Ebola scaremongering?

Xordium · 28 Jul 2014 at 15:42

scorza said:
Well you've just got to expand on that now, since we're all gonna die of Ebola. Does morphine touch it at all?

I am afraid it doesn't but the good thing is has this special power which will mean you don't really care!

Boycey0211 · 28 Jul 2014 at 15:49

badcompany said:
2 Americans dead now, all flights cancelled by airline.
http://news.yahoo.com/us-doctor-infected-ebola-liberia-outbreak-000010949.html

Bloody terrifying this is once you think about it making it to big cities.

They're not dead.

badcompany · 28 Jul 2014 at 16:04

Boycey0211 said:
They're not dead.

Yet!

Ayahuasca · 28 Jul 2014 at 16:06

How long have we got left then?

Or would this question best be answered by the daily mail.

Mynight · 28 Jul 2014 at 16:08

Ayahuasca said:
How long have we got left then?

Or would this question best be answered by the daily mail.

Nah dailymail is being optimistic with its impending doom predictions this time

scorza · 28 Jul 2014 at 16:15

Xordium said:
I am afraid it doesn't but the good thing is has this special power which will mean you don't really care!

Spill the beans, on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being in hardly any pain to 10 being the worst pain imaginable, how much pain would you say someone dying of Ebole in a competent medical facility i.e. with access to all the drugs they want, be in?

Mynight · 28 Jul 2014 at 16:19

scorza said:
Spill the beans, on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being in hardly any pain to 10 being the worst pain imaginable, how much pain would you say someone dying of Ebole in a competent medical facility i.e. with access to all the drugs they want, be in?

From a ignorant viewpoint(ie mine). Id say 9 or 10 but too high to care.

Xordium · 28 Jul 2014 at 16:22

scorza said:
Spill the beans, on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being in hardly any pain to 10 being the worst pain imaginable, how much pain would you say someone dying of Ebole in a competent medical facility i.e. with access to all the drugs they want, be in?

Competent then it should realistically be 0 for the majority of the time.

413x · 28 Jul 2014 at 16:35

VaderDSL said:
Plus saying it's the worlds deadliest virus is a bit misleading? Sure it has a high mortality rate, but compare it to HIV.

Ebola - A thousand or so deaths.
HIV - Over 30 million deaths, according to the WHO.

I just wish journalism would focus on the details and leave the sensationalism to Hollywood.

There's no denying, it is the worst outbreak seen so far http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ebola_outbreaks but we're a far cry from an international pandemic.

Caution is very much appropriate, informing the relevant agencies is appropriate, informing travel hubs is appropriate, spreading fear through sensationalist media outlets is just a sad attempt to garner website visits

You can't really compare ebola to hiv.

They are completely different beasts

If I was comparing I would say ebola is more deadly

Out of all the world news stories.. This is the one which worries me the most. (by that I don't mean I'm stocking up but if I 2 pressed to pick one I think could affect me)

StriderX · 28 Jul 2014 at 17:08

We would sooner glass Africa than let Ebola jump continent.

badcompany · 28 Jul 2014 at 18:10

May already be in China

Mynight · 28 Jul 2014 at 18:17

badcompany said:
May already be in China

That's bubonic plague isn't it?

LOAM · 28 Jul 2014 at 18:22

Mynight said:
That's bubonic plague isn't it?

[tinfoilhat]Is it?[/tinfoilhat]

badcompany · 28 Jul 2014 at 18:30

Mynight said:
That's bubonic plague isn't it?

is it???????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????????

Mynight · 28 Jul 2014 at 18:34

It's not the one you need to worry about. It's still deadly but treatable the pneumonic/septacemic one is the one I worry about they may be treatable but can spread rapidly. It's up there with ebola I believe.

scorza · 28 Jul 2014 at 19:29

Xordium said:
Competent then it should realistically be 0 for the majority of the time.

I find that quite difficult to believe tbh, no doubt you're right however...

Xordium · 28 Jul 2014 at 21:41

scorza said:
I find that quite difficult to believe tbh, no doubt you're right however...

There is no excuse for any patient to be in pain for any amount of time in this day and age. It's that simple. If someone is that broken that they need opiates off the scale then you will knock them out that much with that opiate that they would be ventilated anyway and therefore paralysed and fully sedated. This is why we let patients (where we can) control their opiates using a button (which when pressed gives a dose), if they were to have too much they would pass out and not press the button again. It's a lot safer and people use less pain control because they actually have the power.

In the case of the discussed hydration would be met therefore the problems associated with fluid depletion would be negated, respiratory support would be given to tackle the shortness of breathe you would find and suitable analgesia would take care of the chest pain. Naturally what you can't get rid of is the fear.

With modern facilities and clued up staff you would not see the fatality rate the media loves bandying about. Before some smart arse decides to point out the fatality in Germany then I would respectfully point out there is a big difference between the loading dosage of virus one would expect to get from an infected contact and a contaminated syringe directly entering the blood supply.

Energize · 28 Jul 2014 at 23:13

Xordium said:
There is no excuse for any patient to be in pain for any amount of time in this day and age. It's that simple.

That's absolutely true, but in reality it often doesn't play out that way, I was involved in a car crash and my longstanding GP would not prescribe me opioids after exhausting all non-contraindicated medications! I was left in severe pain for 2 weeks because of him.

Mind you there are cases where pain is unavoidable, my friend in the car crash who fractured her spine is on half a dozen medications and still has some pain issues even after nerve ablation in the lumbar region.

Xordium said:
Naturally what you can't get rid of is the fear.

Well there's always diazepam.

Xordium · 28 Jul 2014 at 23:20

Well the point is they said 'competent' I think we quite adequately established Energize you didn't see anyone competent!

Energize · 28 Jul 2014 at 23:23

Unfortunately at my practice that seems to be the norm lol. Sometimes I think it would be better if patients could buy medications without a prescription. The number of doctors that said there was no stronger pain killer available than codeine was shocking, they need to go back to medical school or struck off the register for lying to patients.