re: Breaking: A second health care worker has tested positive for Ebola in Dallas

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but I guarantee it would reduce further infections

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and i don't think it will

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So this stuff is pretty easy to catch right?

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As I understand it - this virus in particular has a sliding scale of infectiousness, as it progresses it becomes more and more contagious - and the bodies themselves are infectious for some period of time post-mortem. So, health care workers are at most risk because they treat the patient all the way until the end.

So, you can live in the same apartment with an infected person and he starts showing symptoms - you pack your shite and leave - you might not get it. He dies in the apartment (think 3rd world) - and his family who either cared for him at the end or came to retrieve his body - they get it from a few hours of exposure, but you might have had 2 or 3 days at the beginning and not got it.

This whole "not airborne" is disingenuous, too. While not strictly airborne - in that you can't get it from breathing the same room air - Ebola patients are frightfully sick during the later stages and their bodily fluids are everywhere - they can be disturbed and even their coughing and vomit could be in the air in very small droplets - so no "direct" contact with the patient NOR touching anything and you could still get it.

It is a very fine distinction they're drawing. And with every new infection, there is a chance the virus mutates and becomes airborne.

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As I understand it - this virus in particular has a sliding scale of infectiousness, as it progresses it becomes more and more contagious - and the bodies themselves are infectious for some period of time post-mortem. So, health care workers are at most risk because they treat the patient all the way until the end. So, you can live in the same apartment with an infected person and he starts showing symptoms - you pack your shite and leave - you might not get it. He dies in the apartment (think 3rd world) - and his family who either cared for him at the end or came to retrieve his body - they get it from a few hours of exposure, but you might have had 2 or 3 days at the beginning and not got it. This whole "not airborne" is disingenuos, too. While not strictly airborne - in that you can't get it from breathing the same room air - Ebola patients are frightfully sick during the later stages and their bodily fluids are everywhere - they can be disturbed and even their coughing and vomit could be in the air in very small droplets - so no "direct" contact with the patient NOR touching anything and you could still get it. It is a very fine distinction they're drawing. And with every new infection, there is a chance the virus mutates and becomes airborne.

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We gone!

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what's the harm in doing a lot of things?

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I'll take this as you can't find any downside to placing a ban on travel. Good, I'll list a couple positives: it will make it more difficult to get here (you can argue to what degree) and it could influence other countries to put similar bans in place.

We're talking about a virus with no cure and a mortality rate is 60%. With the exponential nature of the spread of viruses, even if a ban stops ten people from coming to America, id consider it a success.

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What if I routinely travel to W Africa for work? As an American citizen, should I not be allowed back into the country?

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#1, I doubt your company will be sending anyone to west Africa.
#2, You'd be quarantined

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your contention is that west Africans will just go to south Africa, infect a bunch of people there, and then those people will come to America, right?

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i mean not even south africa. They can go anywhere still.

you're basically saying, as long as someone with the virus doesnt come here from West Africa, it's ok. The virus can come from anywhere else because people from west africa can still travel all over the world

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We're talking about a virus with no cure

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Not yet at least. There are half a dozen different vaccines in trials at the moment. Hopefully one of those pans out. Some have shown 100% effective rates in primates. :fingerscrossed:

I'm not being contrarian at all

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doubt your company will be sending anyone to west Africa.

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Ok.


You realize "West Africa" is a fairly large area and there are many Americans (and non Americans) that travel in and out for work daily, right?

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As I understand it - this virus in particular has a sliding scale of infectiousness, as it progresses it becomes more and more contagious - and the bodies themselves are infectious for some period of time post-mortem. So, health care workers are at most risk because they treat the patient all the way until the end.

So, you can live in the same apartment with an infected person and he starts showing symptoms - you pack your shite and leave - you might not get it. He dies in the apartment (think 3rd world) - and his family who either cared for him at the end or came to retrieve his body - they get it from a few hours of exposure, but you might have had 2 or 3 days at the beginning and not got it.

This whole "not airborne" is disingenuos, too. While not strictly airborne - in that you can't get it from breathing the same room air - Ebola patients are frightfully sick during the later stages and their bodily fluids are everywhere - they can be disturbed and even their coughing and vomit could be in the air in very small droplets - so no "direct" contact with the patient NOR touching anything and you could still get it.

It is a very fine distinction they're drawing. And with every new infection, there is a chance the virus mutates and becomes airborne.

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Correct the viral load is at its highest toward the end....in which the day Duncan died 9 staff members were involved with direct care.