Philosophy Discussion Forums | A Humans-Only Club for Open-Minded Discussion & Debate

[Philosophy Explorer]

So far, at least two healthcare workers got the disease in spite of being properly dressed along with any other precautions they may have taken.

WHO is now saying the outbreak has been grossly underestimated with over 1,000 people dead from the disease.

Will this disease be contained in Africa?

PhilX

[Khanya solvitt]

Hopefully yes, but in spite of them telling us it is not easy to catch and that it is unlikely for one to catch the virus by sitting next to someone contagious on a plane, it is not a difficult virus to catch! For some reason I can find no record of an outbreak that happened in the early ‘80’s when a tourist visited the Posberg Nature Reserve outside Cape Town in South Africa. She had been bitten by a tick and assumed she had tick bite fever. She didn’t. She had Ebola and died.

A newly married friend of mine was distraught as her doctor husband was put into isolation and quarantined along with his friend who was a specialist. Both had treated the patient and I would assume to have taken the necessary precautions. My friend’s husband was fine. His friend, the father of four small children, died! It was quick and devastating and a horrible way to go. I seem to remember another care giver died as well which shows it is highly contagious.

[Philosophy Explorer]

The news about containment is worse than I thought. The Great Plague depleted Europe of over a third of its population or that's what history was saying for over 20 years. Now they're calling it the Black Death which was worldwide which wiped out up to 90% of the population in certain areas and lasted well beyond the Middle Ages.

Will the Ebola outbreak be a repeat?

PhilX

[Obvious Leo]

Will the Ebola outbreak be a repeat?

Unlikely, Phil. The Black Death was spread through a bacterium, yersinia pestis, via rat bites in a world of appalling squalor and poor hygiene. It was extremely contagious because the vector carriers were everywhere. Nowadays a short course of antibiotics would clear it up in a matter of days.

Ebola is a virus and it's quite true that its method of transmission makes it relatively non-contagious if adequate prophylactic measures are taken. This doesn't mean that such measures will be foolproof, however, as has repeatedly been shown with the HIV virus. Having said this, it is still vitally important that all possible measures be taken to contain the spread of this disease because not much is actually known about the ebolavirus. Viruses can evolve very quickly as they spread throughout a community and there is no reason to suppose that its method of transmission will remain the same. They can also jump between species and if that happens all hell can break loose with their future evolution.

This is a very serious problem which requires urgent international attention. It also requires us to admire the courage of those volunteers who are willing to expose themselves to such dire risks in the service of their fellow man.

Regards Leo

[Philosophy Explorer]

Authorities are now saying that due to poverty, that's why the Ebola outbreak is so bad this time around. Does this mean that West Africa has gotten poorer?

PhilX

[DarwinX]

All you need to stop the so called Ebola outbreak is to get electricity into Africa and some refrigerators. All disease is the result of rotting meat or chemical poisoning. There is no such thing as a contagious disease. This is just medical system propaganda to get funding for bogus research and to fund holidays for scientists in exotic locations.

-- Updated August 27th, 2014, 2:44 pm to add the following --

The news about containment is worse than I thought. The Great Plague depleted Europe of over a third of its population or that's what history was saying for over 20 years. Now they're calling it the Black Death which was worldwide which wiped out up to 90% of the population in certain areas and lasted well beyond the Middle Ages.

Will the Ebola outbreak be a repeat?

PhilX

No, the Great Plague was the result of volcanic activity which caused poisonous clouds to deposit hazardous chemicals and block out sun light for a long period of time. Note - A period of great posterity followed the plague. Due the rich sediments left by the volcanic ash.