehabilitation, and plastic surgery are particularly popular for Europeans and Americans.

Africa is also a continent of vast contrasts, so right outside these shopping malls and hospitals you'll find beggars who are quite literally starving. Travel a few kilometres and you'll end up in townships where poverty means going to bed hungry on a mattress on the floor of your tin shack; where wealth means being able to afford to send your child to a formerly "whites only" school an hour away, using often dangerous public transport, so that they have a chance at a better future than you did.

In South Africa our president has had four wives (not sure how many at last count - I've lost track), numerous fiancées and more than 25 children. This is considered appropriate for a Zulu man of his stature.

Now this is a very, very small glimpse of South Africa, one of the more developed countries in Africa.

Liberia is as different from South Africa as Canada is from Mexico, if not more so. Something to be remembered about Liberia is that a sizeable portion of the population comprises the descendants of freed American slaves. Over the years they received considerable financial aid from the US. These are not ignorant savages - many of them are highly educated (often educated in the US) and are the children and grandchildren of highly educated people.

Yes, there has been civil war and yes, Liberia also has less educated people with cultural values similar to what ksinger pointed out, but this is NOT the norm for the entire continent of Africa. What happens in Liberia is not necessarily the same as what happens in Sierra Leone or Nigeria or Guinea, all countries with confirmed outbreaks of Ebola.

If Ebola is a consequence of people eating bushmeat and kissing corpses and not having running water, why is it so prevalent in places where you don't find bushmeat, don't kiss corpses and do have clean running water?

Clearly there is some piece of the puzzle we are not seeing.

And while we buy into the myth that it's just some poor dumb Africans getting it because of poor hygiene and uncivilised cultural practices, we never will.

ksinger, I was quite rude in my previous post and I need to apologise for that. I get really wound up when people make blanket statements about Africa, particularly when they're sensationalised reports by western journalists who spend a few days in one part of an African town and then think they know everything about the continent.

Thanks Trekkie.
Most of us know very little about Africa.
We are lucky to have you here.

 

[Rena7]

So they were just saying on TV that the guy in Dallas that has Ebola helped carry a women that was infected with Ebola to the hospital then carried her home again where she died. I wonder what body fluids were exchanged?

The fluids only have to go to a mucous membrane, and you've got those on your nostrils, eyelids, lips, etc. So it's very easy to, say, carry someone or touch someone who is contagious, get their sweat on your hands, and then wipe your face. As well, it's very easy to not be aware of small cuts or abrasions that could let it into your skin elsewhere.

We have people here that are wanting us to stay out of Dallas and it's so crazy because it wont matter. One of my co workers was in Dallas yesterday at a doctors appointment and then there are the people that commute here from Dallas. If it is going to spread I'm sure it will find it's way here. Hopefully they have it contained. It is scary.

 

[baby monster]

So they were just saying on TV that the guy in Dallas that has Ebola helped carry a women that was infected with Ebola to the hospital then carried her home again where she died. I wonder what body fluids were exchanged?

The fluids only have to go to a mucous membrane, and you've got those on your nostrils, eyelids, lips, etc. So it's very easy to, say, carry someone or touch someone who is contagious, get their sweat on your hands, and then wipe your face. As well, it's very easy to not be aware of small cuts or abrasions that could let it into your skin elsewhere.

We have people here that are wanting us to stay out of Dallas and it's so crazy because it wont matter. One of my co workers was in Dallas yesterday at a doctors appointment and then there are the people that commute here from Dallas. If it is going to spread I'm sure it will find it's way here. Hopefully they have it contained. It is scary.

Transmission is so easy because lots of people don't follow basic hygiene rules. I read a study that says about 50% of people in US don't wash hands after using the bathroom and fecal matter can be found on most highly touched public surfaces. So door handles, supermarket carts, railings, elevator buttons, etc are teeming with viruses and bacteria. Basic hand washing on regular basis and avoiding touching face, nose, eyes, sticking hands into mouth will be able to prevent transmission. Even if you wash your hands regularly, most people don't realize how often they touch their face. Try to pay attention to your own actions and you'll be amazed at how easy it's to introduce viruses into your body.

 

[missy]

So they were just saying on TV that the guy in Dallas that has Ebola helped carry a women that was infected with Ebola to the hospital then carried her home again where she died. I wonder what body fluids were exchanged?

The fluids only have to go to a mucous membrane, and you've got those on your nostrils, eyelids, lips, etc. So it's very easy to, say, carry someone or touch someone who is contagious, get their sweat on your hands, and then wipe your face. As well, it's very easy to not be aware of small cuts or abrasions that could let it into your skin elsewhere.

We have people here that are wanting us to stay out of Dallas and it's so crazy because it wont matter. One of my co workers was in Dallas yesterday at a doctors appointment and then there are the people that commute here from Dallas. If it is going to spread I'm sure it will find it's way here. Hopefully they have it contained. It is scary.

Transmission is so easy because lots of people don't follow basic hygiene rules. I read a study that says about 50% of people in US don't wash hands after using the bathroom and fecal matter can be found on most highly touched public surfaces. So door handles, supermarket carts, railings, elevator buttons, etc are teeming with viruses and bacteria. Basic hand washing on regular basis and avoiding touching face, nose, eyes, sticking hands into mouth will be able to prevent transmission. Even if you wash your hands regularly, most people don't realize how often they touch their face. Try to pay attention to your own actions and you'll be amazed at how easy it's to introduce viruses into your body.

Yes and also people don't wash their hands properly. You have to wash it at least the amount of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice and then make sure to thoroughly dry your hands. Too many people come out of the rest room with damp hands. That means germy hands. Dry thoroughly!

 

[ksinger]

Annnnnd now not only do we find out that the Liberian national LIED on his exit documents to get here, now his exposed and possibly infected family in Texas has violated their orders to not go out of their apartment.

Now that truly TRULY pisses me off.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ebola-patients-family-ordered-stay-inside-leave/story?id=25912405

 

[Calliecake]

Annnnnd now not only do we find out that the Liberian national LIED on his exit documents to get here, now his exposed and possibly infected family in Texas has violated their orders to not go out of their apartment.

Now that truly TRULY pisses me off.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ebola-patients-family-ordered-stay-inside-leave/story?id=25912405

How frightening that one of his children went to school. The man lied to get into the country. Didn't we have anyone watching to make sure his family did not leave the apartment.

 

[JaneSmith]

Ebola is a nasty disease, and it is scary indeed to those who are close to it. If you are in Dallas, make sure you keep your hands washed, and don't touch your face 16 times per hour like we humans usually do.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=nicas%20347

Also, some perspective:

 

[iLander]

http://news.yahoo.com/u-nurses-unprepared-handle-ebola-patients-140327416.html

U.S. nurses say they are unprepared to handle Ebola patients

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has repeatedly said that U.S. hospitals are prepared to handle such patients. Many infectious disease experts agree with that assessment.

Dr. Edward Goodman, an infectious disease doctor at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas that is now caring for the first Ebola patient to be diagnosed in this country, believed his hospital was ready.

The hospital had completed Ebola training just before Thomas Eric Duncan arrived in their emergency department on Sept. 26. But despite being told that Duncan had recently traveled from Liberia, hospital staff failed to recognize the Ebola risk and sent him home, where he spent another two days becoming sicker and more infectious.

"The Texas case is a perfect example," said Micker Samios, a triage nurse in the emergency department at Medstar Washington Hospital Center, the largest hospital in the nation's capital.

"In addition to not being prepared, there was a flaw in diagnostics as well as communication," Samios said.

"When an Ebola patient is admitted or goes to the intensive care unit, those nurses, those tech service associates are not trained," she said. "The X-ray tech who comes into the room to do the portable chest X-ray is not trained. The transporter who pushes the stretcher is not trained."

If an Ebola patient becomes sick while being transported, "How do you clean the elevator?"

This, exactly. Anyone that has ever tried to get a large number of people on the same page, realizes how massive this problem really is. I feel like there are a bunch of people at the top, patting themselves on the back about how prepared they are, while people actually doing the work are shaking their heads. TYPICAL of any corporation or organization. But this time, it's not about profits, it's about lives.

 

[baby monster]

http://news.yahoo.com/u-nurses-unprepared-handle-ebola-patients-140327416.html

U.S. nurses say they are unprepared to handle Ebola patients

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has repeatedly said that U.S. hospitals are prepared to handle such patients. Many infectious disease experts agree with that assessment.

Dr. Edward Goodman, an infectious disease doctor at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas that is now caring for the first Ebola patient to be diagnosed in this country, believed his hospital was ready.

The hospital had completed Ebola training just before Thomas Eric Duncan arrived in their emergency department on Sept. 26. But despite being told that Duncan had recently traveled from Liberia, hospital staff failed to recognize the Ebola risk and sent him home, where he spent another two days becoming sicker and more infectious.

"The Texas case is a perfect example," said Micker Samios, a triage nurse in the emergency department at Medstar Washington Hospital Center, the largest hospital in the nation's capital.

"In addition to not being prepared, there was a flaw in diagnostics as well as communication," Samios said.

"When an Ebola patient is admitted or goes to the intensive care unit, those nurses, those tech service associates are not trained," she said. "The X-ray tech who comes into the room to do the portable chest X-ray is not trained. The transporter who pushes the stretcher is not trained."

If an Ebola patient becomes sick while being transported, "How do you clean the elevator?"

This, exactly. Anyone that has ever tried to get a large number of people on the same page, realizes how massive this problem really is. I feel like there are a bunch of people at the top, patting themselves on the back about how prepared they are, while people actually doing the work are shaking their heads. TYPICAL of any corporation or organization. But this time, it's not about profits, it's about lives.

I have a feeling that, just like in any profession, there are people who take their work seriously and are conscientious about following procedures and doing continuing education. Those are the true professionals that will do the right thing. But then there are people who do the absolute minimum to get a paycheck. How do you motivate those to get strict compliance when handling highly infectious cases? Training won't do it when workers don't care to do a good job.

 

[distracts]

"Dallas Newspaper Picks the Wrong Week for its "Taste of Africa Comes to Dallas!" Cover"



http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2014/10/dallas_newspaper_may_want_to_rethink_its_taste_of_africa_comes_to_dallas_cover.php

Dallas Observer's Unfair Park blog always brings us the best stuff in their "We Apologize In Advance For This Particular Item" tag. (See also: Liveblogs of our winter storms: http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2013/12/live_blog_winter_storm_cleon_i.php?page=all Trusty ole Dallas Observer bloggers, keeping us entertained in times of crisis. Or, uh, "crisis.")

 

[JaneSmith]

Ha! That is indeed an ironic timing for that cover.



Any hospital that is incapable of handling a patient who is ill with infectious bodily fluids should close its door. The are policies and procedures in place for handling patients on contact and droplet precautions. Freaking out about Ebola specifically will cause problems, realizing that we already have adequate PPE and knowledge about fluid borne infectious disease will ensure healthcare workers and support staff remain healthy.

 

[lyra]

Ha! That is indeed an ironic timing for that cover.



Any hospital that is incapable of handling a patient who is ill with infectious bodily fluids should close its door. The are policies and procedures in place for handling patients on contact and droplet precautions. Freaking out about Ebola specifically will cause problems, realizing that we already have adequate PPE and knowledge about fluid borne infectious disease will ensure healthcare workers and support staff remain healthy.

I absolutely agree. I'm a cautious person. I went ahead and checked out how Canada is going to handle this. I live somewhat near Toronto, which would be a likely place for an outbreak to begin. There are already designated hospitals specially set up to handle cases. I think there are 4 or 5. Every province has been handed down the precautionary measures. Training is ongoing. I'm not concerned that anything will get out of hand here. Yes, it's up to the staff to do their jobs with care. For the general public though, it seems like it shouldn't be something to worry about at this point. We've had 2 suspected cases that turned out to be negative. Both were handled with extreme care.

 

[TC1987]

Everyone blames the hospital and medical personnel for Thomas Eric Duncan begin released. But I blame Thomas Eric Duncan. After all, if the man had gone to the hospital and had immediately told the triage nurse and the ER physician THE FULL STORY about the deceased woman in Liberia and said "I think there's a good chance that I have ebola," I am 100% certain that his case would have been managed VERY differently. Duncan is either an arrogant or ignorant jerk, and he is very selfish. He was the ONLY person who knew what was really happening, and he didn't play fair. He could even have called the CDC about himself, but he didn't did he. So, if he perishes, he has himself to blame. He's a jerk.

 

[Trekkie]

Thanks Trekkie.
Most of us know very little about Africa.
We are lucky to have you here.

Thanks Kenny! I can't pretend to be an expert, but I hope I have shown a different side to Africa than the starving kids in the Unicef ads. Those kids do exist, btw. They're just not the only story.

Everyone blames the hospital and medical personnel for Thomas Eric Duncan begin released. But I blame Thomas Eric Duncan. After all, if the man had gone to the hospital and had immediately told the triage nurse and the ER physician THE FULL STORY about the deceased woman in Liberia and said "I think there's a good chance that I have ebola," I am 100% certain that his case would have been managed VERY differently. Duncan is either an arrogant or ignorant jerk, and he is very selfish. He was the ONLY person who knew what was really happening, and he didn't play fair. He could even have called the CDC about himself, but he didn't did he. So, if he perishes, he has himself to blame. He's a jerk.

I agree, not telling was a jackass move, but maybe he was in denial and thought he just had some other random illness? Maybe he was afraid he'd be deported? Either way, he's a bloody idiot.

I'm not particularly bothered by the thought of him dying. Sounds heartless, but meh.

I'm more worried about how many other people he might have infected.

 

[iLander]

Yes and also people don't wash their hands properly. You have to wash it at least the amount of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice and then make sure to thoroughly dry your hands. Too many people come out of the rest room with damp hands. That means germy hands. Dry thoroughly!

Wow, Missy, that is a long time! I tried it, and I don't think I've ever washed my hands that long.

But I will from now on. Thanks for excellent info, Missy!

 

[lyra]

Everyone blames the hospital and medical personnel for Thomas Eric Duncan begin released. But I blame Thomas Eric Duncan. After all, if the man had gone to the hospital and had immediately told the triage nurse and the ER physician THE FULL STORY about the deceased woman in Liberia and said "I think there's a good chance that I have ebola," I am 100% certain that his case would have been managed VERY differently. Duncan is either an arrogant or ignorant jerk, and he is very selfish. He was the ONLY person who knew what was really happening, and he didn't play fair. He could even have called the CDC about himself, but he didn't did he. So, if he perishes, he has himself to blame. He's a jerk.

Did you ever watch "House"? His "People lie!!" was prominent in every episode.

He shouldn't have been just released. I don't know the exact particulars of what happened in that hospital, but they should have been more aware and cautious. But then it gets muddy about civil liberties and such. What he did seems awful, absolutely. But did he think that if the hospital let him go, that meant he was not a danger? I've read that he was exhibiting symptoms. I don't understand, if that's true, why they'd just release him. That part doesn't make sense.

 

[Trekkie]

First confirmed case of Ebola contracted outside of Africa: m.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29514920

From the article:

"The 44-year-old woman is the first person to actually contract the disease outside of West Africa. Other cases in Spain – or more recently, the US – have been the result of individuals contracting the disease on the African continent and then traveling abroad."

 

[chemgirl]

Reading an article about the nurse from Spain and it says she was on vacation when she started feeling ill. I don't like the sound of that....

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The nurse contracted ebola by taking care of two people who had contracted it in West Africa, though.

Now seeing a photographer who was covering the ebola story in West Africa is being treated for Ebola in Nebraska.

My daughter went to east Africa this summer, and I am not sure I'd let her go at this point.

Incidentally, many flights from Africa go through Brussels. My daughter's did.

I think some flight restrictions need to be imposed in the affected countries.

 

[kenny]

IMO, rather In my very strong opinion, ALL passengers traveling from the epicenter of the outbreak must be instantly and fully isolated and quarantined for 21 days upon arrival.

That means everyone walks off the jet into an air-controlled tube connected directly into an isolated facility at the airport where they will live for 21 days.

Expensive, radical and it sucks for all the travelers, their families and employers, but it is the only way to contain this.
The virus is hitchhiking around the globe, laughing at our naivety.

Being nice and allowing as-yet symptom-free travelers from affected West Africa to mingle freely with their family, coworkers and the public DURING their 21-day incubation period is insanity!

Wouldn't want to be mean to anyone and take away their freedom for 3 weeks ... so ... Here we go.
Watch the yellow grow.

 

[chemgirl]

I don't understand why it isn't a requirement that healthcare workers who treat Ebola patients monitor themselves for fever and report to hospital immediately at the first sign of trouble.

The Spanish nurse first noticed a fever on September 30th, her patient died of Ebola on September 25th, and it took her until October 5th to seek help? Its hard to believe people can be that naive. I realize she was probably in denial, but who knows how many people she infected.

News still isn't disclosing where she traveled for her holiday, while contagious.

Eta: DH has a plague ap on his phone where you make up a disease and watch how fast it spreads. Kenny's map is reminding me of that game and its freaking me out!

 

[Trekkie]

I think some flight restrictions need to be imposed in the affected countries.

IMO, rather In my very strong opinion, ALL passengers traveling from the epicenter of the outbreak must be instantly and fully isolated and quarantined for 21 days upon arrival.

That means everyone walks off the jet into an air-controlled tube connected directly into an isolated facility at the airport where they will live for 21 days.

...

Being nice and allowing as-yet symptom-free travelers from affected West Africa to mingle freely with their family, coworkers and the public DURING their 21-day incubation period is insanity!

DS and Kenny, I completely agree with you.

As an FYI, the moment the outbreak in West Africa was confirmed, Saudi Arabia stopped issuing visas to people from the affected countries.

South Africa has banned travellers from Ebola affected countries from coming here since August (but not very effectively. Sigh).

Several airlines have suspended or reduced flights to affected countries, AGAINST advice from the WHO.

The WHO is concerned that if flights to affected countries are suspended or travellers from these countries banned from entering unaffected countries, aid workers won't be able to go to Ebola affected countries or be allowed to return home.

IMHO, aid workers KNOW the risk they are taking. They KNOW that many aid workers are dying of this disease. They need to know that they can take this disease back into the US or Europe and that it can kill people unless stricter measures are in place.

If nothing else, all returning aid workers should automatically be quarantined.

 

[kenny]

Here's an idea.
Use hospital ships to isolate and transport.
Passengers can travel away from affected countries, all on the Atlantic Coast, by specially-equipped hospital ships.
The boats should travel slowly enough for the voyage to take 21 days.

After 21 days everyone will be past the incubation period so there will be two types of passengers.
1. Healthy ones who are free to debark the ship and leave.
2. Infected ones, who can be kept on the hospital ship at sea till they recover, or not.

 

[Karl_K]

Here's an idea.
Use hospital ships to isolate and transport.
Passengers can travel away from affected countries, all on the Atlantic Coast, by specially-equipped hospital ships.
The boats should travel slowly enough for the voyage to take 21 days.

After 21 days everyone will be past the incubation period so there will be two types of passengers.
1. Healthy ones who are free to debark the ship and leave.
2. Infected ones, who can be kept on the hospital ship at sea till they recover, or not.

That has been tried and doesn't work.
Every time it ended up everyone on board ended up sick or dead then the ones that cleaned it up got sick and it made it worse.
It is impossible to keep any sort of isolation on a ship.
Someone with it on a cruise ship is a nightmare situation.