/oss/taxonomy/term/2433/all en /oss/article/did-you-know-health/vomit <p>This sounds distasteful, but is worth remembering.  Believe it or not, vomit appears to be astonishingly effective at spreading viruses.  Investigators were called in when 52 people at a hotel function came down with fever, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea three days after a meal.  126 people had sat down at 6 tables and one lady got very sick.  The staff  quickly cleaned up the mess, but the damage was done.  More than 90% of people at the same table as the sick woman got sick themselves as did 70% of people at the adjacent table.</p> Tue, 30 May 2017 16:55:22 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2497 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-health/categorization-pathogens <p>Some pathogens are much more dangerous to handle than others, which has led to their classification for laboratory purposes into categories. Category 4, the most dangerous, contains those potentially fatal viruses where no treatment is available, for example Lassa, Ebola, Marburg, smallpox. These call for total isolation and maximum security. Category 3 includes viruses such as hepatitis, HIV, rabies, bacteria like M. tuberculosis, anthrax, and plague, and some fungi and protozoa; these are handled in separate laboratories.</p> Wed, 24 May 2017 23:13:36 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2486 at /oss