So "Being within three feet of a patient for a prolonged time, without wearing protective gear, is..

[Purveyor]

"Being within three feet of a patient for a prolonged time, without wearing protective gear, is considered direct contact, Dr. Frieden said."

Clipped from this article: Understanding the Risks of Ebola, and What ‘Direct Contact’ Means

--clip
Ebola does not cause respiratory problems, but a cough from a sick patient could infect someone close enough to be sprayed with droplets of mucus or saliva. Droplets can generally fly about three feet, so people dealing with anyone who may be ill are told to stand at least three feet away, preferably six. Being within three feet of a patient for a prolonged time, without wearing protective gear, is considered direct contact, Dr. Frieden said.

According to the C.D.C., the virus can survive for a few hours on dry surfaces like doorknobs and countertops. But it can survive for several days in puddles or other collections of body fluid at room temperature. It is not clear how long it may survive in soiled linens and clothing. Bleach solutions can kill it.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/03/us/understanding-the-risks-of-ebola-and-what-direct-contact-means.html?_r=0

[femmocrat]

1. It will be interesting to hear how the cameraman man caught it. nt

[Baitball Blogger]

2. Confirmed. Saliva droplets from coughing and sneezing are problematic.

[kestrel91316]

4. Ebola virus is found in ALL bodily fluids. Including saliva, tears,

spittle, sputum, snot, dribble - you know, ALL THAT STUFF YOU SPRAY WHEN YOU SNEEZE.

It hits any of your mucus membranes, or gets on your hands and then you inadvertently touch your nose or eye, and you just joined a very special club.

[TorchTheWitch]

10. sweat is probably the larger problem

Seeing as fever is one of the very first symptoms and cause sweating especially the palms of the hands, that's probably a lot more of a problem than someone's possible cough or sneeze.

[littlemissmartypants]

12. Thanks for the memories.

I have a vague memory of secretions. My own especially. #Sjogrens sucks.

[BrotherIvan]

3. People need to stop making recommendations here because they are being disproven

as we learn more about the disease and are spreading false information. This sounds like a lot more than "wash your hands" which is being floated around here.

[Puzzledtraveller]

5. The language is important here.

"air-born", not "air-born" means something different to the average person. I would not fault anyone for assuming that you cannot contract Ebola from anything other direct physical contact. Now, is it possible people are being put at risk by the lack of clarity and specificity of the nature of the virus?

[defacto7]

6. I'm glad to know

that what some of us have been saying for a couple of days here has been reemphasized. Information is good. False information and not wanting to be informed out of fear is not healthy. It's good to know what we are up against and not pretend we will never have to deal with it.

The earth is not getting any bigger.

[undeterred]

7. So giving a person infected with ebola a ride in your car is considered direct contact.

That's how the Texas patient got it, but he didn't know it was dangerous just to have her in his car.

[LisaL]

8. He actually carried the patient from the car.

So he was in direct contact, he touched the patient.

[redruddyred]

9. he touched the patient, then got on a plane to the US.

......

[TorchTheWitch]

14. The point is that he didn't NEED to touch the patient

and all he touched on her was her legs when he helped to carry her. For all we know he may already have been infected by her leaving virus infected droplets through her sweat on counters or doorknobs, toilet seat, etc. that he then touched and touched one of his own mucus membranes or the virus got into him through micro cuts on his skin.

[JeaneRaye]

11. and why did the person diagnosed in Texas come to the US anyway?

I just have to wonder why no one has yet said why this man traveled from Liberia to the US anyway? He had been in direct contact with a woman who later died of the Ebola virus, then he hopped on a plane to the US. I just have to wonder if he knew he would have a better chance of survival if he was diagnosed here than if he stayed in Liberia. He apparently wasn't suffering from any symptoms when he left Africa but if he feared that he had contracted the virus, why wouldn't he come here? He could have been planning a trip to the US anyway and it was just coincidental that he had been exposed just prior to his departure to the US. I haven't heard any coverage of this, either way.

[ecstatic]

13. So if Duncan had a headache on the plane, several passengers on his flight had direct contact

They say he didn't have symptoms until around Sept 23, but how can we know for sure? Symptoms may include a sore throat, headache, feeling "weak," muscle pain, abdominal pain, fever, etc. Most people wouldn't even notice symptoms like that (until at least 2 were happening at the same time). The only truly measurable symptoms, like fever, etc., occur in the final stages. The others are highly subjective and require honesty.

[Kablooie]

15. He was out and about while contagious for 5 days before he was isolated.

They say it isn't contagious until you start having symptoms.
It was reported that he started feeling symptoms on Wed, Sept. 24.
He had 3 days of symptoms before going to the hospital on Friday then another 2 days before he returned on Sunday.

In those 5 days he probably was contacting people normally at first when the symptoms were light.
Once he became more seriously sick there were certainly people who cared for him at home who were within three feet for probably a prolonged time.
In the hospital the doctors that performed his first examination may have been in direct contact. They don't always wear gloves for some simple tests such as taking a pulse. Also if he coughed or sneezed it could have infected someone.

It sounds like there is a good chance that we will hear of more cases in a week or two from some of the people that were around him.