Catching up

[waterspyder]

Okay, so I'm catching up on this hurricane deal.

theweaselking posted an awesome newsclip you can see here.

panthertriad on the other hand linked to a jounral post http://thememoryblog.org/archives/000588.html, and while some of this is a little exagerrated, as in Ebola and Marburg are not level 3 contagions, they are level 4 and thus would not be located at these facilities (in theory), the premise is still frightening. I was personally concerned about outbreaks of cholera, maybe typhoid since they are common in this sort of situation, but now it could be that release of a variety of pox and flus would also be a legitimate concern. The probability is low that an outbreak would happen, but I can certainly also see why the evacuation of people from the affected areas, willing or not, would be a little more pressing that just "death by dysentery". Also http://www.cdc.gov/od/sap/index.htm.

Quick Primer of Biosafety

Biosafety Level 1
Basically these are things that are difficult to catch as defined by how it is spread (airborne is more contagious than by touch), and are not life threatening. Many of these things can not even be contracted by humans. Think E.Coli infection or low level bacterial or yeast infections.

Biosafety Level 2
These are things that are easier to acquire (bloodborne or by touch, longer persistence in the environment), and while they are generally not life threatening, they can cause serious complications. There is immunization or antibiotic treatments available for each of the items in this category. This is where salmonella, chicken pox, Hepatitis B and measles reside. Not enjoyable, but won't kill you.

Biosafety Level 3
I'll be honest, this can still be scary despite not being the highest level. All of these pathogens can be lethal, but take a little effort to catch and are mainly bloodborne. This includes things like HIV, encephalitis and tuberculosis.

Biosafety Level 4
These are scary, and as such are only housed in 5 reported facilities in the world. These are all typically airborne, highly infectious and deadly. This includes Ebola and Marburg.

I think I need to not read anymore for now. *The part of my brain trained in epidemiology shivers*