Ermaghad, EBOLA!!!

[whitewolf001]

Now all silliness aside, let's create a "what if" scenario. What if Ebola was weaponized into a very aggressive strain (http://www.google.com/patents/US20120251502 not trying to fear monger, more a curiosity than anything) AND went airborne? Would you have the preps on hand to survive such a outbreak? I know I don't as I need hazmat gear and a mask. DISCUSS!

[broox]

For me to be prepared for something like this is something I consider cost/resource prohibitive.  What I am doing now is some short term prepping with groceries and water.  If something crazy like this happens, I hope me and my family would just be stuck at the house for awhile. Like it or not, the government would really be our only hope of resuming normal civilized life in the short term. I should probably go buy some more toilet paper, but my wife says I buy the cheap stuff.....

[whitewolf001]

For me to be prepared for something like this is something I consider cost/resource prohibitive.  What I am doing now is some short term prepping with groceries and water.  If something crazy like this happens, I hope me and my family would just be stuck at the house for awhile. Like it or not, the government would really be our only hope of resuming normal civilized life in the short term. I should probably go buy some more toilet paper, but my wife says I buy the cheap stuff.....

 

Agreed, I'm in a similar boat and am trying to get my ducks in a row, short term first, then long term BUT that being said, I'd like to get all the bases covered eventually. Just takes time and money. It seems when you have one, you don't have the other.  :-\

[Dolomite_supafly]

I have masks, good masks, on hand as well as tyvek suits and nitrile gloves of course. That is the only preps I have that I would consider to be for airborne disease.

I also live in a pretty remote area, have a lockable gate across the driveway and the ability to hopefully persuade people I am not an easy target.

The biggest advantage I have over most is I do not have to leave my property and expose myself.

[whitewolf001]

I have masks, good masks, on hand as well as tyvek suits and nitrile gloves of course. That is the only preps I have that I would consider to be for airborne disease.

I also live in a pretty remote area, have a lockable gate across the driveway and the ability to hopefully persuade people I am not an easy target.

The biggest advantage I have over most is I do not have to leave my property and expose myself.

Where did you source your masks from might I ask? It's hard to find the cheap commie block stuff anymore and all the western NATO stuff is pretty pricey.

Edited October 23, 2014 by whitewolf001

[cj0e]

Warning, wall of text incoming:

 

First, in response to your questions:

 

If it goes aggressive(more than it currently is?) AND airborne (ease of transmission!), get paid up(can probably skip this part) and prayed up.

 

Ebola has a high mortality rate even when symptomatic care is available. This strain is highly virulent(rapid replication of virus in it's host), and highly infectious(very small amounts of contaminant can infect). Until a proven treatment is developed, expect to see most people around you die. As more people are infected, it has greater possibility to mutate and overcome any treatment that is developed.

 

If you're not already living outside of medium density populations when it hits (IE on your self sustaining farmland, isolated AND protected from outsiders) someone near you will likely be exposed to those who are infected.

 

Make sure you get your "bio-dome" ready ahead of time and live in it. Hope that you don't ever have a containment breach or major systems failure. Understand that life is fragile, and that everyone dies. Harden your resolve, hope for the best. Get prayed up again. You're probably gonna die, if not you'll be surrounded by the dead.

 

tl;dr: Weaponized, airborne transmissible Ebola could be on par with a near extinction event.

 

HOWEVER there is evidence against such a threat:

 

1. No human virus in 100 yrs of studying has ever made the jump from one mode of transmission to another. They tend to stick with the one they have.

2. AFAIK every lab modified virus that's been made to go airborne, loses it's ability to effectively infect the host.

3. And best of all, there's no precedent for it going airborne on it's own. Look at other viruses that are transmitted via bodily fluids. Hepatitis C- millions infected. Literally, millions. It's never changed it's mode of infection. Rabies - highly infectious, and untreated, a much more deadly virus than Ebola - never changed it's mode of infection. HIV - highly infectious, hosts can live with it for an extended period, while it replicates and mutates. MILLIONS upon MILLIONS infected - still passed through bodily fluids.

 

dr;bh : Can it go airborne? Maybe. I'm not putting money on it happening. It's not keeping me up at night.

 

Finally, there's hope.

 

Will we find a treatment for it? Probably. zMapp is the big name right now, but was barely ready for phase 1 clinical trials. You know, the trials done on healthy people to make sure the treatment doesn't cause immediate major health concerns on it's own. Phase 2 is wider, and tests for efficacy. IE, does this actually work in a statistically significant population group? Phase 3 is what are the other side effects of this drug/treatment, is it actually as effective as we think?

 

This is the first major outbreak that's demonstrated a significant need. Yes, life is precious. If one person can be saved, pour money at it till it saves em. Realistically, it takes capital to make that kind of research happen, it takes a population with a need to justify it, and clinical trials can't occur without people to be treated. Big Pharma won't pour money at something that isn't profitable. Ebola infections rarely make it past killing a village, let alone infecting a major population. Pharma doesn't want to spend huge money on something with little to no return. Plus, there are other bigger diseases out there that affect and kill many more people that are better targets for philanthropic research. IE, how many lives can we save with the money we spend and won't see a return on?

 

In this case, general fear will see governments pressured by their citizens to put money into research. Researchers will then be able to afford development, testing, and large scale production of effective treatments.

 

If you're this far, you probably read the whole thing.

 

If anything, be ready for Ebola in it's current form, not the hypothetical airborne super bug variety. Those airborne super bugs will come out of the blue, and kill us all anyway.

 

[reader's key:

tl;dr: Too long; didn't read

dr;bh: did read, brain hurts]

[Dolomite_supafly]

Harbor freight sells N95 masks for $20.

[whitewolf001]

dr;be (did read, brain exploded)

[Raoul]

Just to feed your paranoia a bit, Ebola probably has been weaponized. There's some literature out there about the Soviets having it.

[broox]

Should I know what "ermaghad" means?

[whitewolf001]

Should I know what "ermaghad" means?

Try thinking of Adam Sandler's Billy Madison saying "Oh my god". ;)

[Dolomite_supafly]

There is also the fact OUR government holds the patent for Ebola.

[whitewolf001]

There is also the fact OUR government holds the patent for Ebola.

Yeah, that's the frightening part...  :ugh:

[Mark A]

If by prepared do you mean enough food and water to hole up for a few months and enough ammo to discourage visitors then yes.

I have masks and gloves in the car to help get home. Other than that I don't really need anything else. Once home we will become the definition of hermits for a while.

Mark

[Raoul]

Here's a story to stoke your paranoia.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/ebola-crisis-rekindles-concerns-about-secret-research-in-russian-military-labs/2014/10/23/ce409716-5945-11e4-b812-38518ae74c67_story.html?hpid=z1

[94user]

 

Should I know what "ermaghad" means?

 

It's "Ermagherd ". 

[Chucktshoes]

Should I know what "ermaghad" means?

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ermahgerd

[whitewolf001]

It's "Ermagherd ". 

False, see above post. :D