UNDERSTANDING THE EBOLA DEBATE

The science-political conflict about Ebola should be obvious. From the scientific point of view there is absolutely no chance that a person who is not symptomatic can spread the disease. The medical profession base this assessment on the fact that provable information. A person cannot spread the virus unless they are asymptomatic because to be symptomatic means they have the virus in the body fluids. This is not only logical but is provable and scientists have proved this reputably.

Scientific study has unequivocally established that a consistent 21-day period between exposure to the virus and when symptoms first appear. Medical professional established this in spite of a couple of big unknown—things that cannot be known—which is, does the person exposed actually have the virus and is the person expose susceptible to infection. They know people who have been infected and recovered are not susceptible again. Another factor, one that is also known, is the size of the infecting dose does not change this 21-day incubation period; nevertheless, the size of the infecting dose may be influence the outcome of the disease. For example, a woman in stillbirth in Liberia may have massively exposed the patient who died in Texas. This is in contrast to the physicians who came back to the United States and later developed symptoms as well as the two resident nurses who developed symptoms but survived. In each case, the doctors and nurses appear to have exposed themselves by breeches in personal protective devices, implying the infecting dose was very, very small. A political split between science and politics hinged on this point; those who felt they could take advantage of it chose not to consider the size of the infecting dose instead invoked a different treatment based on race as the cause; the person who died was black while the doctors and two nurses were white.

Of additional importance, is the fact that in this disease there is not carrier state, meaning that once a person is infect, he or she will not spread the virus after recovery. To spread the disease, a person must have symptoms. The first symptom is an obvious increase in body temperature reflecting the death of cells infected with the virus. The virus infects a cell, and using the cell mechanisms, reproduces to the point it kills the infected cell; this takes 21 days. Although, I have not seen data to this effect, apparently, the cells infected are in the intestines, kidneys, and testis. Obviously, once the infected cell dies, it can no longer produce more viruses. With time, the infected body produces more and more antibody, which binds the virus, which prevents it from infecting more cells. Outside the body, the Ebola virus is an RNA virus, which is not stable outside living cells. It will become non-infective after a short time outside living cells. In addition, common disinfectants kill the virus on contact.    

This pathophysiology indicates Ebola is highly infectious, is often lethal, but also is a self-limiting disease. This should be obvious from data collected in those regions in the world where the virus runs unchecked. In addition, the data shows properly administered symptomatic treatment “usually” works; nutritional and massive fluid therapy. Again, the political–scientific split occurs in the way the medical community verses the media handle this information. The medical communities (epidemiologist and clinicians, etc) study the data and made scientific recommendations, which include the idea we all should know about; overall, the best way to stop the spread of the disease is to send medical professionals to fight the disease in Africa and stop it there.

In contrast to the medical community, the popular media, urged on by politics, has worked hard to induce panic; while not deliberately lying, they make it sound as bad as they possibly can—for instance; the initial published numbers of sick and dying is always greater than the actually number. As a direct result of all of this, I heard a physician, who should have known better, speaking in support of the restrictions imposed on the people by the governors of States of Maine, New Jersey, and New York in a manner that would curtail medical professionals from going to Africa to stop the Ebola epidemic. The governors were responding to the media induced panic. The physician said 80% of people believe in the United States are frighten they will be exposed to the virus. That is “justification enough” for the governors to “fight” Ebola in their states at our ports of entry to the Untied States by quarantining “all people” who have been in certain countries in Africa; hence, according to the media; are potentially infected, hence die of Ebola. This of course is beyond stupid.

What was unusually disgusting this morning was +Joe Scarborough on his program (MSNBC). He viciously attacked president +Obama. He aimed his attack at Obama’s “hiding under the covers” speech he gave in strong support of the medical (scientific) community. Once again, Scarborough demonstrated that he is not above appearing stupid by catering to the panic the media induced in the public. The media, by crating and spreading misinformation, created the 80% and now they are taking advantage of it for ratings. Obviously, President Obama, in the manner of a true leader, is working hard to do the right thing and dispel the idiocy in initially dispensed by a few right wing science deniers. Joe Scarborough reminds me of “the guy with the rope” in lynch mob; that is it is OK to aid and abet murder as long as it calls attention to ones self.    

URL: firetreepub.blogspot.com Comments Invited and not moderated