Why you won't catch Ebola on the NYC subway

[LiberalElite]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2014/10/23/why-you-wont-catch-ebola-on-the-new-york-city-subway/?google_editors_picks=true

-snip-
Ebola has come to New York City. A heroic physician who returned to the city last Friday after treating patients in Guinea with Médecins Sans Frontières has tested positive for the disease. The doctor, identified in press reports as Craig Spencer, is a reminder that even some of the most stringent protocols for creating barriers against the virus, like the full-body coverings and bleach spray-downs used by the aid group he worked for, cannot always protect health care workers.

If the Ebola virus can be transmitted so easily to health care workers taking care of patients, should people in New York worry about catching the disease from Spencer? He reportedly called in his illness when he woke up with a fever of 103 degrees Fahrenheit, but the night before, when he was feeling faint, he used the subway, went to a bowling alley, and used the car service Uber. The New York City Department of Health says that “disease detectives” are searching for all of the people who might have come into contact with him. Should people be worried that they might have been exposed to Ebola on a subway car?
-snip-

[uppityperson]

1. There is a big error, his temp was 100.3, reported in error as 103. k&r for the article though

"By contrast, Duncan’s family did not become ill even though they lived with him at close quarters early in his infection."

Thank you for the article, clear information helps.

Edited to add link.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/24/health/new-york-ebola-timeline/index.html

The 33-year-old did not have any symptoms just after his return, but he developed a fever, nausea, pain and fatigue Thursday morning, authorities said. He began feeling sluggish a couple of days ago, but his fever spiked to 100.3 degrees Fahrenheit (about 38 Celsius) the day his symptoms appeared.

[Cha]

2. I saw that "error" when I read it.. considering the corrections I've read about today, uppity.

[Cha]

3. Mayor de Blasio on the subway..

NBC Nightly News ✔ @NBCNightlyNews
Follow
NYC Mayor @BilldeBlasio rides the subway to try and stem Ebola fears http://nbcnews.to/1wwtYwa
7:52 AM - 24 Oct 2014

http://theobamadiary.com/2014/10/24/chat-on-41/

Mahalo LE

[jberryhill]

4. Ebola? You can't even catch a train on the MTA.

[Warpy]

5. First, his fever was 100.3. Decimals are important.

Second, he was not contagious even then because he hadn't yet developed GI symptoms or bleeding.

Third, it's a fragile virus that can't survive either drying out or ultraviolet light, which the fluorescent lighting on the subways produces.

And fourth, as this article points out, people just aren't producing enough of the virus to be particularly contagious, especially since they are not yet ill and producing copious vomit or diarrhea. The longer they have it and the sicker they are, the more contagious they are.