Friday, October 17, 2014

Ebola: Six Reasons to Panic

Via Jonathan


As a rule, one should not panic at whatever crisis has momentarily fixed the attention of cable news producers. But the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which has migrated to both Europe and America, may be the exception that proves the rule. There are at least six reasons that a controlled, informed panic might be in order.
 
(1) Start with what we know, and don’t know, about the virus. Officials from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other government agencies claim that contracting Ebola is relatively difficult because the virus is only transmittable by direct contact with bodily fluids from an infected person who has become symptomatic. Which means that, in theory, you can’t get Ebola by riding in the elevator with someone who is carrying the virus, because Ebola is not airborne.
 
This sounds reassuring. Except that it might not be true.

8 comments:

  1. And now that Antichrist Obama has decreed and a annointed a "Ebola Czar" , we can now relax, have a beer (or many) in the sure and certain knowledge that we are all totally screwed! This is going to be a Charlir Foxtrot of epic proportions. What could possibly go wrong when we have, Reid, Pelosie, Biden, Clinton, and Kerry in office.? Well, besides every single thing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What could possibly go wrong when we have, Reid, Pelosie, Biden, Clinton, and Kerry in office.?

      Not a worry in the world.......:)

      Delete
  2. "There are four strains of the Ebola virus that have caused outbreaks in human populations. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the current outbreak (known as Guinean EBOV, because it originated in Meliandou, Guinea, in late November 2013) is a separate clade “in a sister relationship with other known EBOV strains.” Meaning that this Ebola is related to, but genetically distinct from, previous known strains, and thus may have distinct mechanisms of transmission.".

    ------------------------

    This explains so much. Why the "experts" sound like they are talking out their ass. (besides that it's bureaucrats dictating and not actual science educated individuals)

    Nature is never static. Ebola is a virus. A small piece of RNA that picks up genetic information (as well as hitchhiking rides on bacteria) from whatever it infects, which cause mutations. This means that we can expect rate and vehicle of transmission to differ, as well as incubation and disease progression of symptoms to differ.

    They are basing their talking points on different variants of the same disease, without consideration of the chaos theory.

    (contd)


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This explains so much. Why the "experts" sound like they are talking out their ass. (besides that it's bureaucrats dictating and not actual science educated individuals)

      Agreed.

      Delete
  3. "Chaos is the science of surprises, of the nonlinear and the unpredictable. It teaches us to expect the unexpected. While most traditional science deals with supposedly predictable phenomena like gravity, electricity, or chemical reactions, Chaos Theory deals with nonlinear things that are effectively impossible to predict or control, like turbulence, weather, the stock market, our brain states, and so on. These phenomena are often described by fractal mathematics, which captures the infinite complexity of nature. Many natural objects exhibit fractal properties, including landscapes, clouds, trees, organs, rivers etc, and many of the systems in which we live exhibit complex, chaotic behavior. Recognizing the chaotic, fractal nature of our world can give us new insight, power, and wisdom. For example, by understanding the complex, chaotic dynamics of the atmosphere, a balloon pilot can “steer” a balloon to a desired location. By understanding that our ecosystems, our social systems, and our economic systems are interconnected, we can hope to avoid actions which may end up being detrimental to our long-term well-being."

    The people in power are the same ones who want us to think we (or they) can control the weather.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The people in power are the same ones who want us to think we (or they) can control the weather.

      :) Excellent point.

      Delete
  4. A visit to a Level 4 lab:

    http://vimeo.com/59246199

    The staff there are incredibly nice people to work with such horrible viruses and bacteria every day. Quite a facility!

    ReplyDelete