General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Ebola can be spread through the droplets of a cough or sneeze. [View all]Erich Bloodaxe BSN
(14,733 posts)who has enough viral load to transmit it in such a way is really ill.
(And, btw, in medical parlance, the only person who can see 'symptoms' is the person with the illness. 'Signs' are the objective, observable, and measurable effects that caregivers can see, 'symptoms' are the subjective feelings that only the sick person knows. This is why doctors and nurses ask you what your symptoms are - they have no way to know your symptoms, but they can observe and measure the 'signs' of your problem. If you're in pain, you can experience the symptom of pain, while your caregiver might notice signs indicating that you're in pain, such as you groaning or grimacing. Everybody keeps talking about 'symptomatic' patients, but only the patient themselves can tell if they're 'symptomatic'. High temperatures, emesis, etc, are 'signs'.)