AIBU to think my son should not see his friend for three weeks.. EBOLA?

[fluffyduffydoo]

My son came back from the doctors and said there is a big notice on the door stating if you feel unwell and have been to Africa or in contact with any one who has travelled to Africa recently please do not enter the surgery but ring the bell and report

Hs best friend has spent the summer in Africa and neither of us thought anything until this message on the GP site

Is the GP scaremongerging or is it a genuine risk and he should wait a few weeks before meeting up with his friend?

You have a point,nooka. Especially about it feeling out of control and people imagining that everything can be cured.

But I think in this case it's important to remember that there are very good reasons why this is out of control in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia and that none of those exist here. The reasons it is out of control aren't anything to do with the virus itself, and it should have been possible to contain it as easily as it has been contained in the past.

Are sting rays a big problem round the UK?

But the person is going to school, no?

No sting rays aren't a problem round the UK. And the likelihood of being killed by one is probably on a par with your risk of catching Ebola in the UK .

Not if you live inland EBearhug. But they are a risk along the south coast.

I heard someone on the radio say that it is very easy to kill Ebola with detergent and normal hand washing. So I wouldn't panic unduly about catching it from someone in the UK.

Although the risk is more being stung by one rather than being killed by one.

Weever fish can be a bit annoying.

If you're going to worry every day after your son seeing his friend I would just avoid seeing him for a lite bit, rational or not, it's not worth you worrying.
I don't think people have to feel unwell before they are contagious, but I'm no expert.
I worry about it too, I work with people who regularly have family from west Africa visit, having said that I still go to work.

They're more than a bit annoying, OYBBK. They bloody hurt.

I'm pleased to say I've never encountered one :) stinging jelly fish - yes.

The contagious part of ebola is when they are displaying symptoms and even then it's not terribly contagious.

All the cases in Nigeria have been amongst healthcare workers who treated Patrick Sawyer prior to his diagnosis with Ebola. If Nigeria can contain it, we can contain it.

FWIW, DD2's school has a large contingent of Nigerian boarders, there have been no warnings out for her school, and they are obviously being sensible and not panicking

My children's school has a lot of children from west Africa as well. In fact Dd's best mate is Nigerian

Our school haven't said anything though

Surely the friend will be in school next week? Therefore pointless keeping away. Who is say where others in the class have been?

I think the doctor's surgery is being a bit alarmist. However, if the surgery is in an area which sees lots of people who have links to affected areas, I can see why it would be worth doing. To be honest, people feeling ill after traveling to west Africa are far more likely to have malaria or food poisoning or have picked something up on the plane, rather than Ebola.

Ebola isn't contagious until infected people start to show symptoms (although it can still infect people after death). Usually, symptoms get pretty nasty, pretty fast, so people are unlikely to want visitors or be going outside by this stage. The reason it has spread so much in the current outbreak is linked to lack of sanitation, nursing of patients by relatives within the home, and burial practices such as washing the body of the dead.

If his friend has not been to an area with a high rate of cases (Nigeria doesn't count as there are only a small number of cases and these seem to have been successfully isolated), then there's not really any reason to worry. It's unlikely he will be swapping bodily fluids with his friend, anyway- if you're not worried about him getting HIV or hepatitis from his friend, then he's unlikely to catch Ebola. Hand washing also reduces the infection risk.

However, it sounds like your son is an older teenager or nearly an adult, so he should make his own choices WRT his health. If he really doesn't feel comfortable going to see his friend, then that's up to him.

Weever fish are bloomin' painful. I've trodden on one twice, a few years apart. Ugly little gits, too. Apparently they're quite a delicacy in Spain. Can't help feeling it's one if those foods which might be bearable if you're starving - but I'm not.

I have to say that I thought sting rays preferred more tropical waters, but my fish knowledge isn't what it once was.

I wouldn't be too worried about Ebola. If someone comes back from Africa and develops flu-like symptoms - that's the starting point of pretty much any tropical disease - it's more likely to be something other than Ebola. Even if it were, we have the facilities here to handle it.

I was far more worried about picking up parasites like jiggers or botfly when I was in Africa, though that's not really rational.

Sorry but I'm still laughing at labia

My father just arrived from Liberia a couple of weeks ago. I have not been worried about seeing him, or letting the children see him. HTH.

Just seen on news someone in Britain has it

Hope he recovers x

Are you sure that's not the chap who has been flown over?

Garyshitpeas the person who has it in uk contracted Ebola Sierra Leone while nursing people with Ebola.

He is being kept in a specialist isolation ward www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28923826

Since your ds's friend has not been in the thick of an infected area, has not been staying with a family with an infected member nor working as a hc worker or burying victims of the virus, and is well, there seems to be no reason at all to avoid contact.

The incubation period is days, not a few weeks, anyway.

Depending on the reason for his visit to the GP perhaps the friend should be avoiding your DS?

Aha ok mostly, thank you!

Serves me right for not listening properly to the news and just hearing the bit about ebola in uk and panicking