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 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...

Anonymous wrote:
Umm speak for yourself. Maybe you don't know people from Africa or don't have friends that are traveling there as we do so you are not concerned. However, I have friends and my children have classmates that are traveling to the region this Summer and yes, I am concerned. This is DC you know. It is a very international city. It is a normal concern.

If people are traveling specifically to take care of the ill, then you may have reason to be concerned. Are high school private schooled children being sent over to West Africa to nurse those sick with Ebola?

If they have contact with diarrhea, blood, or vomit of those sick with Ebola, then yes, they should be sure that they themselves are not bleeding, vomiting, or defecating on your own children.

Otherwise, this really isn't something that need concern you very much. Very few private schools in this area allow exchange of bodily fluids from severely ill people to happen on school property.

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.

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

West Africa is a huge place. Three countries are impacted. 1200 sick out of 20+ million. Those who contract it are overwhelmingly family caregivers and health care workers. Freaking out over travel to "West Africa" is overkill.

Umm speak for yourself. Maybe you don't know people from Africa or don't have friends that are traveling there as we do so you are not concerned. However, I have friends and my children have classmates that are traveling to the region this Summer and yes, I am concerned. This is DC you know. It is a very international city. It is a normal concern.

I have this game called PLAGUE I play on my phone. This Ebola thing reminds me of it. I think between 3 and 4 billion people are going to be dead before this is over.

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

West Africa is a huge place. Three countries are impacted. 1200 sick out of 20+ million. Those who contract it are overwhelmingly family caregivers and health care workers. Freaking out over travel to "West Africa" is overkill.

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.

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

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-28542577

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.

Liberia closed their borders

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.

Well then why are there so many cases - a record high? Half of those infected have died. Scary statistics don't you think?

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.

Schools are going to follow the US government guidelines for overseas travel. Unless the US government requires that people who travel from West Africa are quarantined for the incubation period or tested before they can enter the country, the schools cannot and should not do anything.

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?