Fear Of Ebola Being Spread Via Envelopes, Etc Through Mail?

[Trudy L]

So....for those of us who DO order packages via email or catalog orders near the holiday season, does anyone have an opinion about this?  I read on a site that Ebola can last on paper surfaces for up to 48 hours.  Not sure if anyone really knows for sure, but I'm wondering if I should use gloves to handle mail that may be processed from certain countries and/or states...any thoughts?  

 

[Trudy L]

Oh, to clarify, I don't mean purposely sent, as in an evil act, I mean incidental contact of the envelope exteriors or items inside touching an infected person or environment....

 

[kindsty]

This is what I found online from the CDC,

How long does the Ebola virus live on surfaces?

We’ve been hearing for months that Ebola virus has been shown to survive for days on surfaces, but it’s important to consider a few things.

First off, viruses do not survive long on porous surfaces, such as fabrics for example. They can live longer on hard surfaces, such as metal and glass. As well, there have been lab studies showing that dried samples of Ebola virus can survive for days; but other studies have found the virus doesn’t survive more than a few hours outside of a host.

It’s important to note that in the tests where the virus lived for days, they were kept in the dark, at low temperatures, around 4 degrees Celsius, which helped the viruses survive.

In real life, the Ebola virus is sensitive to light, heat and low humidity, so it’s less likely to live long in environments such as brightly lit airplanes or hospital waiting rooms, both of which are scrubbed down regularly.