Has Ebola gone airborne? re the US doctor & nurse who have caught it & possible case in Hong Kong

[Anonymous]

While Ebola is very different than Aids, the dispersion of the news is similar. Most of you were children when AIDS first came out. First is was "...only gays" the "only gays who were promiscuous" then "...only if you do certain acts" then "...only men", ''... then only poor drug users" ... then ARC syndrome (pre full blown AIDS), then "...women cannot get it" then "Haitians"
So there was a very long learning curve before the true facts were known. And in the meantime, now
"... Globally, 35.3 million [32.2–38.8 million] people were living with HIV ... " www.who.int/gho/hiv/en/
So diseases do get spread around. And AIDS IS hard to get compared to Ebola.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While Ebola is very different than Aids, the dispersion of the news is similar. Most of you were children when AIDS first came out. First is was "...only gays" the "only gays who were promiscuous" then "...only if you do certain acts" then "...only men", ''... then only poor drug users" ... then ARC syndrome (pre full blown AIDS), then "...women cannot get it" then "Haitians"
So there was a very long learning curve before the true facts were known. And in the meantime, now
"... Globally, 35.3 million [32.2–38.8 million] people were living with HIV ... " www.who.int/gho/hiv/en/
So diseases do get spread around. And AIDS IS hard to get compared to Ebola.

Sweetheart, Ebola has been studied since it was discovered. We are not living in the 70s/80s with little understanding of how viral transmission works.

And BTW, the people saying the ridiculous things you are quoting above? Idiot members of the public like most of the posters on this thread, not researchers and scientists who actually studied AIDS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More importantly, why are American doctors doing charity work abroad when there are so many needy people in the US. We should not have doctors overseas.

Seriously?????? I certainly hope you are a troll. I don't even know where to begin... Those doctors are saints and putting their lives on the line. They are learning and gathering information about these diseases so that we get closer to finding treatments and cures and vaccines. Not to mention keeping people from dying.

I think we should put our own citizens first.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More importantly, why are American doctors doing charity work abroad when there are so many needy people in the US. We should not have doctors overseas.

Oh I don't know where to start on this one either.
Let me just say this one thing:
Needy people in the US are not comparable to some of the needy people you find overseas. You have no idea!

True. But Europeans have better benefits because we are the world police. If we spent our money on Americans instead of other countries, we would all have a better quality of life.

[Anonymous]

Here is guidance from the CDC for airline personnel:

Guidance for Airline Cleaning Personnel

Ebola virus is transmitted by close contact * with a person who has symptoms of Ebola. Treat any body fluid as though it is infectious. Blood or body fluids on interior surfaces can spread Ebola if they get into your eyes, nose, or mouth. Therefore, hand hygiene is the most important infection control measure. Wear disposable impermeable gloves when cleaning visibly contaminated surfaces.

The airline's ground and cleaning crews should be notified so that preparations can be made to clean the aircraft after passengers have disembarked. When cleaning aircraft after a flight with a patient who may have had Ebola, personnel should follow these precautions:

Wear impermeable disposable gloves while cleaning the passenger cabin and lavatories.
Wipe down lavatory surfaces and frequently touched surfaces in the passenger cabin, such as armrests, seat backs, tray tables, light and air controls, and adjacent walls and windows with an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered low- or intermediate-level chemical household germicide. Follow manufacturer’s guidance for cleaning aircraft. Special cleaning of upholstery, carpets, or storage compartments is not indicated unless they are obviously soiled with blood or body fluids.
Special vacuuming equipment or procedures are not necessary.
Do not use compressed air, which might spread infectious material through the air.
If a seat cover is obviously soiled with blood or body fluids, it should be removed and discarded by the methods used for biohazardous material.
Throw used gloves away according to the company's recommended infection control precautions when cleaning is done or if they become soiled or damaged during cleaning.
Clean hands with soap and water (or waterless alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap is not available) immediately after gloves are removed.
Guidance for Air Cargo Personnel

Packages should not pose a risk. Ebola virus is spread through direct contact with blood or body fluids (such as urine or saliva) from an infected person.

Packages visibly soiled with blood or body fluids should not be handled.
Cargo handlers should wash their hands often to prevent other infectious diseases.
* Close contact is defined as having cared for or lived with a person with Ebola or having a high likelihood of direct contact with blood or body fluids of an Ebola patient. Examples of close contact include kissing or embracing, sharing eating or drinking utensils, close conversation (<3 feet), physical examination, and any other direct physical contact between people. Close contact does not include walking by a person or briefly sitting across a room from a person.

I take from this and other CDC publications that they don't exactly know the time the virus survives outside the body; it is quoted as "short". Whether that means a minute or up to an hour I have not seen specification of that.
As far as the "close contact": embracing etc. conversation<3 ft - that does bear the question of droplet infection.
I think it is simply not completely clear - the virus is not as well studied as for example the influenza virus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More importantly, why are American doctors doing charity work abroad when there are so many needy people in the US. We should not have doctors overseas.

Seriously?????? I certainly hope you are a troll. I don't even know where to begin... Those doctors are saints and putting their lives on the line. They are learning and gathering information about these diseases so that we get closer to finding treatments and cures and vaccines. Not to mention keeping people from dying.

I think we should put our own citizens first.

I wonder what the world would look like today if we had followed this doctrine during World War II.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More importantly, why are American doctors doing charity work abroad when there are so many needy people in the US. We should not have doctors overseas.

Seriously?????? I certainly hope you are a troll. I don't even know where to begin... Those doctors are saints and putting their lives on the line. They are learning and gathering information about these diseases so that we get closer to finding treatments and cures and vaccines. Not to mention keeping people from dying.

I think we should put our own citizens first.

I wonder what the world would look like today if we had followed this doctrine during World War II.

The world was at war and our country was attacked. There were German uboats off the coast. Big difference between that and sending medical doctors to remote countries across the world when we have Americans without access to healthcare. I think it's silly that these people are getting healthcare provided for free but we had people every year filing bankruptcy. You think that airplane flight home is cheap? The flight from Africa I mean. It would be much better if that money was used to pay for surgeries or medical procedures for tax paying Americans. No one is going to convince me that it's more improbably to take care of another country's citizens before our own.