EBOLA
(…a latter-day plague turned loose on a globalized world…)

We can’t help but ponder on what further pronouncements we may get from all those pundits of medical science, about how and why this virulent viral infection continues to show up in places other than West Africa.

Ebola, seems to be a latter-day plague turned loose on a globalized world. That is, much like the Black Plague of the medieval era, it is being spread by our modern-day ability to travel anytime to anywhere, thanks to the jet age of our times, no matter how well equipped or organized modern counter measures and medical health services might be.

Part of the problem seems to be the long incubation period involved with this disease. Thus, someone who has been exposed and contaminated by it, may not have any apparent symptoms for most of that time; so, if they are travelling or interacting with others during that time, as “carriers”, they may unknowingly help spread it. Another part of the problem with containing the disease is that there seems to be some question as to how it actually is transmitted from one individual to others. All the experts maintain it is not transmittable from just casual contact. Yet, they continue to call for extreme cautionary protocols… hazmat clothing and gear, decontamination of vehicles, aircraft, and housing, etc..

What then are we to believe? Such preventative measures suggest casual contact can, indeed, transmit the disease. We suspect no one really knows if that is so…or not, hence these precautions.

As for having any kind of effective vaccine, that is yet to be available on a mass basis, and what medications that are available are still “experimental” and relatively limited in quantity. The only saving grace about this disease (if it can be called that) is that those who survive exposure to it…are thereafter…apparently immune to it. With a 50% mortality rate, that’s not much of a comfort.

Meanwhile, other than applying concentrated hydrogen peroxide as a decontaminant, perhaps it might be worth exploring the merits of ultra-violet irradiation as a counter measure, or even as a prophylactic. Several decades ago tests were conducted for this purpose, with very promising results. However, with the advent of antibiotics, that idea seems to have been abandoned. Perhaps, given that diseases tend to develop resistance to antibiotics, perhaps ultra-violet irradiation should be re-examined as a possible effective counter measure for this particular disease.

Meanwhile, welcome to our brave new globalized world.

CENTURION