Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post

troutman · 09-30-2014, 03:12 PM

Ebola outbreaks: Science versus fear mongering and quackery

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/...-and-quackery/

Because Ebola virus (particularly the Zaire strain) produces such a nasty disease that kills more than 50% of those infected, even when optimal medical care is available, and over 90% of the untreated, it’s natural that fear and misinformation are running rampant, be they peddled by faith healers, homeopaths, or rich old guys with bad hair and an overinflated opinion of their own knowledge. It’s important for us to remember here in the US that the likelihood of an outbreak due to bringing back two patients with Ebola virus disease is incredibly small, and that conditions here in the US and other developed nations are such that it is unlikely that such an outbreak, even in the unlikely event that it happened, would spread very far, given the differences in medical care, availability of resources, and differences in funeral practices. That’s not to say we shouldn’t be vigilant, but there is really nothing particularly unusual about Ebola virus other than the rapid onset and severity of the disease it causes.

09-30-2014, 03:12 PM	#8
troutman Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Crowsnest Pass Exp:	Ebola outbreaks: Science versus fear mongering and quackery http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/...-and-quackery/ Because Ebola virus (particularly the Zaire strain) produces such a nasty disease that kills more than 50% of those infected, even when optimal medical care is available, and over 90% of the untreated, it’s natural that fear and misinformation are running rampant, be they peddled by faith healers, homeopaths, or rich old guys with bad hair and an overinflated opinion of their own knowledge. It’s important for us to remember here in the US that the likelihood of an outbreak due to bringing back two patients with Ebola virus disease is incredibly small, and that conditions here in the US and other developed nations are such that it is unlikely that such an outbreak, even in the unlikely event that it happened, would spread very far, given the differences in medical care, availability of resources, and differences in funeral practices. That’s not to say we shouldn’t be vigilant, but there is really nothing particularly unusual about Ebola virus other than the rapid onset and severity of the disease it causes.