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jMyles

...because during the flight you'd exchange bodily fluids? Or something?

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Even if you had, they weren’t contagious at that point. Sigh.

Even if that is true, would you be happy about the unnecessary risk.

Only after it already happened they confirm if it is safe.

On a global safety issue it isn't a problem, but on an individual level, it is scary.

> Only after it already happened they confirm if it is safe.

The passengers were screened for fever before boarding the plane. On the individual level there are thousands of better things to worry about.

It's not an unnecessary risk, because "risk" requires there to be some chance of danger. Ebola isn't contagious until symptoms appear, thus there was no risk at that stage.

You are sitting next to someone for 8 hours plus. They will wipe their nose, then put their hand on the arm rest. Then you will proceed to do the same, and eat food at the same time.

I'm not saying it's likely to infect you, I'm saying this would cause personal distress, even if it is unlikely or impossible.

Well people do tend to spit in minuscule amounts when they speak. The person could also cough and throw spit around. It wouldn't be entirely impossible to contract it by sitting near someone for several hours.

Would that include someone clearing their nasal passages? I saw someone doing that into their hand on a Manhattan subway last week.

Are you suggesting an ebola sneeze is a rare or harmless thing? That is the primary means of transmission.

I honestly did not know that. I thought that for a pathogen to be communicable by sneezing made it "airborne," and that Ebola was not.

I can't immediately find a source for your claim that sneezing is the "primary means" of transmission - can you provide one?

From the CDC: "Unlike respiratory illnesses like measles or chickenpox, which can be transmitted by virus particles that remain suspended in the air after an infected person coughs or sneezes, Ebola is transmitted by direct contact with body fluids of a person who has symptoms of Ebola disease."

There is a difference between walking through a cloud of sneezed particles, and sitting and sharing an armrest with someone for an extended period of time.

Though apparently this person wasn't infectious at the time as has been pointed out.

People can be exposed to Ebola virus from direct physical contact with body fluids like blood, saliva, stool, urine, sweat etc. of an infected person and soiled linen used by a patient.

--WHO

>I thought that for a pathogen to be communicable by sneezing made it "airborne,"

You're not the first nor the last to be tripped up by that. Airborne means that the pathogen can survive for some time in extremely small droplets. If you are sitting right next to someone with a non-airborne pathogen you have two problems. First, you will be reached by bigger droplets. Second, virus in very small droplets will only be in that condition very briefly before reaching you, and wont have sufficient time to die.

http://www.pathogenperspectives.com/2014/08/debunking-airbor...

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