5 Reasons America Can Calm the F#@% Down About Ebola

[SidDithers]

http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/why-americans-need-to-calm-f234025-down-about-ebola/

WARNING: ANY OF YOU COULD DIE, AT ANY MOMENT. That's because you're a mortal being; that's how it works. But you're not going to die from Ebola.

By now you've seen the headlines -- Ebola is an exotic African disease that kills in a spectacular way (sometimes by making you bleed out of every orifice) and it has come to America. But before you get out your Bane-style air mask and Ebola hammer, you just might want to consider a few reasoned points. Namely, that this is all royal bullshit:

#5. You'd Have to Go Out of Your Way to Get It (and Would Still Probably Fail)
Go ahead and Google "how to avoid getting Ebola" and see what pops up. Chances are you'll stumble upon the CDC's Q&A outlining such life-changing preventative measures as "washing your hands" and "not touching corpses and bats."

Ebola is becoming the airplane disaster of contagions. The shock-and-awe value makes for television waves as huge and terrifying as tsunamis, but as infrequent as ... well ... tsunamis ... only way slower. If Ebola, measles, the common cold, and Spanish flu went toe-to-toe to see which spread the fastest, guess who wouldn't end up standing on the podium. The fucker isn't even airborne -- you could actually give a handjob to an Ebola victim and would probably live to tell about it so long as you washed your hands afterward.

Much more good stuff at link.



Sid

[FSogol]

1. K & R. n/t

[WinkyDink]

2. Please send this to the POTUS (Troops in Africa, increased airport screenings). TIA!

[JoePhilly]

3. Oh yea!!! I'll show YOU!!! I'm gonna go get Ebola!

[muntrv]

4. You are more likely to die from the flu than Ebola.

[unblock]

7. you are more likely to die from stressing about ebola than to get it.

you're more likely to die from falling out of bed than from getting ebola.

you're more likely to die from something else while sitting at your computer googling how to avoid ebola.

[cali]

5. sure. all true. but if ebola cases keep rising exponentially in West Africa

that may not continue to be true.

[still_one]

6. And that is the problem, containment

[jeff47]

13. No, actually all 5 would remain true. (nt)

[cali]

21. the CDC disagrees with you.

[jeff47]

44. No, they don't. All 5 are basic facts of the disease

that would not change if a billion people were infected.

[pintobean]

8. Careful with that phrase, Sid

I've seen a post hidden for having "Calm the F#@% Down" in it. Well, it was all spelled out, so you might be okay.

[SidDithers]

10. I was actually more worried about the bit with the handjob...

I left that paragraph out when I first put up the article.

Sid

[seveneyes]

9. You'd Have to Go Out of Your Way to Get It (and Would Still Probably Fail)

I see. So the thousands that got Ebola and died went out of their way to get it, and the many more went out of their way and failed to get it.

I guess we can just keep shopping and touring Ebola infected areas.

[jeff47]

16. Yes, they did.

The most common means of spreading is the local funeral practices, which require family members to bathe, hug and kiss the deceased. And since 1976, on average it only spreads to 1 in 7 family members.

So they washed, cuddled and kissed a body that was literally covered with the prime transfer vectors of ebola, and 6 out of 7 failed to catch it.

It's a terrible disease. We need to help West African nations contain it. But it is massively over-hyped.

You know what you should worry about? It looks like the flu that will be going around this season is H1N1, the virus that caused the pandemic in 2009. Stop worrying about ebola and go get a flu shot.

[rustydog]

32. wow, really?

The thousands who got it don't have a healthcare system in their countries!
Their loved ones are at home or in hovels surrounded by loved ones caring for them.
What "Hospitals" there are make-shift clinics set up by volunteers who CARE.

Our military is being used to BUILD facilities so the outbreak can be fought more successfully.
here we have clean running water almost everywhere. Universal precautions have been in practice for some time.
Gel-in, gel-out in healthcare is a mantra and wee are held to it.
Washing hands constantly between patient contacts....
They did not go out of their way to get it, but WE would have to!

[UglyGreed]

11. I don't care I'm so

glad I still have my plastic sheeting and duct tape!!!!

[freshwest]

19. The use of it would be equal to holding one's breath! Fear the duct tape!

[UglyGreed]

37. But it is

so good to battle chemical weapons!!!! Gosh all these years of living with a false sense of security, damn you Obama!

[zappaman]

12. good ad

[freshwest]

14. Dang it, Sid, you're going against the grain again. MSM will be ticked.

[Fred Sanders]

15. Welcome to the war on fear, it has been tough sledding in the land of the brave.

"You could give a hand job to an Ebola patient, just remember to wash your hands after, of course.... and not be infected".

The media was the one with Ebola giving the handjob to Americans, and the poor folks did become partly infected with fear...... forgot to wash their hands of filthy misinformation.

[scarystuffyo]

17. nothing to worry about...just move along

Haemorrhagic fevers are viral infections; important examples are Ebola and Marburg haemorrhagic fevers, Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), Rift Valley fever (RVF), Lassa fever, Hantavirus diseases, dengue and yellow fever.

Hantavirus diseases, dengue and yellow fever are described separately.

Cause

Viruses belonging to several families. Ebola and Marburg belong to the Filoviridae family; hantaviruses, CCHF and RVF belong to the Bunyaviridae family; Lassa fever virus belongs to the Arenaviridae family; and dengue and yellow fever belong to the Flaviviridae family.

Transmission

Viruses that cause haemorrhagic fevers are transmitted by mosquitoes (dengue, yellow fever, RVF), ticks (CCHF), rodents (Hantavirus, Lassa) or bats (Ebola, Marburg). For Ebola and Marburg viruses, humans have been infected from contact with tissues of diseased non-human primates (monkeys and apes) and other mammals, but most human infections have resulted from direct contact with the body fluids or secretions of infected patients. Humans who develop CCHF usually become infected from a tick bite but can also acquire the virus from direct contact with blood or other infected issues from livestock or from infected patients. RVF can be acquired either by mosquito bite or by direct contact with blood or tissues of infected animals (mainly sheep), including consumption of unpasteurized milk. Lassa fever virus is carried by rodents and transmitted by excreta, either as aerosols or by direct contact. Some viral haemorrhagic fevers have been amplified in hospitals by nosocomial transmission resulting from unsafe procedures, use of contaminated medical devices (including needles and syringes) and unprotected exposure to contaminated body fluids.

[countryjake]

22. Reading comprehension 101...Why did you underline that particular line?

"Viruses that cause haemorrhagic fevers are transmitted by mosquitoes" ???

Ebola has not been spread by mosquitoes.


Let me lay this out for you simply so as to increase your understanding:


Transmission

Viruses that cause haemorrhagic fevers are transmitted by:

mosquitoes (dengue, yellow fever, RVF)

ticks (CCHF)

rodents (Hantavirus, Lassa)

bats (Ebola, Marburg) Note the single word bats here.

For Ebola and Marburg viruses, humans have been infected from contact with tissues of diseased non-human primates (monkeys and apes) and other mammals, but most human infections have resulted from direct contact with the body fluids or secretions of infected patients.

Some viral haemorrhagic fevers have been amplified in hospitals by nosocomial transmission resulting from unsafe procedures, use of contaminated medical devices (including needles and syringes) and unprotected exposure to contaminated body fluids.


The source of what you've posted:

http://www.who.int/ith/diseases/haemorrhagicfevers/en/

[scarystuffyo]

23. Because multiple studies have been done to see if ebola can be transmitted through

mosquitoes

Never been proven or disproven

The claim is that haven't found any evidence ..not that it can't be

This virus has mutated almost 400 times in the last 10 years

[countryjake]

24. So that's why you've deliberately misrepresented the WHO info?

By making a post with the part specifically referring to the transmission of Dengue fever, Yellow fever, and Rift Valley fever via mosquito underlined implying that WHO's scientific evidence on those distinct viruses also applies to Ebola?

[scarystuffyo]

25. We all know there are viruses transmitted through insect bites

Researchers and doctors took years to found what Lyme disease really was and it was spread by ticks .
And this is a fairly recent disease just like ebloa

There has never been a study or doctor saying ebola cannot be transmitted through insects. What the studies said is they haven't found any evidence .

The mutations that are happening to ebola are changing this virus just like it did for Lyme disease.

What is also interesting about Lyme it stated in a very small town in CT in 1975 now it's


Connecticut
Delaware
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Minnesota
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Vermont
Virginia
Wisconsin

[Tree-Hugger]

78. Lyme

is caused by bacteria, not a virus.

[FSogol]

46. LOL, I guess mosquitos aren't required to spread FUD. n/t

[Hekate]

18. Plus there are things you can actually do for yourself. Have you seen this article?

http://www.latimes.com/world/africa/la-fg-in-liberia-woman-fight-ebola-20141005-story.html

It's absolutely brilliant how a 22 year old nursing student managed to save 4 out of 5 of her sick family members, at home (no hospital beds available), without herself falling sick (chlorine bleach, plastic bags, and surgical gloves played a big part).

But Phobos and Deimos get more eyeballs glued to the tv screen, so why bother with hard facts?

Ebola is a horrible disease and kills painfully. But humanity has been here before, and we actually know how to manage such things -- we've known for generations. Isolation; intensive support measures (especially important without antibiotics) while the body tries to heal itself; and protection of the caregivers.

[Warpy]

28. Right, it's not airborne and it's hard to catch

Just being in a room with someone suffering from Ebola won't do it.

Meticulous blood and body fluid precautions will do it. Face masks and goggles or face shields work by preventing you from scratching your face while you're caring for someone with a highly infectious disease.

[greytdemocrat]

20. All bets are off though...

If/when it goes airborne. I hope to god it never does.

[Warpy]

26. #3. The Panic Is Worse Than the Disease

"Now that the media has sandblasted us with fear, it's time to clamber over each other like a crowd in a theater that someone yelled "fire" in before actually lighting it on fire. While New Jersey and Massachusetts both saw scares that later turned out to be hogwash, reported Ebola cases shot up despite the verified victim count remaining at exactly one.

"So, sure, you could take Trump's advice and pile-drive the economy by closing every airport from Boston to L.A. under the mantra of "better safe than sorry." Or you could remember that SARS killed only 800 people while costing $50 billion in global cash money for this same kind of fartbag sensationalism. In other words, shut off the TV and go plan that airplane trip home this Thanksgiving"
------------------

That is always the case. When a disease is airborne and being spread, panic is what makes people think they can run away from it if they run far enough, taking the disease with them and spreading it to a whole new area. That's what happened during the Black Plague.

I love Cracked.com. When the country needs an injection of common sense, it often comes from the folks at Cracked.

[rustydog]

35. The panic is worse than the risk of contacting Ebola

What is sickening is how REPUBLICANS and Fox commentators are feeding that panic.

They should be ashamed of the fear-mongering they are putting out there, but when you have nothing else to offer you have to come up with something!

Like George Bush's color-coded terror warnings that were only broadcast during election time.

Thank you Boehner, Cruz, Ryan, McCan't, Ghomert, Turtle man, good job...not

[SidDithers]

84. Couldn't agree more about cracked.com...

they've become one of my must-read sites.

Some pretty entertaining videos too.

Sid

[Tarheel_Dem]

27. Folks who are prone to hysterics should probably tune out for the next few months. If they are....

looking to the internetz for comfort, it's the last place on Earth they oughta be. And if they're looking for like minded hysterics, they're sure to find their fill on the intertubes.

[JI7]

30. i think those types are the ones more likely to get on the internet

in the real world most would ignore and laugh at them.

[Tarheel_Dem]

34. Well, it doesn't do any good to present them with anything other than the crap they've invented in..

their heads. I know some people are trying to tamp down the more animated posts we're seeing, but they've created stuff in their heads, and they go in search of material to back it up, and unfortunately you can find any theory you're looking for on the internetz.
I think the alarmists should back away from the internetz, take a stroll, or a nap, and spare the rest of us.

[FSogol]

47. Internet and cable tv n/t

[underpants]

29. I can only see 5-3 on the link

Great piece though

[Warpy]

31. "Next" is below the ad

[underpants]

36. Went to my desktop and can see it now

great article

[Spitfire of ATJ]

33. I plan on doing a Jack-o-Lantern with blood coming out of it's eyes, nose and mouth.

[tjwash]

38. More people are going to get shot and killed...

...in arguments with cliven bundy fellators that are using ebola as their latest screaming point to shut down all the borders, than will even catch the disease.

[hedgehog]

39. Finally - good sense from a reliable source!

Seriously!

[FLPanhandle]

40. Thank you for this!

Human psychology is a funny thing when it comes to irrational fears.

[liberalhistorian]

41. So now can the fear-mongering

drama queens right here on DU, who have climbed on their high horse to lecture us on our apparent "complacency" and lack of full-blown panic, SHUT THE FUCK UP now and find something else to obsessively panic over? One can only hope.

[FLPanhandle]

42. +1

[Octafish]

43. CRACKED!

LOL.

[zappaman]

45. I agree.

Not nearly as funny as RT!
or ENENews.

[Octafish]

48. Do you know who owns Cracked?

A Kuwaiti with deep pockets.

Ask yourself, "What kind of agenda would a petrodollar kind of guy push?"

[SidDithers]

51. You're sure about that, eh?...nt

Sid

[Octafish]

52. Yes. Teshkeel Media Group. Why do you ask?

Wasn't the information in Five Asshat Facts about Cracked?

[SidDithers]

53. LOL...

It's pretty hilarious when someone is so sure that they're right, and thinks they have a real "gotcha", and yet they're so very wrong.





Sid

[Octafish]

54. So where do you disprove what I wrote? Here's the article.

Magazine acquired

Gulf Daily News
Posted on » Monday, February 07, 2005

KUWAIT CITY: Teshkeel Media Group, K S C announced yesterday that it has acquired Cracked magazine, an illustrated American humour magazine that has been in existence for over 47 years, for an undisclosed sum.

Teshkeel chief executive officer and managing director Dr Naif Abdulrahman Al Mutawa said the company has also set its sights on entering the worldwide television, radio, print and film industries.

Cracked was founded in 1958 and quickly rose to become one of the most popular humour magazines in American history.

The magazine has been in continuous publication since its founding and, along with its competitor Mad magazine, is one of only two successful humour magazines in the US.

Teshkeel, which was founded late last year by Mr Al Mutawa, is a new company focused on developing original children's content throughout the world, with a focus on the Arab and Islamic markets.

http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=103749

So, I don't see how you can find "It's pretty hilarious when someone is so sure that they're right, and thinks they have a real 'gotcha', and yet they're so very wrong." That's what you did.

[SidDithers]

56. Because Teshkeel Media sold cracked.com to Demand Media, a nice American company, in 2007...

Leckart calls it the “listicle” – an article in list form. Cracked.com was the first to elevate this format to Internet prominence. Demand Media bought the site from Teshkeel in 2007, and this is when the lists began. Demand was, at the time, a more established version of BuzzFeed. They employed programmers who wrote algorithms that determined what people like. Demand, incidentally, also brought you Livestrong and eHow. Demand’s metrics showed that articles broken up into bite-sized pieces got more clicks, and so Cracked.com ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Viral Marketing and got us all cast out of the garden and into the wasteland of clickbait.

http://obiter-dicta.ca/2014/01/20/how-i-stopped-clicking/

http://www.demandmedia.com/media/#cracked


Seriously. This is pretty hilarious.



Sid

[Octafish]

58. Demand Media, the Content Farm?

Epic Fail: The Rise and Fall of Demand Media

The future of the so-called "content farm" looks bleak as its search-centric biz crumbles

Andrew Wallenstein
Co-Editor-in-Chief
DECEMBER 3, 2013 | 01:47PM PT

Just look at Demand Media, the Santa Monica, Calif.-based firm some thought would revolutionize content production. Not long after the company went public in January 2011, its market capitalization soared to more than $2 billion, sending the then-5-year-old firm’s value briefly past that of the New York Times Co.

Compare those heights with where Demand finds itself today, having plummeted to roughly a quarter of its peak value. Revenues for the most recent quarter were down year-over-year for the first time since that IPO. Co-founder Richard Rosenblatt is no longer CEO as of October, and the search for his replacement is under way. Demand and Rosenblatt declined comment.

The chief exec’s role will be tough to fill given how steeply Demand has declined over its seven-year run. Changes in Google’s search algorithms have twice hammered the young company in recent years, leaving its few brands that managed to get significant marketplace traction, including eHow.com and Livestrong, hemorrhaging traffic.

Now Demand’s focus is on spinning off the only healthy component of its business — domain registration — while trying to motivate its content brands’ rapidly eroding audience to spend money on its growing collection of unproven e-commerce ventures. Having quietly sustained several rounds of layoffs this year, the media side of the business is almost certain to be sold or taken private after the split.

The freefall of Demand serves as a cautionary tale for hype in the Internet age: No company burns so hot that it can’t cool off.

CONTINUED...

http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/epic-fail-the-rise-and-fall-of-demand-media-1200914646/

Sounds like a pump-n-dump IPO scheme, if you ask me. Thanks for the heads-up.

[SidDithers]

59. LOL...

So, you're just going to pretend that you weren't absolutely, hilariously, totally and completely wrong about cracked.com being owned by a deep-pocketed Kuwaiti pushing a petro-dollar agenda?



Sid

[zappaman]

61. Quick! Change the subject!!!

[SidDithers]

63. Furiously typing into google, hoping to find something to redeem himself...

Sid

[Octafish]

69. Variety. I sourced the article. And why do you make my mistake into something it isn't?

So what if I was wrong about who owned Cracked? The Kuwaiti did own it.

Here's a guy with a big stake in it now: Shawn Colo.

He sounds progressive, for a rich guy, right? Do you think he voted for Obama in 2012? Do you know if he's hiring?

[zappaman]

70. yes he is hiring.

And you were WRONG and it's funny to watch your semantics at play as you try to avoid admitting it.
No shame in being wrong sometimes, my friend!


http://www.demandmedia.com/about-us/careers/

[Octafish]

71. First, I'm not your friend.

Second, Demand Media creates online content.

Does that include online discussion or marketing, you know, promoting things like Cracked? Denigrating people like Edward Snowden?

Just asking.

[zappaman]

73. You goofball! Yes we are friends!

Glad to see you now know who owns CRACKED as you were shown to be WRONG.
BTW, are you going to apply for a job there?
I might be able to help!
After all, what are friends for?

[Octafish]

74. Where was I wrong, zappaman?

So the guy I thought owned it sold it to a group that includes as investors Goldman Sachs.

http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/epic-fail-the-rise-and-fall-of-demand-media-1200914646/

[zappaman]

76. "Do you know who owns Cracked? A Kuwaiti with deep pockets."

A Kuwaiti with deep pockets DOES NOT own Cracked.

This is too funny!!!

[Octafish]

80. He did when that article was written.

http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=103749

So, there's that.

[zappaman]

81. so maybe you shouldn't source articles from 2005

then you won't be WRONG....like you are.

[Octafish]

64. Yet, I was correct.

Sorry if it was the previous owner. My mistake.

When you make a mistake, should I make it into a federal case?

[zappaman]

65. I can't make it a federal case.

I work in a different BFEE division.

Oh, and you were WRONG.
But nice try anyway!

[zappaman]

60. You said..."Do you know who owns Cracked? A Kuwaiti with deep pockets. "

WRONG.

[Octafish]

66. You are right. It's worse. It's the only ones with deeper pockets, Goldman Sachs.

From Variety's Epic Fail: The Rise and Fall of Demand Media

As a private firm, Demand had raised a staggering $355 million in funding over two years from investors including Goldman Sachs, Oak Investment Partners, 3i Group and Spectrum Equity Investors. It mostly used the funds to acquire companies that would further the reach of its content network and domain name businesses. At the close of 2012, Demand reported owning 171 subsidiary companies. Whether it was ever profitable is still subject to debate, but the acquisitions fueled its valuation, which in turn attracted more funding even as actual growth seemed ephemeral.

http://variety.com/2013/biz/news/epic-fail-the-rise-and-fall-of-demand-media-1200914646/

[zappaman]

68. Thanks!

[alcibiades_mystery]

67. Ooopsie daisy!

[Octafish]

72. Find any more, let me know.

Go through my Journal on DU3 or DU2.

Please show and I'll be happy to correct the record.

[alcibiades_mystery]

75. Oh Lawd!

Like anyone would waste time auditing your other posts!

The fact that this is getting to you enough to keep you responding is hilarious enough, trust me.

[zappaman]

77. +100!

[Octafish]

79. So, why is zappaman and SidDither's idea of a mistake of such interest to you?

It's of interest to me because I don't like it when someone denigrates me or my reputation.

[alcibiades_mystery]

82. Such interest? What interest?

I posted "Ooopsie daisy" and laughed, as I would if damn near anybody so assured of being correct was demonstrated to be 100% wrong in such an open manner. That's "interest?" That's a low bar for being interested, dude!

Oh, dear, you don't really think that I care it was you in particular, do you?

This shit keeps getting funnier!

[zappaman]

83. "idea of a mistake"!!!!

[zappaman]

57. Looks like you were wrong.

Apology forthcoming?

[etherealtruth]

49. I have tremendous concerns r/t ebola

I am concerned that too many people have been left to suffer and die on the African continent; I am concerned that the international response has been inadequate (increasing human suffering); I am concerned that this contagious disease has not had enough resources dedicated toward vaccines/ cures because it largely effects those in developing countries (vs developed countries).

Other than that ... no real concerns .... although (from the article) "... you could actually give a handjob to an Ebola victim and would probably live to tell about it so long as you washed your hands afterward...." I am probably NOT going to do that (acknowledging i am unlikely to encounter a person with ebola)

[SidDithers]

50. I share those concerns about containing the outbreak in Africa...

Countries with a strong public administration have had great success in preventing the spread of the disease. Nigeria, in particular, should be a model for how to handle the situation.

Unfortunately, countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea do not have the same infrastructure. Cultural practices, as well as superstition and mistrust of the West, create conditions where the disease can spread. I don't know what the answer is. Certainly more education of the populace in those countries is needed, but that's a tall, and dangerous, order.

The Fear That Killed Eight Ebola Workers
They were sent in to help educate villagers about how to ward off the lethal virus. Then fear took over and the machetes came out.
At the time of Wednesday’s announcement out of Guinea that seven of nine missing Ebola workers had been found dead, we knew little. Men with knives had abducted members of a group sent there to spread awareness about the disease. Two relief workers were missing; the rest, dead. Six suspects were in custody.

By Friday morning, we knew more. These details, the stuff of horror films. A local government group of relief workers—a mix of doctors, religious leaders, and journalists—had arrived Monday to educate the remote southeastern village of Womey about Ebola. Just 24 hours after their arrival, violence broke out, allegedly sparked by the false belief that a disinfectant being sprayed was actually the disease itself. An angry mob brandishing machetes, stones, and knives lashed out.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/20/eight-ebola-workers-bodies-found-in-latrine.html

Sid

[bullwinkle428]

55. 4000+ victims, and all but 9 have taken place in 3 countries.

All I can say is that those who have volunteered to do all they can in an effort to contain the disease in those 3 nations are heroes in the truest sense of the word.

[zappaman]

62. CRACKED nails it again.

More and more they are THE DAILY SHOW of the web.

[SidDithers]

85. Yup, they're pretty good...

DU, though, has it's moments of hilarity too.

Sid