Updates continue to appear daily on BBC, World Health Organization / WHO and other websites.
The Philippines is in the Western Pacific Region of WHO, and there is a regional meeting in Manila to address various health issues including the Ebola outbreak.
While the points made at the meeting may seem obvious, they do summarize the current situation :-
The worlds growing social and economic inequalities
Rumours and panic spread faster than the virus
The world is put at risk when a deadly virus hits the destitute
Decades of neglected basic health systems and services can bring a fragile country to its knees
There is a lack of research and development incentive as evidenced by the absence of an Ebola vaccine
The world is ill-prepared to respond to a severe, sustained and threatening public health emergency.
I would not over-estimate my expertise in this topic. It seems that the Philippines government IS responding to the outbreak in order to prevent ( or at least control ) Ebola virus infection reaching the country. President Aquino recognises that the several million OFWs - with thousands of OFWs in West Africa does make these kinds of outbreaks of paramount concern .
Hopefully the West African epidemic will be controlled with the measures being implemented ; the infection rate will peak then decline ; the crisis will pass ; and cases in other countries including the UK and Philippines will be isolated. Effective vaccine(s) and drugs will become available.
The alternative is that cases will increase, travel restrictions will multiply, and the economy in Africa ( and elsewhere ) will suffer, a vicious circle.
What I do know is that its unlikely this virus will become airborne. It may well mutate, but only to a milder, more easily transmissible form, more successful than killing half its victims. Viruses do mutate but are not known for changing their actual mode of transmission.
http://www.wpro.who.int/mediacentre/...4/20141013/en/
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/112...ola-outside-ph
http://www.healthpromo.doh.gov.ph/do...virus-disease/