“My concern here is that retail food establishments, aka grocery stories, can be contaminated by dried Ebola secretions for a period of several days. This would be horrendous, so I’d appreciate your careful thinking about this. “
While that would be and currently is a concern of mine for flu viruses or rinoviruses, (I use a alchohol rub or wash my hands after a shopping trip) I would not be concerned about ebola unless I was in West Africa.
Doctors offices are teaming with viruses on surfaces as well. Stay away from the magazines.. Flu viruses last a while too..get in the habit of hand washing. I have not had a case of the flu or a cold in three decades.
But I am not concerned in the US of catching Ebola, any more than I am of catching the Flu..
Just sayin...
Thank you. I am looking way downstream, at the first six months of 2015. The quarantine measures necessary to deal with Ebola once it becomes widespread here enough, given the aircraft and building contamination potential, would have awful economic and financial effects.
Again, the problem isn’t that millions of Americans might contract Ebola. The problem I see is the economic and financial impact of the measures required to that from happening. Not now, but next year.
The MSDS sheet for this EVD lists a five day life outside the human body in a dry human secretion. Think dried blood, urine, defecation, sputum, or vomit.
That kills market or store style food distribution in the event of a local EVD epidemic. Especially when you read this regards the current EVD outbreak—
http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/case-definition.html
“”1 Casual contact is defined as
a) being within approximately 3 feet (1 meter) or within the room or care area for a prolonged period of time (e.g., healthcare personnel, household members) while not wearing recommended personal protective equipment (i.e., droplet and contact precautions–see Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations); or
b) having direct brief contact (e.g., shaking hands) with
an EVD case while not wearing recommended personal protective equipment (i.e., droplet and contact precautions–see Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations). At this time, brief interactions, such as walking by a person or moving through a hospital, do not constitute casual contact.””
The CDC recently admitted to the very non-medical term of ‘Inhalation transmission’ of Ebola Viral Disease “in a contaminated hospital environment.”
How “a contaminated hospital environment” differs from a public rest room or the recirculated air on a jetliner remains to be seen.
See link and clipped text below —
http://www.health.gov.ng/doc/Ebola%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
“”How is Ebola Virus Disease spread?
The manner in which the Ebola virus first appears in a human at the start of an outbreak has not been
determined. However, Ebola VD could be spread through the following:
1. Direct contact with an infected animal or human;
2. Direct contact with the blood and or secretions of an infected person especially within
families;
3. Contact with contaminated medical equipment such as needles;
4. Reuse of unsterilized needles in hospital;
5. Eating or handling of the carcass of infected animals;
6. Inhalation of contaminated air in hospital environment;
7. Use of infected non human primate/bats as food source;
8. Non implementation of universal precautions.””
How “a contaminated hospital environment” differs from a public rest room or the recirculated air on a jetliner remains to be seen.
Especially when you take about 15 minutes and listen to a portion of this 7 August 2014 Congressional hearing with testimony by Ken Isaacs of the Samaritans Purse NGO.
This medical NGO and Doctors Without Frontiers have been fighting EVD since it first broke out back in March 2014.
Ken Isaacs laid it all on the line in very stark terms. Please listen to the portion between about 1:48:00 to about 2:04:00
http://www.c-span.org/video/?320862-1/hearing-ebola-outbreak-africa
Key points:
1. The reported number of cases at the time was about 25-50% of actual cases
2. Nigeria was gearing up for a severe outbreak the next 2 weeks or so, AKA right about now.
3. The developed world has essentially abdicated responsibility for responding to there countries that are amongst the poorest in the world
4. The infrastructure for public health in a West Africa is completely overwhelmed and has broken down.
Ken Isaacs testimony stated that the Liberian finance ministry officer and a senior Liberian physician appeared in the SP hospital in Monrovia.
Ken Isaacs testimony further stated that if you have one inch of open skin, it is possible to become infected — that supports the full-body suit, mask, and googles personal protection.
See also:
@1:50:00 “”The international response to the disease has been a failure and it is important to understand that.””
@1:51:30
“”Our epidemiologists and medical personnel believe that these numbers represent 25 to 50 % of what is happening.
The ministries of health in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone simply do not have the capacity to handle the crisis in their countries.
If a mechanism is not found to create an acceptable paradigm for the international community to become directly involved, then the world will be effectively relegating the containment of this disease that threatens Africa and other countries to three of the poorest nations in the world.””
Further testimony by Ken Isaacs clarified that they were the entity flying the specimens from the field to the lab in Monrovia. It is a 16 hour drive and a 16 minute flight by helicopter.
Two relief agencies provided all the clinical care for all of the Ebola victims for three countries (Samaritan’s Purse and Doctors without Borders and Ken Isaacs testimony stated that the Liberian finance ministry officer and a senior Liberian physician appeared in the SP hospital in Monrovia.
It was Ken Isaacs testimony that if you have one inch of open skin, it is possible to become infected. It appears that Ken Isaacs supports the full-body suit, mask, and googles personal protection AKA BH level-4 for all medical people involved with treatment of patients and terminal cleaning of Ebola contaminated surfaces.
@1:50:00 “The international response to the disease has been a failure and it is important to understand that.”
@1:51:30
“Our epidemiologists and medical personnel believe that these numbers represent 25 to 50 % of what is happening.
The ministries of health in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone simply do not have the capacity to handle the crisis in their countries.
If a mechanism is not found to create an acceptable paradigm for the international community to become directly involved, then the world will be effectively relegating the containment of this disease that threatens Africa and other countries to three of the poorest nations in the world.”
Further testimony by Ken Isaacs clarifies that they were the entity flying the specimens from the field to the lab in Monrovia. It is a 16 hour drive and a 16 minute flight by helicopter.
Two relief agencies provided all the clinical care for all of the Ebola victims for three countries (Samaritan’s Purse and Doctors without Borders and Samaritan’s Purse has since evacuated).
The testimony Ken Isaacs following from Dr. Frank Glover was both ominous prophetic, as he noted that the Liberian system is unable to cope with the deaths. The Liberian health system (as little as it was) is no longer functioning. Hence the Liberian govt actions at West Point, Monrovia.