How many, on average, people are infected for each patient. R0 expresses the virus's contagiousness very well in one simple number. There's no need to count viral loads. It's all about how fast it spreads.
On edit: Fortunately, Ebola is its own worst enemy. It is so quickly deadly that there is little time for it to spread, not a particular good strategy for a virus. And one does have to come in direct contact with it to be infected. Unfortunately, Ebola patients spew out lots of bodily fluids full of the virus. Apparently, viral loads are extremely high. Not good as these things go. But if one is careful one won't be infected.
That African nurse student cared for four family members on her own, using plastic garbage bags, rubber gloves, and bottles of bleach, burning the refuse every night. Three survived Ebola, thanks to her, and I have not heard that she is infected. She made her own protocol. It worked. And all but one of her family survived.
Edit history
Recommendations
0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):
= new reply since forum marked as read