Ebola In Thailand..... Are You Prepared?

[thailiketoo]

of course they are counted as tourists....

And surely there are also tourists.....

Even if there aren't many if you exclude a complete region it will show in the statistics.

But well maybe I am just thinking too much and Thailand is just not doing anything because the responsible person don't know about Ebola and can't find Africa on the map.....

Public Health Minister Ratchata Ratchatanavin said today that the cabinet also endorsed the ministry’s plan to step up assistance to three western African countries hard hit by Ebola namely Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Lione as requested by the World Health Organisation and the United Nations.

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/cabinet-endorses-guidelines-deal-ebola-thailand/

[wackybacky]

The big question on everyone's lips is this within CDC protocol or was it in relation to the lack of protocol on the behalf of CDC.

To be quite honest.... CDC protocol should be a total ban on all flights from west Africa..... we will see this happen soon, but as normal..... trying to stop an earthquake while it is happening, and then blaming all failures onto others.

The real facts are that all the CDC have done since being first told in December last year is to tell hospitals in the USA 'to gear up'..... Well I am sorry but that is not good enough.

The CDC have been caught napping and they deserve the blame for an outbreak on US soil.

The only thing that the CDC has authority in and could be held solely responsible for is not quarantining sick people entering the US.

The CDC (federal organization) is responsible for acting to prevent entry of communicable diseases into the US, quarantine people that are sick at the time of entry. It is also mandated to take measures to prevent spread of communicable diseases between states. So protocols on flying after exposure would be within their domain. They MAY assist state and local authorities in preventing the spread of communicable diseases. The CDC are not the ones in charge of local hospital protocols. If the CDC has higher recommended standards than the hospital, it would be wise for the hospital to follow CDC recommendations. The CDC does not have authority over local hospitals. If the hospital has higher standards than the CDC then all the better.

Basically, it is the local hospital and potentially state authorities in charge of that hospital that are to blame for the poor response of the hospital to this crisis. They have shown themselves to be extremely incompetent in dealing with infections diseases. So incompetent that if I were them I would be worried that this lapse may just be too financially burdensome to survive after the eventual lawsuits are launched.

I think people are overstating the CDCs mandate.

Thanks for the solid info on the CDC's role in all this.

I assumed there were protocols put in place with the first responders and hospitals which was a list of CDC guidelines that hospitals MUST adhere to. I also watched a video I can't find now because I have watched so many, but it was an infowars.com video from last month that showed an official CDC document listing guidelines for aircraft crews and cleaning staff saying that flight crew must issue masks if they suspect any of the passengers are infected... Here is the shocker.... 'To prevent the spread of saliva particles in the air'.....

The Very same CDC who say it is not airborne and can not become airborne. They even went on to say they would 'prosecute' anyone breeching their protocols.

Hospital staff are actually engaged in protests on the streets because they say a list of guidelines is not enough and that the CDC should actually be training the staff. They are being very critical of the CDC. while at the same time the CDC are being very critical of the healthcare workers.

Meanwhile while everyone are criticizing each other, this disease is spreading. The CDC are in control of stopping it spreading, and it is still spreading... The CDC have been alerted about this outbreak since December 2013 and only now are they starting to do stuff, and they haven't even done the most basic, fundamental thing..... STOP FLIGHTS FROM WEST AFRICA. Surely that should be number one protocol.

CDC are being reactionary instead of preventative. There shouldn't even be ebola infected people walking into US hospitals.

[Sheryl]

The alarmist picture you paint does not accord with the opinions of any Health Agency I am aware of, nor with the facts of the disease.

It is spread only by direct contact with the bodily fluids of people (or bats, the natural host) who are not only infected but already symptomatic. It cannot be spread by casual contact; it requires direct contact with blood, vomit, stool, urine etc.

The biggest risk is to people who provide physical care to persons ill with it. In more developed countries this is pretty much limited to hospital staff.

In very undeveloped countries such as those where the outbreak is centered, and people often remain home when acutely ill and/or family members provide much of the nursing care even when a patient is hospitalized, it extends to family members and close friends. Aslo, in very undeveloped countrees where needles are reused between patients and infection control measures poor to nonexistant, there is risk to other patients in the same health facility. In addition, funeral customs in Africa (which include family and friends bathing the corpse) are a big source of infection.

The only infections acquired in developed countries to date have been in health care workers who had direct contact with an acutely ill Ebola patients.

If it does not get contained soon in Africa, then sooner or later it is indeed likely that infected people will pop up in Thailand and elsewhere. This will not, however, lead to a massive outbreak for the reasons just explained, though it could infect a small number of frontline health care workers, as ti has in the US and Europe.

There is cause to be concerned for the welfare of health care workers in Thailand but no cause at all that I can see to fear a wild pandemic here.

The kind of scenario the OP describes, to happen outside of very undeveloped countries with really poor sanitation, would need an airborne illness, such as the turn of the last century Spanish flu. . Not going to happen with Ebola.

"WHO does not recommend that any travel or trade restrictions be applied with respect to this event." http://www.who.int/csr/don/2014_04_ebola/en/

[Jingthing]

Interesting wrinkle.

I have read that those who survive are being told (especially the men) to avoid unprotected sex for as long as several months after recovering. In other words, they still may be infectious that way.

If that is true, while hopefully this current flareup can be put out in Africa, it seems very likely that the Ebola virus per se is going to be with humanity for a long, long time.

Edited October 16, 2014 by Jingthing

[thailiketoo]

The alarmist picture you paint does not accord with the opinions of any Health Agency I am aware of, nor with the facts of the disease.

It is spread only by direct contact with the bodily fluids of people (or bats, the natural host) who are not only infected but already symptomatic. It cannot be spread by casual contact; it requires direct contact with blood, vomit, stool, urine etc.

The biggest risk is to people who provide physical care to persons ill with it. In more developed countries this is pretty much limited to hospital staff.

In very undeveloped countries such as those where the outbreak is centered, and people often remain home when acutely ill and/or family members provide much of the nursing care even when a patient is hospitalized, it extends to family members and close friends. Aslo, in very undeveloped countrees where needles are reused between patients and infection control measures poor to nonexistant, there is risk to other patients in the same health facility. In addition, funeral customs in Africa (which include family and friends bathing the corpse) are a big source of infection.

The only infections acquired in developed countries to date have been in health care workers who had direct contact with an acutely ill Ebola patients.

If it does not get contained soon in Africa, then sooner or later it is indeed likely that infected people will pop up in Thailand and elsewhere. This will not, however, lead to a massive outbreak for the reasons just explained, though it could infect a small number of frontline health care workers, as ti has in the US and Europe.

There is cause to be concerned for the welfare of health care workers in Thailand but no cause at all that I can see to fear a wild pandemic here.

The kind of scenario the OP describes, to happen outside of very undeveloped countries with really poor sanitation, would need an airborne illness, such as the turn of the last century Spanish flu. . Not going to happen with Ebola.

"WHO does not recommend that any travel or trade restrictions be applied with respect to this event." http://www.who.int/csr/don/2014_04_ebola/en/

If an infected person sneezes on you can you get ebola?

[partington]

The alarmist picture you paint does not accord with the opinions of any Health Agency I am aware of, nor with the facts of the disease.

It is spread only by direct contact with the bodily fluids of people (or bats, the natural host) who are not only infected but already symptomatic. It cannot be spread by casual contact; it requires direct contact with blood, vomit, stool, urine etc.

The biggest risk is to people who provide physical care to persons ill with it. In more developed countries this is pretty much limited to hospital staff.

In very undeveloped countries such as those where the outbreak is centered, and people often remain home when acutely ill and/or family members provide much of the nursing care even when a patient is hospitalized, it extends to family members and close friends. Aslo, in very undeveloped countrees where needles are reused between patients and infection control measures poor to nonexistant, there is risk to other patients in the same health facility. In addition, funeral customs in Africa (which include family and friends bathing the corpse) are a big source of infection.

The only infections acquired in developed countries to date have been in health care workers who had direct contact with an acutely ill Ebola patients.

If it does not get contained soon in Africa, then sooner or later it is indeed likely that infected people will pop up in Thailand and elsewhere. This will not, however, lead to a massive outbreak for the reasons just explained, though it could infect a small number of frontline health care workers, as ti has in the US and Europe.

There is cause to be concerned for the welfare of health care workers in Thailand but no cause at all that I can see to fear a wild pandemic here.

The kind of scenario the OP describes, to happen outside of very undeveloped countries with really poor sanitation, would need an airborne illness, such as the turn of the last century Spanish flu. . Not going to happen with Ebola.

"WHO does not recommend that any travel or trade restrictions be applied with respect to this event." http://www.who.int/csr/don/2014_04_ebola/en/

Thank you! A rational knowledgable view to counteract the slightly ridiculous scaremongering.

[wackybacky]

The alarmist picture you paint does not accord with the opinions of any Health Agency I am aware of, nor with the facts of the disease.

It is spread only by direct contact with the bodily fluids of people (or bats, the natural host) who are not only infected but already symptomatic. It cannot be spread by casual contact; it requires direct contact with blood, vomit, stool, urine etc.

The biggest risk is to people who provide physical care to persons ill with it. In more developed countries this is pretty much limited to hospital staff.

In very undeveloped countries such as those where the outbreak is centered, and people often remain home when acutely ill and/or family members provide much of the nursing care even when a patient is hospitalized, it extends to family members and close friends. Aslo, in very undeveloped countrees where needles are reused between patients and infection control measures poor to nonexistant, there is risk to other patients in the same health facility. In addition, funeral customs in Africa (which include family and friends bathing the corpse) are a big source of infection.

The only infections acquired in developed countries to date have been in health care workers who had direct contact with an acutely ill Ebola patients.

If it does not get contained soon in Africa, then sooner or later it is indeed likely that infected people will pop up in Thailand and elsewhere. This will not, however, lead to a massive outbreak for the reasons just explained, though it could infect a small number of frontline health care workers, as ti has in the US and Europe.

There is cause to be concerned for the welfare of health care workers in Thailand but no cause at all that I can see to fear a wild pandemic here.

The kind of scenario the OP describes, to happen outside of very undeveloped countries with really poor sanitation, would need an airborne illness, such as the turn of the last century Spanish flu. . Not going to happen with Ebola.

"WHO does not recommend that any travel or trade restrictions be applied with respect to this event." http://www.who.int/csr/don/2014_04_ebola/en/

Thanks for all the info we already know.

But the main issue is that it is not confined to health workers, it has been suggested by several experts that the war in Africa has already been long lost. Everything now won't help at all because of the exponential growth rate in the general population. It has also been suggested that this will spread to other areas of Africa. The more counties it infects, the greater the risk of it getting to countries off the African continent.

Basically it is just logical that if this scales up inside Africa, it will scale up outside Africa. The exponential growth pattern gives a forecast of between 500K and 1.4 million infections in West Africa alone by January. Who wants to walk into an ebola clinic??? Even if you have other illnesses, people are being put straight into ebola wards where they will inevitably catch it. That is why many are avoiding these clinics and end up being cared for at home.

So if it does continue to spread at those rates, how many are going to try to leave Africa and seek better medical attention in a more westernised country? Up to 1.4 million infections by January and you think those who think they are not infected yet, will be happy to stay where they are?

Here is an example how it can spread to regular folks and not just heath care workers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUYbGrKU_bw

A Purdue University Professor who has been studying the Zaire strain of ebola since 2003 (and earlier) insists that ebola can go airborne and in fact probably will once it evolves from transmission to transmission as it will eventually mutate to an airborne state. He is not alone in this.

I wouldn't put too much faith in the CDC or WHO.... They have very strong desires to prevent a global panic, so they are always going to only release certain facts. They will omit anything they will deem to possibly create a mass panic scenario.... Understandably.

There is plenty of info out there from independent experts, virologists and epidemiologists.

[wackybacky]

The alarmist picture you paint does not accord with the opinions of any Health Agency I am aware of, nor with the facts of the disease.

It is spread only by direct contact with the bodily fluids of people (or bats, the natural host) who are not only infected but already symptomatic. It cannot be spread by casual contact; it requires direct contact with blood, vomit, stool, urine etc.

The biggest risk is to people who provide physical care to persons ill with it. In more developed countries this is pretty much limited to hospital staff.

In very undeveloped countries such as those where the outbreak is centered, and people often remain home when acutely ill and/or family members provide much of the nursing care even when a patient is hospitalized, it extends to family members and close friends. Aslo, in very undeveloped countrees where needles are reused between patients and infection control measures poor to nonexistant, there is risk to other patients in the same health facility. In addition, funeral customs in Africa (which include family and friends bathing the corpse) are a big source of infection.

The only infections acquired in developed countries to date have been in health care workers who had direct contact with an acutely ill Ebola patients.

If it does not get contained soon in Africa, then sooner or later it is indeed likely that infected people will pop up in Thailand and elsewhere. This will not, however, lead to a massive outbreak for the reasons just explained, though it could infect a small number of frontline health care workers, as ti has in the US and Europe.

There is cause to be concerned for the welfare of health care workers in Thailand but no cause at all that I can see to fear a wild pandemic here.

The kind of scenario the OP describes, to happen outside of very undeveloped countries with really poor sanitation, would need an airborne illness, such as the turn of the last century Spanish flu. . Not going to happen with Ebola.

"WHO does not recommend that any travel or trade restrictions be applied with respect to this event." http://www.who.int/csr/don/2014_04_ebola/en/

If an infected person sneezes on you can you get ebola?

Yes

[chiang mai]

Get a grip <deleted>!

[attrayant]

If an infected person sneezes on you can you get ebola?

From the CDC fact sheet on Ebola:

Transmission

Because the natural reservoir host of Ebola has not yet been identified, the manner by which the virus first appears in a human at the start of an outbreak is unknown. However, researchers believe that the first patient becomes infected through contact with an infected animal. When an infection does occur in humans, there are several ways the virus can be spread to others. These include:

• direct contact with the blood or body fluids (including but not limited to feces, saliva, urine, vomit and semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola

• contact with objects (like needles and syringes) that have been contaminated with the blood or body fluids of an infected person or with infected animals

The virus in the blood and body fluids can enter another person’s body through broken skin or unprotected mucous membranes in, for example, the eyes, nose, or mouth. The viruses that cause Ebola are often spread among families and friends, because they come in close contact with blood or body fluids when caring for ill persons.

So if the infected person is actively shedding the virus (he's symptomatic), and if he sneezes in your face, and if some of the virus happens to be in his saliva or phlegm, and if some of that saliva or phlegm finds its way into your eyes or mucous membranes, then yes you might become infected. But just out of curiosity, when was the last time somebody sneezed directly into your face? I'm 50 years old and I can't ever remember that happening to me in my entire life. I'm not saying it can't happen, just trying to put things into perspective. If you want to be on the extreme safe side, avoid closed spaces such as cars or elevators where sneeze aerosol might be impossible to avoid.

It's important to note that this is considered to be aerosol transmission - which is not the same as airborne transmission. Airborne generally means that infectious particles can linger in the air for a prolonged time and be picked up by passersby even after the carrier has left the scene. This is the case with measles - which can hang around in undisturbed air (such as a closed elevator) for hours and be passed on to others. Fluid droplets large enough to carry ebola will evaporate after just a few seconds and leftover particulates will settle on nearby surfaces. Also the half-life of ebola is fairly short outside of a hospitable environment - about an hour if I remember correctly. So once sneezed aerosols begin to evaporate (which takes only a few seconds), the virus decays quite fast.

Caveat to all of this is - there haven't been a huge number of studies on any of this and some of what we know is necessarily inferred from other research. This is the medical community's answer given the available data.

[Jingthing]

Get a grip <deleted>!

I'll have to think on that one.

[meatboy]

the latest is an infected person found on an air france flight.

[attrayant]

Link?

[thailiketoo]

Link?

Google Ebola Air France

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ebola-crisis-air-france-flight-carrying-183-passengers-quarantined-in-madrid-barajas-airport-9798873.html

In a related story.....

Air France suspends flights to Ebola-hit Sierra Leone at request of French government ... days after crew signed safety petition and refused to board flights

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2735698/Citing-Ebola-Air-France-suspends-flights.html

Edited October 16, 2014 by thailiketoo

[attrayant]

Yes I did that, and could not find anything saying the man was infected. The three reports I can find all cite the Spanish media (Epturismo) and mention the passenger shivering, but also say that he doesn't have a fever. That's why I asked for the link that says he's actually infected.

This is how panic starts. Man on airplane has the chills, and 20 minutes later the internet is screaming "infected!"

[thailiketoo]

Yes I did that, and could not find anything saying the man was infected. The three reports I can find all cite the Spanish media (Epturismo) and mention the passenger shivering, but also say that he doesn't have a fever. That's why I asked for the link that says he's actually infected.

This is how panic starts. Man on airplane has the chills, and 20 minutes later the internet is screaming "infected!"

Ebola air scare in the US: CDC trying to track down all 132 passengers aboard Frontier flight from Cleveland just HOURS before she was hospitalized

• Amber Jay Vinson flew home to visit her family in Ohio, last Friday despite being monitored for possible Ebola exposure in Dallas, Texas
• She returned to Dallas on Frontier Airlines Flight 1143, which landed at 8pm
• On Tuesday morning, she showed up at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital with a fever and was later diagnosed with the disease
• Ms Vinson was one of the 76 medical workers being monitored by the CDC after treating Ebola 'patient zero' Thomas Eric Duncan
• CDC Director Dr Thomas Frieden said Ms Vinson 'should not have traveled'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2794281/ebola-air-scare-infected-nurse-flew-frontier-airlines-day-hospitalized-cdc-trying-track-132-passengers-aboard-plane.html

This Amber Jay Vinson has a major case of the dumbs. She may go down n history as Typhoid Mary II.

Edited October 16, 2014 by thailiketoo

[attrayant]

And speaking of Amber Vinson, here's our next likely candidate for infection. This plain-clothed man appears to come into contact with Amber and the men handling her, all wearing protective suits:

Video link at this news site.

Edited October 16, 2014 by attrayant

[IsaanUSA]

I saw that picture yesterday. Hilarious

[Carib]

'Who's the idiot with the clipboard?' Disbelief and panic as mystery man WITHOUT a hazmat suit helps second Ebola nurse board her plane to Atlanta, disposes waste and then climbs aboard

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2794854/what-thinking-mystery-man-without-hazmat-suit-seen-helping-2nd-ebola-nurse-board-plane-atlanta-joining-them.html#ixzz3GJgIkndu

[thailiketoo]

Sitting in a coffee shop now...african guy walked in...he has ebola written all over him...what should i do?

Ask the guy with the clipboard. He looks like he is in charge.

Edited October 17, 2014 by thailiketoo

[petercool]

a racist post removed

[RottingCorpse]

Hey. Time to chill. Cypress Hill obviously has a HiSo Thai Chinese GF and makes a million dollars a week from his pretend 'portfolio' (which only contains cards which read ''A Is for Apple', etc for his 'clients' LOL) before he blows his taddies of a morning over his collection of CPT , the fantasist.........

good work dudes is it WUS?

[Ioan Gavrila]

Someone called me?

I have usually a food supply for 1 month at home....unless I expect problems than we have more......So when Ebola comes I look the door and wait till the the situation is clear again.

That sounds like an overcautious person right there. Hope you will never have to really use that backup supply, however, I know people doing the same everywhere, depending on personal fears (war, ebola, zombie invasions, <insert cataclysm here> 555)

[attrayant]

You better get inside and lock that door then. Malaria and the neglected tropical disease group kill 60 thousand people a year in Southeast Asia. Ebola's got a lot of catching up to do.

source

Edited October 22, 2014 by attrayant

[JDGRUEN]

Brit had recently visited Nigeria... (Nigeria's Ebola cases are very low ... likely not an Ebola case IMO - just reporting)


PHUKET: Medical officials investigate death of possible Ebola victim

PHUKET: Police continue to investigate the death of an English expat found in a condo in Patong on Thursday (October 23).

Phuket's Provincial Public Health Office sent agents to the condo to collect samples to test for the Ebola virus after discovering the victim, Martin John Roberts Clark, 68, had recently returned from Nigeria. Gov Nisit said, “Initially, the Ministry of Public Health ordered each provincial office of public health to monitor and scan tourists travelling from Ebola red-listed countries. If any tourist is suspected of carrying the virus they are put on a watch list, and monitored for 21 days.”


http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-medical-officials-investigate-death-of-possible-ebola-victim-49334.php

Edited October 25, 2014 by JDGRUEN

[Sheryl]

Highly unlikely this was Ebola. In addition to there being few cases in Nigeria, it is very unlikely anyone would die at home of Ebola in Thailand. The disease produces spectacular signs of illness for many days before death. Ample time to get to a hospital (and the appearance of the condo where he dies would be awful..filled with vomitus and feces.. if for some reason he stayed home despite that).

In the countries where Ebola is spreading fast there is virtually no trained health care available. People have no choice to stay home and be carded for by relatives who, obviously, lack protective equipment.

At 68, could easily have had a sudden heart attack or stroke.

[lopburi3]

In the countries where Ebola is spreading fast there is virtually no trained health care available.

Unfortunately that is all too true. When I worked in Conakry, Guinea the hospital had virtually no medicine of any kind - no working x-ray (although several charity donated units on site but unused do to no money for film) and sanitation was throwing of bedpan contents out windows. This was at the end of the Sékou Touré era so expect things are a bit better now?

[JDGRUEN]

I agree that some ordinary disease or disorder for a man of age 68 would likely be the cause of death.. including the unlikelihood of having been exposed to Ebola.

Thai Authorities can read foreign news reports and sometimes learn from it despite our doubts at times... I believe the local authorities were making sure that due caution was taken, that the public could see, read or hear that the situation was being handled correctly and good for them... Rumors can create problems in such serious matters. I have recently learned that many Thais are aware of Ebola and that it had reached America. So perhaps this is a good dry run for the authorities to instill a bit of confidence in the public... Plus prudence and due diligence can be instilled in the police these days as they know the Army is looking very closely over their shoulders.