Today, two US citizens are being flown home from West Africa, both suffering from the Ebola virus. A meticulous twelve year preparation plan spear-headed by the CDC (Centre for Disease Control) to offer the best possible containment/recovery measures to ebola-infected patients will at last be set in train. The official line is that these are American citizens who voluntarily worked with ebola victims, have succumbed themselves, and that this is therefore a humanitarian operation. The cynic in me would argue that this is a bunch of high-ranking microbiologists/medics/military and government personnel getting to play God on their own terms and for their own personal goals and in being allowed to do so, have carte blanche to expose the Western world to this awful (and currently non-treatable) condition. Irrespective of how little chance there is of something going awry, that chance does exist, and imo this is a flagrant breach of accountability to the citizens of the globe. Why not set up this state-of-the-art facility on a remote uninhabited island under USA control (they have enough of them) instead of in a major urban centre that has an extensive transportation infrastructure and people-flow to all parts of the American continent and Europe. If this operation was being conducted at a facility at the London School of Tropical Medicine or some location in France or Germany, or Russia, would you consider it to be an appropriate course of action? I don't.
O/T Ebola to arrive in Atlanta today - is this ethically right?
- Thread starter Ullofaman
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It's certainly got an element of risk about it. It might be better to contain it in the area where they were infected.
On the face of it, it does seem wrong to move infected persons to other countries. However it is treatable if caught and treated early, the 2 most affected countries are S. Leone and Liberia, and having been to both countries, I certainly wouldn't like to be treated there, so can understand why these 2 have been flown out.
They are been flown back in portable quarantine capsules for research and development into a cure for ebola. There are only enough experimental drugs to treat one of tge patients although they are also experimenting with transfusing a survivors blood in the hope that might help.
A large amount of the furore is media based although there is no doubt its a highly dangerous disease.
A large amount of the furore is media based although there is no doubt its a highly dangerous disease.
They really need to find a way to treat this, and this is a sensible controlled way to do research it. Regardless of border controls, it will get in sometime, and once it does, trying to find a cure then will be too late.
On the other hand, haven't these scientists ever watched the SyFy channel ffs? Resident Evil anyone?!?!
On the other hand, haven't these scientists ever watched the SyFy channel ffs? Resident Evil anyone?!?!
OK gnomey, but the thing about a virus is that it mutates, often very rapidly. So - for the CDDC to work on it, miles from its source, they may well end up 'firing blanks' as it could well have moved on..
NorthFerribyTiger
Well-Known Member
Apparently the Ebola virus has mutated very little since it was first discovered...which is possibly a good thing, possibly bad...a mutated version might in fact be less rather than more dangerous
I didn't know that, but the death rate from this epidemic isn't 90%-ish apparently.
It is however, 50% - 90% which while being a large separation, is still extremely high. This has to be tempered though by the levels of healthcare in the countries where it has mainly been contracted.
NorthFerribyTiger
Well-Known Member
The death rate in the current outbreak is actually around 55%
Though many in the developed world are understandably fearful of the disease, many health officials claim that the only reason this particular outbreak has grown as large as it has is because of where it hit. The areas that have been hit the hardest lack sufficient health care systems and are unable to provide necessary treatment for the patients or personal protective equipment for health care workers. Unsanitary conditions would allow the outbreak to grow incredibly rapidly.
Read more at http://www.iflscience.com/health-an...y-should-know-about-ebola#VYMVAVetTrXSrwsm.99
