CDC confirms first Ebola case in the U.S.

[Livewire]

Ebola doesn't spread through the air, so it would be almost impossible for it to spread to pandemic levels, like what you would see with a strain of Influenza. Once we can monitor the people that already have it here, like the nurse who contracted it, we can contain the spread of the virus and that'll be the end of it.

 

[Flushed]

With the mass hysteria that it's causing, people are becoming over-cautious: there's no way this becomes an epidemic, let alone pandemic. Though I'm really curious with the precautionary measures they're taking how the alleged breach in protocol occurred in the case of the Dallas nurse.

 

[Magic Christmas Lights]

As others have said, ebola is a poorly suited vector for a pandemic. It will wreck you if you get it though, but it's pretty difficult to contract being that it isn't really an airborne virus.

On facebook, one of my acquaintances quoted some professor about how an airborne form of ebola is a great way to thin out the population because apparently our population increases (even though most developed nations have flagging or declining population growth) are going to end the world. Let me see if I can find it.

"War and famine would not do. Instead, disease offered the most efficient and fastest way to kill the billions that must soon die if the population crisis is to be solved. AIDS is not an efficient killer because it is too slow. My favorite candidate for eliminating 90 percent of the world's population is airborne Ebola (Ebola Reston), because it is both highly lethal and it kills in days, instead of years. We've got airborne diseases with 90 percent mortality in humans. Killing humans. Think about that. You know, the bird flu's good, too. For everyone who survives, he will have to bury nine."
- Dr. Eric Pianka University of Texas evolutionary ecologist, recommending solutions for reducing the world's population to an audience on population control.

What do you think of this? I guess there are people out there that are pulling for this to become a pandemic. Something about this just strikes me as really misguided and I can't believe that someone with a Ph.D. said this, but maybe I just don't know anything about the population crisis. I just know that a lot of developed countries have increasingly declining birth rates.
EDIT: After reading a small amount about overpopulation, I guess it's this huge problem, but I still don't think killing people is the best way to solve it.

 

[pokecole]

As others have said, ebola is a poorly suited vector for a pandemic. It will wreck you if you get it though, but it's pretty difficult to contract being that it isn't really an airborne virus.

On facebook, one of my acquaintances quoted some professor about how an airborne form of ebola is a great way to thin out the population because apparently our population increases (even though most developed nations have flagging or declining population growth) are going to end the world. Let me see if I can find it.

What do you think of this? I guess there are people out there that are pulling for this to become a pandemic. Something about this just strikes me as really misguided and I can't believe that someone with a Ph.D. said this, but maybe I just don't know anything about the population crisis. I just know that a lot of developed countries have increasingly declining birth rates.

I'm not really sure what to say about that. Just.... huh? Sure we have a ton of people, (7 billion iirc) but that doesn't mean that this instant we're going to get destroyed by a virus. I think that nowdays it is difficult for any strain of virus to severely hurt developed countries, what with all of our technology and procedures and protocol etc. that are specifically meant to prevent things like that. Even if something did, say, kill 90% of everyone who got it, and it was airborne doesn't mean that we couldn't just shut down all transportation and drastically slow it down.

Don't take me wrong - I'm not saying it couldn't happen, just that it's very unlikely.

Personally I'm sick of hearing about ebola. It's just like the H1N1 virus if you ask the media. "Ah, it's coming and will kill everyone, be scared". I'm not even remotely fearful, regardless of all the needless panic that the media is instilling in common people. We saw how that worked, and the answer's poorly. It's just the grasp of attention, hopefully it'll fade soon.

One more rant At this point it has become more of a joke to people. You can't go almost anywhere on the internet without hearing someone take a crack at it. Same thing goes for anything social, like school. Here's what I hear everyday, "Oh, he's sick." "What's he got, ebola?". *sigh* *sigh* It's not really a joking matter in the fact that it is almost certain death to the infected, but people joke about it mainly because it seems like it's another world away, ergo not their problem.

 

[Flushed]

What do you think of this? I guess there are people out there that are pulling for this to become a pandemic. Something about this just strikes me as really misguided and I can't believe that someone with a Ph.D. said this, but maybe I just don't know anything about the population crisis. I just know that a lot of developed countries have increasingly declining birth rates.
EDIT: After reading a small amount about overpopulation, I guess it's this huge problem, but I still don't think killing people is the best way to solve it.

The thought of biological "warfare" (if we can call it that in this situation) always scared me, this is no exception, not to mention people are seriously contemplating it as a means of population control.

All obvious moral and ethical stuff aside, something that intrigues me is the whole timeframe. I'm no expert on overpopulation either, but why does this need to be a swift process? Even famine will take its toll on population in the matter of a couple years; is the world approaching demise that quickly, especially as you said, with declining birth rates? Are we presently in such a deplorable state that people are actually wishing for the current ebola situation to become pandemic?

One more rant At this point it has become more of a joke to people. You can't go almost anywhere on the internet without hearing someone take a crack at it. Same thing goes for anything social, like school. Here's what I hear everyday, "Oh, he's sick." "What's he got, ebola?". *sigh* *sigh* It's not really a joking matter in the fact that it is almost certain death to the infected, but people joke about it mainly because it seems like it's another world away, ergo not their problem.

I think you find this problem anywhere and with anything remotely serious. Rape, racism, etc., are other things that come to mind. It is true that for many people it's a world away, however I think making light of the situation is something that isn't the most harmful thing ever. You have your people who are deathly afraid, which isn't the most warranted emotion currently, so while these jokes are cruel in nature, I think the general idea of calming down the hysteria is something that could be taken as more positive or neutral than face value.

 

[CoffeeDrink]

This entire ordeal is ridiculous. I'm still too busy worrying about the bird flu, avoiding the swine flu, dodging the SARS, ducking the Anthrax, bypassing the Mad Cow disease, getting out of the way of MRSA, side stepping BPA, and getting cancer from my phone to possible consider adding running from Ebola on my already busy schedule.

This is ridiculous.

 

[pokecole]

I think you find this problem anywhere and with anything remotely serious. Rape, racism, etc., are other things that come to mind. It is true that for many people it's a world away, however I think making light of the situation is something that isn't the most harmful thing ever. You have your people who are deathly afraid, which isn't the most warranted emotion currently, so while these jokes are cruel in nature, I think the general idea of calming down the hysteria is something that could be taken as more positive or neutral than face value.

That's quite true. I never really took into consideration that side of the spectrum. Although there are better ways of calming down hysteria, in my opinion, this definitely does something, albeit a cruel tactic in our repertoire. Either way, thanks for brightening this up a little bit.

 

[Sir Codin]

Haven't we seen this crap before?

Does anyone here remember SARS? Bird Flu? Swine Flu?

 

[Corvus of the Black Night]

The biggest difference between those and Ebola is that Ebola is not spread through the air. Frankly, if it were, there would be a much bigger problem on our hands and it would have already come to the United States by now, and ravaging the country.

 

[Pinkie-Dawn]

One of my friends believe that there's a conspiracy theory by the rich pharmaceutical companies, as they are making tons of money off of experimental drugs for curing Ebola victims. I don't know if this is one of most ridiculous conspiracies regarding epidemics, because I somehow feel like my intelligence was insulted. And this is the same person who told me that it's not fair to force U.S. citizen, who are potentially infected by Ebola, to be sent in containments for the protection of others.

 

[Livewire]

One of my friends believe that there's a conspiracy theory by the rich pharmaceutical companies, as they are making tons of money off of experimental drugs for curing Ebola victims. I don't know if this is one of most ridiculous conspiracies regarding epidemics, because I somehow feel like my intelligence was insulted. And this is the same person who told me that it's not fair to force U.S. citizen, who are potentially infected by Ebola, to be sent in containments for the protection of others.

The problem with most conspiracy theories is that correlation does not always equal causation. Yes, pharmaceutical companies are probably making a good bit of money on new trials of experimental drugs, but it's not like they can manufacture a disease like Ebola in a lab and turn it loose in order to make a profit. That's tinfoil hat/ truther material.

 

[Monophobia]

I think everyone is blowing this way out of proportion. It's fun to watch everyone panic, though. I mean, remember when Swine Flu had everyone freaked out? Ebola isn't even as serious as H1N1, so I don't see this becoming a huge issue.

EDIT: Ebola zombies ftw

 

[CoffeeDrink]

No one pays attention to me, or reads what I type. So why bother? Feels like kill assists: not as sweet as the real thing. Anyways, I still maintain what I stated before everyone else: this is ridiculous. Take a look at the past 'scares' I listed above. Oh, and the killer bees. I forgot about them.