"Here's How You Get Ebola"

[donquixote99]

Originally Posted by MikeG22

I think these guys are a little more worried.

So have you got some particular measures, not being done, that you want to advocate? Or is this really all just panic-mongering and innuendo with a political agenda?

^^^Rhetorical question.

[nailer]

Originally Posted by icenine

There is some scientific sources who seem to believe this strain of the disease could be airborne.


http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-...ry.html#page=1


If the policeaman in Texas who visited the apartment comes down with this disease then I extremely skepitcal of it being hard to catch. However Duncan's fiance has not caught any symptoms yet from what I have heard on the news.

The Dallas County Sheriff's deputy was released this afternoon.

[Ike Bana]

Originally Posted by MikeG22

I think these guys are a little more worried.

One of the primary problems for "guys" like these is that they haven't been properly trained in handling their "hazmat" like suits after they've been wading into the spit and puke and sweat of a filthy ward full of Ebola patients. You'll contaminate yourself if you just rip these things off, roll them up and shove them into your locker. And the workers in Africa are so uncomfortable in these things that they're getting sick in them and then getting deathly sick hastily stripping them off to get a breath of fresh air. Workers would be way better off with long sleeve disposable surgical gowns, surgical gloves, surgical masks, and if they're really freaked out, one of those surgical face shields. These precautions are easily disposed of and we are finding out, probably more safe and protective all the way around than the ridiculous outfits in use now.

[bobabode]

Originally Posted by nailer

The Dallas County Sheriff's deputy was released this afternoon.

Good news there.

[piece-itpete]

Can you get AIDS from an infected person sneezing and maybe getting mucus in your eye?

I think it's obviously worse than AIDS. AIDS has been an epidemic in Africa for a long time so the medical people there have systems in place to protect themselves, yet they're still getting Ebola...

Pete

[Ike Bana]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

Can you get AIDS from an infected person sneezing and maybe getting mucus in your eye?

I think it's obviously worse than AIDS. AIDS has been an epidemic in Africa for a long time so the medical people there have systems in place to protect themselves, yet they're still getting Ebola...

Pete

We're social workers, y'know...me and the blonde. And although we're pretty much mental health workers as opposed to settlement house type social workers and case management type social workers, we have occasionally become involved in non-mental health cases. One such case from a long time ago involved the particularly sad and infuriating case of a 7 year old black kid in the system who had been born HIV positive, courtesy of his promiscuous mother. She was HIV positive, but at the time had never developed the full AIDS condition. But this little guy started showing full blown AIDS symptoms by the time he was 5. Beautiful and devastatingly sick kid. So from time to time his wonderful foster parents (speci@lists in fostering AIDS kids) would let us bring him out to our place in suburban Chi where there was room for him to run around and get away from his sick foster bros and sis' for a while. We did everything with him. Lots of contact...tears, sneezing, and his persistently runny nose pouring down on his upper lip while he sat in one of our laps. The bloody knee scrapes and occasional cut fingers were more than a little scary though. Anyway, he's dead now for almost 25 years, and we're still here.

[piece-itpete]

That's super nice and super sad Ike.

I don't fear getting AIDS and have some proximity. I did hear a bit on NPR this morning about our troops going to help fight Ebola and when they played a little cut of the trainer talking to the soldiers she mentioned getting sneezed on and catching it if it gets in your eye.

Pete

[Ike Bana]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

That's super nice and super sad Ike.

I don't fear getting AIDS and have some proximity. I did hear a bit on NPR this morning about our troops going to help fight Ebola and when they played a little cut of the trainer talking to the soldiers she mentioned getting sneezed on and catching it if it gets in your eye.

Pete

Regardless of what Was and Mike are trying to pitch...One can safely provide services to these people without showing up looking like Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker.

This is going back close to 30 years now, but our next door neighbor, single guy in the closet, came down with aids in the late 80's. About a week before he died we went to see him at Central DuPage Hospital. He looked like the pics and tapes of what most late stage AIDS sufferers look like. Kaposi's lesions all over him, that ugly non-productive cough from the pneumocystis, withered away to almost nothing. There was a "Universal Precautions" sign and warning on the door to his room. Pretty much an enter at your own risk statement. But we went in...gave him a hug and that was it.

I'm sure I wouldn't be hugging my dying friend with Ebola in my t-shirt and cargo shorts. But one can safely provide services if properly equipped and trained. Care providers in Africa need to have better support and training if they want to avoid getting sick.

BTW - this foster family had a string of AIDS kids in their care during the height of the problem. They did this for almost 20 years. They would always have 2 or 3 sick kids living with them and their own two children. They all remained healthy.

[donquixote99]

My guess is a microdrop in the eye is a theoretically possible route of transmission, but a very unlikely one. None of the people who shared air, bathroom, etc. with Duncan are sick yet (cross fingers....)

[donquixote99]

The focus on Duncan is a lookiing away from the real problem, which is in Africa, where the disease is going to kill millions.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/nation...97b_story.html

The attempts so far to get ahead of the disease in Africa by isolating patients in medical settings and providing treatment have failed, and will continue to fail. The only strategy that's going to work is for patients to self-isolate at home until they die (or survive, but mostly die). Support for them to do this is what we should concentrate on providing. The 'Ebola Prevention Kit in a Bucket' is the idea. We can and should provide this sort of thing by the millions.

Note that Doctors Without Borders is working already exactly on the lines I'm suggesting:

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org...erway-monrovia

This, and burial kits.