Ebola

[drjeff]

It certainly seems like more care should have been taken when he returned but I'm not privy to all of the details.

Everything below is a comment regarding the doctor from Gawker:

If you do not want to contract ebola, then:

1) Do not have sex with Dr. Spencer until such time as he is no longer contagious.

2) Do not ask Dr. Spencer to spit into your mouth or eyes.

3) Do not drink Dr. Spencer's blood or rub your open wounds on Dr. Spencer.

4) Do not lick sweat off of Dr. Spencer or drink his urine.

5) Do not ingest any of Dr. Spencer's vomit or feces.

If you refrain from any of these things, you should be able to avoid contracting ebola from Dr. Spencer.

Ebola has been studied extensively for several decades and its transmission vectors are well-known. Ebola is transmittable through direct bodily fluids only and only when the viral load is high enough. At that level, the patient displays symptoms of infection. If the patient is asymptomatic, then the viral load is insufficient to be generally transmissible.

Ebola is not airborne and cannot be contracted merely by breathing the same air as someone with Ebola, even if that person is symptomatic. Contrary to what you may have read in "The Hot Zone" (a terrible and inaccurate sensationalized account of one strain of Ebola) or what you may have seen in "Outbreak" (a terrible Dustin Hoffman movie loosely inspired by "The Hot Zone"), Ebola is difficult to contract and will not liquify your guts and/or make you bleed out of your eyeballs.

The four cases diagnosed in the United States all share one thing in common: all four people contracted Ebola by having prolonged contact with symptomatic Ebola patients while treating those patients.

If you are not a healthcare worker actively treating a symptomatic Ebola patient, your chances of contracting Ebola are exceedingly slim. Given that New York City is 469 square miles, it is worth noting that Dr. Spencer only salivates, vomits, bleeds, poops, and/or urinates in certain locations within those 469 square miles.

If you can avoid sharing the same lollipops, bagels, coffee mugs, toilets and syringes as Dr. Spencer, you'll be fine. If at all possible, do not lick the same subway pole that Dr. Spencer has just urinated on.

How then did Dr. Spencer get ebola? Was he not apparently following all the precautions and safety protocols and still contracted it?

This is the thing with a contagious hemoragic fever disease like ebola, we just don't know, or can't be sure of ALL the mechanisms of transfer, and #2 they tend to have the abiliity to rapidly mutate. If we're looking at a different strain, a strain that MAY have some airborne spreading potential, then you've got a whole different situation.....

This is pure science, not public health spin from the government, that needs to be considered here

 

[Puck it]

How then did Dr. Spencer get ebola? Was he not apparently following all the precautions and safety protocols and still contracted it?

This is the thing with a contagious hemoragic fever disease like ebola, we just don't know, or can't be sure of ALL the mechanisms of transfer, and #2 they tend to have the abiliity to rapidly mutate. If we're looking at a different strain, a strain that MAY have some airborne spreading potential, then you've got a whole different situation.....

This is pure science, not public health spin from the government, that needs to be considered here

I would also think that they should institute a mandatory quarantine for all volunteer workers returning for the infected areas.

 

[Funky_Catskills]

"MAY" causes people to panic... "MAY" is the fuel for the upcoming elections...

 

[drjeff]

I would also think that they should institute a mandatory quarantine for all volunteer workers returning for the infected areas.

I would have to agree, from the public health perspective. We know a bunch about ebola and how it "works" but we don't know it all. And the last thing that anyone wants is for what has happened in Africa to happen in the US. Plain and simply put, we DON'T have the facilities and quantity of drugs to treat a multi thousand person outbreak

 

[twinplanx]

Hours ..,,, Can I have your skis?
as you won't be needing them

Since it is well known that DMC is a snowborder, I'd guess he wouldn't miss any skis...

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[Funky_Catskills]

Since it is well known that DMC is a snowborder, I'd guess he wouldn't miss any skis...

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I actually have skis... And Telemark skis...
And ebola... cough cough... barf barf..... poop poop...

 

[Funky_Catskills]

Nina Pham is giving a press conference...!!!!!!!

I hear you can catch ebola from the TV so put on your masks...

 

[Edd]

I would also think that they should institute a mandatory quarantine for all volunteer workers returning for the infected areas.

I completely agree with this. I'm shocked that's not the case already. Small price to pay.

 

[Funky_Catskills]

I completely agree with this. I'm shocked that's not the case already. Small price to pay.

And where would that be?

 

[Edd]

And where would that be?

Not a medical expert but they recently quarantined an American family in their home for 21 days for Ebola concerns. I'm sure competent adults can devise an area in each case.

And this is in regard to folks returning from treating Ebola patients overseas. Completely reasonable precaution.

 

[Funky_Catskills]

Not a medical expert but they recently quarantined an American family in their home for 21 days for Ebola concerns. I'm sure competent adults can devise an area in each case.

And this is in regard to folks returning from treating Ebola patients overseas. Completely reasonable precaution.

But where? In the country they are coming from? After they get here in the US?
Would keeping them in the country they got it from work for all you non "medical experts"?
Or the news outlets and politicians using this to advance themselves??

Should we bring them here and risk a potential outbreak after they poop and puke on everyone?

 

[Funky_Catskills]

And is someones home a good enough place ? is it air proof? Will all the neighbors get it?

 

[Edd]

But where? In the country they are coming from? After they get here in the US?
Would keeping them in the country they got it from work for all you non "medical experts"?
Or the news outlets and politicians using this to advance themselves??

Should we bring them here and risk a potential outbreak after they poop and puke on everyone?

You don't seem to be asking serious questions. I completely agree with you that news outlets and politicians are being opportunistic and making the disease sound more spreadable than it is. But, there have been at least 4 recent cases in this country, all people treating patients. Something isn't going correctly with protocols. It doesn't spread easily so I don't think the quarantine location is a serious concern.

 

[JimG.]

You don't seem to be asking serious questions. I completely agree with you that news outlets and politicians are being opportunistic and making the disease sound more spreadable than it is. But, there have been at least 4 recent cases in this country, all people treating patients. Something isn't going correctly with protocols. It doesn't spread easily so I don't think the quarantine location is a serious concern.

I think F_C is partly mocking the already ridiculous amount of hysterical mis-information the media and others have already spread.

 

[Edd]

I think F_C is partly mocking the already ridiculous amount of hysterical mis-information the media and others have already spread.

I'm catching that and agree with him on that point.

 

[bigbog]

........I'm convinced we're headed to Idiocracy...

"headed"..? ;-)

 

[twinplanx]

I actually have skis... And Telemark skis...
And ebola... cough cough... barf barf..... poop poop...

I bet you do. But you might be gone before you notice the skis were missing. Lol Seriously, How often to you bust out the Ol'2 planks?

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[Funky_Catskills]

You don't seem to be asking serious questions. I completely agree with you that news outlets and politicians are being opportunistic and making the disease sound more spreadable than it is. But, there have been at least 4 recent cases in this country, all people treating patients. Something isn't going correctly with protocols. It doesn't spread easily so I don't think the quarantine location is a serious concern.

They are kind of serous...

Quarantine where?

If people don't even want anybody thats been near a person that had ebola in the US.. then where?
That's my question.

It's WAAAAY easier to scare people and buy into the panic than it is to think this through logically.

 

[Funky_Catskills]

I bet you do. But you might be gone before you notice the skis were missing. Lol Seriously, How often to you bust out the Ol'2 planks?

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Few times a year...
Just to embarrass people that think snowboarders can't ski and for the bumps.....

 

[JimG.]

It's WAAAAY easier to scare people and buy into the panic than it is to think this through logically.

Especially when there are virtually unlimited forums for all of that.

I mentioned my son at Cornell because I remember how concerned many first time college parents were at the orientation days. Worried about injuries and sickness. Now this.

I would not want to have to set policies for a multi-national, highly diverse, and very open institution like that under these circumstances.