The case of the man who travelled from Liberia to Texas, United States and had to visit the hospital twice before the geography challenged hospital workers were able to connect the dots, has exposed the readiness of the US healthcare system to mobilize under an Ebola threat. It took days before those who lived in a modest apartment with the Ebola patient got their room sanitized by US authorities. Now that Ebola has entered the White man’s world we intend to observe how the developed world mobilizes against Ebola. The real challenge remains at the source, West AFRICA!
The biggest joke of the week though is acting minister of health Donville Inniss trivializing concerns about Barbados preparedness from head of BAMP Dr. Carlos Chase.
See relevant link: Health Ministry Responds to Ebola Article
267 responses to “EBOLA Virus Enters the White Man’s World #2”
now that big business is feeling the economic impact.the USA would be forced to implement drastic measures.close to what i indicated .the fact by avoiding the roots and attempting to put band aid solutions would only prolong the cause of suspicion and fear which has be further enforced with the death of duncan an immgrant living in the infected area and by all accounts had shown no symptoms or high fever after being tested at the liberian airport.the question remains (is) how does govt stop the virus from travelling from one country to another.a question that govts seem not to have an answer or just paralize with political doctrine and hands tied to global agreementd
Crusoe;
The link in your 6:04 am post is chilling and most likely true. Ebola may turn out to be the doomsday bug for the North as well as the South. The signposts to if the worst case scenario occurs is what happens over the next few days and weeks re the spread of the disease.
Will some of the persons who were in the room with Duncan in the USA come down with the disease?
Will any of the persons who took him to the hospital (both times) come down with it?
Will passive transmission by dogs and other mammals play a significant part in its spread?
Will more cases be found in Metropolitan countries?
Will the US up the quality of its surveillance?
Will Barbados do what is necessary to limit the spread of it here and provide the resources to sensibly contain the disease to well thought out quarantine stations and utilise modified protocols to maintain such quarantines if it does get here.
In the meantime, an ultimate scenario is a ruined economy with as someone on BU remarked earlier, everyone staying close to homes that are maintained as free as possible from ingress of the disease and exit from it if someone in the home gets infected.
Current knowledge on the disease has too many gaps for abject reliance on US or even West African protocols. There is a doomsday possibility here but good surveillance and sensible use of resources could avoid it.
On one further note. The Pink Hibiscus MealyBug was denied entry into Barbados for several years (and when it did eventually arrive Control measures had been worked out) primarily because of the work of an unheralded Entomology department operating at the various ports. Of course there can be little comparison between PHMB and Ebola but there are parallels.
good comments awty..real hard questions all which must be answered in a short time span.as of now “time” does not seem to be on your side as the ravages of death and destruction leaves an ugly picture and the world gasp with a feeling of hopelessness .only god knows
There are many structurally sound buildings in Barbados, owned by the Government, and abandoned , that could be refurbished and used as a quarantine centre.
Down at remote Congo Bay in St John is the redundant and abandoned Cable and Wireless Earth station facility , which is not too far gone ,and could be acquired and refurbished .
Failing all this, we could speed up the construction of the St John Polyclinic and used it as a quarantine station.
Canada starts airport screening.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ebola-screenings-to-take-place-at-airports-in-6-canadian-cities-1.2793412
@Colonel
The framers of former PM Thompson’s legacy will not take kindly to using the controversial polyclinic used for that purpose.
We friten.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/isis-threat-to-canada-not-imminent-but-real-csis-director-warns-1.2792121
David;
The question of using the St John’s polyclinic as an Ebola quarantine station is a most interesting one and one which could put the self centredness of current politicians and their apparent lack of love of country in stark relief.
Suppose, for hypothetical example, Ebola did come here and the size and infrastructural resources of the current facility and planned operations were found to be totally inadequate to contain and control it but it was also reliably found that quick refurbishment and reconfiguration of the currently unused St John’s polyclinic could make a great difference in Barbados quickly controlling the spread of the disease and therefore recovering economically and socially from it in the shortest time possible. Do you think that the current Government would make that decision while keeping paramount the obvious best interest of the Country or do you think that it would pooh-pooh any such use of the facility for that purpose and look for somewhere else and thereby ensure our continued fall from grace?
Somehow I think that they would choose not to use the Polyclinic as a resource that could turn Barbados around re. controlling Ebola but keep it as a monument to a demonstrably flawed David Thompson.
But I could be wrong.
I have four very simple questions to ask the pundits at BU. Firstly, has the Barbados government a plan in place to prevent Ebola from entering the island? Secondly, in the worse case scenario – should Ebola arrive in Barbados – what measures would be in place to contain the virus? Thirdly, how and where would the patient be treated? Fourthly, are the government currently employing the media to promote the public health implications to the public vis-a-vis Ebola?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29559444
@ Exclaimes Fourthly, are the government currently employing the media to promote the public health implications to the public vis-a-vis Ebola?
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
The Opposition is using the media, to promote a ‘Back in Time’ fete, this weekend, and the Government is promoting some flower show at the Prime Minister’s residence.
We have our priorities right.
@Are-we-there-yet
We have to have faith in fellow Barbadians even politicians…lol.
In addition to the St John’s Thompson Pink Elephant Polyclinic as a possible Ebola centre , we also have the virgin, untouched $44 Million Plus ,and still counting, Liz Thompson Greenland White Elephant. (Photo of St John Clinic taken 6 Oct 2014)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/83717797@N04/15489258105/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/83717797@N04/15302417819/
your questions answered about ebola
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-29546131
@ Colonel Buggy | October 9, 2014 at 2:18 PM
Either you are mocking my lack of intellectual rigour or you are a master practitioner of the art form referred to as sarcasm. I am fully aware that the standard of are leaders in Barbados is inept but surely even they must be aware that this Ebola story has the potential to both undermine are economy and -worse- could endanger the lives of her population.
I do not share your pessimism. I believe that are government are fully in control of all eventualities.
@ Colonel Buggy | October 9, 2014 at 10:08 AM |
“Down at remote Congo Bay in St John is the redundant and abandoned Cable and Wireless Earth station facility , which is not too far gone ,and could be acquired and refurbished .”
Where would the government get the money from to carry out these emergency structural adjustments and refurbishment even to finish the St. John polyclinic aka David Thompson Mausoleum?
This government neither has the proactive sensibility to focus on preventative public health measures to deal with the garbage situation and the out-of-control breeding of mosquitoes, rats and other disease spreading vectors far less find the money to react to even one suspected case of Ebola reaching Barbados (airborne or otherwise).
How about Codrington College?
Certainly the priests-in-training would not mind giving up their house of trickery for a national survival cause.
Moreover there could be constant vigils and prayer sessions. Instead of the Ebola lepers depending on the double helix serpent (scientific) people wearing the caduceus insignia they can put their faith in the men of the cloth carrying the cross of crucifixion.
well where is mia voice in this raging out of controlled disease that spreading across the globe like wild fire the yardfowls are busy fencing and cackling loud and clear , even talking foolishness about housing ebola patients in the glendiary prison and codrington college lol well i know the excuse ,she not the govt ,well neither are the republicians in america but their voices are loud and heard even if they are wrong. come on ole gal,, step up to the plate this might be the first and last chance to redeem your soul and show OSA who is the boss,
@ ac | October 9, 2014 at 7:49 PM |
“… this might be the first and last chance to redeem your soul and show OSA who is the boss,”
OSA has already been shown who is boss.
Can you imagine a JR (Johnson and Redman) cloth like Fumble beating OSA?
Even if you, ac the actual cu*t, would have beaten OSA with his privatization programme and subsequently DLP adopted paro economics including the firing of 10,000.
No wonder the man fired himself!
But you ac the bleeding mouthpiece of the DLP will soon be the leading paro rat as the IMF Pied Piper whistles that “further layoffs and privatization” bewitching tune and like the Ebola plague forcing you to succumb under the deadly influence of Karma.
what lay off did u not see that people in the thousands lining for jobs yesterday ,and also that the Imf expects barbados to start an upward trend out of the economic doldrums along with having a reduce deficit, i noticed that the mouthpiece of the blp that have over a couple thousand readers did not make mention of that story ,.i wonda why
AC
HOW CAN YOU EXPECT MIA TO TALK
I THOUGHT THAT SHE HAS SQUAMOUS CARCINOMA OF HER MOUT?
@millertheanunnaki
Instead of the Ebola lepers depending on the double helix serpent ..
……………………………………………………………………………
Funny that you should mention the word “leper”. The old Leper Hospital would have been another possible site, but no more, as in today’s Nation we learn that the UWI people have torn that complex to bits in the last few weeks. Not in my back yard,sir!! Oh No!!
funny if it was not true,, a man sneezes on a plane ans shouts ebola, the hazmat crew is called when the plane arrives at it ‘s destination
http://www.fox8live.com/story/26754911/ebola-joke-on-plane-causes-2-hour-holdup
Ebola isolation centre
As countries worldwide grapple with the possibility of the Ebola virus entering their shores, health officials here are also in preparatory mode.
This is a different video to AC’s (with same picture)
Infinite Waters (Diving Deep)
” DoD gave a contract worth $140 million dollars to Tekmira, a Canadian pharmaceutical company, to conduct Ebola research ”
“Ebola clinical trial (NCT02041715, which started in January 2014) ”
” This research work involved injecting and infusing healthy humans with the deadly Ebola virus. ”
http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT02041715
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=ebola&Search=Search
Easy Squeeze (Make No Riot); re your 2 posts above on Ebola clinical trials by Tekmira.
Yuh certain yuh understand the posts you linked above. I can’t find anywhere where it is claimed that any of the clinical trials involved injecting and infusing healthy humans with the deadly Ebola virus. Could you clarify?
Maybe General Practitioner GP could clarify if DoD tests tested humans with Ebola Virus + Ebola Drugs
http://viewsandpreviews.com/ebola-virus-us-government-population-control/
The Miller made reference to the Sahara Dust. Is there any facility or organisation in Barbados or in the Caribbean where the Sahara dust is monitored? given that fact that some years ago this dust brought in a swarm of Locusts. Luckily they did not survive, due to a combination of the long journey,and the immediate shagging spree by the local Bajan green grasshoppers.
Easy Squeeze (Make No Riot) re. your post of October 11, 2014 at 3:15 PM
WOW! Your links are super scary.
There does seem to be some circumstantial evidence that the strain involved in the current outbreak could be the one patented by the US Government through CDC. If so, with the history of that strain and the Inventions therefrom, all fully documented in the Patent, and the explicit projected purpose of the patent being for ethical uses related to developing Vaccines and other products against that family of Ebola filoviruses, but not excluding any use and therefore not excluding biowarfare, it is no wonder that the claim has been made that this outbreak is a preliminary salvo in thinning out Mankind’s footprint on Earth starting with Africans.
Wonder why a Canadian Pharmaceutical Company was chosen to do the research and develop the vaccines and other products?
Just my preliminary views but I’ll wait until GP comments before commenting further.
there was a time when the side effects of the common cold was deadly. and certain medical procedures similar to those which are being used to ward off the ebola virus were put in place, pandemic and fear was rampant as medical science was at its lowest level in treating and preventing some of these side effects which at times resulted in death and still does,
here are some interesting facts and statistics which brings to light the financial loss and burden that the cold has on an economy
The economic impact of the common cold is not well understood in much of the world.In the United States, the common cold leads to 75–100 million physician visits annually at a conservative cost estimate of $7.7 billion per year. Americans spend $2.9 billion on over-the-counter drugs and another $400 million on prescription medicines for symptomatic relief.More than one-third of people who saw a doctor received an antibiotic prescription, which has implications for antibiotic resistance.An estimated 22–189 million school days are missed annually due to a cold. As a result, parents missed 126 million workdays to stay home to care for their children. When added to the 150 million workdays missed by employees suffering from a cold, the total economic impact of cold-related work loss exceeds $20 billion per year This accounts for 40% of time lost from work in the United States.[88]
are-we-there-yet asked “Wonder why a Canadian Pharmaceutical Company was chosen”
Canada has been good at a whole lot of things.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Camp+Secret+Agent+School+traces+roots+Canadian+school/10021082/story.html
“White Mans World” ????
Never give up on racist shoite.
Ebola enters :The REST OF THE WORLD.
Barbados tho should not fear; we have strong Government, alert and Vigilant.
Like when the Chinese State Construction Co.,needed 200+ workers to finish the NI building, and China was RIFE at the time with the last World ending Plague “Bird Flu” and ALL of them, Chinee men were allowed into Bim.
B’s were in then.
See: Same shoite different day, different plague.
You feel Ole “Sleepy Stuart” will be More On The Ball?
Stinkliar, diagnose yuh as ” as a temporary loss of life”
DR LOVE ..yuh funny as shoit,,!make me laugh till my eyes balls pop out my head,, looks like the CDC is wrong,, next headline A PERSON CAUGHT EBOLA OVER THE INTERNET
SOURCE BU UNDERGROUND
do not know if to be happy or sad about this news by the Dominician govt in the following article ,,,,,,but this i know that international govts failure to provide adequate funding and medical resources in the early stages of Ebola is a proving to be a physical as well as a economical death sentence to poor and struggling countries many of which are black,,
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Nigerian band expelled from music festival line-up in Dominica on Ebola fears
ROSEAU, Dominica – The Dominica government has instructed the Dominica
Festivals Committee to cancel Nigerian group Flavour from performing in the
18th annual World Creole Music Festival line-up
“To date a total of EC$147 000 has been expended on professional fees and international travel by this group. This is a lot of money. But, in my view, it pales,
into insignificance when matched against the consequences of exposing the people of this region to the risk of the Ebola virus,” Skerritt said!
“While I know there are those in our.midst who believe they must dissect and
ridicule everything that government says and does, I believe it would be helpful and responsible for all citizens and residents to move on now with the job of promoting this year’s World Creole Music Festival,”
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
while the statement provides solace and (one ) of govt concern it is hard to dismiss the real concerns of carelessness by the rich countries who turned a deaf year and blinded their eyes to a virus in the early stages which has become rampant and effective enough to close borders shutting out and causing division and mayhem especially among poor countries who are already drowning in a sea of financial debt. What a disgraceful tragedy,
The above statement by the Dominician govt makes one ponder as it brings the direness of the situation closer to home and the crippling paralyzing financial effects caused by this virus that these developing nations would have to endure in the weeks and months ahead.
Texas health worker is positive for Ebola, would be 1st Ebola transmission in U.S.
http://www.cnn.com/
What is happening with these health workers contracting Ebola? A worker who nursed Duncan affected.
http://edition.cnn.com/2014/10/12/health/ebola/index.html
Even if people are cured of ebola it is still in their semen for up to 3 months apparently I did not know that .I for one agree with the Dominican govt. protect your citizens even at the risk of looking insensitive. Who is going to help them if they get a case and their tourism industry collapses
the way this virus is raging the high risk and possibility that people are going to traveled less is real, the duncan case raises questions and good reasons raising a red flag of suspicion because of the “lie” getting people to understand there is no real need to be fearful is going to be controversial and contradictory in efforts to neutralize and combat no matter how much preventive measures govt put in place, as they say the horse is already out of the barn ,
David | October 12, 2014 at 8:40 AM |
What is happening with these health workers contracting Ebola? A worker who nursed Duncan affected.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
why ? have you been living under a rock,or are you just clueless to what have been happening outside of barbados,,
what a dumb question..
David in case you have been living under a rock and as clueless as the BLP supporter ac who is considering a name change based on a movie starring Jim Carey……
Lewis was an iceman today. Another good win. Nico seems to be losing his concentration when next to Lewis.
what every bajan should be doing is stock piling their food in the event one case is found on the island, as the first fear of not wanting to be situated in confined spaces or amongst large crowds or group of people would set in,this normal, but what is abnormal is being paralyzed with a fear that makes isolation of one self more necessary that one need to eat,Unbelivable but true,
@Hants
Nico went aggressive and mad a mistake, he definitely had the jump on LH and had not for the mistake would have taken him out. Good for him the new track was easy on the tyres and permitted his pit strategy to work.
Ac; re. your 9.23 am post.
Yes, treat the ebola threat like you would treat the hurricane season threat. If you prepare for the Hurricane season by securing a stock of non perishable materials that you would need for a week’s or more supply, do the same for the Ebola threat. There is only a relatively small chance that it can come here in the near future but, as more people outside of Africa gets it, that chance will increase exponentially.
The latest news is that one of the US responders to Duncan’s plight has contracted the virus and that another Spanish worker who assisted with the Priest with Ebola have also contracted it. The potential for explosive spread is therefore there.
I normally agree with Observing, but I can’t see Government moving away from their choice of Enmore for the siting of the Quarantine station, unless, of course, some fat cats with deep pockets and with children at the Convents or St Gabriels (St Michael’s is not a school that could be considered to be in any way like the others in proximity to Enmore) fully fund an alternative site and thereby redefine the use of the already prepared Enmore site away from actual quarantining of diagnosed Ebola patients to one of temporary housing of individuals who might be at risk of developing symptoms because of contact history but show no signs or symptoms. Such patients would be moved (with ironclad protocols in place) to the real facility if they come down with the real thing.
The real faciltyto be funded would provide for many features that Enmore now lacks, including the ability to care for many more than 4 people at a time and would come at no cost to Government. A case of constructive whitemail.
Hey perhaps this was the strategy. This way would be much better than what was envisaged before. But this Government could not have been proactive in this way. Could they?
Nah! No way.
@ ac | October 12, 2014 at 9:23 AM | “what every bajan should be doing is stock piling their food in the event one case is found on the island…”
Does that warning apply to those thousands of people who have no source of income like the vagrants who are daily overrunning your so-called sophisticated country or those that have been recently given their termination papers equivalent to an employment death sentence?
What would happen should the UK contract its first case of Ebola? Would you be prepared to screen and isolate every arrival out of the UK?
You still have not address the issue of the need for people dealing with the Ebola virus to be outfitted in spacesuits as if the infection has been brought in by aliens from another world?
@David
What is happening with these health workers contracting Ebola? A worker who nursed Duncan affected
+++++++++++
They are overlooking basic precautions, wearing the Hazmat suit is not enough, you have to be careful when removing it also, the exterior has to be disinfected prior to removal less any of the virus is present on it. Like going to a public washroom and washing your hands but opening the door with your bare hands which is a no-no. One should always try to avoid public washrooms but if you must go grab a paper towel to hold onto that door handle on your way out.
@Sargeant
This is the answer we were looking for because it contradicts what the CDC and other leading health officials are saying US health care professionals are trained and ready. A PR job?
Miller; You’ve brought up just one good point in your post above. That is “the issue of the need for people dealing with the Ebola virus to be outfitted in spacesuits as if the infection has been brought in by aliens from another world?”
Yes! It would appear to be absolutely necessary that caregivers at all phases of the development of the disease in a potential ebola stricken patient must be outfitted in adequate fool proof Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and that they be totally trained in how to put on, take off and use that equipment. Failure to secure PPE’s of the absolutely highest standards and to use them properly appears to be an absolute death sentence.
The case histories of the persons who have contracted ebola all suggest that the disease is very infective and that absolutely strictly observed guidelines must be followed and enforced in robing, using and disrobing from those PPEs. Two of the cases of spread outside Africa so far appear to have been due to improper disrobing from the PPE’s.
If, heaven forfend, the disease gets into Barbados we will have a number of challenges re. the use of PPEs. One challenge will be getting workers to use the PPE’s in our sweltering heat. I expect that even if light weight PPE’s are used there might be a trade off between the procurement of heavy weight effective suits and lightweight (also claimed and even proven to be effective) suits that are more likely to be used sensibly by the caregivers.
Spain and the USA would not have had any such problem.
Back in Liberia, 10 of the people who assisted in getting the sick pregnant woman to the hospital there with Duncan have already died and it is likely that that is not the end of spread from that source of the virus. The video of the enclave that Duncan lived in suggests that those people in the compound wear no protective clothing whatever and that the Government workers are doing their best (also without wearing your spacesuits) to identify all contacts and move them out to quarantine areas. The conditions do not appear the best for containment of further spread.
The short history of the spread of this outbreak, its ability to infect workers in the US and Spain who are fully protected by PPE’s and its galloping spread in the infected countries in West Africa suggests to me, FWLIT, that the authorities have got it a bit wrong re. the method of spread and the infectivity of the virus. If they continue to publish the information that they are currently providing many more will die.
In the meantime, I think tightening up on the protocols for use of the PPE’s and allowing for the possibility of its spread through the air and by inactive carriers such as mammalian pets who might inadvertently transmit infective material from one human host to another, could reduce the spread potential and thereby limit the movement of the disease from where it currently has taken hold.
Note that there is no outbreak in the US or Spain. It has not reached that stage yet and we should all pray that the authorities there can contain it.
Why do you think Obama is sending so many troops into harms way. He and his advisors realises that they have no choice. I hope he is successful.
Where’s Green Monkey,
we need a peer review about all the rumours
like vaccines don’t work with a melanin complexion
Roger Roger Over
Sargeant; I did not read your post above before I posted mine. Training, training and more training is absolutely necessary for the proper use of PPEs for Ebola. The virus appears to be adept at slipping through any crack in the caregivers armour.
But we in Barbados have to be very careful in sourcing the right PPE’s for our climate and situation with the main objective being getting materials that do not allow the virus to get onto the caregiver and that also allows the caregiver to breathe and move optimally and that can be decontaminated with dispatch after use after very careful disrobing with caregivers helping each other to disrobe along with proper use of decontaminating facilities.
The bottom line is that the situation re proper use of PPE’s will be even more complicated than in Europe or the USA and that the use of such PPE’s must be treated with absolute seriousness by the authorities.