Walkabout Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Let's keep this in perspective. The Spanish Flu pandemic [1918-1919] killed an estimated 20-40 million people ! more than were killed in WW1 . Theses were not elderly or sickly starving people, but strong , health people in their prime . It killed more in one year than the 4 years of the Black Death Bubonic Plague . https://virus.stanford.edu/uda/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthnut Posted August 28, 2014 Author Share Posted August 28, 2014 Naturally, my concern is it may be happening again, but with a different plague, now Ebola. It's spreading and not under control, and no telling where it will lead. Now WHO is saying it COULD infect 20,000 people. And that number is just West Africa. "....the U.N. health agency said on Thursday, warning that an international effort costing almost half a billion dollars is needed to overcome the outbreak." "So far 3,069 cases have been reported in the outbreak but the WHO said the actual number in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria could already be two to four times higher." Right now there are 70 people, that they know of, under observation, after being in contact with Patrick Sawyer who died in Lagos after flying in from Liberia. Years ago they didn't have the ease of travel we have today, and all it takes is one person on one airplane. I hope and pray they nip this in the bud soon, or we are in for another plague. Yesterday they announced there's a West Nile case now in Oklahoma. Yeesh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walkabout Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 yes, definitely worry about West Nile and Lyme disease. Where you live even Hantavirus pose a much greater threat than Ebola . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seesthru Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 We have Chikungunya and Dengue, two new mosquito borne illnesses to add to west Nile virus, Eastern equine encephalitis, and malaria here in northwest Florida. add to that Vibrio Vulnificus, which is more common now since the oil spill and the dispersants they spread on it.. And you have a lovely disease soup here! Yeah, that vibrio is ten times more concentrated in tarballs than is normally found, and overall the concentration of vibrio ( flesh eating stuff) is higher since the spill. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walkabout Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 VEE [ venezuela equine encephlo] is much more deadly to humans tan WEE [western] or EEE [eastern] and luckily there has not been a major outbreak in a long time. chikungunya update. https://www.star-telegram.com/2014/08/27/6072837/fort-worth-resident-is-the-second.html?rh=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthnut Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 Here's an interesting excerpt from the article that Walkabout posted explaining the difference between West Nile and Chikungunya ~ Spread by mosquitoes, Chikungunya causes fever and severe joint pain. Unlike the West Nile virus, in which only 20 percent of those bitten develop symptoms, 90 percent of those bitten by mosquitoes carrying Chikungunya have symptoms. But Chikungunya can be spread only when infected humans are bitten by mosquitoes. West Nile is present in the local bird population. Chikungunya is an African word meaning “that which bends up,” referring to the joint pain the virus causes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walkabout Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 when I lived on my 'little house on the prairie ' I would see dead flickers [ related to woodpeckers] and thought it was local kids or pesticides . Turns out they are a common source of West Nile and even the dead birds are a source for mosquitoes to feed off of . All dead birds need to be disposed of , do not handle as they carry salmonella and E coli too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthnut Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 Ebola hits fifth W. African state as Senegal confirms first case https://news.yahoo.com/senegal-reports-first-case-ebola-health-ministry-130949860.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthnut Posted September 1, 2014 Author Share Posted September 1, 2014 Health workers death toll mounts in W.Africa as Ebola spreads Nigeria on Sunday confirmed a fresh case of Ebola in a doctor whose husband died from the virus, adding to a growing list of those providing healthcare in West Africa to be hit by the epidemic. https://news.yahoo.com/widow-nigerias-sixth-ebola-victim-virus-135345158.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthnut Posted September 2, 2014 Author Share Posted September 2, 2014 Another American medical missionary has Ebola https://news.yahoo.com/another-american-medical-missionary-has-ebola-173553117.html Liberian doctors strike, food prices spike as West Africa struggles to contain Ebola outbreak (With Video) https://news.yahoo.com/liberia-doctors-strike-u-n-warns-food-shortages-140846320--sector.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now