Ebola warning US - Update: now believed to be airborne - heads up!!!!!

Gemini Rising, thank you very, very much for this amazingly honest "diary" of a shopping trip. This is exactly what each of us is doing because nothing has changed, right? Life will always go on exactly as it has always gone on. It is so very difficult for us to see differently, think differently, behave differently, yet the world has totally changed in complexity for each of us in our every little corner of the world.

This precisely is, as Gemini says, normalcy bias at work. Perfect description. What are we to do about it? How are we to think differently, behave differently, take different precautions?

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have each person who generally reads and posts here comment on Gemini's "diary" and relate it to their own lives? I hope you each will.

I will only add to this wonderful, wonderful commentary that I cannot count how many times I have reminded myself that I need to disinfect my front door knob. Have I done so? You know the answer. Perhaps today I finally will, thanks to our dear Gemini Rising.

Chlorhexidine gluconate lab cleanser is effective and is used against enveloped viruses such as Ebola.

Although there is no official expert test results of Udder Wash with Ebola, it does contains the same ingredient (Chlorhexidine gluconate) as lab cleansers that are effective in killing Ebola.

I live in the suburbs of Chicongo, so I don't have any cows. :)

But I do have several gallons of chlorhexidine gluconate 'Udder Wash' concentrate, each gallon is diluted 10:1(for 10 gallons of cleansing agent per gallon). I use it for viral decontamination of flu, Ebola, etc. It's inexpensive and goes a long way if the time should arise.

The 'Teat Dip' and 'Udder Wash' come plain-for outerwear and with lanolin for that nice soft Ebola-Free skin cleansing. The lanolin is a plus you won't find in lab disinfectants, and a nice thing(for my wife especially). :)

BTW, During the last flu crisis here in the states you could not beg, borrow or steal Chlorhexidine Gluconate Udder Wash!

This won't be something you carry around with you, but when you return home, after burying the dead(?), foraging supplies during/after the epidemic(?), helping at the local infirmary, etc, you'll want to clean up 'real good' with it before meeting up with the family. :)

Last Edited by uscrusader1 on 06/22/2019 11:05 PM

Light Bulb, you are so very kind and thoughtful! You've no idea how much you are appreciated!

Whispering Leaves, I am sorry to say I do not recall the nature of the two pneumonia shots I received. Some years ago there was only one, and then another type came into use so there came to be two pneumonia immunizations. Shame on me for not remembering.

Pneumono 23 and Prevnar 13

Okay, since that was an excellent question, I researched with my pharmacist just now. The above are both bacterial. Quoting him, "There are hundreds of bacteria causing hundreds of strains of pneumonia. They picked the ones most common, and protected against them."

So there you have the straight skinny on pneumonia shots. I've had both because it seemed wisdom, despite my refusing flu shots annually.

You asked about the bleach wipes I use in my vehicle [and often at home as well]. The kind I have by my desk which may or may not be the same brand as in the car, but are the same in stated effectiveness and probably in ingredients as well:

Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Kills 99.9% of Viruses & Bacteria
Kills Staph, E. coli, Strept, Kleb
Kills Cold & Flu Viruses

Down in the fine print of ingredients, it states "Bleach Free" which of course is odd since the brand is Clorox.

I volunteered some years at our local PAWS and we asked visitors to use these before touching any pets or cages. Wearing a new silk blouse one day, [I worked at the desk] I was concerned about ruining it with a bleach spot so we read the ingredients and saw that there is no bleach in them. Seemed a surprise at the time, but I believe they do kill what they say they kill, so I use them as well.

Yes, they come in the lovely plastic "jars" or dispensers, and I think can also be found in foil-type packs with the resealable top. Yes, the containers make more garbage for the landfill. I do this consciously, preferring to protect myself from bacteria above lightening the load in the garbage. They contain from sixty to seventy-five wipes in each, which means they last quite a while before disposal.

Thank you for excellent questions and observations!!

Last Edited by Pooka on 06/22/2019 06:55 PM

Just what have we become as a simple shopping trip should cause such thought........?

This has nothing to do with "what have we become". We are the same country, same culture, same people.

This has only to do with a deadly disease to which we are being exposed, and the ways in which we must protect ourselves from said disease.

This does not change us as a people - and in fact if we would get into these habits, we could nearly eliminate the common cold and flus!

Edited to add: If we didn't have people arriving in this country with the disease, we would not have to worry about it. Let's not forget this point.

Last Edited by Pooka on 06/22/2019 07:35 PM

Just a little caveat here: The pneumonia shots may be "lifetime" but they're not bullet proof! I've had them and still managed to get pneumonia after some queer little throat bug (to which I obviously had NO immunity) last month. I'm 68, but I'm fairly healthy, active, eat right, exercise, stay out of crowds, supplement my immune system... and still got the damn stuff. Luckily, the doc spotted it early and some clindamycin seems to have cleared it up. But still, exercise caution!

Excellent point, Kamchatka. So sorry you had to have pneumonia! Apparently bacterial, too, since Clindamycin was effective.

The pharmacist did say there are hundreds of pneumonia bacteria and the immunizations only cover the most common ones, so you can say you are very special in having caught a bacterial pneumonia most people don't get!

Very useful information here! I live in a remote area but at least it's the right kind for udder wash: ranch country. I'll have no trouble finding something like this at the nearest feed store. There are lots more cows around here than humans.



I found a review page comparing Clorox brand to Lysol brand that explains the active ingredients doing the 'non-bleach' germ-killing at length, that might be edifying; it was for me:
"Clorox vs. Lysol: Which Disinfecting Wipes Kill More Germs?"
[link to prudentreviews.com (secure)]

By no means would I wish to discourage anyone from adequate protection by mentioning wastefulness: I'm thinking from the 'fixed income' perspective, is all. As you say, if ebola gets loose, overburdened local landfills are going to be the least of our concerns. I can add a carton or two to every Amazon order or every visit to a Dollar store without straining my credit unreasonably. I just hope the wealthier preppers in the area don't empty the shelves before I can do that so I'm going to keep my mouth shut about what I learn.:) Except for the animal shelters and animal rescuers in the area: they are angels and must be protected.

Chlorhexidine Im pretty sure does kill ebola. Its a surgical wash, you can use it to wash wounds or surgical instruments. I keep it on hand i have a farm its good for people and animals

Bleach must stay on things about three minutes to kill them, as well. The four minutes for the wipes makes sense. Thank you very much for finding the comparison. I note it says to never use on skin - sorry - it is the most powerful and effective thing I, at least, can do in my vehicle to remove whatever I may have picked up in public, so I will continue to do as I have done. Using one wipe on my hands, then keys and steering wheel and the small part of the door I use to close it leaves everything wet. I have not timed the wetness, it but it lasts a considerable bit, and considering I do it every time, I am going to believe it is killing everything I need killed.

We have to be careful about what we buy at the Dollar Tree. I shop there too, but I know some things that appear to be American made are fakes made in China. I wouldn't trust the antibacterial wipes from there. On the other hand, I do use furniture wipes from there. Just check as best you can for authenticity.

I, too, live on a small fixed income, so thrift and economy are important to me, as well. A few things require brand names for me, as in Folger's Colombian coffee, and brand name antibacterial wipes. In the kitchen I use hot water and soap, but will soon be thinking about bleach, actual bleach I've mixed from pool shock, for cleaning packages which come from the store or in the mail. I use bleach water to mop floors, for some cleaning in the bathroom, etc. The wipes are for the car, and for convenience at my computer. Imagine what all gets on our mouse and keyboard!

Last Edited by Pooka on 06/22/2019 10:19 PM

Pooka,
You are a great thread moderator and I am looking forward to contributing as much as I can to the benefit of your epic Ebola thread.


Last Edited by uscrusader1 on 06/22/2019 10:54 PM

US Crusader 1, please accept my abject apologies. Too much was going on here when I made that post - no, it is NOT you with the tinfoil hat = that was an AC. People, USCrusader1 is a valuable and sensible poster - the mistake was mine!!

As far as udder wash, this may well be the perfect thing for many purposes in ebola fighting. Just one example is a pan of it outside the door to step into, killing everything we may have stepped into, onto.

I have not milked cows, but I can guess that udders are quite sensitive, so this would not be harmful on our skin, which is a real plus.

Crusader 1, would you be willing to put the time into making certain udder wash would kill the ebola virus? We would all, and I, especially, be very grateful for this.

People, items we can purchase at feed stores are often much lower in price than what is available for "people use". We for years have been able to purchase injectable antibiotics such as penicillin, for our horses, cows, etc. :) If still possible in your area, investigate whether you would prefer this or fish antibiotics. Only if you have cows, horses, fish, etc, of course!!!

Crusader, again I apologize. I do hope we can ascertain the value of udder wash because this would be wonderful for so many uses. I would never have thought of it, so bless you for this.

Clipping for brevity here but shall address all.
Tinfoil hat and Lysol wipes? hahaha I did see that post, did not remember if it was the same poster. I'd still consider that udder wash for the usual 'bugs' and I'll certainly research in the meantime.

I was already aware of 'Chinese fakes' with some of the food products but I hadn't considered household cleaners as well since I don't buy them locally very often. I usually buy the 'organic environmentally-friendly' versions of dish detergent and basic cleaners for surfaces (because of the kitties) that I can't get at Dollar stores: 'trees,' 'generals' or 'family' varieties. We get some items that are sold in Mexico, with Spanish-language labels and who knows, they may have a Chinese source too. I'll definitely take your warning seriously, considering how many problems we've had with them already.

Remember the Chinese poison toothpaste that killed some people in Panama, more than a decade ago? A big scandal, but it didn't stay in the headlines. Then the Heparin scandal, Chinese-sourced blood-thinner given to dialysis patients, killed almost 100 Americans, that we know of. Media couldn't drop that one so fast, since the House of Representatives flatly accused China of trying to poison us. Chinese government was so annoyed about that getting out, they promptly executed the CEO and some upper management of their largest poison-providing company. Too bad we didn't have similar punishments here.

(Some people may be new here and though we did have discussion here of those stories, they got displaced by bo-r-i-n-g political and religious mania soon after, till nobody can keep track of real conspiracies anymore without knowing how to search for them.)

Temperature differential in the Southwest mountains, night and day, and general unpredictability make any brand of ground coffee a bad bargain for me, unless it's just a small can to carry me over in a pinch, because of fast degradation of quality. For the last year, I've been getting a good buy on the old American brand: Eight O'clock, whole beans, from Amazon. I get the '100% Colombian Peaks.' But they sell direct too:
[link to www.eightoclock.com (secure)]
For the bug-out bag: Folger's makes those coffee teabags (I know I'm not saying it right, lol) that run a bit pricey but are delicious when you really need a fresh-tasting cuppa. For instant coffee, the Nescafé brand sold in Latin America, and Mexico, that shows up in our Dollar stores with Spanish labels, is the best-tasting of all. Not even kidding here. Economical too.

Does ultraviolet light treatment on keyboards and mice help any, as people say it does, as a fast germicide?

^^^ that was I, up there, but I got logged out without knowing.^^

Hello, Granny2!

Thank you for this post. Is chlorhexidine one of the ingredients in udder wash? Do you use this for people and animals? Or do you use the surgical variety? If surgical, where might those of us not in a medical profession acquire it?

Thank you again!

Enhanced re-post

Last Edited by uscrusader1 on 06/22/2019 11:10 PM

Medical info:
[link to www.catalog.md]
[link to www.ams.usda.gov (secure)]
I just checked Amazon. There are some decent bargains there, different brands.
And Chewy.com has it! Just run a Chlorhexidine search. Many different products:
[link to www.chewy.com (secure)]

For anyone who may have read an unfortunate post I made in response to one from uscrusader1, please be aware that uscrusader1 is a trustworthy poster here, and what he/she says should be taken seriously. I take him/her very seriously - the unfortunate post was a matter of me not focusing closely enough on what was at hand, being scattered among internet and RL matters at the time.

uscrusader1, I've read your updated and enhanced post and am delighted to have this information. Now we all need to make trips to the feed store or place orders for the online sources posted by someone else.

Thanks to uscrusader1 we now have another great tool in our arsenal against ebola, and this is both powerful and much easier to use in many cases than things we had already discussed.

Think about having a pan of udder cleanser outside your door to step into to remove every bacteria and virus from your shoes, no matter where they have been!

Thank you again, uscrusader1 and others, for providing the information and sources!

Thank you, Whispering Leaves - we can always count on you to find the online resources for things - you are terrific at this! Thank you so much for the sources for the substance which will be so helpful in our fight!

Excellent question! No doubt someone here has the answer.

Last Edited by Pooka on 06/23/2019 12:33 AM

Eeeeeeeebolaaaaaaaaaa

Pooka, I found a couple of links about that light treatment. I used to have a much smaller handheld version, got it at WorldStart online, than the one talked about by PC World - but it burned out after a few years:
[link to www.pcworld.com (secure)]
and this one, about hospital computer keyboards and accessories:
[link to www.infectioncontroltoday.com (secure)]
and
[link to www.amazon.com (secure)]
Water purification:
[link to ultraviolet.com (secure)]
and
[link to www.freedrinkingwater.com (secure)]

Check out that Eight O'Clock site and you'll see they have many varieties on offer; Amazon always has a few of them too. Now, if I had extra to spend, I'd go to Nuts.com (where good deals are found for this kind of exotic thing) and buy Ethiopian Harrar in bulk. You can dial your choice: ground or whole bean:
[link to nuts.com (secure)]

You are remarkable at research, my dear! Thank you so much. May we count on you to be our official researching in this thread?

Thank you for these answers and links - good to know all these things.

I'll be checking out the coffee situation, definitely, with much good will toward you for it!

Good work wispering leaves.
Shopping around for the best price of Chlorhexidine cleansers could lead to other disciplines such as dog/cat/pet cleansers, laboratory cleaners, udder/teat wash, etc. In the case of an epidemic the main sources will be depleted quickly, and a trip to PetMart or Farm & Fleet might be a life saver.

Here is some additional back-up research on the Chlorhexidine/Ebola efficacies.

Case Study: Nebraska’s Ebola Decontamination Approach
[link to globalbiodefense.com (secure)]

Bactericidal and Virucidal Activity of Povidone-Iodine and Chlorhexidine Gluconate Cleansers in an In Vivo Hand Hygiene Clinical Simulation Study
[link to www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (secure)]

WHO Guideline and systematic review on hand hygiene and the use of chlorine(Chlorhexidine) in the context of Ebola
[link to www.who.int (secure)]

Thanks to you all for sharing links and research!!!

Many thanks.

Last Edited by Light Bulb on 06/23/2019 12:16 PM

“Povidone-iodine cleanser and chlorhexidine gluconate cleanser were both more effective than plain soap at removing bacteria from volunteers’ hands.

Povidone-iodine cleanser was more effective than plain soap at removing viruses, except when using 3 mL product for 15 s.

Chlorhexidine gluconate cleanser was less effective than plain soap at removing viruses in all tests.“

[link to www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov (secure)]

I think I read on a previous link that the chlorhexidrine is mainly for bacteria, as in the cow udders, but the above link says providone-iodine is more effective for viruses. ——- so since Ebola is a virus and not a bacteria, wouldn’t the providone-iodine be more effective?

Last Edited by Light Bulb on 06/23/2019 12:17 PM