The following article describes the deadly Ebola virus. The interesting thing
here is that Laurie Garrett describes how Ebola virus transmission:
*…involves contact with contaminated fluids through patient care or
burial procedures….*
In the U.S., HIV is primarily transmitted by contaminated needles. I
suspect that the relativily low incidence of HIV in the U.K. could be
due to the fact that clean needles are readily available to I.V. drug
users in Europe. Areas in other parts of the world, with poor medical
facilities, are spreading HIV and other pathogens because of unsterile
medical procedures.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that clean-needle
availability helps reduce infection. They are correct. Pres. Clinton and
Donna Shalala-la-la, however, are too busy playing politics with people’s
lives by not acknowledging that needle-exhange programs reduce the spread of
viral diseases such as HIV.
The following article will also show that viral diseases are very real,
contrary to what the Natural Hygienists are saying. It will also show
that viruses, which are endogenous in one animal species, can cause
disease when introduced into another species of animals. This
trans-species viral infection happens all of the time. Influenza virus,
for example, is passed back and forth between humans, pigs and ducks.
When a virus is transmitted from one species to another, it mutates,
probably because of the different immune responses found in different
species of animals. A virus can be harmless in one species and deadly in
another. HIV looks like it came from some other primate and was probably
initially spread to humans through unsterile medical procedures.
I pulled this off of http://www.newsday.com:
Killer virus strikes Africa for the third time in a year / Killer
Ebola Virus Strikes in Gabon
By Laurie Garrett. STAFF WRITER
The Ebola virus has struck in Africa for the third time in a year,
this time in equatorial Gabon.
At least 10 people in the remote village of Mayibout have died from
the disease, and nine more are currently in an isolation ward in the
city of Makokou, the provincial capital, according to the World Health
Organization. Sources in Libreville, the capital of Gabon, said that
at least four more cases of the deadly disease had surfaced in
Mayibout.
The Ebola virus infects the endothelial tissues that compose the walls
of capillaries, blood vessels and key organs such as kidneys and
liver.
When viral colonies grow in the tissue, they punch microscopic holes
that eventually can cause massive hemorrhaging, with blood draining
from patients’ internal organs and externally from the ears, eyes,
nose, mouth, genitals, and even pinprick holes in the skin.
There is no vaccine or treatment for Ebola. Transmission primarily
involves contact with contaminated fluids through patient care or
burial procedures.
The northeast Gabon village of Mayibout is so remote that it can only
be reached via a 93 mile motorboat trip up the Ivindo River from
Makokou. Last year a suspected epidemic of yellow fever, a
mosquito-borne disease that can cause hemorrhagic symptoms, raced
through the same region, killing 36 people. Although Ebola was
suspected then, no cases were confirmed.
The current outbreak appears to have begun in Mayibout around Feb. 5.
On Jan. 26, villagers reportedly ate meat from a chimpanzee that died
in the rain forest, and doctors suspect the chimp was the source of
the epidemic. If so, this would mark the second time that a chimp was
implicated in an Ebola epidemic. The first time occurred in November,
1995, in the west African nation of Ivory Coast. There, a Swiss
scientist contracted the disease after dissecting a chimpanzee.
Even if the chimp were to be confirmed as the source of this
particular Gabonese outbreak, it would be unlikely to solve the
mystery of what creature serves as the reservoir of the deadly virus
in between human epidemics, experts say. That’s because chimps appear
to suffer and die from Ebola; a reservoir animal or insect would
presumably carry the virus without harm to itself.
Ebola broke out 13 months ago in Kikwit, Zaire, about 300 miles
southeast of Mayibout. Ultimately, 245 people died of the disease in
the Kikwit area, with 316 cases confirmed – a 77 percent fatality
rate.
A single case of ebola was confirmed in Ivory Coast in December. Three
previous Ebola epidemics have occurred in equatorial Africa: in
Yambuku, Zaire, in 1976, and in N’zara, Sudan, in 1976 and again in
1979.
Studies conducted by the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute on
Infectious Diseases at Ft. Detrick, Md. late last year showed that
captive rhesus monkeys could spread the virus to one another through
the air. Autopsies of Kikwit victims by the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention revealed that all Ebola victims had colonies of
the virus in their lungs.
Still, there is no evidence that airborne transmission of the virus
has played a significant role in previous human epidemics, or if it
has played any role at all.
WHO has dispatched a three-person team to Makokou, according to Dr.
David Heymann, head of the agency’s emerging disease division in
Geneva.
The WHO team includes a west African veterinarian, a French virologist
and a WHO public information officer. The CDC and the international
Medecins Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders), both of which
played pivotal roles in Kikwit, offered their services to Gabon, but
have been declined.
Gabon, which has close ties to the French government, is relying on
French military personnel for disease control efforts. CDC officals
say that there is little immediate concern that this epidemic could
spread outside of Gabon, and particularly to the U.S., because of the
extreme isolation of the area.
Only two European airports (and no U.S. airports) offer flights to
Gabon – Paris and Brussels – and access to Makokou requires
twice-weekly flights from Libreville. No accessible roads service
Mayibout.
James M. Scutero, original proponent of misc.health.aids
misc.health.aids homepage: http://www.panix.com/~jscutero
MISC.HEALTH.AIDS * HIV/AIDS TALK ONLY * NO COMMERCIALS * NO MODERATORS
In article <4g60to$…@panix.com>, James Scutero <jscut…@panix.com> wrote:
>The following article describes the deadly Ebola virus. The interesting thing
>here is that Laurie Garrett describes how Ebola virus transmission:
> *…involves contact with contaminated fluids through patient care or
> burial procedures….*
Just to keep things in perspective here, so that this hype about
Ebola is completely understood. The last "outbreak" killed a little
over 200 people over a 6 month period in a town of about a half
million in the middle of Africa. This was about 80% of those who
were infected. And the total number was partly the result of
the US CDC (acting globally) scouring the medical records in
retrospect which had the effect of boosting the total afflicted
to over 200 (it also lowered the mortality a bit).
Those who were afflicted were initially exposed during a surgery
on an infected patient. This should give you some idea of the
state of the art of surgery in the middle of Africa, but Ebola
took advantage of this (one wonders if an outbreak would have
occurred at all if this sloppy medical practice hadn’t occurred).
The surgical workers then took their infections home and infected
those around them. And that was about it. Done.
Probably during the same 6 month period, thousands of people died
of malaria or TB, which have been killing people for centuries
in Africa. But these diseases are boring and not as glamorous
as Ebola, so we don’t hear about this.
But you can count on the US media and those who have an agenda
to push about killer viruses making sure that the public gets
plenty of hype. Does anyone really think that Ebola could
ever be a serious problem in the Western world? Isn’t it more
likely that it pops up now and again in 3rd world countries
where medical facilities are bad, kills a few people and then
disappears? This has been going on for a long time and I
wonder if there is any reason to think things will change.
Todd Miller
In article <4gf9aj$…@miasun.med.miami.edu>
tmil…@newssun.med.miami.edu (Todd Miller – Pharmacology) writes:
>In article <4g60to$…@panix.com>, James Scutero <jscut…@panix.com> wrote:
>>The following article describes the deadly Ebola virus. The interesting thing
>>here is that Laurie Garrett describes how Ebola virus transmission:
>> *…involves contact with contaminated fluids through patient care or
>> burial procedures….*
>Just to keep things in perspective here, so that this hype about
>Ebola is completely understood.
Are you saying that the Ebola virus doesn’t kill people?
[...]
>But you can count on the US media and those who have an agenda
>to push about killer viruses making sure that the public gets
>plenty of hype.
People with Ebola bleed to death. Isn’t that gruesome enough for you, Todd?
>Does anyone really think that Ebola could ever be a serious problem in
>the Western world?
Ebola could be a serious problem in Miami, don’t you think?
>…This has been going on for a long time and I wonder if there is any
reason to think things will change.
>Todd Miller
No, I think you will always be dumber than wood.
James M. Scutero, original proponent of misc.health.aids
misc.health.aids homepage: http://www.panix.com/~jscutero
MISC.HEALTH.AIDS * HIV/AIDS TALK ONLY * NO COMMERCIALS * NO MODERATORS
On 22 Feb 1996, James Scutero wrote:
> In article <4gf9aj$…@miasun.med.miami.edu>
> tmil…@newssun.med.miami.edu (Todd Miller – Pharmacology) writes:
> >In article <4g60to$…@panix.com>, James Scutero <jscut…@panix.com> wrote:
> >>The following article describes the deadly Ebola virus. The interesting thing
> >>here is that Laurie Garrett describes how Ebola virus transmission:
> >> *…involves contact with contaminated fluids through patient care or
> >> burial procedures….*
> >Just to keep things in perspective here, so that this hype about
> >Ebola is completely understood.
> Are you saying that the Ebola virus doesn’t kill people?
I’m afraid I come down on Todd’s side here, though the bit about hospital
surgery being the index case I was little intrigued about..I’d heard
different (though nosocomial transmission did play a goodly part), are
you sure you aren’t mixing the Tai and Zaire outbreaks, Todd?
Ebola has been massively overhyped, it’s not new…it first appeard in ’76
and is one of many virulent haemhorragic fever viruses..nasty yes, but
very very pumped up in the media.
> >But you can count on the US media and those who have an agenda
> >to push about killer viruses making sure that the public gets
> >plenty of hype.
> People with Ebola bleed to death. Isn’t that gruesome enough for you, Todd?
Individual speed of pathogenesis does not directly correlate to the level
of a public health threat. It must be one of the more unpleasant ways to
die, but there are more virulent viruses endemic in areas of the US
(rabies for one, though at least thats treatable if caught early enough)
Why is there such a fire over Ebola and Junin, machupo, bolivian and
venezuelan haemhorragic fever just don’t get mentioned. There was a serious
problem recently with Venezuelan Equine Enchephalitis….it got zoonotic
killed nearly 800 people according the the report I saw….not a whisper
in the papers.
> >Does anyone really think that Ebola could ever be a serious problem in
> >the Western world?
> Ebola could be a serious problem in Miami, don’t you think?
Kitwit was a region with population of 6 million I saw quoted, little or
no efficient communications, extremely limited medical resources, a
significant transmission due to hospital practices that aren’t used here,
social practises that expose people to the pathogen and nearby source of
said pathogen.
Yet only a few hundred people died…..The perspective on this disease
in the media is IMHO over the top.
If you are looking for a plague in the US considr say multiply resistant TB,
or somthing similar (vanomycin resistant staph aureus?)
> >…This has been going on for a long time and I wonder if there is any
> reason to think things will change.
> >Todd Miller
> No, I think you will always be dumber than wood.
I think he’s right on this one though, Ebola has ben taken out of context.
Tim
In article <Pine.SOL.3.91.960223115320.23103A-100…@ursa.cus.cam.ac.uk>
Tim Fitzmaurice <tj…@cus.cam.ac.uk> writes:
[...]
>Kitwit was a region with population of 6 million I saw quoted, little or
>no efficient communications, extremely limited medical resources, a
>significant transmission due to hospital practices that aren’t used here,
>social practises that expose people to the pathogen and nearby source of
>said pathogen.
It’s possible that HIV-I came from such a place. It would have been nice
if researchers had stopped HIV from spreading before it became a problem.
I guess humanity is doomed to sit back and wait for epidemics to happen
instead of trying to stop them before they happen.
Forget Ebola. It’s not a problem…now.
James M. Scutero, original proponent of misc.health.aids
misc.health.aids homepage: http://www.panix.com/~jscutero
MISC.HEALTH.AIDS * HIV/AIDS TALK ONLY * NO COMMERCIALS * NO MODERATORS
Todd Miller – Pharmacology (tmil…@newssun.med.miami.edu) wrote:
: of malaria or TB, which have been killing people for centuries
: in Africa. But these diseases are boring and not as glamorous
: as Ebola, so we don’t hear about this.
You hear plenty about both of these diseases if you care to read any of
the current medical literature. Both these diseases are on the rise – (for
different reasons) and for a good overview as to how and why, read Laurie
Garrett’s book ‘The Coming Plague’ – Garrett is a Fellow at the Harvard
School of Public Health, and her book is both thoroughly alarming and well
researched.
: But you can count on the US media and those who have an agenda
: to push about killer viruses making sure that the public gets
: plenty of hype. Does anyone really think that Ebola could
: ever be a serious problem in the Western world? Isn’t it more
Yes, plenty of people are worried that Ebola could be a serious problem in
the Western world. And neither the WHO nor anyone else would be properly
equipped to handle a such a catastrophe. While the relatively short
incubation period of the various strains of Ebola would be an advantage
(over AIDS or TB, for instance) the ease and frequency with which
westerners travel would pose an insurmountable problem for those trying to
contain the epidemic. While it may be easy to close a village in Zaire it
would be much, much harder to limit movement into and out of a city like
New York.
: likely that it pops up now and again in 3rd world countries
: where medical facilities are bad, kills a few people and then
: disappears? This has been going on for a long time and I
: wonder if there is any reason to think things will change.
This is also true of AIDS, until it found its way into the industrialised
world. Pandemics are not a thing of the past, though we thought they were
in the 1960s and 70s.
cheers
dyan
In article <Pine.SOL.3.91.960223115320.23103A-100…@ursa.cus.cam.ac.uk>,
Tim Fitzmaurice <tj…@cus.cam.ac.uk> writes:
> Kitwit was a region with population of 6 million I saw quoted, little or
> no efficient communications, extremely limited medical resources, a
> significant transmission due to hospital practices that aren’t used here,
> social practises that expose people to the pathogen and nearby source of
> said pathogen.
No basic disagreement with you on the ebola hype issue which results from its
high mortality rate. But consider that the isolation of Kitwit may actually
act to keep the disease from spreading.
On 24 Feb 1996, ROBERT S. HOLZMAN wrote:
> In article <Pine.SOL.3.91.960223115320.23103A-100…@ursa.cus.cam.ac.uk>,
> Tim Fitzmaurice <tj…@cus.cam.ac.uk> writes:
> > Kitwit was a region with population of 6 million I saw quoted, little or
> > no efficient communications, extremely limited medical resources, a
> > significant transmission due to hospital practices that aren’t used here,
> > social practises that expose people to the pathogen and nearby source of
> > said pathogen.
> No basic disagreement with you on the ebola hype issue which results from its
> high mortality rate. But consider that the isolation of Kitwit may actually
> act to keep the disease from spreading.
Yes, I was trying to comapre the effects within Miami and Kitwit so I
lookied at them from rather a closed system view.
Tim
jscut…@panix.com (James Scutero) wrote:
>It’s possible that HIV-I came from such a place. It would have been nice
>if researchers had stopped HIV from spreading before it became a problem.
>I guess humanity is doomed to sit back and wait for epidemics to happen
>instead of trying to stop them before they happen.
The article in Sci Am (3/96) on the African AIDS epidemic says that
the idea of HIV-1 originating in Africa is unlikely. That leads to
many questions (not to mention a Pandora’s box of conspiracy
theories).
George M. Carter
In article <4gsltn$…@reader3.ix.netcom.com> g…@ix.netcom.com writes:
>jscut…@panix.com (James Scutero) wrote:
>>It’s possible that HIV-I came from such a place. It would have been nice
>>if researchers had stopped HIV from spreading before it became a problem.
>>I guess humanity is doomed to sit back and wait for epidemics to happen
>>instead of trying to stop them before they happen.
>The article in Sci Am (3/96) on the African AIDS epidemic says that
>the idea of HIV-1 originating in Africa is unlikely. That leads to
>many questions (not to mention a Pandora’s box of conspiracy
>theories).
> George M. Carter
You are correct, George. Apologies if the following excerpt was posted here
earlier:
"…One frequently mentioned explanation for the severe epidemic in the
AIDS belt is that the virus originated here and continues to move outward
from an epicenter of disease. But AIDS cases appeared in hospitals in
Uganda and Rwanda at the same time they did in the West, and no stored
human-tissue samples taken from Africans during the 1970s are
HIV-positive. Furthermore, the AIDS belt is not circular but elongated,
clearly not the pattern of expansion from an epicenter. (A related virus,
HIV-2, most likely did originate in Africa, but it infects fewer people
and kills much more slowly; for these reasons we do not deal with it in
this article.)…"
James M. Scutero, original proponent of misc.health.aids
misc.health.aids homepage: http://www.panix.com/~jscutero
MISC.HEALTH.AIDS * HIV/AIDS TALK ONLY * NO COMMERCIALS * NO MODERATORS