Zoom-boing
Platinum Member
Let me see if I can help you out.
In spite of the endless, overwhelmingly redundant stream of "news" coverage I remain utterly ignorant concerning the way this insidious bug is transmitted.
When the first identified case was announced we were told infection required physical contact with a carrier who is manifesting symptoms. So far I've read and heard about three infected individuals each of whom had relatively limited contact with the carrier. But I haven't heard anything about those who had the most intimate contact with him.
Thomas Duncan spent several days in the same apartment with a woman friend and her two daughters. These people were closely familiar with Duncan and presumably engaged in some level of physical contact (familial hugging and kissing) with him. He slept in that apartment, vomited and toileted in that apartment. His soiled clothing and bedding items remained in that apartment for days and were handled by the occupants. He vomited on a nearby sidewalk and that was cleaned up by a janitor.
Thus far I haven't heard a word about any of those most closely exposed individuals. Is it because the endless bombardment of redundant reportage has caused me to tune out? If so, has anyone else here heard anything about Duncan's host and her daughters?
Where are they? Have they manifested any symptoms? If not, that would suggest some natural immunity. Yet, no mention of them.
Infection does require intimate contact. Not only that but one must be in contact with bodily fluids.
The people who became infected from him had direct intimate contact with him as they were his nurses up until his death.
His family members, as you correctly pointed out, had VERY intimate contact with him but the difference is that it was early in his sickness. As the scientists, and virologists at the CDC point out that the disease becomes more contagious as it progresses. They aren't sick because it was early in his disease. That is why they are correct in saying that you can't get infected by being on an airplane or bus or in the same room as a patient who has it. At least until they are bleeding from everywhere anyway.
It isn't a natural immunity, it's just that the disease isn't infectious until the symptoms show and even then it's not that infectious until the patient is gravely I'll.
Did that help?
What if the sick person is running a temp, sweating profusely, not knowing they have it? Sweat is a bodily fluid.