From the Mayo Clinic:
Ebola and Marburg hemorrhagic fevers are difficult to diagnose because early signs and symptoms resemble those of other diseases, such as typhoid and malaria. If doctors suspect you have Ebola or Marburg viruses, they use blood tests to quickly identify the virus, including:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention monitors the United States for conditions such as Ebola infection, and its labs can test for the Ebola virus. Mayo Clinic does not test for the Ebola and Marburg viruses.
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
- Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention monitors the United States for conditions such as Ebola infection, and its labs can test for the Ebola virus. Mayo Clinic does not test for the Ebola and Marburg viruses.
Also, I've worked in an ER for years. There are lists of tests that can be performed, but few of them were organism specific. When it comes to organisms, you can order wound, urine, fecal cultures, or rapid flu, strep, staph tests. Pretty much it.
And YES there is a lot they can do if Ebola makes it into the country. But they aren't doing squat because they aren't going to spend money on something that might happen. At least at the state level. The feds are already doing it - getting FEMA stocked up and ready to quarantine entire cities.
People die from lack of perfusion. Every time. Heart stops, blood can't circulate and purfuse oxygen into your brain - dead. Gunshot would causes organs to go into shock and shut down, blood pumps onto the ground, oxygen can't get to your brain - dead. Ebola causes your body to bleed internally, and lose fluids like crazy, it can cause organ failure. Lack of perfusion.
Treatment is always based on this principal, that your body must have oxygen to survive. If you can't breathe, you can't get o2. If your bleeding or heart is stopped, you can't get o2. This is what is treated - keeping the lungs and airway functional, keep the heart beating, keep the blood inside your body. Fluids and o2 are administered to maximize survivability.
Leave a comment: