Are you worried about Ebola coming to Canada?

Rumors · #1 Posted **Oct 12, 2014, 12:56 PM**

SignalHillHiker · #2 Posted **Oct 12, 2014, 1:03 PM**

Presumably that would mean a Canadian or someone with a connection to Canada caught it while in Africa, and I'd feel horrible for them. But I'm not worried. It'll come or it won't. Either way, we'll be fine. It's not going to spread here.

Beedok · #3 Posted **Oct 12, 2014, 1:03 PM**

Not overly. It basically spreads through the untreated sewage issues of the third world. That, combined with funeral practices where one kiss the dead farewell, extreme distrust of governments after decades of civil wars, distrust of foreign aid after colonialist abuse, and a barely existent medical system in West Africa is why it's been spreading. Last I checked there were under 10k cases. I believe in that time two to three times as many people died of the flu world wide. AIDs has probably killed about that amount. Malaria has likely killed thousands too.

In Canada ebola is basically without spread vectors. Direct family members might get it, but the virus can't survive for very long outside of a host. Like so short a time labs have trouble studying it because it falls apart before they can do anything. You're probably more likely to get killed by lightning than you are to catch ebola in Canada.

Metro-One · #4 Posted **Oct 12, 2014, 1:36 PM**

Would I rather that Ebola didn't come to Canada? Of course! Will it be the end of our nation if it does? Of course not!

The main stream media is overblowing the ebola scare, but at the same time the "underground" media is underplaying it (they always have to say the opposite of what the main stream is saying) So the truth about Ebola is in the middle.

I don't know where else to post this, but I just saw a somewhat relevant post on my facebook that is very troubling.

There are always the alternative views that have to go against the established western thought, but some of these reactionary articles / viewpoints are downright dangerous.

There is this one blogger who just popped up on my facebook via a friend unfortunately liking his post who has a massive anti-american agenda.

On his facebook he claims that ebola is nothing more than a western conspiracy to disable West Africa.

Here is a quote of his:

Quote:

Ebo-LIE
People In the Western World Need to Know What's Happening Here in West Africa. THEY ARE LYING!!! "Ebola" as a Virus Does NOT Exist and Is NOT "Spread". The Red Cross Has Brought a Disease to 4 Specific Countries for 4 Specific Reasons and It Is Only Contracted By Those Who Receive Treatments and Injections From the Red Cross. That is Why Liberians and Nigerians Have Begun Kicking the Red Cross Out of Their Countries and Reporting In the News the Truth. Now Bear With Me:

This same man also claims that the 300 muslim girls kidnapped from school is also fake.

This guy is black, and I do believe race plays a part here, and nearly everyone who follows him is black or looks like a hipster.

Yes, it is one thing to be against the "establishment" but activities such as what this man is doing is downright dangerous and immoral.

His lies fueled by his agenda are only distorting the truth and potentially hurting many innocent people.

Also, the west is not always to blame for everything.

This self hating anti-west notion is really going to far, I hate to say it but no other society in the world has established as equal and firm rights for women, homosexuals, and foreigners in the world as the west in general currently. Despite all the West's flaws, it really is the leader for many fundamental positive societal traits at this time.

To add to Beedoks' post the people of West Africa also have a lot of hard core religious and superstitious practices that are dangerous for their health.

Stryker · #5 Posted **Oct 13, 2014, 4:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beedok

Not overly. It basically spreads through the untreated sewage issues of the third world. That, combined with funeral practices where one kiss the dead farewell, extreme distrust of governments after decades of civil wars, distrust of foreign aid after colonialist abuse, and a barely existent medical system in West Africa is why it's been spreading. Last I checked there were under 10k cases. I believe in that time two to three times as many people died of the flu world wide. AIDs has probably killed about that amount. Malaria has likely killed thousands too.

In Canada ebola is basically without spread vectors. Direct family members might get it, but the virus can't survive for very long outside of a host. Like so short a time labs have trouble studying it because it falls apart before they can do anything. You're probably more likely to get killed by lightning than you are to catch ebola in Canada.

I really don't think you have any idea what your talking about.

Ebola has been doubling in number consistently for over 6 months. That's a stat that one has to be very weary of.

What is much troubling is this growth rate appears to have no impact from apparent awareness and education.

That's ignoring the trained professional that just caught it in Dallas.

So you can state all the perceptions of africa you want the reality is far off.

Martin Mtl · #6 Posted **Oct 12, 2014, 1:41 PM**

Depends on how things unfold in the next few weeks. This thing is not getting away anytime soon and a world breakout is a very possible scenario. We're dealing with a crisis like we never seen before. I'm affraid we are underestimating the menace. Hope I'm wrong.

WhipperSnapper · #7 Posted **Oct 12, 2014, 1:46 PM**

Hell yeah. Donald Sutherland's hometown is Toronto afterall.

Metro-One · #8 Posted **Oct 12, 2014, 1:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhipperSnapper

Hell yeah. Donald Sutherland's hometown is Toronto afterall.

Nice...just as long as Dustin Hoffman catches that monkey first!

Rumors · #9 Posted **Oct 12, 2014, 1:55 PM**

Personally I think its only a mater of time before it reaches here, I've been watching CNN all morning and they are scaring the hell out of me.

Marty_Mcfly · #10 Posted **Oct 12, 2014, 2:00 PM**

flar · #11 Posted **Oct 12, 2014, 2:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marty_Mcfly

Don't take it so lightly just because it's not airborne. Someone with ebola sneezes on a doorhandle, you touch the doorhandle, then rub your eyes. You could have ebola.

someone123 · #12 Posted **Oct 12, 2014, 5:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Mtl

Depends on how things unfold in the next few weeks. This thing is not getting away anytime soon and a world breakout is a very possible scenario. We're dealing with a crisis like we never seen before. I'm affraid we are underestimating the menace. Hope I'm wrong.

This is a good example of why it's important that countries like Canada help out other countries and why economic and social development in places like Africa is good for everybody.

I think we have a lot to worry about; Western countries should be concerned right now about keeping down the number of cases in West Africa. If the disease continues to spread and there are millions of cases it will become impossible or extremely expensive to contain and will most likely end up in Canada.

Mongo62 · #13 Posted **Oct 12, 2014, 2:44 PM**

Ebola will arrive in Canada. It's as close to inevitable as anything can be, especially once the number of cases in West Africa rises from the current ten thousand or so, to the millions expected by January.

But these will be isolated cases, terrible of course, but unlikely to spark actual outbreaks inside Canada.

The real danger in my opinion will be the climate of fear that is sure to develop, which might slow down economic activity (with a lot of people withdrawing into isolation) to the point that it triggers a recession. This recession might end up killing more people in Canada than the actual Ebola virus does.

flar · #14 Posted **Oct 12, 2014, 2:46 PM**

I am concerned

Aylmer · #15 Posted **Oct 12, 2014, 3:32 PM**

I just like to remind myself that one of humanity's worse epidemics kills about 1.3 million people every year, or just short of 3500 people per day: car accidents.

When it comes to whether or not I should panic about the latest humanity-ending disease, I try to put it in perspective and, strangely, I feel much better knowing that I'm much, much, much more likely to step off the sidewalk and into my grave than to die of Ebola.

Death surrounds us and it's honestly more trouble than it's worth to get all worked up about it.

Mongo62 · #16 Posted **Oct 12, 2014, 4:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aylmer

I just like to remind myself that one of humanity's worse epidemics kills about 1.3 million people every year, or just short of 3500 people per day: car accidents.

And diabetes kills 4.6 million people a year worldwide. This is of personal significance to me, considering that I have diabetes, as do my mother, father and one uncle. A lot of huge killers are barely noticed, compared to the current number of deaths from Ebola.

The problem with Ebola is that while the number of people infected RIGHT NOW is only about 20,000 or so, it is expected to reach the millions by January, of which at least 70% (and probably higher, with the collapse of the health care systems in those regions) will die. And that's assuming that it stays confined to West Africa. If it makes it into the teeming slums of India, South America or elsewhere, it could easily cause tens or hundreds of millions of deaths in 2015 alone.

WhipperSnapper · #17 Posted **Oct 12, 2014, 5:06 PM**

Spanish Flu killed 40 million people in 12 months and some Hollywood designer bugs have killed billions. I think viruses should be of greater concern than car accidents particularly in a country where it takes a little more than a $10 dollar gift to get a license.

itom 987 · #18 Posted **Oct 12, 2014, 3:36 PM**

The only thing I would worry about regarding Ebola is if the disease mutates into something more transmittable or deadly.

Beedok · #19 Posted **Oct 12, 2014, 4:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by itom 987

The only thing I would worry about regarding Ebola is if the disease mutates into something more transmittable or deadly.

HIV is spread across tens of millions of people, is one of the most rapidly mutating viruses out there, and in some countries is have serious issues with spreading thanks to education and improving safe sex education. I would be far more worried about HIV going airborne than Ebola. Viruses can evolve very quickly, but they still need evolutionary pressures to cause things and massive adaptions to go from a fluid transmitted disease to airborne.

caltrane74 · #20 Posted **Oct 12, 2014, 5:24 PM**

Last night my friend told me about an Ebola case in Atlanta from 30 years ago with the Ebola infected monkeys from Africa and the disease free monkeys from Japan. They (the monkeys) were never in the same room, however the air vents of the rooms were connected, and (as you might have already suspected) the Japanese monkeys died. Apparently, they had to incinerate that CDC unit after this entire episode ended.