Ebola Deaths Continue Top Rise

Ebola Deaths Near 5,500 As Virus Still Rages -- WSJ

Rate of Transmission Intense in Three West African Countries

ZURICH—Nearly 5,500 people have died from Ebola, the World Health Organization said Friday, adding that the rate of transmission remains intense in the three West African countries at the center of the epidemic.

In an update, the United Nations health agency said 15,351 confirmed, suspected or probable cases of Ebola had been reported in eight countries that have been affected by the disease. Most of the cases were concentrated in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

A total of 5,459 people have died of Ebola since the outbreak began, the WHO said. On Wednesday, the WHO reported 15,145 cases and 5,420 deaths.

Read more ....

More News On The Ebola Epidemic

Ebola death toll rises to 5,459; Cuban doctor 'stable' -- Reuters
Ebola spread remains intense in Sierra Leone, WHO reports -- CBC/Reuters
Sierra Leone hit hardest in latest WHO Ebola numbers -- Deutsche Welle
Ebola Spread Has Slowed in Liberia, C.D.C. Says -- NYT
U.S. Says New Ebola Cases in Liberia Slowing -- Bloomberg
Ebola cases no longer rising in Guinea, Liberia, UN health agency reports -- UN News Center
WHO Declares End to Ebola Outbreak in DRC -- VOA
Bandits in Guinea Steal Suspected Ebola Blood -- AP
Roadside bandits steal cooler full of Ebola blood in Guinea -- Mashable
A Day in the Life of an Ebola Worker -- Scientific American

Spanish Intelligence: Jihadists Want To Weaponise Ebola

Spanish Intelligence Intercepts Plot To Weaponise Ebola -- Breitbart

Spanish intelligence has intercepted messages passed between jihadists online discussing the weaponisation of the deadly Ebola virus for use against the West, while a blackmailer in Prague has threatened to unleash the virus unless the Czech Republic pay him one million bitcoin, a volume of online currency worth over £200 million.

The national secretary of state for security in giving evidence to the Spanish Senate revealed online jihad propagandists had issued an edict to followers to kill Westerners by any means possible. Some of the methods suggested included “deadly chemical products from laboratories”, “poisonous injections” and “Ebola as a poisonous weapon”, reports theLocal.es.

Read more ....

My Comment: It is not going to happen ... and this is why .... How hard would it be to weaponize Ebola? Pretty hard -- Anna Mulrine, CSM

Uproar In Italy Over U.S. Troops Being ' Ebola Quarantine' At An Amercain Base Near Venice Rather Than In The U.S.

The United States, Britain and France have all sent resources to West Africa to combat the spread of Ebola after the disease infected more than 10,000 people and killed more than 5,000. Daily Mail

Uproar Over US Troops' Ebola Quarantine In Italy -- The Local

The decision to put a dozen American soldiers returning from Liberia into quarantine for Ebola at their base near Venice rather than in the United States sparked controversy in Italy on Wednesday.

"They shouldn't have been sent here, they should do their quarantine for Ebola at home," said the president of the region's assembly, Luca Zaia, insisting "it would have been more respectful" of the United States to have "thought about the risks posed to local citizens".

The Messaggero daily spoke of fears among the local population, with a rise in the number of calls to the emergency services from worried citizens.

Soldiers from the base being given a wide berth in nearby pubs.

Zaia, a member of the anti-immigrant Northern League party, was not the only one to object to the US decision to quarantine the soldiers in Italy.

Read more ....

My Comment: Ever since this story broke out earlier this week .... US soldiers returning from Ebola mission in Liberia quarantined for 21 days at Army base in Italy (Daily Mail) ... calls for these U.S. soldiers to leave Italy have increased. My prediction .... if one of these soldiers has Ebola, expect these protests to increase exponentially.

Why Is The Pentagon's Ebola Protocols Different From Those Being Applied To Civilians?

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is expected to soon decide whether to subject all U.S. troops returning from Ebola response efforts to a "quarantine-like" period.

WH: Army Ebola Policy Not Needed For Civilians -- The Hill

The Army's decision to quarantine soldiers returning from West Africa is related to logistical concerns, meaning that the same protocols would not be appropriate for civilian doctors traveling back to the United States from the region, the White House said Tuesday.

"The science would not back that up," press secretary Josh Earnest said. "In fact, implementing this military policy in a civilian context would only have the effect of hindering our Ebola response by dissuading civilian doctors and nurses from traveling to West Africa to stop the outbreak in its tracks."

On Monday, the Army announced that soldiers returning from West Africa would be held in Italy for three weeks before they would be allowed to travel to bases in the United States or other parts of the world.

Read more ....

More News On The Pentagon's Ebola Protocols

Hagel considering Ebola quarantine for all troops deployed to West Africa -- The Hill
Hagel to decide if troops will be quarantined -- Army Times
Chuck Hagel Considering New Military-Wide Ebola Policy -- AP
Spokesman: No DoD Decision on Monitoring Returning Troops -- US Department of Defense
Pentagon eyes strict monitoring for troops returning from Ebola effort -- Reuters
Joint Chiefs Urge Quarantine for U.S. Troops Back From West Africa -- WSJ
US Military Leaders: Monitor Troops Returning From Ebola Missions -- VOA
Hagel’s Made ‘No Decision’ on Dempsey’s Ebola Quarantine Recommendations -- PJ Media
Conflicting Ebola guidelines put US defense secretary in a tough spot -- The Guardian

My Comment: The White House and the CDC are saying that quarantines are not necessary for most cases .... while the medical specialists in the Pentagon are saying something different. Talk abut a disconnect and mixed messages. As to who is right .... I know a friend who is an epidemiologist .... he tells me that anyone coming from a hot zone should be quarantined. As he told me .... this is why dogs are quarantined in Hawaii for 120 days and why Hawaii does not have a rabies problem. If applied properly .... quarantines have ALWAYS worked.

Ebola Fears Grow In Asia

As Ebola Spreads, Asia Senses Vulnerability -- New York Times

HONG KONG — With hundreds of advanced infection-control hospital rooms left over from the fight against SARS, and with some medical professionals suggesting that the Ebola virus was inherently fragile and unlikely to spread in places with modern medical facilities, many doctors in Asia paid little attention to the disease until very recently.

But that confidence — some say complacency — was punctured two weeks ago when two nurses in Dallas and another in Madrid fell ill while treating patients who had contracted the Ebola virus in West Africa. Governments and doctors around Asia are now much more worried that the region’s densely populated cities and towns could be vulnerable if infected people start flying here from Africa.

“What happened in the States took us by surprise,” said Louis Shih, the president of the Hong Kong Medical Association. “We were sort of feeling like, ‘Oh, don’t worry’ — the medical sector is now quite alarmed.”

Read more ....

My Comment: These concerns are justified .... especially in places like India.

U.S. Troops Returning From Liberia Are Being Put Into Ebola Quarantine

Army Isolates Troops Returning From Liberia, Joint Chiefs Urge Broad Ebola Quarantine -- FOX News

The Joint Chiefs of Staff have recommended that all U.S. troops returning from West Africa undergo a mandatory 21-day quarantine, senior Defense officials told Fox News -- a step the Army already is taking.

Even as the White House fights such mandatory quarantine policies in New York and New Jersey, the U.S. military is moving in that direction as a precautionary measure.

On its own, the Department of the Army has issued guidelines ordering troops returning from West Africa into a 21-day isolation, separated from their families and other troops. Currently, a team that consists of a major general and 11 other troops is being held in isolation in a building at their base in Vicenza, Italy, after returning from Liberia.

Read more ....

Update #1: U.S. soldiers returning from Liberia monitored for Ebola in Italy -- CBS/AP
Update #2: US Army to Quarantine Troops Who Were Fighting Ebola -- ABC News

My Comment: One rule for one group (i.e. the U.S. soldier) .... another rule for someone else.

Ebola Cases Have Now Reached 10,000 In Africa. 4,900 Have Died

Ebola Outbreak: Cases Pass 10,000, WHO Reports -- BBC

The number of cases in the Ebola outbreak has exceeded 10,000, with 4,922 deaths, the World Health Organization says in its latest report.

Only 27 of the cases have occurred outside the three worst-hit countries, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

Those three countries account for all but 10 of the fatalities.

Mali became the latest nation to record a death, a two-year-old girl. More than 40 people known to have come into contact with her have been quarantined.

The latest WHO situation report says that Liberia remains the worst affected country, with 2,705 deaths. Sierra Leone has had 1,281 fatalities and there have been 926 in Guinea.

Read more ....

More News On Ebola Cases Reaching 10,000 In Africa

Ebola death toll tops 4,900 as virus spreads: WHO -- Reuters
Ebola cases in West Africa now estimated at more than 10,000: WHO -- CTV/AP
Ebola Cases Top 10,000 in Current Outbreak, WHO Says -- WSJ
WHO says Ebola cases pass 10,000 -- SKY News
Ebola Death Toll Surpasses 4,900 of Nearly 10,000 Cases: WHO -- RIA Novosti
Ebola cases hit 10,000 mark -- The Guardian

Ebola Is Now In New York City

Doctor in New York City Is Sick With Ebola -- New York Times

A doctor in New York City who recently returned from treating Ebola patients in Guinea became the first person in the city to test positive for the virus Thursday, setting off a search for anyone who might have come into contact with him.

The doctor, Craig Spencer, was rushed to Bellevue Hospital Center and placed in isolation at the same time as investigators sought to retrace every step he had taken over the past several days.

At least three people he had contact with in recent days have been placed in isolation. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which dispatched a team to New York, is conducting its own test to confirm the positive test on Thursday, which was performed by a city lab.

Read more ....

More News On Ebola Now In New York City

Ebola Updates -- Reuters
Ebola outbreak: Get up to speed with the latest developments -- CNN
NY officials urge calm after doctor's Ebola diagnosis -- CBS/AP
Doctor with Ebola in NY hospital, nurse declared virus-free -- Reuters
New York doctor who worked in Guinea tests positive for Ebola -- Washington Post
N.Y. doctor positive for Ebola had no symptoms until Thursday, officials say -- CNN
New York doctor diagnosed with Ebola; health officials seek out those in contact -- FOX News
New York Officials Urge Calm Amid Ebola Diagnosis -- WSJ
NYC's first Ebola patient in isolation amid city jitters -- USA Today
Tracking One Man’s Contacts in a City of 8 Million -- NYT
Retracing the Steps of Craig Spencer, Doctor Who Tested Positive for Ebola -- ABC News
From Guinea to the U.S.: Timeline of first Ebola patient in New York City -- CNN
Don't 'panic': Bellevue Hospital 'well-prepared' for Ebola-infected doctor Craig Spencer -- New York Daily News
Ebola in New York: What you need to know -- New York Daily News
Don't Panic: Why Ebola Won't Become an Epidemic in New York -- Maggie Fox, NBC
Factbox: Ebola cases in the United States -- Reuters

Is Ebola The Real ‘World War Z?’

Is Ebola The Real ‘World War Z?’ (Spoiler Alert: It’s Not) -- Max Brooks, Reuters

In 2006, I released a novel about a global zombie plague that drives humanity to the brink of extinction. While the zombies may have been fake, I tried to anchor the human response (political-military-economic-cultural) in reality. I studied the history of pandemics, natural disasters and industrialized warfare. I interviewed doctors, soldiers, journalists and someone who “has never gotten a check from the CIA” in an attempt to illustrate the fragile global systems that shield our species from the abyss. As a result, I’ve been repeatedly asked if the current outbreak of Ebola is the real-life incarnation of my novel. As much as any author would love to crow about how “I predicted this!”, this time, I’m happy to say, my fictional plague could not be more different from the truth.

Read more ....

My Comment: My brother .... who is more knowledgeable than I am on this things .... see a scenario as outlined in the movie 'Contagion' as a more realistic "worse case scenario" for such an epidemic. See movie trailer below.

Pentagon Preparing Quick-Strike Teams For Ebola Response In United States

Military Preps Quick-Strike Team For Ebola Response In United States -- CNN

(CNN) -- The U.S. military is forming a 30-person "quick-strike team" equipped to provide direct treatment to Ebola patients inside the United States, a Defense Department official told CNN's Barbara Starr on Sunday.

A Pentagon spokesman later confirmed portions of the official's information.

The team will be under orders to deploy within 72 hours at any time over the next month, the official said.

The Department of Health and Human Services requested the military team, and the Pentagon has given verbal approval, the official said.

Read more ....

More News On The Pentagon Preparing Quick-Strike Teams For Ebola Response In United States

Pentagon plans Ebola domestic-response team of medical experts to aid doctors -- Washington Post
Pentagon building rapid-response Ebola team -- USA Today
Military Prepares 30-Person Ebola Team For U.S. -- Time
Pentagon preps Ebola team for response to cases in US -- The Hill
Hagel orders military medical team to train, get ready for quick response to more Ebola cases in US -- FOX News
U.S. military steps in to tackle Ebola: Elite 'strike team' of soldiers and doctors will help deal with any future Ebola cases in America -- Daily Mail
Pentagon Prepares Military Medical Team to Fight With Ebola in US -- RIA Novosti

President Obama Is Furious With The CDC's Ebola Response.

U.S. President Barack Obama pauses as he talks next to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell (L) and Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Thomas Frieden (R) after meeting with his team coordinating the government's Ebola response in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, October 16, 2014. REUTERS/Larry Downing

Furious President Obama Berated Top Aides Behind Closed Doors Over Their Botched Handling of The Ebola Crisis -- Daily Mail

* In a closed-door meeting on Wednesday, President Obama voiced his anger and frustration over the way his top aides responded to the Ebola crisis
* The President placed most of the blame on the Center for Disease Control, who he felt did not do enough to train nurses and doctors
* This meeting was a result of the news that Amber Vinson, a nurse who cared for Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan, had contracted the disease
* Vinson was the second nurse to become infected, and had also traveled on a plane the weekend before despite having a fever

President Obama voiced his growing frustration over his administration's handling of the Ebola crisis in a closed-door meeting on Wednesday.

Convening his top aides in the Cabinet room after clearing his schedule for the day, the President let it be known how angry he was about how the government had handled key elements of the response.

This anger no doubt stemmed from the news earlier that day that not only did a second nurse, Amber Vinson, contract the disease while caring for Thomas Eric Duncan in a Dallas, Texas, hospital, but that she had also been able to board a plan and travel back and forth to Cleveland, Ohio, that weekend, while showing symptoms of a fever.

Read more ....

My Comment: If he is angry .... start firing people .... but he will not. In the meantime .... the perceived lack of seriousness on the administration's Ebola response continues .... Obama Golfs For 4 Hours, 40 Minutes On Saturday, Then Holds Nighttime Ebola Meeting--Which New Ebola Czar Skips! (Breitbart)