Unless you live under a rock, or
perhaps in a college dorm, you’ll have heard that Monday, September 30th, the
CDC confirmed that there is now a case of Ebola in the United States.
Thomas Duncan left Liberia and came
to Dallas, Texas. On the 24th, Duncan began feeling symptoms of Ebola.
Duncan went to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital on September 26th, where he
was misdiagnosed and sent back home (NBC News/ Nature World News). Texas Health
Presbyterian Hospital has not lived up to safety standards in the past. Many
patients the hospital discharges come back within 30 days. Nonetheless, Duncan
is now under care of the hospital, which reports him to be in a “serious, but
stable condition.”
There are two other cases of
patients with “Ebola-like symptoms.” One is in Washington DC at Howard
University Hospital. This patient is said to have recently traveled to Nigeria.
The hospital is moving forward with “an abundance of caution” including
isolating the patient. The second case is in Rockville, Maryland at Shady
Groves Hospital. The patient is also in isolation. So far there are less
details about this case since it is fairly new.
Back in West Africa, health
officials are being attacked while trying to properly bury infected bodies. The
people who live in affected countries seem to have a number of ideas ranging
from denial of Ebola to belief that health officials are actually causing
Ebola. Sadly, this puts many volunteers and health officials at even more risk
than just being exposed to the disease itself.
There is an experimental treatment
and vaccine in trial right now. Canada’s Public Health Agency has promised to
help vaccinate West Africans in the coming weeks. There are now between 800 and
1000 vaccines that are almost ready for distribution. The World Health
Organization is organizing how best to transport and distribute the vaccines. However,
there is a dispute over intellectual property. The Public Health Agency has to
deal with NewLink Genetics, the company that owns commercialization rights of
the vaccine. They are both under pressure because the number of Ebola victims
doubles every 3 weeks.
With the fear of Ebola running high
right now, many people have taken a slightly satirical spin on things.
So, unless your only food source is
fruit bats, those of you living under a rock are probably safe.
Sources:
http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/9287/20141001/cdc-confirms-ebola.htm
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Patient-With-Ebola-Like-Symptoms-Being-Treated-at-Howard-University-Hospital-278025181.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/10/03/howard-university-ebola-symptoms-patient-admitted-nigeria/16645717/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/ebola-vaccine-for-west-africa-still-in-canada-6-weeks-after-it-was-promised-1.2776627
This I think is one of your strongest posts. It's well written and it has some personality behind it. The post itself is an interesting read. It's unfortunate that Ebola has found its way into the states. I hope we can figure out a way to fight it soon. My only criticism is that you never really explained what Ebola is. Those who live under a rock still wont know what Ebola is if they read this post. Other than that, it's a solid effort. Good job!
ReplyDeleteEdit: I just read your last post so my criticism is a a bit weaker now. Though for new readers it still would be nice if you put a quick recap in there for information sake.
DeleteTo a certain extent, I think it is unfortunate that there is an ongoing dispute regarding intellectual property. The stakes are just too high. I do hope that everything is sorted out quickly because 1000 vaccines is far from enough. Just like you stated, the number of Ebola victims doubles every 3 weeks.
ReplyDelete