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In reply to the discussion: Texas health care worker tests positive for Ebola [View all]Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)They could do testing on the family to confirm no infection. For the family's welfare, I would think that would be a good step, because otherwise they may face public fear and discrimination after the news about the nurses.
But the truth is that the probability of infection from non-intimate exposure during the early stages is not very high.
However, now that the nurse who flew has caused multiple persons exposed to her to be quarantined, the public isn't going to understand that for logical reasons.
The CDC would have to authorize the testing, though. And what if they came up with antibodies? Then the shit would really hit the fan, because it would prove that it is easier to contract (although that low levels of exposure may not cause clinical illness, because the body defeats the pathogen). But the risk to HCW would be much higher, because HCW would be at risk from infection during clinical procedures with patients who might have very low levels of virus in their bodies, no indication of infection, but yet be capable of spreading it to HCWs.