Ebola is really, really hard to get.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can get it from shaking hands, touching something that person has touched.

We all have tiny breaks--cracks in our skin--especially during winter.

The long incubation time makes this a real fucker to contain.

Signed, a former Hazleton (Reston lab from Hot Zone) immunologist

If it was that difficult to contain we would have all been dead a long time ago. The disease is actually pretty self containing because symptoms are so awful - symptomatic people aren't going out to dinner parties/the office.school and the disease is very lethal to the host.

Wrong. This is the first time it's been on a plane to the US. It hit lab animals in Reston-not people.

This is major. This is different. It is exponential because the incubation is 21 days. People will show up in the ER, urgent care thinking its flu and bam--wildfire.

People are merely mimicking the sound bites put out by CDC. False assurances. The CDC is shitting its pants right now.

And hopefully washing its hands afterwards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, there is this:
http://scgnews.com/ebola-what-youre-not-being-told

This is terrifying.

This has been known by every health care worker from the beginning. You can also catch ebola through infected meats (located in markets right here in DC) "a taste of home" fruit bats, monkeys and so on

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can get it from shaking hands, touching something that person has touched.

We all have tiny breaks--cracks in our skin--especially during winter.

The long incubation time makes this a real fucker to contain.

Signed, a former Hazleton (Reston lab from Hot Zone) immunologist

If it was that difficult to contain we would have all been dead a long time ago. The disease is actually pretty self containing because symptoms are so awful - symptomatic people aren't going out to dinner parties/the office.school and the disease is very lethal to the host.

But they have 21 days to pass it on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can get it from shaking hands, touching something that person has touched.

We all have tiny breaks--cracks in our skin--especially during winter.

The long incubation time makes this a real fucker to contain.

Signed, a former Hazleton (Reston lab from Hot Zone) immunologist

If it was that difficult to contain we would have all been dead a long time ago. The disease is actually pretty self containing because symptoms are so awful - symptomatic people aren't going out to dinner parties/the office.school and the disease is very lethal to the host.

Wrong. This is the first time it's been on a plane to the US. It hit lab animals in Reston-not people.

This is major. This is different. It is exponential because the incubation is 21 days. People will show up in the ER, urgent care thinking its flu and bam--wildfire.

People are merely mimicking the sound bites put out by CDC. False assurances. The CDC is shitting its pants right now.

Except the guy who landed in Nigeria, barfing on the plane the entire time, proves you completely wrong. Nigeria is contained. No one on the plane got Ebola. He did spread it to others who touched him and came into actual contact with him.

Not saying the CDC isn't shitting its pants but if Lagos can contain it the US can too. Stop freaking out.

[Anonymous]

Sitting next to someone with Ebola in the late stages of the disease is not safe.

I just heard an interview in which the subject said that the doctor that discovered Ebola would sit next to a patient on the subway.

Here's a link:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/sierraleone/11002041/I-would-sit-next-to-Ebola-sufferer-on-Tube-says-scientist-who-discovered-deadly-virus.html

[Anonymous]

Awake, staring at the ceiling, freaking out about my kids in school with this paralysis virus and Ebola going around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Awake, staring at the ceiling, freaking out about my kids in school with this paralysis virus and Ebola going around.

I doubt you are the only one,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Awake, staring at the ceiling, freaking out about my kids in school with this paralysis virus and Ebola going around.

Here too

[Anonymous]

Not that this solves the problem, but can we all agree to stop shaking hands now? let's go with the Japanese bow, or just a "hey" kind of wave from now on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not that this solves the problem, but can we all agree to stop shaking hands now? let's go with the Japanese bow, or just a "hey" kind of wave from now on.

Just don't. I avoid it in general, especially in flu season.
I'm more worried about kids.
I hope the person in Dallas did not have contact with little ones.
If this person lives by themselves, and did not do much in 4 days that would be better, vs. if this was someone who kissed their dozens of relatives/kids and went to dozens of places.
By the way, one more point against the habit of some people to kiss their children on the mouth.

[Anonymous]

Or you spouse/significant other! No kissing!!

Yes, PP, I am being sarcastic. Calm down.

[Anonymous]

The title is deceptive. Ebola is not hard to get. It it were, there would not be a current epidemic. Direct contact with bodily fluids of ebola patient in the U.S. is highly unlikely. At this time. It will change though. Planes from Africa land in the U.S. every single day.

[Anonymous]

I was watching the interview with the CDC head who said they were contacting all the people the patient in Dallas was in touch with after he became symptomatic four days prior to being admitted. When asked how many people there were, he said "right now a handful". Matt Lauer said how does one know all the people who were potentially exposed because as he put it, if he were asked how many people he had come in contact with over the last 24 hours he would not know.

Now admittedly a Matt Lauer probably meets more people than the average person but for most people unless you are only meeting with family members it is really very difficult to identify the number of people one has met with over a day let alone four days.

Not being an alarmist but I do think there is an element of spin going on to prevent people from panicking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not that this solves the problem, but can we all agree to stop shaking hands now? let's go with the Japanese bow, or just a "hey" kind of wave from now on.

Just don't. I avoid it in general, especially in flu season.
I'm more worried about kids.
I hope the person in Dallas did not have contact with little ones.
If this person lives by themselves, and did not do much in 4 days that would be better, vs. if this was someone who kissed their dozens of relatives/kids and went to dozens of places.
By the way, one more point against the habit of some people to kiss their children on the mouth.

Ok, just read that the patient was a man, and he did stay with family here in the US upon his return.
I'm sure they must be so freaked out right now!

As far as the kissing- kissing is great, but come on, do you really have to kiss little kids on the mouth? That's not smart or fair to them regardless of Ebola.

[Anonymous]

In the next few days they will (should) come out with a map of places so to speak, where the patient was over the last four days, like when there was the (measles?) patient in Falls Church, and they published:
Starbucks on xxx at xxx time, pediatrician's office on xxx between x and x and so on.
This should be published - if not, they really want to curb panic.
Unless they think that "due to the need for close and prolonged contact" this is not necessary....
I hope they take the most conservative / "err on the save side" approach.