Ebola!

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I swear to God, it feels like a chunk of this country thinks "The Stand" just became a reality. No seriously. Check out the comments on this article for an example of what I mean. This entire thing has given the apocalypse-prepper community the biggest boner in the history of mankind.

I swear, we have met the enemy, and he is us.

EDIT: Then again, though....

Anyway, yeah, Ebola. It's bad in West Africa. Call me nuts if I don't think we're looking at a "The Last Of Us" situation already. Christ, resistant bacteria are infecting and killing more people in the U.S. right now than Ebola wishes it could.

I think it's still a bit early to be panicking, really. Sure, this is concerning, but let me tell you something... What's concerning is that the powers that be have waited this long to start worrying about the ebola virus. That they've waited this long to start wondering what steps they should take. And it's not just resistant bacteria, there are so many big health problems in the States that we should be worrying about before we start worrying about ebola. One in particular that drives me is maternal and infant health, just look at the atrocious standing of the US in the Born Too Soon report. And I won't reiterate my position on obesity and cardiovascular diseases. That's just the tip of the iceberg.
Health is, after all, my day job, with a specialization in public health, so you can bet I have my eye on this one. I don't work in the Infection Control at this time, but they're right next door to us, and none of them are worried. Heck, the head of the department is actually *excited* and hoping it turns into a full blown pandemic, but she's a bit cuckoo. Very nice, but cuckoo.

I often think that things are shown worse than they really all. Just to up sales for big pharmaceuticals.
Happens here in Holland as well. Also, headlines are great eye catchers of course.
All of this could harm the perception when something is actually quite bad and we are done being
made running circles and start to not react to a real thing.

As for ebola, yeah, it's a huge hype so far to me.

It's a huge hype for us countries which decent healthcare, but let me tell you, countries in Western Africa are suffering, and it's definitely not overhyped for them.

Eleima wrote:

. I don't work in the Infection Control at this time, but they're right next door to us, and none of them are worried.

Yeah, our ID docs are way more interested in a recent surge in syphilis cases than they are in ebola.

I often think that things are shown worse than they really all. Just to up sales for big pharmaceuticals.

I agree with you that most things are overstated, but it's not to benefit Big Pharma, but rather to benefit the media companies. Nothing gets eyeballs like fear and spectacle, so exaggerating all threats is very, very profitable.

We fundamentally believe in Life As Seen On Television, and this may be the central cancer that's eating us away from the inside, because politicians use that fear to push through ridiculous ideas like the Patriot Act.

Never, in all of human history, has any population been so safe, and yet feared so much.

I didn't realize Dr Oz was cashing in on Ebola fear. Shouldn't be surprised though - that man peddles fear better than anyone outside of the 700 club.

Edit: I wanted to reiterate Malor's point. This isn't the work of Big Pharma. It's Big Media.

Maybe more the big media at this time, give it time and the rest will try to cash in on it as well.
And of course, like Eleima states, this isn't a small thing at all in W-Africa. That's the saddest part for sure.

Sparhawk wrote:

Maybe more the big media at this time, give it time and the rest will try to cash in on it as well.
And of course, like Eleima states, this isn't a small thing at all in W-Africa. That's the saddest part for sure.

I remember reading about Ebola in Africa 20 years ago. While it's both disheartening and unsurprising that western powers did so little about the disease, it's equally disheartening and unsurprising that the ignorant masses in America become filled with fear only after Fox News announces "Ebola in Texas!"

Malor wrote:

Never, in all of human history, has any population been so safe, and yet feared so much.

Can I quote this in economy threads?

I find it typical of American hysteria that we are all going ape feces about ebola and won't get flu shots (or measles for that matter).

Paleocon wrote:

I find it typical of American hysteria that we are all going ape feces about ebola and won't get flu shots (or measles for that matter).

Oh snap. Perfect.

Paleocon wrote:

I find it typical of American hysteria that we are all going ape feces about ebola and won't get flu shots (or measles for that matter).

And continue to ignore Global Warming because that's not real.

I'm glad the title of this post has an exclamation point to signify it's importance.

I saw a discussion yesterday that implied that us dumb Americans will mistake the flu this year with ebola and overwhelm the healthcare system. Apparently, we're already doomed - ebola notwithstanding.

Stay tuned for our media to shepard us along rationally and intelligently.

I loved a link someone on facebook posted where it says an Ebola patient in Africa came back from the dead. Yeah, since Ebola's not bad enough, let's make it the beginning of the zombie apocalypse too.

Kehama wrote:

I loved a link someone on facebook posted where it says an Ebola patient in Africa came back from the dead. Yeah, since Ebola's not bad enough, let's make it the beginning of the zombie apocalypse too.

Better grab the shotgun and head to the store to stock up on Twinkies!

breander wrote:
Kehama wrote:

I loved a link someone on facebook posted where it says an Ebola patient in Africa came back from the dead. Yeah, since Ebola's not bad enough, let's make it the beginning of the zombie apocalypse too.

Better grab the shotgun and head to the store to stock up on Twinkies!

You make it sound like it's hurricane season already.

Did someone say, Ebola?

IMAGE(http://i661.photobucket.com/albums/uu340/hellboy667/panic.gif)

Paleocon wrote:

I find it typical of American hysteria that we are all going ape feces about ebola and won't get flu shots (or measles for that matter).

Yup. If my anti-vaxxer sister makes any comments about being worried about Ebola at Thanksgiving, I'm not going to be able to restrain myself from going on a vaccination tirade.

Farscry wrote:
Paleocon wrote:

I find it typical of American hysteria that we are all going ape feces about ebola and won't get flu shots (or measles for that matter).

Yup. If my anti-vaxxer sister makes any comments about being worried about Ebola at Thanksgiving, I'm not going to be able to restrain myself from going on a vaccination tirade.

Get video!

My wife's cousin keeps posting articles on Facebook about how ebola is a CIA-engineered virus meant to depopulate the planet.

Yeah. Because when the CIA wants to kill everyone on the planet with an apocalyptic virus, they start it in Africa... I mean, what's the thinking here? That they need to have plausible deniability after everyone is dead so they don't get blamed? Seriously?

ClockworkHouse wrote:

My wife's cousin keeps posting articles on Facebook about how ebola is a CIA-engineered virus meant to depopulate the planet.

You should distract him with a really good TV show that's hitting on this right now. In the UK, at least. (Note: NSFW language)

Of course, maybe this isn't a good idea since nutters (couldn't help myself) have already taken the show and used it as "proof" of a possible conspiracy.

Aaand the pro life crowd gets involved.

http://wonkette.com/562461/pro-life-...

Agent 86 wrote:

Did someone say, Ebola?

(panic image)

Well, it's worth panicking about in Africa. With their very limited healthcare infrastructure, an exponential-growth factor coming from untreated patients is scary as f*ck.

It will probably never be very bad in the First World, and probably not even in the Second; as long as infected people are quickly isolated and cared for, it won't spread very far. Only if the virus mutates to become airborne would that scenario really change, and it's far more likely that it will mutate to be less deadly.

Eventually, it may become an endemic human disease, like colds and the flu. Regular flu is really quite dangerous, probably about as dangerous as a virus can be and still be long-term viable in a First World population. If Ebola establishes itself as a permanent guest, it will have to become much less dangerous to avoid being (eventually) wiped out.

Oh no. Much like Ebola a virulent virus has infected this thread. I will soon be bleeding out the eyes.

Robear wrote:
Malor wrote:

Never, in all of human history, has any population been so safe, and yet feared so much.

Can I quote this in economy threads? :-)

Sure, but you'd be wrong. We've never been in as much danger; the world is wildly unstable. Just one company failing in 2008 came about this close to bringing down the entire world financial system. And even now, the entire world is being held at unreasonably low interest rates, stealing interest income from the world's savers and giving it to banks and debtors. This is not healthy.

It's going to happen again. And it's going to keep getting worse. There is too much debt, and we're in a giant Ponzi scheme of issuing more debt (and, for the last few years, printing money) to pretend like the old debt is somehow good.

Can't we just freak the hell out about fungus instead?

Paleocon wrote:

Can't we just freak the hell out about fungus instead?

If we worry about real problems, there might be real solutions, and that's no fun.

Paleocon wrote:

Can't we just freak the hell out about fungus instead?

My dad caught that soon after enlisting and was bedridden for almost a year. Ironically, it kept him out of Vietnam.

Captain Trips all around -- even started in Texas.

Time to re-read The Stand graphic novel!

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