On Ebola & Being a Responsible Netizen

OK everyone, I'm going to ask that we all demonstrate just what makes THIS forum the best place on the internet to discuss emergency preparedness:

- Evidence-based discussions are the rule, not the exception
- Factual information is always offered, with credible sources cited
- No Politics! Really, we mean it.
- Opinions and subjective matter is welcome, as long as it's not presented as fact.

The Ebola situation is starting to spin out a huge amount of media that is surrounding actual information. Some of the information is good, some is irrelevant and some is just plain wrong.

Let us all rely on one another to find, assess, filter, and prioritize factual information in a logical and emotionless way.

For example, if you hear or see someone say, "The CDC says..." - you need to find and cite the link with the information from CDC.gov - not a news report that says "the CDC says" - the CDC itself. Same goes for ANY "official sources" - find and cite the originator, not the media's version of the information.

This is the year 2014. We rarely need others to get information from sources we can't access. We can typically go to the sources and verify things ourselves.

Opinions - especially informed opinions - matter greatly here.

But if you are posting your opinion, say so. Say, "I think..." or "I feel that..." and have at it. It's right to express your opinion, and it's right to listen to the opinions of others. If you disagree, say so - without a personal attack. This is one of the last places on the Internet where civilized discourse reigns supreme. I am proud to post here under my real name because of that fact. We all have abandoned other places online where the noise and anger levels rose too high.

But most of all, please do continue to equip your mind with clear thinking on this frightening topic. Pandemics are scary things to think about, because you can feel so helpless to do anything practical about an invisible threat.

Never forget that the media LOVES stuff like this - it keeps you glued to the TV and tuned in to the radio. They probably already have theme music for "EBOLA IN AMERICA - NEXT ON CABLE NEWS!" - it's all about ratings, not information.

But most of all, by all means, keep the Ebola discussion going, Equipped.org style.

Thank you Martin for stating why this is the go-to site for level headed, clear, concise information. The members here are helpful, most wise beyond their years, and always think positively when discussing relevent issues, and how it may impact them directly. We don't play into the medias hands here, don't get into a frenzy how "the sky is falling"....just good folks helping themselves and other to live a better life. A more well-informed EQUIPPED life. By lessening the impact and reliance on others, we empower ourselves, and encourage others to do the same. Thank you so much to all the members, mods, and especially Doug for making this a fantastic place to hang my hat and learn.

"I think that..." this is correct.

Sources and facts.

Marty said it very well. Let me pile on. Thanks to everyone for their past and future honest, civil discourse. Learning to temper statements with appropriate qualifiers is an exercise in wisdom and courtesy. I proudly tell people I meet to come to this site and learn because of how the discussions are conducted. Again, thanks to everyone for being "good roommates".

I appreciate the original post. It brings me back to my college days when raw research was required and highly valued.

Does anyone know whatever happened with this --

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-20341423

Did they ever establish whether ebola could be transmitted by airborne particles in some way? Or is this still under research?

This is an edited version of one of my posts in the other thread. I clarfied it a little and added a link to the sources post.

It is only technically not airborne. Airborne transmission requires it to be transmitted by a droplet size that can stay in the air for long periods.

Ebola has been spread by droplets in air between .8 and 1.2 um in the lab. A sneeze creates droplets between .5 and 5 um.

I'm guessing that sneeze size droplets can't stay airborne for a long time.

I'll stick to the safer course and treat it like it's semi-airborne.

Links for sources

WaPo has an interesting article: Five Myths About Ebola.

Great article! Bookmarked it.

I sure appreciate your level headed approach to this mess.

Blake

outdoorquest.blogspot.com

This website is awesome.

http://biosurveillance.typepad.com/

This research article shows some info on survival of this type of virus.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2010.04778.x/full

Agreed, this is outstanding. Thank you for posting this link!

Yep, excellent read. Thanks.

I've been doing a little reading on Ebola as well, and came across a couple of interesting stories.

I don't put a lot of weight into what I read on the internet, but with two hospital workers who were taking at least some level of precautions I was interested in any type of Ebola transmission experiments that had been done.

I came across this link:

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/33277/title/Ebola-from-Pigs-to-Monkeys/

It seems to indicate that it is possible to contract this bug without direct contact. This article led me to another here:

http://ispub.com/IJPRM/2/1/12768

The Reston Ebola Outbreak

This article takes it one step farther, and seems to indicate that it's possible for it to spread between rooms via ventilation.

From what I can tell, these version of the Virus are different strains that what we are seeing now, but it shows how aggressive this family of viruses can be, even in a BSL-4 containment facility.

After a few weeks offline, I popped over to the original Ebola thread to express how glad I am that ETS members are so level-headed, lets-keep-it-that-way, when lo and behold, there's already a thread saying the same thing.

You guys are just too awesome.


--M