outbreak! (ebola, sars, coronavirus, etc)

my dad is of the opinion that we're all gonna drop dead from mad cow disease eventually from a lifetime of pink slime exposure

Ebola in Uganda, new flu killing East Coast seals...

Who the HECK would choose Contagion for in-flight programming???

-Peter

There is still this other side of me that wishes I'd embarked on one of my many fig tree dream careers of epidemiologist. I really get a kick form this kind of thing. Someday we will all be dead.

So how worried should we be now, anyway.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/25/us-heath-ebola-nigeria-idUSKBN0FU1LE20140725

Fanning flames, paranoia: http://www.sfgate.com/news/medical/article/New-fears-about-Ebola-spread-after-plane-scare-5651721.php

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — No one knows for sure just how many people Patrick Sawyer came into contact with the day he boarded a flight in Liberia, had a stopover in Ghana, changed planes in Togo, and then arrived in Nigeria, where authorities say he died days later from Ebola, one of the deadliest diseases known to man.

Now health workers are scrambling to trace those who may have been exposed to Sawyer across West Africa, including flight attendants and fellow passengers.

Health experts say it is unlikely he could have infected others with the virus that can cause victims to bleed from the eyes, mouth and ears. Still, unsettling questions remain: How could a man whose sister recently died from Ebola manage to board a plane leaving the country? And worse: Could Ebola become the latest disease to be spread by international air travel?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/ebola-virus-top-sierra-leone-doctor-shek-umar-dies-of-disease-9636406.html

Sierra Leone's top virologist has died in the current outbreak.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/05/health/patient-at-mount-sinai-has-ebola-like-symptoms-hospital-says.html

This is terrible, reports of hospitals shutting their doors, infected rotting corpses in the streets and ebola nurses downing tools after not getting paid measly $30 a week risk money pledged by the Sierra Leone gvt. Conditions described as "medieval" in parts where the health system has totally collapsed.

i heard a woman talking on the radio about it the other day and she was not holding back about how grim it was -- she was a reporter but i don't remember her name
she used the same analogy, like it was medieval in terms of what people believe about medicine as well as the degree to which people receive/shun medical care when they need it

Little did we know all the right wing survivalists had the right idea for the wrong reason. It's not Obama they should fear, but ebola.

I read an article about the stress of being an ebola nurse. Encased in completely enveloping PPE in a hot climate for 12 + hour shifts. Dealing with infectious, dying patients that constantly fall out of beds, spray blood and diarrhea all over the place. The people that deal with these patients ... I just have no idea where they get their courage from.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/report-armed-men-attack-liberia-ebola-clinic-freeing-patients/

holy shit

Yeah,

Plague Inc is my favorite game

http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2014/08/19/341412011/shadow-and-d-12-sing-an-infectious-song-about-ebola?

dr. brantly speaking now, was just discharged from emory

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/tests-under-way-for-ebola-following-donegal-death-1.1904073

Shit got real. school with this guys sister

Pharmeceutical industry person tries to defend the industry re charges they have not done enough re ebola because it is in poor countries

http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnlamattina/2014/08/18/washington-post-off-base-in-critiquing-pharma-efforts-in-ebola/

the incentives for the pharmaceutical industry are what they are, unfortunately

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/08/25/ebolanomics

Irish guy didn't have Ebola. Was a false alarm.

South Africa and Senegal trying to bar some folks from countries at issue from entry

First US case in Dallas. Take that NYC & LA! We're number one!

Yikes!

I wonder how many crisis of this kind will happen before countries take the WHO seriously and decide to invest in a proper international health structure to prevent this kind of outbreak. Freaking hate to see institutions like the FMI giving up to 130 millions $ but then pressure politicians in the region to go for austerity, it's a waste of money for everyone.

ebola USED to be at the top of my list of irrational fears. presbyterian hospital is about 5 miles north of where i'm sitting right now.

welp

#patientzero

The Frontline piece on this a week or so ago was eye-opening. Hospitals that are barely more than cordoned off fields, mass graves, disinfecting the back of trucks (where patients ride, near death) by tossing in buckets of bleach, doctors and other aid workers more or less forced to visit villages free of any special suits for fear of scaring the shit out of everyone, children orphaned and alone overnight. Just heartbreaking. It's both a matter of doctors struggling to keep up with a rapidly and easily spreading illness and a population almost impossible to isolate. Bodies being dumped and left by the side of the road, families taking members out of quarantine, superstitious treatments co-mingling with modern medicine ...

Here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/ebola-outbreak/

The saddest bit may be at the end, where grave diggers, one by one, list all their families members who have succumbed.

I'm just a few miles further away, art. Drive by it almost every day as I head up to Richardson.

Your risk of dying from ebola (total confirmed 2014 ebola deaths: a few thousand worldwide) is still lower than your risk of dying due to complications related to seasonal influenza (on average, 5800-7500 a year in the US). Get a flu shot. Don't get too preoccupied by ebola.

wanna c&p that on every damn facebook post I see for the next week

be my guest

i have total confidence in the medical system to properly handle any other arising cases. that said, i am still illogically terrified

Sick Burn I saw on FB:

Don't worry about Ebola spreading in Dallas. The Cowboys have shown us that people in Dallas can't catch anything.

Ebola spreads by physical contact with bodily secretions and fluids. That makes it easier to contain in a place like the USA or Europe, where there are lots of medical facilities and a patient's recent contacts can be quickly discovered and tracked down.

Even so, if ebola strongly establishes itself in Africa, with a reservoir of infected people who keep the virus continuously viable and circulating, then not only will massive numbers of africans die, but ebola will keep leaping to other parts of the world, including the USA and Europe. It can be compared to sparks thrown out from a wildfire, which land on tinder and start other fires away from the main fire. You can put out many of these small satellite fires, but it is hard to extinguish all of them, and the more new places that start burning the harder the firestorm is to keep contained.

That's a good analogy. I really wish international focus between the Ebola outbreak and ISIL was better divided.

run for the hills imo

*not the hills of West Africa, tho*

http://i.imgur.com/LHm72Rq.png

ugh goddamned parody accounts :(

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/02/world/africa/ebola-spreading-in-west-africa.html

this is a very difficult article to read

apparently the problem is not money but organization and time

Oh jeez:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/02/texas-ebola_n_5919522.html

at what point is it ok for me to start panicking?

supposed to go to the state fair this weekend and have resolved not to touch any surfaces and to bathe myself in hand sanitizer after it is all over.

the panic is hilarious. Especially from folks who drive on the streets of Dallas. You should be much more afraid of north Texas drivers than ebola.

until there is an effective vaccine I consider ebola as a threat, but in the USA it is a long term threat, which gives the researchers plenty of time to develop that vaccine.

truly despicable imo for rand paul, a physician, to be saying things like this to score political points

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sen-rand-paul-sounds-ebola-alarm/

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/02/world/africa/ebola-spreading-in-west-africa.html

this is a very difficult article to read

apparently the problem is not money but organization and time

― I dunno. (amateurist), Wednesday, October 1, 2014 7:27 PM (Yesterday

disorganization and lack of preparedness (not to mention distrust of medical authorities, belief in traditional healing, etc) are consequences of poverty, though. this was from a few weeks ago but i think it's a good primer

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1409494

First, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia are resource-poor countries already coping with major health challenges, such as malaria and other endemic diseases, some of which may be confused with EVD. Next, their borders are porous, and movement between countries is constant. Health care infrastructure is inadequate, and health workers and essential supplies including personal protective equipment are scarce. Traditional practices, such as bathing of corpses before burial, have facilitated transmission. The epidemic has spread to cities, which complicates tracing of contacts. Finally, decades of conflict have left the populations distrustful of governing officials and authority figures such as health professionals. Add to these problems a rapidly spreading virus with a high mortality rate, and the scope of the challenge becomes clear

rand paul, a physician

He's an ophthalmologist without board certification so this is something of a stretch, but yeah obv his statements are fear mongering nonsense.

does anyone know what's the hard libertarian faithful take on institutions like the cdc?

viruses are information that wants to be free?

It seems to be under control in Nigeria! Good news!

Slate: Spread of Ebola Appears to Have Been Stopped in Nigeria

Meanwhile, local health workers paid 18,500 face-to-face visits to repeatedly take the temperatures of nearly 900 people who had contact with them. The last confirmed case was detected on Aug. 31, and virtually all contacts have passed the 21-day incubation period without falling ill.

getting my booster Tuesday:
https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/08/22/nx-s1-5082372/updated-covid-vaccines-fda-approved Got RSV last year, cdc.gov says no need for another now, unless got conditions. Will get flu shot in Oct, so efficacy will dovetail w main arc of virus, more or less---(or that's what I've always done so far).

I'm currently searching around for a covid booster study, it's the only way I'll be able to afford to get one. I do have an appointment on Friday to be screened for a flu shot study, and I'm also currently searching for a shingles shot study since I don't have the $200 to pay out of pocket for one.

Also, my agency doesn't believe me when I tell them that I'm immunized against covid. They can't imagine that I would do such a thing, and they think I'm lying about it for professional reasons. (They've told me to tell the families of certain clients that I'm immunized, and they look at me very strangely when I tell them that I really did get the shot.)

The covid vaccines we've gotten in the past don't protect us completely from the future variants. I got a covid booster three weeks before my trip. It was the one from last November. It didn't protect me at all. I'm hoping to get the new one before my Thanksgiving and Christmas trips

xp why don't they believe you?!

Because they don't think anyone who works for the agency would do such a thing. My sector of healthcare is full of antivaxxers.

I was afraid that would be the answer. Luck with your study groups, please let us know about the flu audition. If I didn't have retirement benefits, don't know what I'd do.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/27/health/covid-19-tests-vaccines-masks.html

This is an article where you actually *should* read the comments.

Won't let me read, even after I obediently log in w Google, and click "continue without subscribing."

http://archive.today/2024.08.28-193759/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/27/health/covid-19-tests-vaccines-masks.html

Thanks! Still can't open that link to comments, but quite an informative article, especially the punch line.

It didn't protect me at all.

It probably helped you to not die of covid.

i was in the emergency room at our hospital with my dad last week and one of the nurses there said she doesn't even bother with boosters anymore. she's had covid three times and she doesn't see the point anymore.

i, for one, will be getting a new booster with my dad as soon as i can.

Right on. You and your dad hang in there.

the one from last November

I’m not aware of one that was approved or released in November — was it mRNA or protein or…?

It IS worth waiting a month or two for a vax booster, but unrelatedly — Novavax update is likely to be approved for Oct / Nov, and will have even greater effectiveness against current strains than it did last year vs pfizer / moderna.

My provider (Kaiser) isn't offering it yet, but CVS texted me that it's available in my area. Looked at appointment times but then saw

If CVS is not in network with your insurance plan you can still choose to receive the COVID vaccine at CVS. However, you will be charged $190.99 for the COVID-19 vaccination.

o_O

The mRNA shots from Pfizer and Moderna are tailored to KP.2 branch variants, which are now in decline. Novavax is (like J&J was) a protein vaccine, which is a long-proven vax technology and liable to provide longer protection (and definitely has fewer-to-no side effects) than the mRNAs, and this year they have chosen to target the “root” variant of JN.1, so a broader range of variants including, probably, ones that further mutate from the surge of KP strands.

(xp to caek, on phone)

erm - I'm not thinking that's settled.

per Katelin Jetelina's substack "Your Local Epidemiologist" (https://substack.com/@yourlocalepidemiologist/p-147939215)

The traditional protein vaccine (Novavax) cannot be updated as quickly, so it had to go with the older subvariant version. Novavax’s data suggest that this is probably okay, as even this older variant version gave good responses against current variants. For some (including me!), the side effects of mRNA vaccines can be intense. I’ll be getting Novavax for this reason.

We don’t know if Novavax performs better (or worse) than mRNA vaccines. The very few studies we do have come to different conclusions.

I just got MODERNA 2024-2025 12YR+ INJECTABLE. Will I live forever?

yes

Got the new Pfizer this morning

T-minus 12 hours

It probably helped you to not die of covid.

― visiting, Wednesday, August 28, 2024

I’m not aware of one that was approved or released in November — was it mRNA or protein or…?

― Robespierre Delecto (sic), Thursday, August 29, 2024

Pfizer released an updated vaccine in the Fall of 2023.

https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/updated-covid-vaccine-10-things-to-know#:~:text=There%20has%20been%20better%20protection,and%20death%20from%20the%20disease.

I got the updated Pfizer vaccine in November 2023 and then again in July of this year, shortly before my trip and subsequent infection. When I said "it didn't protect me at all" I wasn't implying that vaccines have no value - I've gotten every updated one! - just that I then went on to have exactly the same symptoms as everyone else I know who were recently infected but who weren't recently vaccinated.

I hope that I can get the new one this Fall, but it will be less than 6 months since my last one.

So! After learning at CVS this morning that my insurance doesn't cover the vax, I got confirmation from Florida Blue (Cross) a little while ago. My PCP ain't administering the vax either. To be clear I have (or had!) excellent state insurance offered by my university. That's seriously fucked. I have to pay OOP. Imagine if I were poor.

That's terrible!

"is the US a dystopia" part MCXXV

make profit from those who can afford it, let the rest suffer and maybe die nbd

Who could have predicted in August, 2012 when this thread was started that it would accumulate over 17,600 posts? I'm thinking this must be the longest thread on ilx by now.

novavax 2024 approved https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-authorizes-updated-novavax-covid-19-vaccine-better-protect-against-currently-circulating. two doses 3 weeks apart required.

I had the vid in June so I'm waiting until thanksgiving to get mine, but I'll probably try novavax this year.

two doses 3 weeks apart is only if you’ve never had a COVID vax before. otherwise a single dose at least two months after any previous formula.

also great news and ta!

i can't even remember the last time a vaccination was offered to me. I took every one I had and I think that was, like... two? I think the UK gives them to the very old and very vulnerable, but my other half was on some vulnerable list (free flu jab) and hasn't been eligible for one for a long time.

anecdotally quite a few friends here (UK) have had covid recently.

ok so Spring 2024 booster was very ltd (age 75 years+, care homes, immunosuppressed) but Autumn 2024 is the usual over-65, frontline workers, care homes, clinical at-risk).

my mom has the covid booster, flu shot, RSV and one other vax scheduled for the same appointment next week, human pincushion time

Thanks, kinder - got one last winter because of risk, hope I can get one soon on that basis.

twooter thread with more detail on novavax vs RNA

I made this graphic to show how different vaccine types work (back in 2021).

We can just look at line 1 (protein vax like Novavax) and line 3 (RNA vax).

In protein vax, antigen-presenting cells take up the antigen to activate B cells and Thelper cells.... pic.twitter.com/lSsNIR2iIO

— Michael Lin, MD PhD 🧬 (@michaelzlin) September 1, 2024

How does one find a novavax shot? My normal Walgreens seems to only have mRNA right now.

there's been a big increase in novavax ads, in fact the ad directs you to http://choosenovavax.com/

probably going to go for some novavax in a little while. I had the virus we all know and despise last week, for the first time since the first week of June 2022. still not a fan!

I hear it's quite good with a Negroni and espresso.

free testing and shots in US:

The ICATT program will continue to provide no-cost COVID-19 testing for uninsured people that are symptomatic or exposed. More than 19,000 ICATT sites will offer no-cost COVID-19 vaccines under the CDC Bridge Access program to adults without health insurance and adults without full vaccine insurance coverage. An estimated 10,000 ICATT sites continue to support testing and disease surveillance needs at non-emergency levels. A list of no-cost COVID-19 testing sites can be found on the COVID-19 Testing Locator website. To find a no-cost COVID-19 vaccine near you please visit vaccines.gov.

Novavax is starting to be rolled out. According to this page it's currently only available at Publix but lots of other places say "coming soon."

https://us.novavaxcovidvaccine.com/find-a-vaccine

cvs and walgreens have it in NYC