African Woman Dies Of Ebola After Flight To London

Mirror - UK ^

[Post-Neolithic]

"Ebola isn't an airborne virus so the odds of it spreading are very slim. There is definitely no chance of it becoming a pandemic."

The pandemic part of your statement is most likely true, however in this particular case we are treading on new ground.

I don't know of a case where an ebola victim with full blown symptoms was allowed on a commercial airplane. She should have been stopped before boarding, especially with the bird flu scare in Africa.

This will end up being one of those test cases, however I would be worried more about the crew members that had direct contact with her and any people they come in direct contact with.

[MikefromOhio]

yeah something isn't adding up here....

They are saying it's Ebola, but if she died from it in 2 days, she's in the 1% or so who die that quickly....

And they haven't yet posted the body, which makes me wonder.

[mewzilla]

The CDC has ebola-related advice for airline crews...

Interim Guidance about Ebola Virus Infection for Airline Flight Crews, Cargo and Cleaning Personnel, and Personnel Interacting with Arriving Passengers

[JohnBovenmyer]

]If they caught on to the diagnosis and quickly, London should have the infrastructure to contain this. Quarantine and consider contagious ALL of them until the experts (there probably are some in London) declare them safe. Minimize interaction among the crew and passengers so as not to spread it further within that group. Be very careful not to spread it to the medical staff, a major problem in some outbreaks. Don't let the normal cleaning staff do the plane. It probably can be decontaminated and at least mostly salvaged, but let the experts think through the details first. Fortunately human Ebola, although potentially very contagious on contact, hasn't yet been contagious by air so those who had no contact with the victim will likely get off with just a bad scare and some travel delays.

[cripplecreek]

Notify your employer immediately.

Monitor your health for 21 days following the exposure. If you develop sudden fever, chills, muscle aches, rash, or other symptoms consistent with Ebola virus infection, you should seek immediate medical attention.

Before visiting a doctor’s office, alert the health-care provider, clinic, or emergency room in advance about the possible exposure to Ebola virus, so that arrangements can be made to prevent transmission to others in the health-care setting.

When traveling to a health-care provider, limit your contact with others. All other travel should be avoided

It sounds like the concern of infection arises with the symptoms.

[SkyPilot]

The most terrifying disease, ever.

Even Stephen King said he was creeped out after reading The Hot Zone.

[mewzilla]

I think the only folks who might have something to worry about are any employees who came in close contact with the woman, and possibly any passenger sitting within three feet or so of her.

[jcs1744]

I've said it once, I'll say it a million times, nothing ruins a good flight like hemmoragic fever...

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Just off the top of my head it sounds more like Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.

Something to consider is that the disease might not have killed her. Sorry to be gross but if she was unconscious and vomiting she may have drowned.

[MikefromOhio]

possibly....

or something in her vomitus may have been caught in her throat, a lot of things.

That why saying it was Ebola without a post mortem examination doesn't sound quite right given the timeframe.

[JohnBovenmyer]

I agree, the book is wonderful. The movie adaptation was pure eco-fiction. The book was based on real events and real folks of USAMRIID at Fr. Detrick. I grew up next door to the person who succeeded the main character. Had the events in Reston happened 1 year later he'd have been in charge of that investigation. I haven't seen him for years, but sometimes see his family. They're very proud of him, but glad when he rotated to a less virulent post.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Made an attention grabbing headline though!

[nuclady]

I read "The Hot Zone" years ago and didn't sleep for 2 weeks. It's that scary. Preston (?) does a fabulous job in this book. If I remember correctly, he had won a great deal of scientific writing awards. This book is NOT fiction.

I lent the book to someone and never got it back. Going to have to order another. Incredible story.

[MikefromOhio]

I got the feeling that is what it may be about....

[Toby06]

That was excellent. I listened to iton books-on-tape during a couple days worth of commuting. I found myself sitting in a parking lot a block from work just to finish listening to another tape. I was late more than once that week!

[Toby06]

Darn sepll checker.

[Flavius]

well it was overdue

[MaDeuce]

I hate these blood borne disease stuff ... gives ya the creeps. Always makes me think of the effects of the ultimate blood borne infection and its results:

[XRdsRev]

According to the book "The Hot Zone", at least one strain of the virus did spread and infect (monkeys) through the air.

[raybbr]

ping