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To: Smokin' Joe
I must note that the code phrase "bodily fluids" which is so often translated as sharing needles or sexual contact in American medicine and in the mind of the average American (thanks to AIDS), really means ALL bodily fluids in the case of Ebola, from tears and sweat to saliva, blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and by the time someone is symptomatic, feces as well.

I believe that most of these fluids must be contaminated by trace amounts of blood in order to become infectious. In this paper, virus was not found in acute phase sputum, tears, vomit, or sweat, and only 1 of 8 saliva samples tested positive for infectious virus. Some of these samples tested positive by RT-PCR, but that does not differentiate between live virus and nucleic acid from inactive viral particles. True, sample sizes are small. I have not seen a study that systematically addresses the question of infectivity of various bodily fluids (that isn't to say there is no such study--if there is one, I would love to see the reference).

Given that so few virus particles are necessary to establish an infection, infection control measures must be strict and thorough to prevent transmission.

32 posted on 09/04/2014 3:57:21 AM PDT by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org/)
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To: exDemMom
I have to note their conclusion: "We conclude that EBOV is shed in a wide variety of bodily fluids during the acute period of illness but that the risk of transmission from fomites in an isolation ward and from convalescent patients is low when currently recommended infection control guidelines for the viral hemorrhagic fevers are followed."

There is only one problem. In the wild, outside the clinical environment people are going to be coming into contact with fomites in an epidemic, without knowing they are in an environment where contamination has taken place.

They will not be following currently recommended infection control guidelines for viral hemorrhagic fevers.

While risks might be low for clinical personnel in a clinical (PPE) environment, the general public in the vicinity of the infected person as they become symptomatic will be at risk.

It is what happens before they get in the door that will determine how widespread the disease will become.

33 posted on 09/04/2014 5:01:25 AM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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