What can ordinary New Yorkers do to help stop the spread of a deadly contagion? No, not ebola. The freakout over ebola! Here are my tips: -- If you feel afraid, thats understandable. Take a little time and gather some facts. New Yorkers with public-health questions about Ebola can call 800-861-2280 and speak to a live operator, according to Governor Cuomo. The phone line went live today. -- Resist spreading rumors or conspiracy theories. Counter rumors, calmly & kindly, with facts and sources for those facts. -- Resist the urge to blame victims. The victims in the US have all been human beings who have been heroic. They deserve to be recognized for that. Demonizing people who may have been exposed to ebola creates a climate that discourages people to seek help and follow proper protocols. Instead, lets wish them a speedy and full recovery . Here are some basic info: -- Based on studies from earlier outbreaks, there is only a 16% chance of contracting ebola if you LIVE WITH a person sick with ebola. And in those same studies, 0 out of 40 people who had NO PHYSICAL CONTACT with the sick person they lived with, contracted the disease - zero. That was according to Dr. Kent Sepkowitz Sloan Kettering and infectious disease specialist on All In With Chris Hayes. --The average ebola case fatality rate is around 50%. (1) --Early supportive care with rehydration, symptomatic treatment improves survival. (1) --The most severely affected countries, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia have very weak health systems, lacking human and infrastructural resources, having only recently emerged from long periods of conflict and instability. (1) --Ebola spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials (e.g. bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids. (1) --Health-care workers have frequently been infected while treating patients. This has occurred through close contact with patients when infection control precautions are not strictly practiced. (1) My take away is if you are healthcare worker or someone taking care of a person with ebola, you may be at risk. If you are not in that category - you can probably chill and encourage others to do the same. (1.) who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 02:51:30 +0000
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