“We
have identified all the people who could have had contact with the patient
while he was infectious. It is only someone who is sick with Ebola who can
spread the disease.”
CDC Director Dr. Tom
Frieden during a News Conference on Tuesday September 30th 2014 on
the confirmation of the United States of America first case of Ebola
It
comes as no surprise who the first Ebola case detected by the CDC (Center for
Disease Control) in the United States of America announced Tuesday October 1st
2014 was, given the nature of Global travel!
He
was a man who had travelled on an airplane from Liberia to Texas as reported in
the article “First
Ebola case diagnosed in the United States: CDC”, published Tue Sep 30, 2014
7:45pm EDT BY JULIE STEENHUYSEN AND SHARON BEGLEY, Reuters and “First Ebola case
diagnosed in the US”, published 1 October 2014 Last updated at 13:11 GMT , BBC News.
Ever
since my first Ebola article entitled “Ministry
of Health confirms four persons with Chikungunya Virus – Chic-V Just Turn Up in
the Hurricane Season as Ebola Virus is coming” , I’ve been expecting that
Ebola would reach the West and eventually Jamaica.
I
reiterated this point after Minister of Health Dr. Fenton Ferguson admitted to
mishandling the Chikungunya Virus Epidemic now sweeping Jamaica as noted 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”.
The
last time the world had a major Ebola outbreak was in Zaire in 1995 where Fruit
Bats are a delicacy and global travel wasn’t so commonplace. Now, air and sea
routes connect the entire world in one buzzing Global village.
So
who is this man? Will Ebola spread through the US of A? And will it come to
Jamaica?
US of A First Ebola
Case – from Liberia to Texas in 5 days as Ebola goes Continent hopping
The
man, a Mr. Thomas Eric Duncan, who was visiting family in the United States,
had left Liberia on an overnight flight Sunday September 19th 2014
and arrived on Saturday September 20th 2014 as explained in the
article “What
We Know About the Texas Ebola Patient”, published October 1st 2014 BY
MAGGIE FOX, NBC News.
By
Friday September 24th 2014, he developed symptoms of the disease,
forcing him to seek medical attention at the Texas Health Presbyterian in
Dallas, Texas. This suggest he initially came home and for 5 days, may have
exposed more than just his family to the deadly disease as noted in the article
“Close
to Home: First Case of Ebola Diagnosed in U.S., CDC Confirms”, published
September 30th 2014 BY MAGGIE FOX, NBC News.
Currently
they're under quarantine and being observed over the next 21 days to see if
they develop symptoms of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever as follows:
1. Diarrhoea
2. Headache
3. Intense
weakness
4. Muscle
pain
5. Rash
6. Sore
throat
7. Sudden
onset of fever
8. Vomiting
Aside
from this, any other news is pure speculation. Given its short incubation
period of 21 days, which can be as little as 2 to 5 days depending on the
health of the infected person, it’s highly unlike that this will blossom beyond
an isolated incident. After all, it too five days after being infected in
Liberia before Thomas Eric Duncan began to show symptoms and checked himself
into the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.
The
US of A has vastly superior health care facilities. They'd be more than able to
contain the outbreak easily, as those coming down with symptoms within five
days would naturally seek medical attention.
Not
to mention possessing vaccines and anti-Ebola Medication based on the case of
the two health workers who were cured using the experimental drug, known as
ZMapp, developed by San Diego, California based biotech firm Mapp
Biopharmaceutical Inc as explained 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”.
US
of A is ok. The Caribbean, however, is another concern
Jamaica and Ebola -
Ebola cannot come from America but directly from Africa
Thanks
to the short incubation period, it's impossible that anyone displaying symptoms
of the Ebola Virus can just board an aeroplane and come to Jamaica or anywhere
in the Caribbean.
Then
again, it can even come to Jamaica when Reggae Artiste Alaine Laughton and her equally talented compadre
Christopher Martin return from their Africa tour as predicted 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”, albeit that may be just me
overreacting!
However,
that doesn’t mean it STILL cannot come to Jamaica or the Rest of the Caribbean.
Still, given our performance with the Chikungunya Virus this far, it isn't inconceivable
that Ebola might come to Jamaica by way of a travelers from Africa.
Hence
the heightened level of preparedness by the Ministry of Health as noted in the
article “Health
Ministry strengthens Ebola preparedness plan”, published Wednesday, October
01, 2014 10:27 AM, The Jamaica
Observer and “Jamaica on
high alert ... As Ebola reaches the US”, Published Wednesday October 1,
2014, The Jamaica Gleaner.
That
was the worry of PM Kamla Persaud Bisselar, who convened a meeting in Port of
Spain Trinidad to discuss Chikungunya and Ebola Virus and a CARICOM response to
both as noted in my blog article
entitled ”Trinidad
PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar's CARICOM Meeting - Preventing Caribbean Chikungunya
Virus and Ebola Virus Epidemic by Christmas 2014”.
CARICOM
has since formalized a plan since Wednesday September 17th 2014 on
how to deal with the Ebola Virus should it come to the Caribbean as reported in
“CARICOM
working on Ebola response plan”, published Wednesday September 17, 2014
10:08 am, The Jamaica Gleaner and “Caricom
formalizing recommendation on Ebola”, published Wednesday, September 17,
2014, The Jamaica Observer.
As
for what happens next, we have to wait 21 days to see how the Ebola Virus
spreads in the US of A before we brace for impact in the Caribbean. At that
point we’ll see how the Caribbean will respond, which based on the Chikungunya
Virus pandemic sweeping CARICOS as noted in my blog article
entitled “31
infected during Jamaican Chikungunya Virus Epidemic - 113 Deaths in the
Caribbean as Jamaica grapples with Chikungunya Virus Outbreak” may not be
so good and may be fatal!
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