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Date Posted: 18:15:28 04/25/09 Sat
Author: Anna May
Subject: Re: pandemic spread through the mail
In reply to: Susan 's message, "pandemic spread through the mail" on 16:55:23 04/25/09 Sat

Yes, it would affect anyone sorting and handling the mail, but with all the mail passing through, no one would know which letter had been contaminated. I learned about normal colds and viruses coming in on mail about 15 years ago, one winter when I was shut in this house with NO visitors for the winter and John and I did not go out and I got really ill just before Christmas when an ill friend wrote me a letter, and again in Feb. when another friend who had a flu wrote me a letter from her bed, telling me how sick she was. Before this never thought it possible, but I was real ill, in fact the one I got in Feb. was worse than anything I'd had in years. So I started reading some books, no internet at the time, and learned that germs stay alive on the inside and outside of the mail for at least three days. Since having the internet I've researched this further, and talked with a couple of friends I have that are in research it all points to the fact that if common colds and flues can stay on mail for days, then it will contribute to spreading a pandemic.

During the SARS outbreak during the 90's in Toronto, it was spread by touching anything, door knobs, railings, shopping carts etc. that an infected person touched, they explained then how the virus lives for so many hours and everyone was taking disinfectant wipes everywhere with them. So if it will live on a handrail then why would it not live on an envelope? Especially since most people use saliva to put a stamp on it and seal the envelope.

NOW if the virus is airborn, this would make it worse, but we don't know this info yet, the CDC has to find this out first, then when the microbes dry they also become airborne and like small particles of pollen they fly through the air and into one's lungs etc.

This site might be helpful, but it also a bit confusing
http://www.hhs.gov/pandemicflu/plan/sup4.html

If you remember when letter mail was contaminated with anthrax right after 2001 and a few people who worked in the post office, even though they were not close to the said letter took ill and one or two died, same principal here. Anthrax is highly infectious through the air, just being in the building air system could kill someone, now with that it would be obvious fast, but with a pandemic, people would slowly get sick, and then doctors and researchers would have to back track their activity to find out where they could of picked it up.

Anyway since we have bleached the mail and waited a couple of days, I have not caught anything from it, that I know of.

how's that lovely Cal weather? and how's your garden growing? Lemonaid would be nice right now :-))
Hugs, Anna May

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