Airborne Transmission of Ebola

American Thinker ^ | August 24, 2014 | Ronald R. Cherry, MD

[right-wing agnostic]

The public has been misinformed regarding human-to-human transmission of Ebola. Assurances that Ebola can be transmitted only through direct contact with bodily fluids need to be seriously scrutinized in the wake of the West Africa outbreak.

The Canadian Health Department states that airborne transmission of Ebola is strongly suspected and the CDC admits that Ebola can be transmitted in situations where there is no physical contact between people, i.e.: via direct airborne inhalation into the lungs or into the eyes, or via contact with airborne fomites which adhere to nearby surfaces. That helps explain why 81 doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers have died in West Africa to date. These courageous healthcare providers use careful CDC-level barrier precautions such as gowns, gloves, and head cover, but it appears they have inadequate respiratory and eye protection. Dr. Michael V. Callahan, an infectious disease specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital who has worked in Africa during Ebola outbreaks said that minimum CDC level precautions

“led to the infection of my nurses and physician co-workers who came in contact with body fluids.”

[Boundless]

> What? The CDC is wrong? I wonder what else they might be wrong about?

CDC admits direct physical contact not necessary "And casual contact we’re defining in here to be within three feet of a patient for a prolonged period of time."

[Blue Highway]

That’s what I don’t get, would Democrats like Pelosi and the ones in powererful positions really want to live in the slums with the outbreaks or do they delusionally think they will still live in their glass houses isolated from the crime and disease. They can’t be THAT stupid, or can they?

[null and void]

Time to restart yesterday's conversation, I guess...

Eeeee-bolllll-aaaaaa ping!

Bring Out Your Dead

Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.

The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.

So far the false positive rate is 100%.

At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.

*sigh* Such is life, and death...

[Blue Highway]

If the ebola virus is verified to be airbourne, then the head of the CDC needs to be publicly drawn and quartered for lying to the American public for weeks and months now.

[null and void]

Post of the day:

If the government wanted to deliberately infect the general population with economic chaos, illegal drugs, violent criminals, disease and the potential for armed insurrection would they behave differently?

[Blue Highway]

I can’t imagine any sane person wanting to visit Africa right now with the ebola virus in full swing no matter what, unless they are suicidal and have a death wish.

[null and void]

They can’t be THAT stupid, or can they?

They can. They are. Just listen to them for confirmation.

[Blue Highway]

but do they think that far ahead and wonder how they will be immune to the disease, since disease doesn’t give liberals a pass like the media does?

[Jane Long]

Sounds crazy, to me. Why meet trouble half way?

Heck, I worry about friends leaving for Europe, soon.

[null and void]

My experience with liberals is that they are utterly unable to foresee the consequences, no matter how glaringly obvious, of any action.

[Straight Vermonter]

This is Monrovia, Liberia's infamous slum know as West Point. It has been quarantined because of ebola. What are the odds of surviving an airborne infection in such a place?

[Jane Long]

If the government wanted to deliberately infect the general population with economic chaos, illegal drugs, violent criminals, disease and the potential for armed insurrection would they behave differently?

---

No.

I agree with Nully....post of the day.

[PghBaldy]

It's already there in Lagos, has been for a while.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/2014/08/22/adaad392-2a18-11e4-958c-268a320a60ce_story.html

[Straight Vermonter]

Africa is a big place. Kenya is about 2000 miles from Nigeria.

[PghBaldy]

If it truly was airborne, Obama would shut the borders. Does anyone think DC would let an airborne killer come in, knowing they and their families would be at risk?

[donozark]

And how do you hold back 70K angry people (West Point) if they decide to storm the barricades? This place will boil over. And soon...

[American in Israel]

They have stolen hundreds of millions of dollars, they figure they can buy glass houses away from all the dying people.

[Bulwyf]

I’m going to say 20%. Ebola has a 60-80% mortality rate, so I expect survival to be at least 20%.

[The Sons of Liberty]

Airborne Transmission of Ebola

There were a number of people, including many on this forum, who have been very quick to criticize those of us who pointed out the "sudden" change in narrative that perfectly fit the 0bama regime's importing of ebola into the US. Amost overnight that "strategy" went from isolating ebola in africa, because it was highly contagious, to throwing open the doors to bring it here. Along with is, the narrative went from "high contagious" to "can't be spread through the air".

Curiously, though, when the infected do-gooders were brought here, there was double bagging - infected in a spacesuit and medics in a spacesuit. Now, if ebola can only be spread through contact, why did they do this?

[Cold Heat]

The Canadian Health Department states that airborne transmission of Ebola is strongly suspected and the CDC admits that Ebola can be transmitted in situations where there is no physical contact between people, i.e.: via direct airborne inhalation into the lungs or into the eyes, or via contact with airborne fomites which adhere to nearby surfaces.

Well, it's logically true that projectile vomiting, inadvertent spittle, and things of that nature could land on surfaces and or attending medical personal, (which is why they wear masks and shields, or should be, but that transmission is not considered to be airborne and it does not travel very far.

The term "airborne" is being misused here (again) to give one the impression that distance is not a factor.

But it is..

The same claims were made regarding the Reston outbreak with monkeys and they could not prove it there either as the only evidence was some excited utterances and opinions of a staff member.

If someone wants to believe that you can catch Ebola from a patient by being in the same building or somewhere downwind, they certainly can. But that idea, along with many other "ideas" are just speculations with no basis in fact.

On the other hand, we do have a idea how these medical people are getting infected and there is even visual evidence for that, showing that they were/are reusing their protective equipment. (masks, gloves and gowns) This leads to speculation that they may not have it available all the time. Total body, eye and face protection is mandatory with this type of disease, as are protocols for the donning and doffing of them. If you want to speculate, I would speculate in that area and not on "airborne" transmission.