Last week, I wrote a blog post about what Ebola is. So now that we know what this disease actually is, let’s look at where the disease is. I want to particularly focus on the U.S, considering the recent death in Dallas, Tx. According to Wikipedia, here are some of the facts:
Deaths 1 Cases first diagnosed in U.S. 1 Cases evacuated to U.S. from other countries 5 Suspected cases in medical isolation 1 Quarantined people 4 Under observation 10 (via primary contact) 40 (via secondary contact) The first case of Ebola in the U.S was reported on September 30, 2014. The victim was Thomas Eric Duncan, 47. Duncan died on October 8, 2014. Three Americans medically evacuated from Africa prior to Duncan’s case. Two are being treated for Ebola in the Emory University Hospital isolation unit, and one is being treated in the Nebraska Medical Center. Duncan was treated in Dallas, Texas at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. By October 4, Duncan deteriorated to critical condition. He was then given an experimental drug, but stayed in critical condition. This whole epidemic is said to have started on December 2, 2013 when a 2 year old boy in Guinea contracted the disease, dying 4 days later. Next was his sister, then his mother and grandmother. The WHO says that the actual cause of this is uncertain, but was likely caused by a fruit bat. The next outbreaks are as followed:
Returning to the most recent case, it is reported that Duncan filled out a form before flying back to the U.S stating that he had not come into contact with an Ebola case (this was false information). The LIberian authorities stated that they could in fact prosecute Duncan if he returned to Liberia (the country he was present in at the time of the Ebola contraction). Liberian president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf stated: “One of our compatriots didn't take due care, and so, he's gone there and in a way put some Americans in a state of fear, and put them at some risk, and so I feel very saddened by that and very angry with him.…The fact that he knew (he might be a carrier) and he left the country is unpardonable, quite frankly.” The only question now is, “Will more people in the U.S contract Eboli? And if so, how many people will this epidemic take with it as it sweeps the world off it’s feet?” Since it's my first ever post on a blog, I wanted to make it interesting. I was searching online to find a suitable global issues article, when I stumbled upon www.globalissues.org. After looking through some of the articles, I found one titled, "Today, around 21,000 people died around the world". Now, that one caught my attention. Before I started reading, I wondered, how could this many children be dying around the world every day? What could be killing them this easily? The first thing I read was this:
That is equivalent to: · 1 child dying every 4 seconds · 14 children dying every minute · Just under 7.6 million children dying every year · Some 92 million children dying between 2000 and 2010 The article also stated that most of these deaths are caused by poverty, hunger, and diseases that to us, are easily preventable. These are called the "silent killers". Along with this information, I found a few more interesting facts from UNICEF: · 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation · 101 million children are not attending primary school, with more girls than boys missing out · 22 million infants are not protected from diseases by routine immunization · 7.6 million children worldwide died before their 5th birthday in 2010 · 4 million newborns worldwide are dying in the first month of life · 2 million children under 15 are living with HIV · >500,000 women die each year from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth With these facts present, why isn't our country doing something about it? So many people are dying, and a good portion of these people can be saved just if we just provide immunization. And why don't more people know about this? This is the first time I've ever heard about this many children dying, and I'm certainly not the only one. If everyone knew about how in other countries, children die so frequently, maybe these people could get some more help and support. I found a quote, one of which is very true, one that maybe we can learn from: "They die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death." — A spotty scorecard, UNICEF, Progress of Nations 2000 |