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CDC tells airlines treat body fluids as infectious

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waterboy View Drop Down
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    Posted: September 21 2014 at 10:12am

Ebola warning: CDC tells airlines to 'treat all body fluids as infectious'

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Paul Bedard,Washington Secrets,Africa,CDC,Air Travel,Air Safety,Ebola

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, increasing their warnings on Ebola, is advising airlines and jet staff to treat all body fluids as infectious, even on domestic flights.

“Treat all body fluids as though they are infectious,” said the latest CDC update to airlines. The update notes that if Ebola is suspected, aircraft can be cleaned mid-flight. The update is apparently meant to stress the rights airlines have to block anyone who appears "ill" from boarding.

The agency this week suggested that the Ebola crisis could strike 500,000 by the end of January. Others note that some 200,000 Africans from nations hit by the deadly virus have visas to travel to the United States.

The CDC is getting out in front of what could be a problem in the United States if somebody with the virus slips through security checkpoints overseas and arrives in America. In addition to the new precautions to airlines, the CDC has also provided hospitals and health centers with special protocols on handling people suspected of having Ebola.

Below is the updated CDC airline advisory:

Interim Guidance about Ebola Infection for Airline Crews, Cleaning Personnel, and Cargo Personnel

Updated September 19, 2014

Purpose: To give information to airlines on stopping ill travelers from boarding, managing and reporting onboard sick travelers, protecting crew and passengers from infection, and cleaning the plane and disinfecting contaminated areas.

Key Points:

-- A U.S. Department of Transportation rule permits airlines to deny boarding to air travelers with serious contagious diseases that could spread during flight, including travelers with possible Ebola symptoms. This rule applies to all flights of U.S. airlines, and to direct flights (no change of planes) to or from the United States by foreign airlines.

-- Cabin crew should follow routine infection control precautions for onboard sick travelers. If in-flight cleaning is needed, cabin crew should follow routine airline procedures using personal protective equipment available in the Universal Precautions Kit. If a traveler is confirmed to have had infectious Ebola on a flight, CDC will conduct an investigation to assess risk and inform passengers and crew of possible exposure.

-- Hand hygiene and other routine infection control measures should be followed.

-- Treat all body fluids as though they are infectious.

Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com.

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jacksdad View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jacksdad Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 21 2014 at 3:21pm
It's called universal precautions - they should already have been doing this, even before the Ebola outbreak.
"Buy it cheap. Stack it deep"
"Any community that fails to prepare, with the expectation that the federal government will come to the rescue, will be tragically wrong." Michael Leavitt, HHS Secretary.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote onefluover Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 21 2014 at 4:09pm
Yeah. It's good to see they've been spending our tax dollars wisely all along. Ditto JD.
"And then there were none."
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Technophobe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 21 2014 at 4:18pm
WOW!  They were fast with that information! 
How do you tell if a politician is lying?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hazelpad Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 21 2014 at 4:41pm
Technophobe, or anyone else from UK.

Do you know if they have still stopped flying directly from UK to the 3 regions. British Airways were the only carrier and they went against WHO advice and stopped direct flights early in August.( after an emergency cobra meeting) Is that still the case, or did they restart them.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Technophobe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 21 2014 at 5:09pm
I've not heard anything to that effect. 

So, I made a few cursory enquiries as if I were about to travel.  It is not possible from Aberdeen, flights were only available if I changed planes, leaving originally from Gatwick.  It looks as if the answer is "No flights are available.".

Whether or not there were before today I do not know.  It is amazingly hard to cancel a flight that does not exist.

Sorry I could not be of more help.  This is often the way with information in the UK.  We are rarely lied to, but often just not told anything at all.

This gives me an idea for an AFTers game:  a bit of sillyness with a purpose behind it.

Who can fly direct to Liberia, Guinea or Sierra Leone from their local airport?  How many changes do you have to make?  The least number of changes to get to all three wins the game.  The one who looses most dramatically is best protected in real life.

Monrovia, Liberia from Aberdeen (my local) = 3 changes of plane.  I'm off to bed now, will complete my entry when I get up.
How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Technophobe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 22 2014 at 7:12am
Game Update

Sierra Leone: 1 change 2 planes. Aberdeen- London, London- Freetown
Guinea:          1 change 2 planes. Aberdeen- London, London- Conarkry

I still can not do better than 2 changes and 3 planes to Monrovia, Liberia

Game total:   7 planes, 4 changes. 
How do you tell if a politician is lying?
His lips or pen are moving.
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