not only are those infected suffering and dying because of the disease itself, but their fellow citizens have targeted them and the hospitals due to their own ignorance. Seeing a picture of a child who was abandoned and left to die on ground because he was infected by Ebola tears at your heart.
And yes they wouldn't release them unless they were healthy and not contagious, but who knows if they actually aren't contagious, if they can still transmit it or if they could have a relapse.
Personally, I would put ebola way down on the list of things that can harm you in Atlanta (or any other major American city). Probably right around getting struck by lightning.
and there is tremendous, almost disproportionate IMO, national attention on these people, so it's extremely unlikely that they are releasing Typhoid Marys into the population.
As far as being worried about a US epidemic, consider that Ebola is not airborne transmissible and that people are not contagious until they are symptomatic. And the symptoms are fairly severe. I might be a bit concerned about docs and hospital workers but not so much about the general public.
From my understanding, a lot of what makes this such a problem in Africa as compared to other places (besides the fact the Ebola is endemic there) are cultural differences that would make it very unlikely that there would be a US epidemic. As opposed to Africa, we are unlikely to eat bush meat. We are unlikely to have a distrust and avoidance of medical care, leaving family and friends in prolonged close contact with the sick, etc.
keep your eye on chikungunya virus. That's fairly rapidly spreading through the Americas and eventually will make its way at least to Florida. If you cruise or vacation in the Caribbean, make sure you use mosquito repellant.
And yes they wouldn't release them unless they were healthy and not contagious, but who knows if they actually aren't contagious, if they can still transmit it or if they could have a relapse.
Hey Chicken Little, I think you need to go change your underwear
RE: Is it scary because you think he is still contagious ?
This is a reply from Dr. Sanjar Gupta during a Reddit AMA two days ago
Quote:
The biggest misconception about ebola is that it is highly contagious.
It is not.
There will be no story of a healthy person walking through an airport shaking hands and spreading ebola. That is not what happens. Here's how you should think of it:
ebola is not highly contagious, but it is highly infectious. That means when a person becomes ill, they start to shed the virus in their bodily fluids. And when even a small amount of that fluid gets into a break in somebody's skin, that can cause an infection. But keep in mind, again, it is only a sick person that is shedding the virus, somebody who is often in bed, or in a hospital, and not up and around. This is not a "Typhoid Mary" type situation. The people who are most at risk are healthcare workers who are taking care of the sick patients, or family members, if the patients don't seek medical care and get isolated. The virus can live on surfaces for up to a couple of weeks if it is under the perfect conditions, but it's susceptible to UV light, heat, and most cleaning agents.
Supposedly some of the patients in Africa who survived and built resistance to the strain carried remnants of the virus for up to 90 days afterwards in other bodily fluids based on something I read. I have not see any medical professional verify or refute this scientifically or what kind of risk is there for spread to loved ones but it's worth monitoring these folks for a while.
And I hope the international community helps Africa as much as it worries about ISIS because these already despondent countries are taking one on the chin again and really with little support.
Good to see these two on their way to recovery.
Personally, I would put ebola way down on the list of things that can harm you in Atlanta (or any other major American city). Probably right around getting struck by lightning.
Twice.
That's why Ebola takes so much to be infected.
I'm much less worried about this Ebola virus.
As far as being worried about a US epidemic, consider that Ebola is not airborne transmissible and that people are not contagious until they are symptomatic. And the symptoms are fairly severe. I might be a bit concerned about docs and hospital workers but not so much about the general public.
From my understanding, a lot of what makes this such a problem in Africa as compared to other places (besides the fact the Ebola is endemic there) are cultural differences that would make it very unlikely that there would be a US epidemic. As opposed to Africa, we are unlikely to eat bush meat. We are unlikely to have a distrust and avoidance of medical care, leaving family and friends in prolonged close contact with the sick, etc.
Hey Chicken Little, I think you need to go change your underwear
This is a reply from Dr. Sanjar Gupta during a Reddit AMA two days ago
It is not.
There will be no story of a healthy person walking through an airport shaking hands and spreading ebola. That is not what happens. Here's how you should think of it:
ebola is not highly contagious, but it is highly infectious. That means when a person becomes ill, they start to shed the virus in their bodily fluids. And when even a small amount of that fluid gets into a break in somebody's skin, that can cause an infection. But keep in mind, again, it is only a sick person that is shedding the virus, somebody who is often in bed, or in a hospital, and not up and around. This is not a "Typhoid Mary" type situation. The people who are most at risk are healthcare workers who are taking care of the sick patients, or family members, if the patients don't seek medical care and get isolated. The virus can live on surfaces for up to a couple of weeks if it is under the perfect conditions, but it's susceptible to UV light, heat, and most cleaning agents.
Watch out CNA's!
And I hope the international community helps Africa as much as it worries about ISIS because these already despondent countries are taking one on the chin again and really with little support.