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To: allendale
You are aware that sexual contact is not required?

The virus can be transmitted in the sweat of the victim.

"Bodily fluids" is something we have been conditioned to think of as blood, feces, semen, but in this case includes sweat, tears, saliva, and urine as well. These contain significant enough viral loads for infection.

Now, if you will, consider the number of surfaces in an urban environment (first world) where people casually make contact with the emanations of others, whether they realize it or not. Door handles, handrails, countertops come to mind immediately, and these are the sort of surfaces which could have the still infectious virii present.

This doesn't have to be airborne, it can be aerosolized by a sneeze.

Try that out on the subway. The virus doesn't care how technologically advanced you are, or what your country's GDP is, it is a virus and will do what viruses do--replicate at the expense of the host.

I'm not trying to panic anyone, just make sure people know this is a dangerous pathogen and more readily contracted than people apparently assume.

BTW, the virus survives indefinitely at -70C.

As far as the American Southwest goes, in the absence of infected individuals or the migratory fruit bats that are the vector, I wouldn't expect any cases of Ebola. The pathogen has to be present to have infection.

In the event the pathogen is introduced, by whatever means, to the western hemisphere, expect different results.

35 posted on 08/02/2014 5:43:20 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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To: Smokin' Joe

Just think of the jobs that could be created having people clean the subways and other areas on a constant basis. I think in a perverse way, Ebola will help re-employ Americans.


38 posted on 08/02/2014 7:19:26 AM PDT by CorporateStepsister (I am NOT going to force a man to make my dreams come true)
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To: Smokin' Joe; Kartographer
Door handles, handrails, countertops come to mind immediately, and these are the sort of surfaces which could have the still infectious virii present.

ATM keyboards, credit card devices at checkout counters, shopping cart handles, gas pump handles, goods on supermarket shelves if someone sneezes on them, like boxes and cans, clothing someone might have tried on in a department store, bathroom fixtures, MONEY.

People need to think about all the things they touch while out in public that everyone else can lay their hands on or sneeze or cough (or spit) on.

I carry nitrile gloves in my vehicle and am starting to us gardening gloves for pumping gas.

46 posted on 08/02/2014 7:31:35 AM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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