This little bugger is Ebola. It’s instantly recognizable by the “Shepards Crook†shape. Whoever named this has a sick sense of humor because I do not associate this with Little Bo Peep at all.
Despite the common (and variably correct) thoughts on the inefficient nature of the US Government, these guys are Pros. The Walking Dead and every other movie/game/TV show aside, there are a few reasons Ebola has never made headway in the Developed World.
These adorable little flying rodents also known as fruit bats were found in 2002 to display antibodies against ebola, despite no recorded incidences of fruit bats dying from Ebola are known. This makes our furry friends here the best current guest for the reservoir in which Ebola hides.
The reason a reservoir is needed is because humans/other primates die far too fast for Ebola to survive in them. There are three classical stages to a human Ebola infection.
Stage 1 Ebola is actually quite similar in symptoms to the flu (don’t freak out or I swear I will come over there). General body weakness, headaches, vomiting. The primary difference is a rash that covers the body aside from the face and scalp. If the patient progresses out of stage one and into stage two, they are likely going to die.
I refuse to show the painful last days of a stage two or three Ebola victim. Instead, I will share what is happening inside the body at that point. Hemorrhaging. The blood vessels across the body are being attacked, leading to a host of secondary symptoms. Breathing problems, incredibly low blood pressure, brain damage, liver failure and blindness all mark the progression towards death. Some drugs have managed to slow this progression, but an 80-90% mortality rate is the norm.
Some may now be wondering how this isn’t a larger deal, how the world hasn’t crumbled by now. The answer is, Ebola is actually relatively difficult to catch once the proper precautions are put in place, and kills too quickly for people to transmit it to a large population. All currently known Ebola strains are transmitted via bodily fluid. Blood, bile, semen, all of these things must be properly isolated in order to prevent spread. The sharps used on a patient are disposed of with great prejudice, and bedding/clothes/etc are burnt.
The doctors/professionals working with Ebola patients are just as concerned about a spread as the general public. They are, after all, the ones who would likely become infected if they were not cautious about safety. The clothes worn by doctors after working with a patient are generally sprayed with bleach (as above) and then burnt in an incinerator. Ebola is vicious, but it’s not really that tough. The heat kills it.
We actually have a secret weapon in fighting Ebola. The Sun. Yes, that glowing thing that some of you hate and some of you love. The UV radiation from the Sun will destroy Ebola particles in a matter of minutes. The same goes for dry air. The virus needs moisture to not be degraded. For these reasons, jungle environments are the norm for outbreaks.
…This plane was built for this.
Read more: http://imgur.com/gallery/9TVVU
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