Power Washer - The richer end of the world finds creative ways to spread Ebola virus

[sharon sanders]

Friday, 3 October 2014

The richer end of the world finds creative ways to spread Ebola virus...

This from a Tweet sent to me by @LonnieRhea thanks) ​

So far the Dallas Ebola virus disease case has been a great learning experience for the United States.

It really does serve to highlight that humans are what make virus outbreaks...become outbreaks.

Viruses are nothing without us. And we are so eager to oblige in spreading them around.

Hopefully the virus in that vomit had been inactivated by heat, or the nature of the surface it was on or by drying out before being stirred up by a high pressure water blaster. And hopefully they sterilised their shoes and clothes and...sigh.
Posted by Ian M Mackay

http://www.virologydownunder.blogsp...nd-of-world-finds-creative.html#gpluscomments

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: Power Washer - The richer end of the world finds creative ways to spread Ebola virus

My husband (MPH) is an environmental safety guy with bio-hazard training and when I told him that it appears workers cleaned ebola laden barfo off the pavement with a power washer - he almost passed out.

1) The particulates could have been flung onto people nearby, including the air,

2) Ebola virus will flow into the drainage system. If those apartment drains flow into the city sewage treatment center where chemicals are added...probably ok....BUT if that drainage system goes to a lake or retention pond THEN NOT OK. Ebola virus has just been sent into the local environment. Not knowing the full ramifications of this...probably no one knows for sure....but not good.....

 

[alert]

Re: Power Washer - The richer end of the world finds creative ways to spread Ebola virus

LOL. Only in America....

A couple years ago, a man in Uganda became a suspect Ebola case (but eventually tested negative) by stealing a cell phone from an Ebola ward. The story went viral (no pun intended) in the developed mainly because of our dependence on cell phones and other forms of advanced technology.

While a power washer isn't quite the advanced technology that a cell phone is, I still have to groan and shake my head on this one. We will be hearing a lot more of this story, I suspect.

I believe a vacuum cleaner was used in March 2003 to clean up vomit in the 9th floor lobby of the Metropole Hotel in Hong Kong that contained the SARS virus. The resulting aerosolization of the virus partially explained why so many people on that floor were infected.

 

[JimO]

Re: Power Washer - The richer end of the world finds creative ways to spread Ebola virus

Most drainage goes into the storm sewers, which discharge directly to surface water bodies. Few places allow storm water runoff to pass through their wastewater treatment plants because they don't have the capacity to handle episodic large increases in flow during storm events. So, it is likely that the runoff from the pressure washer will not be treated.

 

[Lynda]

Re: Power Washer - The richer end of the world finds creative ways to spread Ebola virus

I'm familiar with the apartment complex and the area around it. It's not like you think of a 'city' apartment. There are large areas of paving and unpaved areas where people gather, and kids play, for a power washer to spread the germs around before they reach the storm sewer. The good news (if we can scrape for a tad of it) is that it's definitely a storm sewer-to-treatment plant situation.

The private HazMat cleanup people showed up, and were asked for their permit to transport hazardous waste over Texas roads. They didn't have that item, so the waste (as of this morning) was still in the apartment.

The weather is beginning to cool here. The bugs should enjoy that.

Today is a big day for the poor girlfriend, if you count it up.

 

[MHSC]

Re: Power Washer - The richer end of the world finds creative ways to spread Ebola virus

I'm familiar with the apartment complex and the area around it. It's not like you think of a 'city' apartment. There are large areas of paving and unpaved areas where people gather, and kids play, for a power washer to spread the germs around before they reach the storm sewer.

The private HazMat cleanup people showed up, and were asked for their permit to transport hazardous waste over Texas roads. They didn't have that item, so the waste (as of this morning) was still in the apartment.

The weather is beginning to cool here.

Thank you for sharing Lynda, please keep us posted.