The news title says it all.
http://news.yahoo.com/texas-patient-confirmed-as-first-ebola-case-diagnosed-in-us-205031312.html (http://news.yahoo.com/texas-patient-confirmed-as-first-ebola-case-diagnosed-in-us-205031312.html)
The CDC and NIH had better come up with a rapid assay test to check people
(something like the new oral HIV test, that detects antibodies in saliva) QUICK
or we could all be in DEEP SH*T - soon.
One of my concerns with all of the terrorists is that some will deliberately
enter the U.S. infected, and expose as many people as possible, traveling
around densely populated areas as they go. If they were to blow themselves
up in a crowded public place such as a subway tunnel a lot of people could be
infected before anyone even realized what was happening.
With so many foreign fighters involved in the middle east right now, it
could easily be an American, a British subject, etc who is not of middle
eastern ethnicity, and looks like a typical American. These folks would
blend right in on airline flights, etc and could come in from foreign
countries that do not raise any flags with homeland security.
The quickest way to develop a vaccine would be to use blood serum from
the American doctors who have beaten the virus and gotten healthy. Their
blood is loaded with TONS of antibodies against the virus. I'm sure they
are already working on it.
Bill and Melinda Gates have already pledged $50 million towards helping the areas most
affected in Africa.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/12/bill-gates-foundation-ebola_n_5811592.html
By now, NIH/CDC is surely studying the genetic structure of the virus
in order to develop novel drugs that will either bind to it and destroy it
outright - or cripple it to hamper its ability to reproduce, thereby slowing
the virus down while the body's immune system figures out how to respond
strongly enough to kill it off. The fact that some people are beating the virus
and surviving it means that a vaccine IS possible.
A portion of one of our older hospitals should have been mothballed but updated for use on such occasions.
I agree that in this age of terrorism, homeland security should set up regional
disaster centers in or near all of the major metropolitan areas. Re-fitting closed
hospital buildings that are still in good condition would make us much more prepared
for these types of attacks - which I believe WILL COME sooner or later.
Whether or not they will be successful in inflicting massive casualties, none of us
everyday people can know..... I read an article online last night that said a young
student has come up with an APP for phones/mobile devices that can be used to
track and report new infections - using Twitter, of all things. It would be immensely
helpful if an outbreak were to occurr, if anyone could instantly report symptoms
of the disease to the authorities via the internet.
Check out the link below - just as I had in last post, the medical community and drug
companies are already responding to the Ebola virus threat. They have already tried
a blood transfusion for one victim, with the donor blood coming from another victim
who survived, and developed effective antibodies against the virus.
There are TWO experimental drugs being worked on already, one of which hampers
the virus's ability to reproduce - which, if effective, could produce more usable serum
for others.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/30/dallas-ebola-patient/16496665/ (http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/30/dallas-ebola-patient/16496665/)
The trouble here in Youngstown, Ohio, USA is that we do not have any hospitals that are not being used. The Osteopathic Hospital is now a men's center, and the South Unit is a County offiIce building. I don't know what the status of the former Tod Childrens Hospital is, but I'm sure that the new owners will find uses for it.
County offices are only using part of the South Side Hospital building. The majority of the
space in the building is still NOT being used by anyone. It would be the best candidate in
a disaster, were it not for the county offices there.
If homeland security would fix up the place, it could be on "hot standby" until needed,
then possibly move county offices to a secondary "emergency" site if the hospital were to
be activated in an emergency (?)
Just an Idea... although I doubt the federal government would give any idea like this
serious consideration. The building DOES have an incinerator, also... it could be used for
burning medical waste, thereby rendering it harmless before transport to disposal sites.
Youngstown Thermal is another potential candidate for an emergency incineration facility
for biologically hazardous waste, as well as any other large incinerators, steel furnaces,
etc in the area as they all get more than sufficiently hot inside to destroy anything biological.
As for the bodies of the dead, if they are properly handled, they cease to be a danger once
buried in the ground. Without living tissue to grow and reproduce in, the virus dies fairly
quickly. A solution of 0.5% Sodium Hypochlorite (ie: BLEACH, at one-half of one percent
concentration) kills the virus quickly outside the human body.
The relatively high number of vacant (large) commercial buildings versus shrunken population
in Youngstown would make for a lot of potential "field hospitals", if the CDC, FEMA,
homeland security needed to deploy and setup rapidly in a biological emergency.
Detroit would be an excellent candidate for emergency field hospitals, also, with all of their
vacant commercial structures.
If it is not being used by the new owners the former Tod's Children's Hospital would be the very best location of all.
What about the empty medical office building across the street from St. E's on Belmont?
No it is not a hospital, but it is across the street from one, providing easy access to needed medical supplies.
Some pix of the Belpark Building
That's the one. It's not as large as a hospital, granted, but it is empty and could certainly be put to use with its close proximity to St E's.
In fact, if you look at the top photo, it seems that there could be room to land a helicopter?
Additionally, there are a number of empty buildings in close proximity to St. E's that could be used.
Quote from: Peggy Gurney on October 01, 2014, 07:24:50 PM
What about the empty medical office building across the street from St. E's on Belmont?
No it is not a hospital, but it is across the street from one, providing easy access to needed medical supplies.
That would be a perfect place. Could probably hold several hundred at a time as an extension of the
hospital. They could block off Belmont Avenue from Park Ave to the next street up and land choppers
there.
Wouldn't need to, St. E's already has a helepad on site, and a tunnel across Belmont to Belpark would be all that would be needed to move patients and squipment/supplies from one place to the other.
BUT, if the former Tod's Children's Hospital were used for this purpose, all that would be needed would be updating equipment everything else is there.
Quote from: Towntalk on October 02, 2014, 06:21:10 AM
Wouldn't need to, St. E's already has a helepad on site, and a tunnel across Belmont to Belpark would be all that would be needed to move patients and squipment/supplies from one place to the other.
BUT, if the former Tod's Children's Hospital were used for this purpose, all that would be needed would be updating equipment everything else is there.
Both places could be used. In fact,
if there is an outbreak, they would almost assuredly need both facilities.
No way could Tod accommodate everyone.
:) I concur with you 1099765993640855221% :)
Now a TV camera man has contracted ebola.
Everything you need to know about Ebola Virus.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola_virus_disease (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola_virus_disease)
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/10/01/ebola-virus-what-you-need-to-know-outbreak/16524645/ (http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/10/01/ebola-virus-what-you-need-to-know-outbreak/16524645/)
Now a health care worker in Texas has contracted the virus.
Where?
At the hospital where that guy died....But we're safe....
Can you imagine what it costs to treat just one of the nurses from the Dallas hospital?
There is no "cure" for EBOLA. It first appeared on the radar screen in 2001, yet the CDC, FDA, the drug industry etc gave it very low priority, so everything that the doctors are doing is purely experimental. Obviously the costs are going to be very high, and that leads to your question. Will the insurance cover the costs? Unfortunately the answer is no. Will the hospitals eat the costs? I doubt it. Can the nurses afford the costs? Again, no. Obviously someone will have to pay the costs, but at what point will a final cost be reached?
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ebola-scare-turns-dallas-hospital-ghost-town/story?id=26276610 (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ebola-scare-turns-dallas-hospital-ghost-town/story?id=26276610)