http://www.dcclothesline.com/2014/09/12/virologist-late-ebola-will-kill-5-million/
QuoteA top German virologist has caused shockwaves by asserting that it’s too late to halt the spread of Ebola in Sierra Leone and Liberia and that five million people will die, noting that efforts should now be focused on stopping the transmission of the virus to other countries.
Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit of the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg told Germany’s Deutsche Welle that hope is all but lost for the inhabitants of Sierra Leone and Liberia and that the virus will only “burn itself out†when it has infected the entire population and killed five million people.
“The right time to get this epidemic under control in these countries has been missed,†said Schmidt-Chanasit. “That time was May and June. “Now it is too late.â€
The current Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed over 2200 people, with Liberia and Sierra Leone accounting for over 1700 of those fatalities.
While calling for “massive help†from the international community to prevent Ebola appearing in other countries like Nigeria and Senegal, Schmidt-Chanasit warns that getting a grip on the epidemic in Liberia and Sierra Leone is a departure from reality.
German aid organization Welthungerhilfe blasted Schmidt-Chanasit for his comments, with Sierra Leone based coordinator Jochen Moninger labeling his statements, “dangerous and moreover, not correct.†However, Moninger acknowledged that Schmidt-Chanasit’s assessment may be accurate in the case of Liberia.
The World Health Organization refused to comment on Schmidt-Chanasit’s remarks.
Although Ebola continues to rage in five African countries, media coverage of the epidemic has waned, despite evidence that the virus has mutated.
As we reported last month, former FDA official Scott Gottlieb, M.D. warned that if the virus was to hit the United States, the CDC would enact emergency procedures which could lead to healthy Americans who show no symptoms of the diseased being forcibly detained for an indefinite period of time.
Scientists in Canada and Canada’s Public Health Agency have both acknowledged that the virus has likely gone airborne at least to a limited degree, while the CDC has urged airline staff to take steps to prevent the airborne spread of the virus, including giving suspected Ebola victims surgical masks as well as directing staff to “not use compressed air, which might spread infectious material through the air.â€
Liberia is 85% Christian, Sierra Leone 71% Muslim. Be interesting to see how that breaks down in terms of relief from the UN or the west, generally. Somehow I doubt there's going to be a huge amount of aid coming from Islamic countries for Sierra Leone. And no question Pat Robertson will be trumpeting how god is slaying sinners, ironic since he supposedly had or has a gold mine in Liberia.
No sweat. Jesus is coming.
I have no idea if he's right or wrong, but this is a very chilling thought. I thought Sierra Leone was already under quarantine. I also don't think an effective quarantine of any country is possible.
Shit... that's a bit worrying...
Hmmmmm---could Stephen King's "The Stand" be a survival guide???
Quote from: Mike Cl on September 14, 2014, 10:34:10 AM
Hmmmmm---could Stephen King's "The Stand" be a survival guide???
Only if you believe Pat Robertson is right.
Five million?
I like those odds.
So if you are a Liberian Christian who will get prayed for no doubt, how would you reconcile the deaths of relatives and friends, or the survival of people who aren't Christian? This is why religion is idiocy.
Otoh, African real estate may become available at a bargian price in the near future......
Quote from: stromboli on September 14, 2014, 11:27:39 AM
Otoh, African real estate may become available at a bargian price in the near future......
Alright!
Jonestown II
Electric Skoodilypoo.
I wonder if they'll use poisoned Kool-Aid again or just use diet soda.
Quote from: stromboli on September 14, 2014, 11:27:39 AM
So if you are a Liberian Christian who will get prayed for no doubt, how would you reconcile the deaths of relatives and friends, or the survival of people who aren't Christian? This is why religion is idiocy.
Unfortunately, those who will survive this catastrophe will continue to hold on to their illusions. The other day I was watching a movie - THERE BE DRAGONS - that took place during the Spanish civil war, in which the Left went on killing senselessly priests - just to underlie that both the Right and the Left are capable of committing atrocities - and I couldn't help thinking how senseless these people died in a war, considering that Spain today is a democratic monarchy, mainly catholic. It doesn't matter what catastrophe - war or Ebola - people senselessly cling to their illusions.
Quote from: josephpalazzo on September 14, 2014, 11:43:32 AM
Unfortunately, those who will survive this catastrophe will continue to hold on to their illusions. The other day I was watching a movie - THERE BE DRAGONS - that took place during the Spanish civil war, in which the Left went on killing senselessly priests - just to underlie that both the Right and the Left are capable of committing atrocities - and I couldn't help thinking how senseless these people died in a war, considering that Spain today is a democratic monarchy, mainly catholic. It doesn't matter what catastrophe - war or Ebola - people senselessly cling to their illusions.
Unfortunately, you are correct.
I have always marveled at the fact that the sheeple of religion just don't let facts get in the way of whatever belief they have at the moment. The Millerites are a great example of that---
William Miller is perhaps the most famous false prophet in history. In the 1840s he began to preach about the world's end, saying Jesus Christ would return for the long-awaited Second Coming and that Earth would be engulfed in fire sometime between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844. He circulated his message in public gatherings and by using the technologies of the day â€" posters, printed newsletters and charts. Moved by those messages, as many as 100,000 "Millerites" sold their belongings between 1840 and 1844 and took to the mountains to wait for the end. When that end didn't come, Miller changed the date to Oct. 22. When Oct. 23 rolled around, his loyal followers explained it away yet again and went on to form the Seventh-day Adventist movement.
Facts and reason is a foreign language to the religious.
Um, this is pretty damn scary. I read "The Hot Zone" many years ago, and it is one of the most interesting and frightening non-fiction books I have ever read. If it really has gone airborne, even to a limited degree, the scientisct is right, this could kill millions.
So all those ebola-ridden Mexican kids will come across our border and kill us all...just like the damn republicunts say!
(http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab153/tarkar/Panic.gif)
Quote from: Minimalist on September 14, 2014, 02:23:30 PM
So all those ebola-ridden Mexican kids will come across our border and kill us all...just like the damn republicunts say!
(http://i859.photobucket.com/albums/ab153/tarkar/Panic.gif)
Let's hope Texas is their destination.
Sometimes, only sometimes, I hope it reaches US soil so all those assholes who say shit like "why are we helping them? that's their problem hur dur har har har!" would start shitting themselves.
Quote from: The Skeletal Atheist on September 14, 2014, 04:35:30 PM
Sometimes, only sometimes, I hope it reaches US soil so all those assholes who say shit like "why are we helping them? that's their problem hur dur har har har!" would start shitting themselves.
And I have a feeling the same people- especially the John Hagees and Pat Robertsons- will make sure and not be anywhere near when that occurs. Benny Hin will be on indefinite hiatus.
Quote from: SGOS on September 14, 2014, 06:42:45 AM
I have no idea if he's right or wrong, but this is a very chilling thought. I thought Sierra Leone was already under quarantine. I also don't think an effective quarantine of any country is possible.
The only way to contain a nation, even a small one, is to a) have advanced warning of outbreak, b) block all routes from country, c) sink every ship, destroy every plan to prevent it from traveling. Everyone that flees from the country would have to die just to have the chance of keeping it in, no chance if it's in a big one
It's not impossible, but it's not easy, and it's unethical to the extreme
Quote from: GrinningYMIR on September 14, 2014, 06:18:10 PM
The only way to contain a nation, even a small one, is to a) have advanced warning of outbreak, b) block all routes from country, c) sink every ship, destroy every plan to prevent it from traveling. Everyone that flees from the country would have to die just to have the chance of keeping it in, no chance if it's in a big one
It's not impossible, but it's not easy, and it's unethical to the extreme
Depending on how extreme this is we may have to take extreme measures. That gets into an area with more international travelers and we're pretty fucked.
Like I said, Quarantine would evolve to armed Quarantine, where entire regions are shut off and Kill orders are sent on everything and anything that goes in or out, just to keep it all in. Even planes and people that had traveled to the area pre outbreak would more than likely be at risk, at the very least, major cities with international ports and airways would be shut down until it was determined whether or not it was infected
Quote from: stromboli on September 14, 2014, 04:06:06 PM
Let's hope Texas is their destination.
Can we build a bubble around Austin to San Marcos, since we are more European in culture than even the liberal American states?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXsPqUFsArM
Quote from: stromboli on September 14, 2014, 11:27:39 AM
So if you are a Liberian Christian who will get prayed for no doubt, how would you reconcile the deaths of relatives and friends, or the survival of people who aren't Christian? This is why religion is idiocy.
Otoh, African real estate may become available at a bargian price in the near future......
At the rate the African population is increasing, losing 5 million won't slow 'em down much. There will probably be around 750 million more people living on that continent by 2040.
Yeah, by all means keep pumping out those kids. The dark side of that is bigger populations living in impoverished or economically fragile societies are also the perfect target for pandemics, without strong immunization and a strong health care system, viruses have a natural hunting ground. Given an airborne vector, goodbye population. If Ebola has gone airborne, good luck stopping it. I don't personally see an upside to it. And since Ebola was discovered, this was an accident waiting to happen.
The sad fact but one that is very much a time bomb with humanity is given how much human beings populate the planet, things like tidal waves, earthquakes tornado's, volcano's, storms, drought and disease, it will always target people, because of how many there are.
People die of natural disasters because they are there, and unless the human species was in the region of something like the Bengal tigers numbers, its unlikely for it to avoid being killed by nature.
Quote from: Munch on September 16, 2014, 03:25:21 PM
The sad fact but one that is very much a time bomb with humanity is given how much human beings populate the planet, things like tidal waves, earthquakes tornado's, volcano's, storms, drought and disease, it will always target people, because of how many there are.
People die of natural disasters because they are there, and unless the human species was in the region of something like the Bengal tigers numbers, its unlikely for it to avoid being killed by nature.
No question. Population increase is definitely a huge factor in any pandemic or as mentioned, any natural disaster. The irony is that, prior to the Renaissance, the earth's population was mostly static between high birth rates and high death rates. The microscope and other discoveries changed all that. Progress made us healthier and longer lived, and conversely gave us the situation that led to massive plague, influenza and Smallpox pandemics. You can also thank the ideology that encourages creating more children and simultaneously not providing modern sanitation and medicine to combat it.
It often makes me wonder how long human beings can last against nature before nature wins. We have the mind to overcoming what nature throws at us, but nature tries to adapt to get past it, like disease does with mutating. Also given the resources humans use up (I'm not a hippie but its obvious how far this goes) from the natural world, when something important runs out and can't be simulated, what then?
200 years ago, things like insulin had not yet been discovered, so anyone diagnosed with it would be dead within a short time of it happening. As a diabetic, I wouldn't be alive today if not for them discovering how to simulate insulin, so by natures own law I should be dead already, but here I am 33 years older and now questioning if its right for so many people to exist? O.o
Yeah I feel kinda shameless in that regard.
The Red Queen Effect. Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.
There is always an evolutionary arms race between parasite and host. The earth being a host and us being the parasite in this example. One gets ahead, then the other. The earth will prevail, and unless there is a seriously large and relatively sudden change in environmental conditions, so will we. Until we don't.
I doubt a virus is what will wipe out mankind.
Quote from: Mermaid on September 16, 2014, 08:10:05 PM
I doubt a virus is what will wipe out mankind.
Wipe us out? Probably not. Send us back to the stone age? Possibly. Kill a bunch (tens or even hundreds of millions) of people and destroy the world economy. Failing some miracle advance in medicine probably if we haven't already done it to ourselves first.
Plus let's not forget about bacteria, zombie fungus, asteroids and comets, alien invasions, gamma ray bursts, and the possible meta stability of the universe as well as virus... Lots of bullets out there. One of them might have our race if not our whole planet on it.
Oh man, I forgot about the zombie fungus.
Meh. What're you gonna do.
Quote from: Jmpty on September 16, 2014, 09:19:07 PM
Meh. What're you gonna do.
Bleed out of every orifice.
Quote from: Jmpty on September 16, 2014, 09:19:07 PM
Meh. What're you gonna do.
Sooner or later we all turn into our Jewish grandparents.
I wonder how many cases of ebola there are that have made it to the West. You know, the people that visit those areas and bring it home and are recognized and treated, all without the public knowing.
I know they've had cases where the shits come over and they were treated all very hush hush in order to avoid hysteria, wouldn't surprise me if its happened now
Quote from: GrinningYMIR on September 17, 2014, 08:03:26 AM
I wonder how many cases of ebola there are that have made it to the West. You know, the people that visit those areas and bring it home and are recognized and treated, all without the public knowing.
I know they've had cases where the shits come over and they were treated all very hush hush in order to avoid hysteria, wouldn't surprise me if its happened now
If you guys on this board have not read The Stand, but Mr. King, you might read the first part, especially if you want to scare yourself. :) A virus escapes a government research facility and spreads around the world fairly quickly. The symptoms are quite like the ebola symptoms; flu like and you die in 3/4 days. Most of the world dies; this happens at the beginning of the book; first 75 or so pages I think. The rest of the book deals with what the few survivors do. If one is so inclined read the unabridged version. Another, older, book, The Earth Abides (author eludes me), deals with the same topic. A guy is in the deep mountains and he is bitten by a rattlesnake . He barely recovers, and it takes him a week. When he returns to 'civilization' he does not find anybody alive. According to some newspaper headlines an unknown virus was on the rampage. The rest of the book deals with him finding the few survivors and their struggles to live on. Both great books--at least I liked them.
We tend to think we will win the battle with nature, because man has done fairly well and survived for the last 50,000 or so years. And while that's nothing but a heartbeat on a geological scale, it's all we know. But 50,000 years doesn't establish a track record, and it gives us little to go on. We have yet to deal with a cosmic "bullet", although we have warded off plenty of mosquitoes during our short reign.
We can be fairly assured that life will survive for another millions of years, but we are a species, and the overwhelming outcome for species is to become extinct. Turtles have done unusually well, however. But we aren't turtles. In fact, we might be the death of the hearty turtles too, but wiping out other species equates only to dominance, not permanence.
Survivors, a British TV show
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivors_(2008_TV_series)
was about the survivors of a world wide influenza pandemic. Interesting show imo. And I also read The Stand. I personally think that people are tuned in enough to the concept of a pandemic that should it happen, we would be smart enough to deal with it properly. And no government wants to be the one that allows massive citizen deaths. Hopefully we are smart enough to apply preventive measures before we ever get to that point.
That said, something as virulent as Ebola or a super strain of influenza with an airborne vector would be devastating. Ebola has an incubation period of from 2 to 21 days, with people showing symptoms after 8-10 days. Therefore the potential to spread it is high, with people not knowing they have a disease. An airborne vector with a long incubation period and the potential transmission scenarios are scary. One person carrying the disease in an airport could transmit the disease internationally in a short time- which was the scenario for the Survivors TV show.
I remember watching it Stromboli an while it was a gd show i thought it a wee bit scary imagining something similar happening in real life.
There must be loads of deadly bugs in secure labs all over the world and it only takes one nutcase to start it off, then its Pandemic time and panic everywhere.
Lets hope it never happens, but you never know...
My family leased a 1600 acre property in the south Texas desert for 20 years and the owner just sold it last week. I hope I don't have to confiscate it. If I do, you are all welcome to visit my Ebola free desert utopia, just stay on the highway. I'll wave.
I know just about every high country camp site in Utah and Idaho. I can hide if necessary.
If there is an upside to ebola is that it really is hard to catch--harder to catch than aids. It is not airborne. To get it, you have to be exposed to bodily fluids. Apparently the culture of those countries encourages physical contact in many social situations and when people are sick. So, always wear gloves--and if somebody is about to sneeze, run or stuff a rag into their mouth.
I am going to put up an "Ebola Free Zone" sign in my front yard because you know, the "gun free zone" signs worked so well