well cowtime, all I know is that last year my mom made me go to the doctor (which I hate) and get stuck with a needle (which I really hate) that left a nasty metallic taste in my mouth for the rest of the afternoon and told me that it was for hepatitis. Perhaps it was A or B, I thought it was C because that’s what my brother said (he got it too). I don’t know. Go figure.
PROPERLY APPLIED IRISH WHISKEY COULD WORK. KIND OF A DIP AND SIP
Sadly, my best friend visited me from Cincinnati (I can never spell that right), and played my whistles when she first arrived. The down side is about three days later she came down with all the symptoms of mono. I tend to be rather lax when it comes to disinfection anyway, but whistles! Never. Though common viruses and bacteria can be picked up readily enough, it may be worth it to disinfect. Although, I am a hypocrite, seeing as how I will still probably never disinfect my whistles. 
Anyway, my point is: nasty things are out there and disinfection could be helpful.
Karina
[ This Message was edited by: Karina on 2002-06-27 02:26 ]
I think asking first is much more important than wiping. I don’t think I would want to play somebody’s whistle, if they swirled it in Lysterine first.
Before we get back to listing fatal infectous diseases, I wanted to interpose that in Europe, nobody would even dream of asking the question of this post, but would just swap and play, swap and play. I leave it to you whether you find that reassuring or disconcerting.
I just remembered a little true story: I was once, in my whistling infancy, playing a whistle in public, when I was accosted by a couple of passers-by. She, a musician, had a whistle at home and after some conversation got it into her head to teach my a neat tune she knew. I tried to comply but neither my brain nor my fingers could keep up (those who know me in person will confirm the impression of sluggishness). Wanting respite from failure, I offered her my whistle so that she could demostrate. She declined, intimating that she would have to stick it in her mouth to play it. “I don’t mind,” I said. To which not she, but her husband replied, “but I do.”
Yuck! Does the Centre for Disease Control know about this thread!!!
Now I’m really happy that my main instrument is the Bodhran!!!
MarkB
I am very fussy about swapping whistles and nobody but my friend and I swap. I have severe NUT & SESAME SEED ALLERGY and as so many products (especially crisps, fries) can be contaminated or cooked in groundnut oil nobody plays my whistles. After an out of body experience a month ago, 
( when peanuts were eaten at a session and I reacted to the atmosphere, I have almost been paranoid. However, whoever mentioned alcohol wipes that seems like a very good idea.
Generally I shake hands with, hug or kiss my whistle playing friends when we get together, which would put their germs on my hands, which I use to hold my whistle, so wiping off the mouthpiece seems like closing the barn door after the horse is out.
And Sam, I think you probably got the Hep A or B vaccine. Some school districts are requiring Hep B vaccine now for kids going into junior high or high school. It’s usually a series of 3 shots, I think. I don’t think there is a Hep C vaccine yet.
On 2002-06-24 22:43, cowtime wrote:
Are you sure this was for Hep C? not A or B?
You need to be sure and not assume you have imunity to C because C will eventually kill you if something else doesn’t get you quicker. My daughter was lucky that her case a few years ago was one of the 20 percent that responded to Interferon ( chemotherapy drug, bad side effects). She was cured! Thanks be to God!
Well I looked at my stupid medical record, it’s hepatitis B, not C. So I guess my brother doesn’t know what he’s talking about (as usual)
Jim_Mc Wrote:
“I don’t think there is a Hep C vaccine yet”
Jim,
According to my friend who’s been a nurse at the local VA hospital for the past 19 years, there is indeed a Hep C vaccine. Of course he does work in the Traumatic Stress Ward, so anything he says is suspect =;^)
Loren
[ This Message was edited by: Loren on 2002-07-01 08:26 ]
Well I better go get that Hep C vaccine, Loren. I share fifes with some pretty shady characters.
On 2002-07-01 03:44, jim_mc wrote:
Well I better go get that Hep C vaccine, Loren. I share fifes with some pretty shady characters.
And while you’re at the doctor’s ask about WhoA vaccines, would you? I’d be curious to hear.
On 2002-07-01 10:54, Bloomfield wrote:
And while you’re at the doctor’s ask about WhoA vaccines, would you? I’d be curious to hear.
Large doses of mercury, Bloomfield, or play a whistle made of aluminum, brass, certain kinds of wood, or plastic. ( Ref. the thread on PVC toxicity 
) Tin-coated sheet steel that’s been painted isn’t mentioned, so if you play a Clarke original you’re apparently still vulnerable.
On 2002-07-01 12:13, ndjr wrote:
Large doses of mercury…
Funny. I am already taking those for … ah, another malady, and it seems that my WhoA continues unabated. :roll:
On 2002-07-01 13:36, Bloomfield wrote:
Funny. I am already taking those for … ah, another malady, and it seems that my WhoA continues unabated. :roll:
Ah, there’s the problem: If you’re still sentient, the dose wasn’t large enough. 
On a trip this last weekend, my boys were both playing their whistles in the back of the car. My wife asked them to keep it down.
The boys response was to put their whistle’s in their noses and play a duet.
I WILL NEVER TOUCH THEIR WHISTLES AGAIN!
Gary
Bloomfield,
My doctor would be the wrong one to ask about the WhOA vaccine. I was there today (not for a hep C vaccine, just for him to have another look at my lousy rotator cuff), and my doctor says to me, “You’re the guy who plays all the flutes and things, right? What would be a good instrument for a man my age to take up? I just want to learn something simple to start exercising my right brain.” I’m going to drop off a Meg the next time I’m there. Now I’m a WhOA carrier! Physician, heal thyself!
jim,
you are an active carrier of WhoA and someone should call the health board to have you quarantined! Can you imagine what will happen once your doctor keeps a box of Megs in his waiting room? 
First and foremost, I would like to offer my sincere apologies for my rather protracted absence from the message board. The fact is, I was on a rather important expedition to Ireland as part of a scientific study on the behavioral patterns of Leprechauns. Once again, my sincerest apologies to all of you, especially the ones who suffered separation anxiety during my absence. (And my sincerest apologies for returning to the message board go to StevieJ. )
Anyway, as a physician I felt a need to contribute to this thread. In my professional (and infinitely humble) opinion, there is absolutely no need to worry about disease transmission by way of whistle. In other words, IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD.
Having said that, I am of course not trying to minimize the feeling of profound insecurity felt by some of you on about inter-salivary disease transmission. YOUR FEELINGS ARE IMPORTANT, AND SHOULD BE VALUED BY ALL. However, as I learned in medical school, “saliva is a perfectly natural bodily secretion, necessary for the proper digestion of food.” In otherwords, saliva is “part of this complete breakfast,” not something to be afraid of.
Nemo Pudsy*, M.D.
Your Resident Whistler’s Psychiatrist
*Not my real name.
[ This Message was edited by: Nemo Pudsy* on 2002-07-02 15:56 ]