Ebola VS. Flu

Understanding the Real Battle

Two viruses that have both earned headlines come face to face regarding their virulency,  contagion, symptoms, and death rate as we cover these violent viruses. More recently, the attention of the American public turns to Africa to watch the horror story unfold. Over 4,000 people died from Ebola, with the death toll steadily rising. The virus made its way into North America and two other continents, weaving a tangled web of insidious miscalculation, mystery cures low in supply, mistrust of the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control, and demands for screenings at airports – cries to stop the possibility of the potentially pending pandemic.

Many of us seem to forget the facts that other viruses have plagued our world, incurring terror and death for centuries. Viruses, an age-old enemy for the human population, and an often misunderstood enigma that can cause enormous damage, often cast monstrous shadows that splash across newspapers, film screens, and personal televisions. But what threat do these tiny, microbial particles really create for us? And what really generates the big, scary shadows that make us cower? We take a look at two of the most highly discussed viruses that both made headlines, and uncover what we should really fear.

 

Scare of the Spanish Flu

We all know about certain influenza strains that either make headlines because of their death toll or because many people participate in receiving flu shots annually. Strains that cause scares include the swine flu and avian flu. The ones some get vaccinations to avoid yearly include H1N1, H2N2, flu B, and flu C. But only in history classes do we get to learn the real potential for destruction caused by the flu.

In the year 1918, when World War I was raging in a smokey blaze across Europe, something sinister arose in the body of a human being that would forever change our view of viruses. Though the exact origin of this strain remains unknown (some believe a man living in Kansas was the first victim, some think it happened in China), the terror that the Spanish flu spread throughout the world is well-recognized by many.

The sudden onslaught of symptoms made this virus very difficult to manage and contain, thus allowing the world-wide death toll to rise between 50 million to 100 million people. Physicians, medical workers, scientists, and other professionals found themselves dealing with a baffling disease that they neither understood how to contain or cure. Plus, the Spanish flu targeted victims within the age range of 20-40 years old, which made this virus even scarier.

Once symptoms start occurring, it only takes a matter of hours before the virus consumes and kills the person. It starts with a spike in fever, up to 105 degrees. A severe headache and fatigue follow the fever quickly. This caused people to collapse in the middle of the street, with no warning. A cough, sore throat, and mucus excretion developed. Then comes the asphyxiation, which could become so intense that the victim  turns blue from lack of oxygen.

Eventually, some victims experienced an onslaught of vomiting or lack of control over their bladder as result of the virus. Sensitivity in nerve endings caused by the fever made touching the surface against other objects a painful experience. As the virus came to the end of its course, the asphyxiation caused blood vessels to burst, allowing the symptoms to take on a hemorrhagic effect, similar to Ebola. Bloody, foam-like discharge began to run from the mouth, nose, and sometimes the ears.

The Spanish flu claimed the lives of more people in one year than that of the Black Death, which lasted from 1347 to 1351. This virus affected up over a fifth of the world’s entire population. Since WWI raged in Europe, many governmental officials were more concerned with placing ration limitations on food, and drafting more men into the armed forces to fight the war.

The swiftness with which this strain of flu hit the human body baffled doctors, and they often misdiagnosed patients because of the quickness of onset. Another factor, the age range of individuals from 20 to 40 years old, also greatly confused doctors, as the flu mainly struck and killed young children with underdeveloped immune systems or senior adults with weakened ones.

 

Ebola’s Evolution

Almost a century after the vicious onslaught of the Spanish flu, the Ebola virus has started making headlines and claiming lives. What started in Africa as a sickness that many chocked up to bad health conditions in the affected areas, now makes its way into America. Even with the medicine crafted and provided by the Centers for Disease Control given to Americans infected with the virus, the death toll continues to climb in Africa, and the medicine has already failed one man who was diagnosed and died on American soil with the virus.

The first documented outbreak of Ebola happened in 1976, exacting upon doctors the same bafflement as the Spanish flu. Victims exhibited symptoms similar to the flu, with a headache that spread into the spine. Bodily and muscular soreness followed, and a raging fever burned beneath the victim’s skin. Eventually, continuous vomiting and diarrhea took over. As the virus began transforming tissues into viral material, blood vessels and organ linings started to burst and slough off. This caused the victim to vomit arterial blood and a tarry black substance consisting of viral material. Bruises appeared under the skin as a result of bursting blood vessels, and eventually the nose began bleeding along with other bodily orifices.

Eventually, Ebola burned out after claiming 280 lives of the 318 people infected. Other outbreaks of the virus happened sporadically, but did not spread and cause global fear the way this year’s outbreak has. The death toll climbed to at least 4,555 deaths in 7 different countries – and counting upward since March of 2014.

 

The Madness of Misinformation

What do Spanish flu and Ebola have in common? Aside from symptoms that destroy and devastate the human body, they have the issue of misinformation in common. When we compare the two side-by-side, we discover some consistencies regarding misinformation on both of these viruses. A number of inconsistencies in information or governmental reaction can lead to the perfect concoction for viral contagion. A mixture of improper assessment, misdiagnosis,  poor health conditions, and lack of information have allowed both the Spanish flu and Ebola to grow into a festival of fear-mongering. While the effects of these viruses are scary enough, lack of attention, aid, and information made them both even scarier.

During the Spanish flu pandemic, many doctors and physicians misdiagnosed it as cholera, bubonic plague, or a common cold amongst other things. The virus unleashed its greatest potential for death on the poor and the soldiers fighting in the trenches, where health conditions were incredibly poor and lack of containment allowed for free reign of contagion. Because of WWI, many governments paid less attention to the number of civilians dropping dead in the streets without warning, and more attention to the workings of winning the war. The most prevalent precaution taken was containment of soldiers who already showed sickness in Red Cross tents. Of course, Spanish flu can spread virulently with or without symptoms.

After three consecutive waves of Spanish flu wreaking havoc on the population, scientists, officials, and other professionals paid little attention to the virus at all, even as it continued to kill. Eventually, the virus simply disappeared with no information on how the flu virus mutated into such a deadly, fast-paced illness, or why it went dormant suddenly. To this day, we still have little information on the actual puzzle of Spanish flu.

Similarly, when Ebola first reared its ugly head in Africa, poor health conditions and lack of information on preventative measures for contagion allowed the virus to pose a threat. Many doctors diagnosed people with malaria, yellow fever, or other illnesses that they were familiar with. The sick were treated with used needles, allowing the virus to spread quickly. The same happened during the Ebola outbreak of 1995, with little understanding of how the virus actually worked in the body. By the time aid was sent to the affected area, the death toll was already on the rise to a dangerous degree. With each of these earlier outbreaks, the virus would eventually burn itself out, leaving few traces behind to study. Ebola would appear with a vengeance, then disappear mysteriously and quietly.

However, the current outbreak has a death toll climbing upward past the thousands, and showing potential to weave its way into other countries. The problem today lies not only in lack of information, but in a lack of action and correct information provided by organizations like WHO and CDC. This pattern bears similarities to that of the Spanish flu, with authorities more interested in other things than the containment of a deadly virus.

 

Beginning of the Battle

Rewind back to March of this year, when Ebola first started becoming problematic. Organizations responsible and equipped for keeping the viral spread in check grossly underestimated the necessity for health-care workers and monetary aid. To make matters worse, the national governments of the affected countries pocketed some of the funds provided by these organizations, making relief scarcely skim the surface of adequacy. Some news sources document multiple points in the progression of this outbreak where health officials showed their true colors and concerns through unreliable leadership, lack of funding, and lack of action. The World Health Organization failed to send out medical manpower because they failed at issuing proper visas for workers to enter the field.

In another instance, the WHO held back funds of up to $500,000 meant to help the efforts in containing Ebola in Africa. The funds were later issued. However, the time delay allows more to get infected and less action to be taken in preventing spread and containing the contagion. The WHO also took its sweet time to arrange a meeting regarding the containment of the virus – waiting over three months after the first confirmed report of a victim. Lack of communication is also to blame, as central authority figures seemed unaware of the rising numbers of dead and sick. The individuals working beneath them had failed to report the sheer severity of the situation, thus bringing the globe to the catastrophe present today.

Now, let us recap what has happened within this month. Not only has an individual been diagnosed with Ebola on American soil, and died from it despite receiving the ‘miracle drug’ concocted by the CDC, but we have some misinformation to worry about. As if the lack of action and communication from the WHO did not cause enough problems, the CDC seems to have spread misinformation regarding the level of contagion of Ebola.

Ebola is referred to as a ‘hot agent,’ meaning a highly contagious and virulent substance. It has been defined as a high-level hot agent since its discovery in 1976. Yet, the CDC greatly downplays the mysterious spread of the disease. While it may not infect someone through the air, its means of spreading still remains a great mystery. For instance, over 200 medics working the outbreak in Africa managed to contract the virus despite wearing full protective gear. This has been the case in other, distinctive outbreaks as well. The trend continues in America, with one nurse wearing proper gear also contracting the virus from the patient that died.

Previously, the CDC adamantly asserted that one could only catch the virus if, and only if, they came into direct contact with the fluids of an infected individual. Clearly, the facts do not reflect this claim. While the numbers of properly geared workers dying is much smaller than those dying with no protection, it still leaves room for concern. After the American nurse contracted the virus, the CDC retracted this statement, broadening the contagion spectrum to improperly disinfected surfaces. One article, entitled ‘Don’t Touch the Walls,’ was written previous to this incidence, expressing the reality of the contagion that the CDC hid all along.

 

Contagion of Coincidence

So, who is the real culprit? The viruses themselves or the authority figures in charge of managing them? When we put the evidence together, we can see similar occurrences that allowed the Spanish flu and Ebola to get completely out of hand. While the health conditions and lack of virological knowledge were the main contributors during the Spanish Flu Pandemic, we can still see how the government’s greater concern for the war and lack of attention toward the growing number of sick and dead affected the world’s population.

Now, with Ebola on the rise in its crowning outreach thus far, we can see these things happening again. The poor living conditions in Africa and lack of education regarding cleanliness is a factor, but forcing workers to beg for help from the WHO seems unacceptable. So little is known or understood by both the public and scientists alike, other than how it ravages the human body. The misleading information communicated by the CDC does not help either. It is one thing to keep the factor of public fear in check, but there is no need to lie to us about the reality of contagion. Lack of knowledge or understanding lead to its far-reaching spread to begin with. Many things simply do not add up, and we deserve correct information regarding our health and our lives.

 

Facts with Face Naturals

Shed the fiction dished out by the health organizations, and check the facts with face naturals. We can provide you with some ways to help keep your immune system in check, so you can prevent, or altogether avoid, illness during this holiday season – hot agent or not. Consuming foods like raw organic onions and organic white tea help insure that you do not get sick from a virus. Each of these substances has excellent antiviral properties that boost your immune system, and work with your body to fight antibodies already in your system. Ingesting plenty of foods and supplements rich in vitamin C are also a sure-fire way to keep your body’s health at an optimal level.

Nanosilver also helps fight viruses, and works effectively against HIV and other incurable viruses. Taking this supplement helps to bind the proteins of the virus, rendering it ineffective on its host. It also may help control how Ebola affects the body, making the symptoms less intense – thereby preserving the body. Also, make sure to keep your hands and skin clean and washed, as that is your first line of defense. Try our hand cleansers, bar soaps, and body cleansers to ensure an organically thorough wash to keep those antibodies at bay from your body.

If you have any further concerns or questions regarding our information, products, ingredients, or business, feel free to contact us. Have anymore information regarding Ebola you think we should know about? Join the conversation and leave a comment regarding your own opinion. We look forward to hearing from you.

 

References  

• How the World’s Top Health Body Allowed Ebola to Spiral Out of Control
• Don’t Touch the Walls
• They Have Been Lying to You About How Easily Ebola Spreads
• WHO: Evidence shows Ebola Crisis ‘Vastly’ Underestimated
• What the 1918 ‘Spanish Flu‘ Tells Us about Ebola
• Ebola (Ebola Virus Disease)
• The Influenza Pandemic of 1918
• 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic
• Influenza (Seasonal)
• Pandemic Flu History
• Fighting Influenza
• The Hot Zone by Richard Preston