Ive been seeing a lot of responses here relating to the two physicians suffering from ebola infection that have been brought to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. And almost 200% of what Im seeing is scared people scaring other people without knowing what the heck theyre talking about. Im seeing people responding to news media reports about it, where the news station will ask What do you think or something like that. One ignorant response - full of compassion and mercy - said something like They knew what they were getting into when they went there, so essentially saying let them die in a third world country that has no sophisticated medicine because they got themselves into their own mess. Poppycock! Everybody is entitled to their own opinions, but not to their own facts. So lets get at some facts before we get our knickers in a knot. OR before we spread scary stuff that gets other people scared. I saw someone (in the medical field, yet!!) make the statement that ebola is spread like the common cold. IT IS NOT. It is spread by direct physical contact, not by aerosol droplets. Its transmission is essentially like that of HIV. The World Health Organization confirms this, explaining that the disease is only obtainable through direct contact. Ebola then spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission, with infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids. Burial ceremonies in which mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased person can also play a role in the transmission of Ebola. Men who have recovered from the disease can still transmit the virus through their semen for up to 7 weeks after recovery from illness. The CDC says this: When an infection does occur in humans, there are several ways in which the virus can be transmitted to others. These include: direct contact with the blood or secretions of an infected person exposure to objects (such as needles) that have been contaminated with infected secretions The viruses that cause Ebola HF are often spread through families and friends because they come in close contact with infectious secretions when caring for ill persons. During outbreaks of Ebola HF, the disease can spread quickly within health care settings (such as a clinic or hospital). Exposure to ebolaviruses can occur in health care settings where hospital staff are not wearing appropriate protective equipment, such as masks, gowns, and gloves. Proper cleaning and disposal of instruments, such as needles and syringes, is also important. If instruments are not disposable, they must be sterilized before being used again. Without adequate sterilization of the instruments, virus transmission can continue and amplify an outbreak. The facilities at Emory are extremely capable of dealing with the two patients theyve received, as are the staff. This disease spreads essentially just like HIV, and we have learned through long experience that we dont have to go nuts because we are around people who are HIV positive. So lets not go nuts because of ebola. Ebola is more dangerous because of the rapidity and frequency of fatal outcomes. But its transmission is virtually the same. We know how to avoid infection with HIV. Hence we know how to avoid infection with ebola.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 18:40:32 +0000
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