Jamaica officially on Ebola Alert - 4033 Dead in West Africa as US of A may Quarantine Latin America and the Caribbean

“Additional supplies are available for immediate delivery by international partners through arrangements in place. Quarantine facilities and equipped medical isolation wards are also being established. At the same time, we have initiated efforts to acquire necessary screening equipment for the island’s port of entry”

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller comments on Ebola Preparations during a Press Briefing on Thursday October 9^th 2014 while launching the JA$500 million National Health Emergency Response

Jamaica is now officially on Ebola Alert as reported in the article “Jamaica steps up Ebola preparedness”, published Thursday, October 09, 2014 8:33 PM, The Jamaica Observer.

And this time, the Horses’ mouth in the form of The Jamaica Information Service has got my back as per the confirmation in the article “Jamaica Intensifies Ebola Preparedness”, published October 9, 2014 By Latonya Linton, The Jamaica Information Service!

Here’s the Official Ebola Advisory form the The Jamaica Information Service that reproduces the WHO Factsheet on Ebola!

This after the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Portia Simpson Miller during a Press Conference on Thursday October 9^th 2014 at the OPM (Office of the Prime Minister) declared that they’re allocating some  JA$500 million to combat BOTH Chikungunya and Ebola Viruses as stated in the article “$500 Million Allocated For Chik-V And Ebola Response”, published Thursday October 9, 2014 12:30 pm, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Curiously Minister of Health Dr. Fenton Ferguson was conspicuously silent as Prime Minister of Jamaica, Portia Simpson Miller defended his handling of the Chikungunya Virus epidemic now sweeping Jamaica! This even as it resulted in some 4000 students missing going to School as noted in my blog article entitled “JA$500 million National Health Emergency Response – 30% of Students absent from School as GOJ FINALLY serious about Chikungunya Epidemic”.

This is being done under what is being dubbed as a National Health Emergency Response as per the horses’ mouth in the article “Government Allocates $500 Million For National Health Emergency Response”, published October 9, 2014 By Latonya Linton, The Jamaica Information Service.

It involves a team being headed by the Ministry of Health and includes the following Agencies:

1.      Ministry of Health

2.      NSWMA (National Solid Waste Management Authority)

3.      JDF (Jamaica Defense Force) aka The Soldiers

4.      JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force) aka the Jamaican Police

So why all the Secrecy? Details are required to explain this, dear reader! But based on the Minister of Health Dr. Fenton Ferguson performance during the Chikungunya Virus epidemic as pointed out in my blog article entitled “Minister of Health comes clean on Chikungunya Virus Epidemic - 35 Official Cases as 60 percent possibly Infected and Medicines running low”, Jamaican aren’t trusting him.

Most likely if we apply the same logic that the Ministry of Health is using for the handling of the Chikungunya Virus, then expect 60% of Jamaicans to die from the Ebola Virus my blog article entitled “No Ebola Virus in Jamaica, claims Ministry of Health - 3,091 Dead in West Africa and how 60% of Jamaica's population can die from Ebola Virus”.

Ebola Preparedness Secrecy – Pointless as Medical Practitioners will be wearing PPE’s

Part of this response includes not only increased surveillance of our ports by the JDF (Jamaica Defense Force) but also an Ebola Isolation Ward, whose location is a mystery. Why exactly I’m not sure as it can EITHER be the UHWI (University Hospital of the West Indies) or KPH (Kingston Public Hospital) or a contracted Private Health Care facility.

Worse, they’ll be wearing PPE (Personal Protective Equiptment) as per the advice of the CDC (Center for Disease Control), who’ll also be acting as the testing facility for Ebola for Jamaica as noted in the article “Caribbean Test Site For Ebola”, Published Friday October 10, 2014, The Jamaica Gleaner.

They’ll stand out like sore yellow and white thumbs against a sea of normal Jamaicans as described in my blog article entitled “No Ebola Virus in Jamaica, claims Ministry of Health - 3,091 Dead in West Africa and how 60% of Jamaica's population can die from Ebola”.

And according to the Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Marion Bullock DuCasse, testing by the CDC can take three to seven (3 to 7) days, quote: “As it is now, the turnaround time that we expect - in terms of taking the sample, transporting it and getting back the results - can fall anywhere within three to seven days”.

Three to seven (3 to 7) days! Can’t the CDC set up a Field Test Center in Jamaica?

Three to seven (3 to 7) days is long time to be locked up in quarantine while I await the CDC to say if I have Ebola or not, something Artiste Alaine Haughton and Christopher Martin, who are both currently on tour in Africa can agree on as explained in my blog article entitled “Alaine and Christopher Martin on Tour in Africa – Denyque is Reppin’ for Millennials on DRS 2014 as they'll return with Ebola Virus”.

Ebola Media Coverage – Overblown by the Media for Advertising as only 4033 killed

But as uncomfortable as all this might be making Jamaicans feel about the possibility of this horrible disease coming to Jamaica, the truth is that the Ebola Epidemic is being overblown by the Traditional Media and Social Media looking for Sensationalism to sell more advertising.

With that said, I’m going to attempt to lay out the news straight, minus the hype!

I’ll start off by saying that the Liberian-American Mr. Thomas Eric Duncan from Texas, died on Wednesday October 8^th, 2014 at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital as stated in the article “Ebola Patient In US Dies”, Published Wednesday October 8, 2014 10:28 am, The Jamaica Gleaner. 

The reasons for his death are as shown in the graphic below.

There is evidence that suggests negligence on the part of the Medical staff at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in sending him home with a fever of 103ºF as noted in the article “Ebola Victim Thomas Eric Duncan Sent Home From Hospital With 103 Fever”, published October 10th 2014, 3:13 pm by Elisha Fieldstadt, NBC News.

There is little information to suggest that their actions were racially motivated as suggested in the article “Ebola and Liberian Bodies: Thomas Eric Duncan’s Death Raises Doubts About Treatment”, published Monday October 13 2014 by Lorraine Sherman Mason, TIME. Truth be told, there are no vaccines readily available and the Ebola Virus has a mortality rate of over 90%.

Put simply, black or white, unless you get treatment with an experimental drug IMMEDIATELY, assuming one like the three-mouse monoclonal antibody ZMapp, developed by San Diego, California based biotech firm Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc, exists as described in my blog article entitled “Jamaica's Ebola Risk - How a ZMapp cured Americans of Ebola as Jamaica can become Guinea Pig to Test an Ebola Cure”, death is certain!

Since then, there has been a flurry of news of other persons in the United States of America and elsewhere who’ve become Ebola victims, mainly after having been in contact with the infected in West Africa.

Most of the time, its alarmist News or false alarm, such as a suspected case involving a Dallas County sheriff's deputy who has now tested Negative after allegedly exiting symptoms of the Ebola Virus as stated in the article “Suspected US Ebola Patient Tests Negative”, Published Thursday October 9, 2014 4:16 pm, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Eventually a Health Care worker who treated Mr. Thomas Eric Duncan has been officially confirmed as the second case of the Ebola Virus and the first case of  Ebola Virus transmission in the United States of America as reported in the article “First US Ebola infection sparks fears about safety protocols”, published Monday, October 13, 2014, The Jamaica Observer.

Albeit the Health Care worker was wearing the full body PPE, they breached CDC protocol as how one is to remove the garment as noted in “Second Ebola case confirmed. Texas health worker wore ‘full’ protective gear”, published October 12 at 4:59 PM by Abby Phillip, Lena H. Sun and Brady Dennis, Washington Post.  She is effectively the first individual in the United States of America to contract the Ebola Virus.

Great attention has to be taken in how you touch the PPE Garments, which are infected, and touching your bare skin, with intense concentrating being placed on how the PPE should be put on by the wearer and its removal.

A part of the PPE removal procedure in the changing rooms is that with each time you touch the PPE, you have to disinfect your hands each time BEFORE touching yourself. Then those PPE are destroyed and never resend again, as they are single-use garments only!

Since his death of Mr. Thomas Eric Duncan on Wednesday October 8^th, 2014, the following fie (5) airports have begun screening travelers from West Africa for Ebola as reported in “Five US airports to screen for Ebola”, published Wednesday, October 08, 2014 12:39 PM, The Jamaica Observer, armed with IR Thermometers to detect signs of fever and questioning passengers about their travels:

1.      John F Kennedy International in New York

2.      Washington Dulles International

3.      Chicago O'Hare International

4.      Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International

5.      Newark Liberty International in New Jersey

This, dear reader, is the worst Ebola Epidemic on Record, with the Death toll now standing at 4033 according to the WHO (World Health Organization) as stated in the article “Ebola death toll hits 4,033 – WHO”, published Friday, October 10, 2014 12:48 PM, The Jamaica Observer, mainly in West Africa!

Jamaica and Ebola – Training in the use of PPE to ensure Ebola Virus is Isolated and contained

So it’s evident that the PPE aren’t effective if you have a habit of TOUCHING your face with your hand, breaking CDC protocols. To this end Training in Jamaica needs to start training for our Doctors and Nurses in earnest as to the PROPER procedure how to wear the PPE effectively according to the CDC guidelines.

Guyana has begun their Training as noted in the article “Guyana begins training in Ebola preparedness campaign”, published Monday, October 13, 2014 7:30 AM, The Jamaica Observer.

In Trinidad and Tobago, due to the fear of death, the Doctors and Nurses working for NCRHA (North Central Regional Health Authority) might end up being insured for TT$1 million in case they die as stated in the article “TT$1m policy for Trinidad's Ebola staff”, published Monday, October 13, 2014 12:56 AM, The Jamaica Observer.

Already the Head of the United States Southern Military Command, Marine General John F. Kelly is prepare to block any exodus from Central America or the Caribbean and effectively quarantine us in our countries if Ebola breaks out as noted in the article “US military official warns of mass migration if Ebola erupts in the Caribbean”, published Thursday, October 09, 2014 9:40 AM, The Jamaica Observer and “US Military Official Warns Of Mass Migration If Ebola Hits Caribbean And Central America”, published Thursday October 9, 2014 12:46 pm, The Jamaica Gleaner.

Jamaica needs to start preparations too, as we’ll be left to take care of ourselves when Ebola Break out in Jamaica despite the words of CHIEF Public Health Inspector for St Mary Paul Brown regards to Jamaica not being prepared as noted in the article “Jamaica not prepared to handle Ebola — health official”, published Sunday, October 12, 2014 BY RENAE DIXON Sunday Observer staff reporter, The Jamaica Observer!

Cleaning Drains and Garbage, albeit helpful to slow the spread of the Chikungunya Virus and prevent an outbreak of Dengue Fever, won’t prevent Jamaicans, who are a kissy, touch-feely bunch, from getting the Ebola Virus touching from someone infected within 21 days.

WHO Factsheet on Ebola