Because most Americans are so removed from sickness & death

[SoCalDem]

we (as a society) do not know what happens in extremis.

EXTREMIS
: in extreme circumstances; especially : at the point of death
See in extremis defined for English-language learners »
Examples of IN EXTREMIS

They are helping a family in extremis.

Origin of IN EXTREMIS
Latin
First Known Use: circa 1530

When a person dies, their muscles let down, and their bodily fluids exit the body..feces, urine, etc.

Before their death, when they are unable to control their muscles, they will need to be cleaned up.

This is why medical people and family members are more likely to get infected, and why casual contact is less of a problem.

In the extremely poor areas of Africa where this is now an epidemic, there are few (if any) sewage treatment facilities, and raw sewage is in the streets.. dirt streets..in puddles. People are barefoot or wear rubber flip flops. When they walk through this slop, they are contaminated. They track it into their homes, and then children and family members are exposed.

Living rough, involves minor injuries that provide pathways into their bodies.

In everyday life in the US, people do not routinely come into contact with other people's "fluids".. When was the last time a coworker/friend/acquaintance shit on your floor or threw up on you?

There IS the "sex thing", but someone who is violently ill, is also less than likely to be an ideal sex partner. And anyone with active ebola is not going to be hanging out at bars, .looking to pick someone up.

As a Mom, I can tell you that I have been up-close & personal with some pretty vile "bodily fluid experiences" with our kids, but rarely, if ever with anyone else's kids.

Ebola is a personal experience between family members, and then in final desperation, with medical professionals. What is different this time, is that it has now moved beyond the village, and outsiders are exposed because of the total lack of sanitation.

No one wants to see their loved ones die, so they WILL do whatever they think is necessary in that desperate time, even if it is a useless effort, and even if they spread the disease because they do not understand how this spreads.

The fact that it has a 21 day incubation period is another problem because people may think they have escaped it, but have not, and by the time they are desperately ill, they have spread it to others.

We can try to abate the epidemics as they arise, but a better way would be to step up the sanitation and living conditions in areas that are prone to this disease.

Another helpful thing would be to make sure that people did not have to eat bush-meat.. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/how-the-ebola-virus-got-its-name-and-how-we-caught-it-from-animals-9770193.html

[uppityperson]

1. k&r

[Barack_America]

2. Did you hear that HIVs origins were just traced

To Kinshasa in the 1920's, likely having jumped from bush meat.

[uppityperson]

5. interesting, I knew it was around 50+ yrs ago, didn't know they traced it back

[Marrah_G]

11. Yes- it was traced back at least to there, they think maybe even longer

But people died young and of so many different things that it went undetected. They found they it most likely jumped from a specific group of chimps. It's a fascinating story of they figured this all out.

[mucifer]

3. More people are dying at home on hospice. But, at that point people should

know who has Ebola. I'm a hospice nurse btw.

[arcane1]

4. This thoughtful and rational post is a most welcome sight.

Thank you!!!

[BrotherIvan]

6. +1

I could never have anything but compassion for people who are dealing with a family member who is dying. I've been through it and it is hell. People need all the help they can get and then some. They also need good guidance because when you're under that amount of stress, your brain doesn't work logically at all.

[daleanime]

7. It's simple really, improving the lives of others....

improves your own.

[kestrel91316]

8. Those who have recovered can shed virus in their vaginal fluids and semen

for CONSERVATIVELY 7 weeks and possibly 3 months (to be safe). So there is that little problem, too.

[SoCalDem]

9. I did not know that..

But once again, where the word "vaginal" can be used liberally to advertise a product, the news people are squeamish and I have never heard one mention this side effect ..

[kestrel91316]

10. And you never will. That whole thing is too scary for most people to contemplate.

Ebola is, in fact, an STD.

[SoCalDem]

12. Any disease that requires close personal contact can also be an STD

but unless it's a salacious , sexy story (no diarrhea or vomiting, please) our media is too squeamish to report on it.