What would happen if someone with the flu also contracted ebola?

[apples and oranges]

Last edited Thu Oct 16, 2014, 08:42 PM - Edit history (1)

What would that person transmit to others who aren't in direct contact? The flu only or both viruses?

Update:

FACT for the people mocking: Ebola has never been observed in a cold/winter climate. We are in new territory here and questions shouldn't be mocked or ridiculed.

Much like Flu, Airborne Ebola transmissions need Winter type conditions to maximize Aerosol infection

"Filoviruses, which are classified as Category A Bioterrorism Agents by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, GA), have stability in aerosol form comparable to other lipid containing viruses such as influenza A virus, a low infectious dose by the aerosol route (less than 10 PFU) in NHPs, and case fatality rates as high as ~90% ."

"The mode of acquisition of viral infection in index cases is usually unknown. Secondary transmission of filovirus infection is typically thought to occur by direct contact with infected persons or infected blood or tissues. There is no strong evidence of secondary transmission by the aerosol route in African filovirus outbreaks. However, aerosol transmission is thought to be possible and may occur in conditions of lower temperature and humidity which may not have been factors in outbreaks in warmer climates . At the very least, the potential exists for aerosol transmission, given that virus is detected in bodily secretions, the pulmonary alveolar interstitial cells, and within lung spaces"

Aerosol ability: http://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/4/10/2115

Flu has less impact in tropical regions of southern hemisphere: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0041918

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1997182/

http://vet.sagepub.com/content/50/3/514.full

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4113787/

[NightWatcher]

1. Zombies!!!

It's what's next, just you wait and see

[procon]

6. LOL - I was going to say the same thing!

Enough with the crazy talk; besides, the Republicans already own the copyright on fear mongering.

[LostInAnomie]

2. Flubola

[bigwillq]

3. ...

[NightWatcher]

4. Ebolu

[kestrel91316]

5. Well they would be unlikely to get exposed to both in infectious doses simultaneously.

Perhaps the first virus would trigger an interferon response that would "interfere", as its name implies, with the other virus getting a foothold. I really can't speculate beyond that.

[lonestarnot]

7. Welp, they'd probably get cancer and the Alzheimers and run down by a train too.

[CBGLuthier]

8. Some days the level of mindless endless speculation about every single possibility on the internet

is enough to make a person scream. Today is one of those days.

[apples and oranges]

9. So even though it's flu season, we shouldn't speculate

on what would happen if someone with the flu was exposed and infected with ebola? Do you think it's not possible or do you just not know the answer?

[FSogol]

10. And what if they bought vanilla ice cream? Would that be affected too?

How about Neapolitan ice cream? Do you think it's not possible or do you just not know the answer?

[uppityperson]

11. What if they were exposed to a gi virus also? omg, just think of it

[Autumn]

12. That would be the E-Flu. You can set up your spam folder to filter it out.

[Lars39]

13. You're taking some flack for this question, but somewhere a scientist is/has been speculating

about this too, or already knows the answer. Fwiw, you can catch 2 diseases at the same time...a sibling of mine had the measles and mumps at the same time.

But zombies it is!

[Adsos Letter]

14. I would think the person would sicken and die even faster

What with the body's immune system trying to fight off two potentially fatal diseases at once.

Purest of uneducated speculation on my part.