Thursday, October 16, 2014

Response to Ebola Outbreak

Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person to be infected with Ebola in the United States, died on the 8th of October after receiving 11 days of treatment. Two nurses came in contact with the infected patient, Amber Vinson and Nina Pham. Vinson Pham was diagnosed with Ebola the morning of October 15th. Before then, on the 10th MS. Vinson flew on a commercial plane even though she was supposed to be monitored. Who knows how many people Ms. Vinson came in contact with, how many people she could have infected.

The government needs to be more careful with this virus. Mr. Duncan came in contact with at least 70 workers at the hospital (BBC news). When an incredibly deadly virus is being treated in a hospital the workers should all have proper equipment, this means goggles, masks, full body suits, and gloves. We should do out best to contain the virus, but instead, due to the carelessness of some, we are spreading it. This disease is responsible for over 4,000 deaths in west Africa (BBC News). we can't let a virus like that damage our population that much. So what are we going to do?

In my opinion, since the virus is already in the US there is no use to do something irrational, and out of panic, like close of the borders from west Africa to the US. Instead we should put more effort into containing the virus, we need to have hospital staff in fully protective gear. We should also put more funding into the CDC and for scientific research, so that this kind of thing doesn't happen again.

According to BBC news here are a few ways to not catch Ebola

  • Avoid direct contact with sick patients as the virus is spread through contaminated body fluids
    • Wear goggles to protect eyes
    • Clothing and clinical waste should be incinerated and any medical equipment that needs to be kept should be decontaminated
    • People who recover from Ebola should abstain from sex or use condoms for three months
    There is no need to panic over something like this, but people should be aware that this is still a problem. The government needs to be more careful with this delicate situation. There needs to be more training done in hospitals and more money going into research for development of a cure.

    3 comments:

    1. I agree with not doing anything outrageous because of the virus' origin and I liked how you listed possible safety precautions to avoid ebola. Your post briefly summarized the entire situation with the virus in the USA that is now featured in hundreds of online articles while still giving plenty of information. Unlike many of the documents I've read featuring ebola and ridiculous solutions, this was very concise and educational.

      ReplyDelete
    2. I agree with your claim on how we shouldn't take drastic measures such as closing off the borders to contain this virus since it's already in the United States. I also agree with your claim that we should spend more money and training for the development of a cure. Overall, you stated many interesting and thought provoking claims that really helped your arguement.

      ReplyDelete
    3. I disagree with the fact that this is nothing to panic over because it really is. Ebola can spread very rapidly, as shown in Western Africa, and if enough infected people make it to the United states in different several different states, than that could very quickly become a huge problem. However, I do agree with you and your list of tips on not getting infected, it will be very helpful to everyone if Ebola does become a problem in the United States of America. I believe that your blog was very thought provoking and I enjoyed it a lot, even if i disagreed with part of it. I look forward to reading your next post.

      ReplyDelete