PredFan
Diamond Member
Why I'm not worried in the short term, but am worried about the medium to long term.
- It appears to me that Ebola is deadly mostly to people who already have compromised immune systems (poor people with inadequate hygiene). (Side note: HIV/Aids is similar in that those most at risk already have damaged immune systems.) The survivors in the U.S. have had plenty of clean hydration and were relatively healthy to begin with. As long as Ebola doesn't mutate into a true airborne virus, the risk to most people will remain very small.
- Despite the above, I'm very worried that our Incompetent and Arrogant Government will make things far, far worse than they would have been if we'd banned flights from the Ebola areas, if the CDC has stayed true to its actual mission, if the FDA weren't functioning as a innovation prevention center, and if we had invested in the regional centers to fight Ebola in the areas of origin.
- Viruses do mutate, and the less we contain Ebola now, the more opportunities it will have to mutate. A Pandemic is not out of the realm of possibilities.
I can't disagree with the majority of your post, the one thing I would say is that for a virus to mutate, it usually takes many many millions of replications. If it was or is going to happen, it will happen in Africa first.
If Ebola goes airborne, it will be a world wide problem that border closing a will have no affect on.