Preparing for tsunamis and the zombie ebola apocalypse: Prologue

Dr. Lizard: It is unwise to panic, but wise to prepare. Review the worst case scenario. Our area would stop receiving food transport if there were a decent tsunami and the largest transfer station is virtually at sea level. Power is likely to be out for a while.

Regarding ebola it is reported that it is not airborne. However, at a certain point, the difference between airborne and nearly airborne becomes vanishingly small. This point is reached on Monday October 13, 2014. Photos from Liberia show health workers spraying the outsides of their suits with bleach solutions. Yet of 240 health care workers with ebola, 50% have died. The press claims that this is due to a lack of equipment, however the photos are very unreassuring.

The bleach precaution is well beyond the usual precautions for diarrhea, influenza, pneumonia. The only illness that approaches that level of containment is tuberculosis, which is airborne and needs a reverse flow room and hazard suits. Either the virus penetrates the skin very very easily or something else is happening, because we handle bleeding and infected patients in the hospital all the time and do not become ill. (Ok, don't include Dr. Lizard in that because she has been ill now for 4+ months. Lungs, still.)

The CDC seems a bit blase about the patient in Dallas. Most viruses are most contagious the day before and the first day of symptoms. This is not terribly reassuring with people getting on and off airplanes, even without a fever.

Dr. Lizard has been asked to go to Texas for a health evaluation. She explains that she really doesn't want to get on an airplane with enterovirus D68 in 40 states, or more now?* At least not until her lungs are well.

She hopes no Dallas health care workers get ebola. She buys a weeks worth of water.

No More Room in Hell: The 2014 Halloween Horrorquest
*46 states today.

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