Whatcha thinking about now?

[Corvus]

Re: What Are You Thinking About?

My elemental workshop yesterday went well. I feel like I should've said more considering we ended early but I did only intend it to be basic, though several people called t comprehensive so... Well whatever.

[Medusa]

Re: What Are You Thinking About?

Still in the grieving process over Wolverine. Storm in her own comic issue, had to have Beast fly her into outer space so she could let her emotions out over the loss of her long time close friend. She bawled so hard she caused fluctuations in the earth's atmosphere.

Go girl. I feel you. :='(:

[Ophidia]

Re: What Are You Thinking About?

Wishing I was in Washington right now. I just need some relief from the desert.

[Doc_Holliday]

Re: What Are You Thinking About?

Had a twitchy cop go ballistic today because he saw I had a handgun. I've been ATC (Authorized to carry) for a long ass amount of time now. First time I had a cop draw first and ask questions later, usually they are respectful about it. I have worked in remote wilderness and get to carry it for protection against wildlife and the sort, pretty standard practice. It was funny none the less.

[Medusa]

Re: What Are You Thinking About?

The sheriff's helicopter is hovering over our street and behind the house where the wash is. Shining their light all up and down the street. The street is blocked off by about 5 cop cars lights glaring. Someone ran and either hit, stabbed or shot someone in the house at the end of the street. So they are looking for him. And our pit Lexi is losing her mind in the backyard. She's such a good guard dog. She will just sit up all night and stare out into the wash. Any movement or little noise (like from my upstairs bedroom watching tv) she's on it.

Good girl!

[Hawkfeathers]

Re: What Are You Thinking About?

The girlfriend of the late Mr. Dixon (who died Oct. 8 of ebola) should be nearing the end of her quarantine period. If she does NOT become sick, I want to know why. Very curious about people who don't get things after exposure.

[thalassa]

Re: What Are You Thinking About?

The girlfriend of the late Mr. Dixon (who died Oct. 8 of ebola) should be nearing the end of her quarantine period. If she does NOT become sick, I want to know why. Very curious about people who don't get things after exposure.

Well, if she was separated from him relatively early in his illness, it makes sense, because the viral load increases as the disease progresses, which is when it is the most contagious. If she wasn't in contact with his bodily fluids and secretions at a time where he had a high viral load, its not too suprising if she didn't get it (in comparison to the nurses that handled his illness in the last stages, when the viral load would have been extremely high).

[Hawkfeathers]

Re: What Are You Thinking About?

^^^I understand that, but the general consensus is it's contagious when symptoms begin. I guess we'll see. IMO, the biggest issue is the 21 day incubation period. That's a long time for someone to stay out of the public, and almost nobody can afford to take 3 weeks off, or pay someone else to do so.

[Rowanwood]

Re: What Are You Thinking About?

^^^I understand that, but the general consensus is it's contagious when symptoms begin. I guess we'll see. IMO, the biggest issue is the 21 day incubation period. That's a long time for someone to stay out of the public, and almost nobody can afford to take 3 weeks off, or pay someone else to do so.

Contagious is relative. Like Thal said, viral load plays a huge role.

Imagine mosquitoes. In May, there are like 9. You may get a bite, but its not very likely though still possible since they are flying around. But in August, there are 9 million mosquitoes and it's much more likely you'll get bitten, even if you wear long sleeves.

[Hawkfeathers]

Re: What Are You Thinking About?

^^ I understand all of that. But there are people who, despite a fairly consistent level of exposure as someone else to *whatever* , don't catch it, or get a much lesser version. Like in a classroom, where some kids do not get the cold or flu that many others have.

[Heka]

The girlfriend of the late Mr. Dixon (who died Oct. 8 of ebola) should be nearing the end of her quarantine period. If she does NOT become sick, I want to know why. Very curious about people who don't get things after exposure.

Possible difference - when he got Ebola, immediate quarantine for her, where as nurses, usual health practises expected to deal with any exposure, but this time didnt? ?

[thalassa]

Re: What Are You Thinking About?

^^ I understand all of that. But there are people who, despite a fairly consistent level of exposure as someone else to *whatever* , don't catch it, or get a much lesser version. Like in a classroom, where some kids do not get the cold or flu that many others have.

genetic differences (resulting in differences in immune systems)...previous exposures to the same (or similar) pathogens (or to different pathogens that may have caused other differences)...physical (including biochemical) differences (making one less or more likely to "uptake" a pathogen...the infectiousness of the virus/bacteria (sure, hypothetically, a single bacteria or virus can infect someone, but realistically speaking, it takes more than one to successfully infect a person and cause disease

...and pure statistical chance (which is where viral load comes into play--the less virus present, the better the odds...and in ebola, viral load is lower early on and gets higher as the disease progresses)

the problem is that it would take tons of money and time and people to do that sort of work in science, in pin pointing who gets what why and why not...and we, the public, don't care enough about science or health to invest in either, until something bad happens...and then we forget about it as soon as the immediate threat is over.

Finally, some people may be resistant to Ebola infection entirely, if they have a mutation in a gene called NPC1. Studies show that, when researchers take cells from people with the NPC1 mutation and try to infect them with Ebola in a laboratory dish, these cells are resistant to the virus. In European populations, about 1 in 300 to 1 in 400 people have this mutation, Gatherer said. But in some populations, this mutation is more common: in Nova Scotia, between 10 and 26 percent of people have this mutation, Gatherer said. But the frequency of this mutation in African populations is not known, he said.
However, because these studies on Ebola resistance were done in a lab, it's not known for certain if carriers of the NPC1 are truly resistant to Ebola.

http://www.livescience.com/47203-ebola-how-people-survive.html

and

Since the first recorded case of Ebola in 1976, outbreaks of the disease occasionally strike humans and great apes in Gabon, the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Sudan and Uganda. The natural reservoir of the virus (bats) and the origin of most epidemics are known. But how exactly did humans become contaminated? What determines whether or not an epidemic breaks out? A surprising fact has emerged: a high proportion of the Gabonese population is immunized against the disease: 15.3% possess antibiotics against Ebola, even in areas where no epidemic has ever been recorded. This was found recently by IRD scientists and their partners¹ The results mean that the persons involved have been exposed to the virus but have never developed clinical symptoms of the infection.


source

[Hawkfeathers]

Re: What Are You Thinking About?

^^^ I'm not one who forgets about it, or doesn't care about it. I think (and read) a lot about this stuff. But then, I'm just not the general public, be that for better or worse LOL

[thalassa]

Re: What Are You Thinking About?

^^^ I'm not one who forgets about it, or doesn't care about it. I think (and read) a lot about this stuff. But then, I'm just not the general public, be that for better or worse LOL

lol...I care too...but unfortunately, we be a minority

Go Football and Justin Bieber!

[Hawkfeathers]

Re: What Are You Thinking About?

What's a Bieber? LOL At least David Cassidy waited to get in trouble until he was much older!

So, different states are setting up designated labs, etc. for ebola. None of these facilities properly communicate with each other. I'm thinking AGAIN how state's rights have gone overboard. You can or can't have access to some medications/procedures/marriage depending on which state you live in. What's "United" about that?