Morgellons: Contagious..or not?

[morgylady]

I have been reading many theories. Some seem convinced that it just cant be contagious at all.

Frankly, being that my husband, daughter and I have it, I cannot and will not discount the possibility of contagion. Why else are there entire families and all sorts of loved ones becoming infected? If the people you hang out with the most all start to suffer from the same malady, I cannot simply discount the possibility of it being a highly infectious disease. Many of us have also experienced even coworkers and other folks exhibiting signs of contagion.

Do some say its not contagious because its easier to tell yourself that than to face the reality that you very well may be affecting the people you love? Or do you have some kind of evidence that it isnt? Most folks experiences say otherwise. I would like to gain more understanding on the "not contagious" side of the debate.

What are your thoughts? Experiences? Theories?

[Venetia]

IMO - it is environment that is the vector. All research, when you look at the big picture, points in that direction.

You are with family members- in the same house? Explains why all members would become ill.

As to others you know "exhibiting signs of contagion", this 'stuff' is everywhere.

When I was working- I had a long drive and it never failed that I would see another driver in front or next to my car- scratching their head/neck/back.

As many posters point out, even the Stars on late night TV are scratching.

-V-

[gigi22]

That is a tough question.

In my case, I experience the crawling, itching, biting, and black threads, specks, fuzzballs, etc. However, I realize that the fibers responsible for all of this have been in my environment for a VERY LONG TIME. They are everywhere... in my workplace, home, restaurants, coffee shops, etc. This is why I believe I'm not contagious. They have been in my home a long time because they are in rooms I don't frequent often and a blanket that I stored in a closet 4 years ago and didn't use is infested with these fibers. They didn't start bothering me until 3 months ago, when my immune system went to pot. I was exposed to some mold and with a couple rounds of antibiotics, I was left with a systematic candida infection and then "M" symptoms showed up. My husband and dog who have been living in this environment with me for years are unaffected.

Whether someone gets this depends on their genetics/immune system/underlying infections, etc. Is there a common pathogen we all have that draws these fibers to paratisize (is that a word?) us? or is it simply a matter of the immune system being compromised in some way?

Some people get this through an insect vector. If this vector is through bird mites, lice, or bedbugs, then I could see how this could be contagious to others if these bugs aren't cleared from the environment or the body.

But I agree with Venetia - this "stuff" is everywhere. At first I worried about spreading it to my family, but now that I know I have been living with it in my home for years, I'm a little less worried about that.

[dragonfly2]

My son showed the first outward expressions (lesions) of this disease, then a month later I blew up all over the place. YES IT IS CONTAGIOUS

[Sadsack]

Guess I'll weigh in, too.

The people who are the most outspoken about the non-contagion are the doctors who deal with it.

Ginger Savely has seen over 300 patients; I don't know how many Dr. Staninger has seen, but I'm sure it is close to that (I was patient 100 and something over a year and a half ago). Dr. Kolb also sees many, many patients. None have "caught" it despited MUCH "exposure" (I say that in quotes because the infective exposure is more likely an environmental one VS from a person).

To my knowledge, there are only 4 doctors who have this (at least who are willing to come forth). It would seem that far more would be infected with all the doctors we collectively have seen.

On the other hand, I think there is either a sub-type or a phase of this that has insects or insect-like/larva like components that may be a transmission vehicle. I won't go into details about that, but there is some evidence of that in my own history.

Finally, who the hell knows anything about this horror. Sorry, I'm a little negative today.

SS

PS - In my case, by the time I had lesions, I'd had this for years. Lesions are eruptions of an overload of crap in our systems/skin. I don't think that that level of M stuff can develop overnight.

[Katinka]

I personally NOW think it is NOT contagious..I kiss and hug my kids and are around them all day and even in the initial phase where I was shedding specks, seeds and as fibers were flying around my head...lol..neither my son or my daughter have 'it' nor show any signs...

In the beginning I went hunting for fibers...everywhere..and found them even on the clothes of my children....yes...moving fibers of all colors..mostly black though..

So..I took ALL clothes of my kids and washed them separately with disinfectant laundry detergent and used disinfectant solution for the rinse cycle....I also washed all beddings, curtains and everything made out of cloth the same way too...I almost freaked out by being so scared my kids could also get infected...anyway..after doing this... and cleaning their rooms and carpets also...no more fibers were to be seen..

I still keep my environment very clean, especially my bed- and bathroom..and still am washing my clothes and towels separately from those of my children...My vacuum cleaner has become 'my best friend' as I have noticed it's the best way to rid the fibers and other particles lying on shelves and other furniture...

Maybe this was the clou? Maybe that's why my kids didn't get infected?

I'm not totally sure about that, but I don't/didn't want to take a risk either....

So, now I personally think there must be ALSO some kind of internal 'pre-disposition'...another health issue..such as hormone imbalance... or genetical dominance in order to be 'intruded' by this monster!

And YES! IT is everywhere....in the water, air, soil....there is no way out!

The only thing we can do IMO is to try to get as much healthy as we can..
help the body to build up the immune system with extra supplements..get rid of possible parasites...try to eat and drink the 'right' stuff...plus seek treatment for other ailments that might be existing ..like Lyme's and other co-infections (there is definitely a connection)...

I personally think the bodies own immune mechanism is capable of 'fighting' off this foreign organism...IF and only IF your immune system is intact!

The future will show if my theory about contagiousness is right or not..after staying several weeks at a 'Morgie's Place'..drinking american bottled/tap water...taking showers..eating all sorts of food...this will be a TEST and surely interesting for scientists and docs investigating this disease.

I will report...

Kat

[-----------]

Originally Posted by Katinka

I personally think the bodies own immune mechanism is capable of 'fighting' off this foreign organism...IF and only IF your immune system is intact!


Kat

I think this is an interesting statement, Kat. I see where women's immune systems are superior to men's? Hmmm?... and it appears that more women are showing signs of Morgellons than men?

This might be a clue?

In Fighting Disease, Women Are Superior

[Baraka Obam]

The way I think you can catch this, my form of this anyway, is to 1. be born by a mother or father or couple that is infected, if one has it so does the other, TIME ALWAYS TELLS!!! 2. Go to the hospital and get any invasive operation, blood transfer, colonostopy (where the instruments have not been cleaned correctly or at ALL), have open wound contact with any fluid of a infected person. 3. Fluid exchage thru sex, what disease can't be transmitted this way, from one warm body to another, don't give much chance for a pathogen to die. In my case I believe it was number 3. making lust, in a third world country where it was all over, now its all over here thanks to the VIETNAM War weaker strains came home by way of OCCUPIED JAPAN, if there is a way to find out the mortality of births after WW2 and then Korean War, next Vietnam, there is a little tip in these numbers also birth defect statistics. They may not have been as high as I would think BUT that may be because it was still in a weak form and modern drugs were just being used.

They say Vietnam Veterens were poisioned by Agent Orange, look at all the birth defects. I have seen TWO Vietnam Veterens with Lesions, nerve damage and other skin problems!!

[Kritters]

My opinion deals with only one component of this. If "Morgellons" indeed has herpes of some strain implicated, I think it can be contagious, but only when the immune system is at a low ebb. Or when your body is over the edge acidic. I don't think it's one size fits all, however, and I do also think it originates in the environment, whether an insect vector or a microscopic vector in mold or both and more. And I think Baraka is right as well about contracting through transfusions, but again... I think something else has to be working in your body and it has to be the right time and the right situation. However, I think basically everyone is doomed to get this eventually. It's the plague and the H1N1 flu shots will wreak havoc on all of us.

I'm extremely depressed about all of this. I look around at people when I'm out in different places and think, you people have no clue what's about to hit you. so freaking sad.

Kritts

[Sadsack]

I can really relate to what you think and feel about what is looming ahead, Kritters. My nephew and his wife are trying to have a baby, and I want to say to them, DON'T DO IT!!!

Then, of course, everyone would be saying "She's gone crazy again".

If this is so contagious, why, after anywhere between 30 and 60 years of this thing showing up in people, are there still so few (relatively speaking)?

I definitely think it is contracted from the environment, and people who share the same environment are more likely to get it (leading one to think it was contagious). And whatever is in the environment is increasing.

There is certainly no shortage of people having sex, operations, vaccinations, blood transfusions, etc - but only 14,000 families registered from around the world? Yes, it's probably much higher - but even at 10 times higher, that is still only 140,000 families.

It's been around too long to have so few people have it if it is readily contagious. Two billion people in the world have TB. In 2007, 2 million people died from AIDS, and 2 1/2 million new cases were reported.

SS