True or not that person with Ebola won't infect others until they start getting symptoms?

[Dawgs]

I heard this from someone over the weekend and wondering how it applies to this latest patient that didn't get a fever until day after returning on flight.

[uponit7771]

1. I don't know about that now, also...my understanding was the virus was NOT supposed to be contagious

... and it seems to have spread to 2 -3 people who were just around Duncan.

What the hell, I'm sure the nurses didn't just wash their hands with Duncans sheets or some crap like that... that they at the LEAST had some modicum of isolation away from the patient...

I heard if you're not in direct contact with fluids of an infected one you don't have anything to worry about... that seems to not be true.

[TwilightGardener]

5. The nurses were almost certainly at some point in contact with his fluids--

he was hooked up to all sorts of equipment, he had to be intubated and suctioned, he had IV's and ports and all manner of "spaghetti" (various monitoring and IV tubing) all over him. Someone had to clean up his vomit, sputum, diarrhea, someone had to get a pile of washrags and wipe his ass, someone had to insert a Foley catheter and empty his collection bag. Edit to add: what I'm concerned about is the fact that the virus almost seems to be able to enter pores on UNBROKEN, non-mucus-membrane skin.

[uponit7771]

10. I have worn the non medical rubber gloves... they are fairly tough... I'm sure they wore SOMETHING..

what I'm concerned about is the fact that the virus almost seems to be able to enter pores on UNBROKEN, non-mucus-membrane skin.

yeap, that's what I was thinking in a non medical fashion...

contact with "fluids" of a ebola victims is a misnomer ....


It should be anything of an ebola victim

[TwilightGardener]

2. Probably has to do with viral load in body secretions--less likely for the virus to show up

or be abundant in various oozings. That said, I imagine sexual contact or a needle stick might still produce an infection before the person knows he or she is ill.

[underpants]

3. True. Please see link

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/

[amandabeech]

18. It just seems unbelievable.

She could infect so many people, including her own family members.

Why not postpone such a trip until the possible incubation period has passed?

Did she think that she was invincible or did she just not think?

At least that idiot doctor in NJ stayed in her car.

[SheilaT]

6. The likelihood of that second person

who became symptomatic after her flight having infected anyone on that flight is pretty close to zero. That said, it's not at all inappropriate to contact everyone who was on that flight and make them aware of this.

[LisaL]

11. It wasn't after the flight.

She had fever while on the flight.

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/health/2014/10/15/second-dallas-hospital-worker-diagnosed-ebola/17290677/

[SheilaT]

14. I had not seen that before.

It also says her fever when she flew was 99.5, which is several degrees below what the CDC has said is the danger point.

[LisaL]

15. So was Mr. Duncan's when he first showed up at the hospital.

It spiked during his visit, but was below when he arrived.
So was Spanish's nurse when she tried to get treatment for a week.
Point being, claims that this woman had no symptoms when she flew would appear to be false.

[Drayden]

28. That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard

Fever is highly individual. Some peoples immune system mounts a high fever, some a low grade fever and some none at all. And that is with all 3 having the same exact disease. I have seen some family members with the flu have 104 degree fevers and some barely 99 degrees, all were equally sick and contagious.The degree of fever is no indication of viral load or how sick a person is. A mildly sick person can run a high fever, a very sick person can run a mild fever. Every mother knows that. I understand wanting to quell panic, but if the CDC keeps tossing around bullshit they are going to risk making the situation worse. Must people can handle worry over a disease, most can't handle being lied to.

[1StrongBlackMan]

7. It depends on who one listens to ...

If you listen to the CDC, the answer at this point is "True" ...

If you listen to other sources, the answer is "BENGAZI!!!"

I recently heard is the definitive answer is, "The GAY!!!!", though.

[LannyDeVaney]

8. Suite lord ...

where do you folks live where you don't think nurses come in contact with a patients bodily fluids?!

[Dawgs]

9. Are you talking to me?

Because that's not at all what I said.

[LannyDeVaney]

27. You are correct. I apologize ...

was replying to this http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025669500#post1

... and it seems to have spread to 2 -3 people who were just around Duncan.

What the hell, I'm sure the nurses didn't just wash their hands with Duncans sheets or some crap like that... that they at the LEAST had some modicum of isolation away from the patient...

I heard if you're not in direct contact with fluids of an infected one you don't have anything to worry about... that seems to not be true.

Again, my apologies.

[kentuck]

12. They don't know

It may even be spread airborne.

[Beaverhausen]

16. yes they do know- not airborne

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/

[kentuck]

26. Obviously gospel truth..

If coming from the most competent CDC. They forgot to tell the nurses not to fly around the country and expose everyone.

[LisaL]

13. She had a fever when she flew to Dallas. So she was already symptomatic.

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/health/2014/10/15/second-dallas-hospital-worker-diagnosed-ebola/17290677/

[Beaverhausen]

17. do you know if Duncan was already symptomatic on his flight into Dallas?

I think the fact that no one in his family has yet to be found to have been infected is a good sign for people who have just had casual contact with an infected person.

[deutsey]

20. From what I understand, he wasn't during the flight

and it reassures me a little that it wasn't until he was in the hospital that he apparently became highly contagious.

So perhaps the nurse wasn't highly contagious on the flight (I'm hoping so). However, with the shoddy way the hospital handled the situation when Duncan was first brought in, it's possible that others have been infected beyond these two nurses (I'm hoping not).

It's appalling that it's gone this far in Texas.

[LisaL]

21. He wasn't.

His symptoms developed days later.
This nurse flew with fever on commercial airline.

[deutsey]

19. Well, that's reason for real concern

This is the first time since I've been following this that I'm feeling very uneasy (to put it mildly).

[morningfog]

23. Like Duncan for four days out in the community and surrounded by his family.

The viral load was very low. She was not spreading her bodily fluids everywhere. Calm down.

[morningfog]

22. It's true. And, the ability to infect someone increases as the viral load increases.

They simply aren't very contagious early on. It is worse just before death for two reasons. One, the viral load is very high. Two, they are puking and shitting everywhere.

People telling you otherwise are ill informed, idiots or hair on fire doomsdayers.

[ecstatic]

24. She did have a slight fever of 99.5 on the plane. According to

MSNBC.

[ecstatic]

25. Read the actual research on pubmedcentral. Truth is they don't know for sure.

It's "unlikely," but it's not known for sure. They've found that people can be asymptomatic with ebola, and they don't know for sure whether those asymptomatic people are carriers. This is the largest ebola outbreak ever, so nothing can be ruled out.

[kestrel91316]

29. There is no scientific evidence/epidemiological evidence that patients are contagious

before they have any symptoms. If they are shedding virus then, it is in tiny enough amounts to not cause the evidence of contagiousness to show up on statistical analyses.

Doesn't mean it can't happen on very rare occasion.