Skip to content

Adaptation

How NOT to DIE from Ebola! The key to Ebola treatment…

Wanna know how not to DIE from Ebola?  First off, try not to exchange bodily fluids with a floridly infected person (as we talked about in an earlier post).  However, if you do end up catching Ebola you probably got it by taking care of a sick family member or you are a healthcare worker taking care of the infected.  If you are youngish (under 45) and get medical care early, you have a good chance of  survival. The highly respected medical journal, The New England Journal of Medicine, recently published two very interesting articles on Ebola treatment in Africa.  One article… Read More »How NOT to DIE from Ebola! The key to Ebola treatment…

Bats, Ebola and Climate Change, Oh My!

The last time I studied Ebola was back in public health school many years ago.  At that time the reservoir was unknown, but scientists were closing in.  The reservoir is the place where the virus hides between outbreaks.  Turns out, in the case of Ebola, it hides out in fruit bats.  Three  different species to be exact: the hammer-headed bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus),  the little collared fruit bat (Myonycteris torquata), and Franquet’s epauletted fruit bat (Epomops franqueti). Fruit bats are, of course, mammals like you or I.  Some of them are sorta cute, looking like a chihuahua with wings (although some of them… Read More »Bats, Ebola and Climate Change, Oh My!

Sweet and Sour Carbon for you America!

(This post I owe to my mom.  She gets emails from the organizations discussed below, and was kind enough to send them to me.  I have digested them into bite sized chunks for your amusement, my faithful readers.  Enjoy!)   The White House announced Wednesday that President Obama had engaged in top-secret negotiations with the Chinese about reducing carbon pollution.  President Obama was in China, November 10th to the 12th for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit. According to The White House Blog… “After 2020, the United States will reduce its net greenhouse gas emissions to 26-28% below 2005 levels by… Read More »Sweet and Sour Carbon for you America!

riding in a Pavehawk over Kuwait

A Salute to a Reality-based Organization!

Happy Veteran’s Day! And thank you for your service if you’re a vet.  The Doc did his time with Uncle Sam a while back, and wholeheartedly supports America’s veterans. I’d just like to point out to you that the United States military is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, having responded to nearly every major disaster and humanitarian crisis around the globe in recent memory.  After all, who else has the disciplined, well-trained people, supplies, equipment and global reach?  That’s a rhetorical question.  The answer is nobody else does. This of course includes here at home, where the National Guard and… Read More »A Salute to a Reality-based Organization!

How NOT to catch Ebola!

Okay folks, for those of you that just want the facts and not the details, here’s the one secret to avoid catching ebola… don’t touch someone with Ebola!  Done.  Pretty simple, ehh?  You may ask “But Doc G, how the heck will I know if someone has Ebola or not?”  Fair question.  For simplicity’s sake, signs of Ebola infection fall into two categories, early and late. Some of the early signs of Ebola include… fever muscle pains fatigue headache sore throat These symptoms can take up to 21 days to show up after being exposed.  People in the early stage… Read More »How NOT to catch Ebola!