Where is President Madagascar when we need him? There’s a man who knows how to contain a plague.
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So here’s a question. Since this doesn’t seem to be an airborne virus, and some sort of fluid transmission appears to be a necessary component of infection, are these people in Africa getting infected by direct contact (by handling/consuming carcasses as bushmeat), or are they getting indirectly infected by consuming wild fruit on plants visited by bats, or even by having contact with bat urine etc…?
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Good thing so many bat communities are already dieing due to white-nose syndrome here in the states.
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The CDC still doesn’t know how the virus breaks into the human population. The current guess is that humans become infected through contact with an infected animal - either asymptomatic or already dead. This CDC document includes information types of animals (other than bats and dogs) that have also been found to be infected with various forms of the virus - they include various monkeys, chimps and pigs. So, like most viruses, ebola is quick to adapt, and it’s also happy to jump species.
You asked how people might become infected. People needn’t go into the jungle to encounter risk in an area where the virus exists. Since animals can carry the infection and remain asymptomatic, they’re able to enter a human population and transmit the virus through direct contact with humans - far more easily than rural or forest bats. Even a friendly dog could pose a health risk because the disease is transmitted not just through blood, but also through saliva. To be clear - I’m not making a claim that dogs are a great health risk, just that bats are no more a known health risk than monkeys, chimps, pigs, dogs - or possibly other animals.
Right now, other than certain cases that could be traced to their animal source (which was generally eaten in the wild or exposed to people in a lab) people are still in the dark about how outbreaks began.
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Is it unreasonable to be concerned about this?
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No, but you should probably be more concerned about wearing your seatbelt and cooking meat thoroughly - for now. Those are more immediate risks, and that’s really the type of risk you should focus on.
That said, ebola is a truly nasty virus. While it isn’t airborne transmitted, it is highly infectious. That’s why medical workers in the area of the outbreak are getting sick - even though they wear protective gear. They aren’t somehow failing to take precautions. It’s just that hard to avoid when openly exposed to infected people.
Should this type of virus reach the U.S., we do have better chances for controlling the spread of it. Some hospitals here are already equipped with airborne infection isolation rooms (AIIR), and that should keep people safe by helping to contain the virus, and in turn help prevent a major outbreak. Also, the virus has a short incubation period (a few days to a couple of weeks) which means it won’t take long to know if a population is really in the clear.
Not only that - even though the strain of ebola in this West African outbreak typically has a death rate of 90%, improved medical care has dropped that to 70% - and this outbreak is of the most deadly form of ebola. So, it’s survivable - especially if caught early and treated well. In the end, it’s totally reasonable to be concerned, but don’t get too freaked.
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There is a bigger danger of global extinction from an asteroid.
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Central and South America have tropics as well as Asia and Oceania. And from what I’ve read, there are also fruit bats in Europe. There is plenty of room for this virus to expand its range if these species (or other bats or animals) are susceptible.
We have fruit bats here in Australia, including the very not-tropical city of Melbourne. Never hear of anyone getting bitten by them though, and highly doubt anyone would eat them.
Love those guys
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They do carry Hendra virus which has caused a few deaths in QLD. Although not directly transmissible to humans, it does infect horses, which can then infect humans. Fortunately, it doesn’t pass from human-human.
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As a Libertarian I believe the government has no right to curtail the rights of ebola-infected citizens, because freedom.
Now, if you want to start treating the individual ebola viruses as illegal aliens, well, I am all ears.
I totally agree. It frustrates me that people’s reactions to this seem to be variants on CLOSE THE BORDERS OMG. The panic reactions all amount to saving themselves and abandoning the rest of the world - and not say, donating money to fund quarantine and containment efforts within the countries already affected.
I believe the rule is if you lick it then it’s yours.
Oh goody! Dibs!!!
Mmmm the rare Eucalyptus Koala-bat
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Given their diet, I bet they are really tasry
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