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Well, I wiki'ed bushmeat and that came round to Ebola. The suspect Fruitbats might be reservoirs/carriers. Which is really ironic, I remember being 5 and scared of bats, but looking at the fruitbat in an encyclopedia and thinking it was nice.
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I looked it up and Gorillas seem to have the same body temp that we do, I am surprised that this desease is not killing more people, it must be tough to catch.
Posts: 475 | Registered: Aug 2006
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This is what that Wikipedia article has to say on Ebola transmission:
quote:Among humans, the virus is transmitted by direct contact with infected body fluids, or to a lesser extent, skin or mucus membrane contact. The incubation period can be anywhere from 2 to 21 days, but is generally between 5 and 10 days.
Although airborne transmission between monkeys has been demonstrated in a laboratory, there is very limited evidence for human-to-human airborne transmission in any reported epidemics. Nurse Mayinga might represent the only possible case. The means by which she contracted the virus remain uncertain.
So far all epidemics of Ebola have occurred in sub-optimal hospital conditions, where practices of basic hygiene and sanitation are often either luxuries or unknown to caretakers and where disposable needles and autoclaves are unavailable or too expensive. In modern hospitals with disposable needles and knowledge of basic hygiene and barrier nursing techniques, Ebola rarely spreads on such a large scale.
In the early stages, Ebola may not be highly contagious. Contact with someone in early stages may not even transmit the disease. As the illness progresses, bodily fluids from diarrhea, vomiting, and bleeding represent an extreme biohazard. Due to lack of proper equipment and hygienic practices, large scale epidemics occur mostly in poor, isolated areas without modern hospitals and/or well-educated medical staff. Many areas where the infectious reservoir exists have just these characteristics. In such environments all that can be done is to immediately cease all needle sharing or use without adequate sterilization procedures, to isolate patients, and to observe strict barrier nursing procedures with the use of a medical rated disposable face mask, gloves, goggles, and a gown at all times. This should be strictly enforced for all medical personnel and visitors.
I remember watching a very graphic and disturbing documentary on an ebola epidemic in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo). Anybody remember what it was called?
I had the impression that transmission was much easier. For example, some African funerals involve touching the deceased, which contributed to spreading the virus according to that documentary. That would suggest physical contact (not only with bodily fluids) is enough. I also remember medicos in the documentary using gloves to touch doorknobs the infected had touched, and removing those gloves in such a way that they wouldn't come in contact with any part of the palm. They then dropped the gloves into a very deep hole in the ground. Aid workers also wore bio suits that were routinely sprayed down with disinfectant.
But mostly the virus' spread was due to poor sanitation and hygiene; especially at hospitals, where rubber gloves and needles were often recycled.
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quote:Originally posted by Euripides: But mostly the virus' spread was due to poor sanitation and hygiene; especially at hospitals, where rubber gloves and needles were often recycled.
A few years ago I was in Mozambique and I still remember the shock of seeing a table in a hospital with latex gloves spread out to dry (presumably after having been cleaned).
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