[Sherman Logan]

I will be quite surprised if any of them come down with it. You may note that none have to date.

Here’s the deal. As the disease progresses, more and more body fluids begin to carry the virus, and then at exponentially greater concentrations. In the last stages those body fluids are spraying all over the place. It is, after all, a hemorrhagic fever.

So in essence during the final stages the patient is a giant mass of viral contaminants, with those contaminants being actively thrown off in all directions. And, of course, invasive procedures put those performing them in direct contact with those fluids in quantity.

OTOH, before the patient becomes symptomatic he is probably not contagious at all. Thereafter he is at first only mildly infectious, with close or even intimate contact required. The degree of infectiousness increases exponentially as the disease progresses.

IOW, in the final stages the patient is orders of magnitude more infectious than in the early stages. I thought, along with most others who work regularly with
PPE, that American-level sanitation and gear would completely prevent transmission.

Obviously we were all wrong, and this automatic blaming of the nurse is CYA BS. All procedures need to be re-examined.

[xzins]

All procedures need to be re-examined.

The facts and assumptions need to be re-examined.

We're being told that somehow they broke 'protocol'.

Another view is that the real facts make their protocol incomplete.

[Travis McGee]

Duncan was puking all over the apartment, sidewalk and ambulance.
You’re not concerned about the family or ambulance crew? Really?

[Clay Moore]

The problem is they still don't know how she got it. I talked to a person who worked with the nurse and all there is is speculation at this point.

What I see is we are going to be addressing this with a full level A HAZMAT response. I am level A qualified and cannot imagine trying to do anything more than rudimentary medical care.

Start an IV? No way.

[The Truth Will Make You Free]

This is the best explanation of increasing contagiousness and why nurses are dying that I've read. Thanks.

If this how it really works, then the key to stopping the spread is dealing correctly with patients as they go terminal, and the odds of it spreading in developed countries is minimal.

Also, I'm impressed with the wisdom in the thread. A few simple ideas will work:

1. quarantine people at first possible exposure
2. open separate hospitals and clinics for Ebola patients
3. stop or quarantine all air passengers from affected nations
4. I'll also add, duplicate what's being done that works, such as at the company town in Africa. (See the book Switch)

It's not hard, put it takes intelligence and some inconvenience.