To make it a little easier for me to keep up, I thought an index of my key posts - some of which address your most pressing concerns about Ebola virus, ebolaviruses and Ebola virus disease (EVD) - would be useful.
- The tallies and graphs from the major countries that have hosted Ebola virus disease cases in West Africa. Updated as soon after the World Health Organization (WHO) releases their figures as I can manage.
Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) 2014 West African outbreak..
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/ebola-virus-disease-evd-2014-west.html - The partner post to #1 but in maps and historical numbers.
Ebolavirus disease (EVD) cases, clusters and outbreaks mapped out...
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/ebolavirus-disease-evd-cases-clusters.html - A summary of what we know about how the Ebola virus is transmitted between humans.
Ebola virus may be spread by droplets, but not by an airborne route: what that means
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/ebola-virus-may-be-spread-by-droplets.html - The companion piece to #3 - highlights that we can force Ebola virus into an aerosols in non-human primates (not hiding this), and that pigs also seem to produce aerosols...but that this is not the same as natural human virus acquisition/disease which is due to direct contact between body fluids and mucous membranes/broken skin (includes physical touch and propelled).
Ebola, pigs, primates and people
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/ebola-pigs-primates-and-people.html - Why this epidemic is extremely unlikely to produce a variant of Ebola virus that changes so much (accompanied by changes in the host), that it becomes an "airborne virus".
The wind beneath my Ebola virus....
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/the-wind-beneath-my-ebola-virus.html - Some scientific literature to underscore the risks of acquiring Ebola virus from a very ill person's blood, sweat, spit and tears.
Ebola: Blood, sweat and tears...
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/ebola-blood-sweat-and-tears.html - Some scientific literature and discussion to highlight the chronic risk of acquiring Ebola virus infection from the semen of a convalescent male.
Ebola virus in semen is the real deal....
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/ebola-virus-in-semen-is-real-deal.html - A post about the many things that lead to healthcare worker (HCW) Ebola virus infections. This was in response to a CIDRAP article and to the increasing narrative that because of a high toll among HCWs, there must be something changed about this virus making it "easier to catch than what we have been told". Which has to date not been backed up laboratory science, epidemiology or the observations of those working in West Africa.
Ebola virus, HCWs infections and personal protective equipment..
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/ebola-virus-hcws-infections-and.html - A new graphic to even more simply explain the differences between an airborne transmission route and a short-distance wet droplet/cough route of transmitting viruses like Ebola virus.
It's what falls out of the aerosol that matters....
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/its-what-falls-out-of-aerosol-that.html - A thought-provoking post about what to call the way in which viruses like Ebola virus may be transmitted since they are not truly airborne but may be coughed or vomited across short distances as big wet droplets. Airborne vs Propelled.
What words would you use to separate influenza spread from Ebola virus disease spread?
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/what-words-would-you-use-to-separate.html - A short brief on the different variant, still from the Zaire ebolavirus species (same species as that ravaging West Africa), concurrently circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The battle of Ebola gains a second front...the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC; formerly Zaire)
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/the-battel-of-ebola-gains-second.html - Some of the many fake or non-Ebola virus disease images circulating on the interwebs. Help enlarge this or solve the unknowns, if you can.
Fake/wrong Ebola virus disease images...
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/fake-ebola-virus-disease-images.html - How to use the perfect terms to discuss Ebola virus. How does Ebola virus differ from EBOV, differ from ebolaviruses, differ from Ebola virus disease? A primer on the lingo and how it compares to cars.
Behind the naming of ebolaviruses...
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/behind-naming-of-ebola-virusesnot-yet.html - How can you help? Donate money and help provide protective equipment for the heroic efforts of those willing to face down Ebola locally in West Africa or after driving/flying in.
Protect the healthcare giver>>save lives>>stop Ebola virus disease
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/protect-healthcare-workerssave.html - Application of Prof David Fisman's predictive Ebola modelling.
Updating a model of a modern Ebola epidemic...
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/updating-model-of-modern-ebola-epidemic.html - A term to better explain the crude ratio of people who have died in the midst of a chaotic epidemic.
The proportion of fatal cases (PFC)...
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/the-proportion-of-fatal-cases-pfc.html - Some hints and tips on how to get the most from commonly used graphs on Virology Down Under.
How to read a VDU graph...
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/how-to-read-vdu-graph.html - How to read my graph depicting Ebola virus case numbers between reports.
Case number changes between Ebola virus disease reports...
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/case-number-changes-between-ebola-virus.html - An idea that could be used by Australia to more safely allow it to provide/encourage/permit the sending of human help, not just money, to West Africa.
Australia's response to Ebola virus disease in West Africa: is too little enough?
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/10/australias-response-to-ebola-virus.html - A ranty reminder the outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics are chaotic things driven by chaotic humans. Numbers of cases never account for every case..because chaotic. Don't expect them too.
The numbers are underestimates...
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/the-numbers-are-underestimates.html - A theory about the cumulative case and death graphs that suggests a possibly useful predictor of things beginning to run out of control.
The control gap...
http://newsmedicalnet.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/the-control-gap.html
