Ebola testing required for anyone traveling to West Africa?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This question is pertinent to private school because I know of a few students at our private school traveling to West Africa this Summer. Since there is an Ebola outbreak there and it is such a deadly virus, are schools requiring that these students be tested before returning to school? The incubation period is 21 days so they could potentially be carrying it without yet having symptoms. Are schools on top of this sort of thing?

Is there even a test?

[Anonymous]

Ebola is also transmitted through the air when someone who has it cough, sneezes, or breathes the virus onto you. It is also an airborne virus -- that is why it is so dangerous. It is NOT like AIDS -- more like TB.

Ebola then spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission, with infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids.

WHO | Ebola virus disease
www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ebola is also transmitted through the air when someone who has it cough, sneezes, or breathes the virus onto you. It is also an airborne virus -- that is why it is so dangerous. It is NOT like AIDS -- more like TB.

Ebola then spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission, with infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids.

WHO | Ebola virus disease
www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/

Indirect contact with environment contaminated with fluids means, cleaning up blood, feces and vomit.

It does NOT mean airborne spread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are no travel alerts or warnings for the three countries impacted. It's transmitted through bodily fluids. Or butchering infected meat. I'd think regular hand washing, etc. would be good enough. Regular travel precautions. Fully cooked food, etc.

Regular hand washing in an epidemic like this is not good enough. If you touch someone's bodily fluid (let's say spit or mucous) who has the flu and wash your hands, you may or may not get the flu but you are already exposed to the disease. Up to your immune system to see how well you fight it. Do you really want to take that chance with Ebola? Not me and I wouldn't allow my child to travel to west Africa. This epidemic is serious and fast spreading. It's actually quite scary

Yes I agree. This is more deadly than the flu and DC is a very international city so it is more relevant here than some other parts of the country that may not have as many people traveling abroad - especially to Africa. Are there any school administrators on here? I think this is a potentially serious issue.

I just heard on the radio that normal precautions like washing hands with soap and hot water is enough to kill the virus. People are getting it because they are washing the corpses before burial, and the corpses are oozing blood and the virus. Not likely on the agenda for these high school students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are no travel alerts or warnings for the three countries impacted. It's transmitted through bodily fluids. Or butchering infected meat. I'd think regular hand washing, etc. would be good enough. Regular travel precautions. Fully cooked food, etc.

Regular hand washing in an epidemic like this is not good enough. If you touch someone's bodily fluid (let's say spit or mucous) who has the flu and wash your hands, you may or may not get the flu but you are already exposed to the disease. Up to your immune system to see how well you fight it. Do you really want to take that chance with Ebola? Not me and I wouldn't allow my child to travel to west Africa. This epidemic is serious and fast spreading. It's actually quite scary

Yes I agree. This is more deadly than the flu and DC is a very international city so it is more relevant here than some other parts of the country that may not have as many people traveling abroad - especially to Africa. Are there any school administrators on here? I think this is a potentially serious issue.

I just heard on the radio that normal precautions like washing hands with soap and hot water is enough to kill the virus. People are getting it because they are washing the corpses before burial, and the corpses are oozing blood and the virus. Not likely on the agenda for these high school students.

And make sure they don't eat bats. That's also what I heard on the radio.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they are traveling to the three countries that have the outbreak, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, then there would be a strong concern. CDC issued a level 2 travel warning for those countries yesterday. I would think a school sponsored trip would be cancelled to those countries.

And Nigeria is alarmed. I think they had one death there.
It is a fluid situation.
I think there should be concern and a plan regarding handling travel to the affected countries.

Transmission is via bodily fluids or surfaces that were in contact with those fluids.
So infected person wipes sweat off, touches counter, you put your hand on the counter, then rub your eyes... Or reach for an apple and eat it...

People suffering from Ebola, at the infectious stage, are not out in the environment, wiping their sweaty brow at the gym and leaving their sweat on the workout equipment. They are not out shopping for apples at the local farmers market. They are either home, deathly ill, or in the hospital, again deathly ill and too weak to move, by the time they are infectious and showing symptoms.

If you are a health care worker, working with Ebola victims, or are taking care of their dead bodies, or are cleaning up their mess filled sheets and the floor of their hospital rooms, yes, you should be quite concerned.

Otherwise, I think you will be OK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they are traveling to the three countries that have the outbreak, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, then there would be a strong concern. CDC issued a level 2 travel warning for those countries yesterday. I would think a school sponsored trip would be cancelled to those countries.

And Nigeria is alarmed. I think they had one death there.
It is a fluid situation.
I think there should be concern and a plan regarding handling travel to the affected countries.

Transmission is via bodily fluids or surfaces that were in contact with those fluids.
So infected person wipes sweat off, touches counter, you put your hand on the counter, then rub your eyes... Or reach for an apple and eat it...

People suffering from Ebola, at the infectious stage, are not out in the environment, wiping their sweaty brow at the gym and leaving their sweat on the workout equipment. They are not out shopping for apples at the local farmers market. They are either home, deathly ill, or in the hospital, again deathly ill and too weak to move, by the time they are infectious and showing symptoms.

If you are a health care worker, working with Ebola victims, or are taking care of their dead bodies, or are cleaning up their mess filled sheets and the floor of their hospital rooms, yes, you should be quite concerned.

Otherwise, I think you will be OK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they are traveling to the three countries that have the outbreak, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, then there would be a strong concern. CDC issued a level 2 travel warning for those countries yesterday. I would think a school sponsored trip would be cancelled to those countries.

And Nigeria is alarmed. I think they had one death there.
It is a fluid situation.
I think there should be concern and a plan regarding handling travel to the affected countries.

Transmission is via bodily fluids or surfaces that were in contact with those fluids.
So infected person wipes sweat off, touches counter, you put your hand on the counter, then rub your eyes... Or reach for an apple and eat it...

People suffering from Ebola, at the infectious stage, are not out in the environment, wiping their sweaty brow at the gym and leaving their sweat on the workout equipment. They are not out shopping for apples at the local farmers market. They are either home, deathly ill, or in the hospital, again deathly ill and too weak to move, by the time they are infectious and showing symptoms.

If you are a health care worker, working with Ebola victims, or are taking care of their dead bodies, or are cleaning up their mess filled sheets and the floor of their hospital rooms, yes, you should be quite concerned.

Otherwise, I think you will be OK.

That is not correct. The infectious period indeed starts with the appearance of symptoms; yes, but the first symptoms are like the flu.
As far as not traveling with it; there was just an article today about a person coming down with vomiting and diarrhea during the last leg of their flight, a government employee on his way to a conference in Nigeria. He was able to travel several legs. They are trying to track down all the passengers, flight attendants, etc. Upon arrival in Nigeria he then became very ill and weak and was hospitalized. Ebola was confirmed. No one else from those flights is sick as far as they know. All legs were flown within West Africa. So: yes, it progresses fast, but in the early stages it does not prevent you from travel. Or any other activity. Just think of how many people can't bring themselves to stay home when they have the flu!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ebola is also transmitted through the air when someone who has it cough, sneezes, or breathes the virus onto you. It is also an airborne virus -- that is why it is so dangerous. It is NOT like AIDS -- more like TB.

Ebola then spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission, with infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids.

WHO | Ebola virus disease
www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/

It is NOT airborne. Not transmitted through the air or an aerosol. It is not like TB at all.
That would be horrific!

[Anonymous]

On traveling in/out of Liberia right now, from NBC:

The family of a 24-year-old comatose Maryland man stuck in Liberia is raising money in hopes of bringing him home to receive proper care.

Nathaniel Dennis was visiting family in Monrovia, Liberia this month when he suffered multiple seizures. He was hospitalized, and since the incident July 24, has been comatose.

In an effort to control the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, Liberia's president has closed the majority of the country's borders, meaning Dennis' family is unable to transport him to a hospital in Ghana via medical evacuation. Dennis has tested negative for Ebola.

"I'm angry that we've been unable to override the hold they have put on all of the borders," Dennis' cousin and D.C. resident Vannette Tolbert said. "We've been unable to get him out of the country and into another country where he can receive proper medical care."

Tolbert said many of airliners are not even flying out of Liberia, limiting their options even more.

Dennis graduated from Howard High School and studied at Howard Community College.

A fundraiser will be held in his honor Wednesday night at Lima Lounge on K Street NW in D.C. starting at 6 p.m.

Dennis' family is hoping to raise $30,000 to help transport him.

"They will need to have a doctor and all of the medical equipment on the plane when the transfer him and then they will need the money to pay for the medical expenses," Tolbert said. "I believe he will be OK if we can get him the treatment he needs on time."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
That is not correct. The infectious period indeed starts with the appearance of symptoms; yes, but the first symptoms are like the flu.
As far as not traveling with it; there was just an article today about a person coming down with vomiting and diarrhea during the last leg of their flight, a government employee on his way to a conference in Nigeria. He was able to travel several legs. They are trying to track down all the passengers, flight attendants, etc. Upon arrival in Nigeria he then became very ill and weak and was hospitalized. Ebola was confirmed. No one else from those flights is sick as far as they know. All legs were flown within West Africa. So: yes, it progresses fast, but in the early stages it does not prevent you from travel. Or any other activity. Just think of how many people can't bring themselves to stay home when they have the flu!

If anyone on that flight cleaned up his bodily fluids, then yes, they should be concerned.

In the early stages when fever and flu symptoms are present, I do not believe the spread of infection from this disease (not airborne spread) is likely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ebola is also transmitted through the air when someone who has it cough, sneezes, or breathes the virus onto you. It is also an airborne virus -- that is why it is so dangerous. It is NOT like AIDS -- more like TB.

Ebola then spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission, with infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids.

WHO | Ebola virus disease
www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/

It is NOT airborne. Not transmitted through the air or an aerosol. It is not like TB at all.
That would be horrific!

When a person coughs or sneezes, (or breathes) air born particles are produced into the air, where other people breathe or touch them when they fall to a surface. Why do you think TB patients are quarantined? Why do you think that the hospital workers are dressed up in suits from head to toe? (They don't do that for AIDS patients) Also the person can be sick and carry the virus for a few days before the symptoms arrive -- but the virus is there. To add to the situation, at first it seems like a cold ...

[Anonymous]

Just the same with Ebola...

TB is spread through the air from one person to another. The TB bacteria are put into the air when a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings. People nearby may breathe in these bacteria and become infected.
CDC | TB | Basic TB Facts
www.cdc.gov/TB/.../d... United States Centers for Disease Control and Preve

[Anonymous]

DH has a conference in Sierra Leon next week. Needless to say: he will NOT be attending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ebola is also transmitted through the air when someone who has it cough, sneezes, or breathes the virus onto you. It is also an airborne virus -- that is why it is so dangerous. It is NOT like AIDS -- more like TB.

Ebola then spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission, with infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids.

WHO | Ebola virus disease
www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/

NO IT IS NOT. YOU ARE WRONG.