Ebola outbreak - general thread #3

[Yoda]

There CDC has actual expertise on Ebola. Perhaps it is time people stopped calling for the experts to be fired and let them do thier work.

Yes, there were failures at the local level in Dallas. Not because the CDC experts were wrong, but because the locals were not following the guidelines produced by the CDC.

I agree with you on people need to stop demanding health officials, etc be fired. Humans make mistakes and also learn from those mistakes.
The director of the CDC is not responding with the level of concern and gravity in which I think is needed, but I realize he may be being directed to downplay the situation. I also realize that, no matter what the US Ebola case response was, there would have been people criticizing and the media flocking to the 'outraged'. JMO

 

[Yoda]

Guess they had one more.

But I called dibs. :seeya:

 

[trigger]

http://www.elmundo.es/espana/2014/10/07/5433a9a7268e3e94268b4575.html

I dont read spanish but was told this says the Nurse in spain husband now in hospital with Ebola and another nurse that worked with her also. If anyone can translate that would be nice.

OK I did google translate

The Madrid remains on alert for the possible three other suspected cases of Ebola. The Ministry of Health has said that being watched four cases: the case of confirmed infected nursing assistant, two other suspects and another fourth person entered, which has not had a fever.

The two suspected cases are the husband of the infected nursing assistant and an engineer who returned to the airport of Barajas international travel and is in isolation. This man has been subject to analysis, which was negative, and is waiting to be done a second test tomorrow. This man may be suffering from malaria.

As reported in a press conference the manager of the Hospital La Paz and the physicians who care for patients at the Carlos III, the husband of the health infected is being studied by the "high-risk exposure without protection" that has been subject. So far, no symptoms of having contracted the disease, according to medical sources reported Servimedia.

The fourth case is being studied is a nurse who was part of the medical team who treated the two Spanish victims of the virus, the religious and missionary Miguel Pajares Manuel García Viejo, Hospital Carlos III of Madrid, as confirmed by a spokesman the Ministry of Health in the region. The nurse has diarrhea and no fever, but has proceeded cautiously to enable protocols.

 

[passionflower]

Did I miss update on Duncan?
Is the experimental drug working?
Was the last update on Sat?

 

[trigger]

Its not the whole article but here is the ending...

The health worker was moved to midnight at Hospital Carlos III, where it is isolated and remains stable and "not life threatening", as reported by the center coordinator Alerts and Emergencies of the Ministry of Health, Fernando Simón.

On September 26, a day after the death of García Viejo, the assistant went on vacation, but not out of Madrid, 30 September contacted the occupational health services of the hospital because I had a few tenths Alcorcón fever and asthenia.

However, it was not until six days later at the medical center when they attended your request for proof of Ebola done at the insistence of the patient. His worst suspicions were confirmed a few hours later and since then has launched a special protocol to locate and evaluate people in recent days have been in contact with women. For now, her husband remains under surveillance in an isolation unit Hospital Alcorcón and authorities are investigating their surroundings.

 

[Muffet]

BBM It appears that there is a mentality of "It wouldn't happen here.", similar to how teenagers think they are invincible. It doesn't help that the CDC and US govt keep perpetuating that mentality. We don't need the other end of the spectrum, hysterics and panic, but we need a serious and firm attitude towards this virus. JMO

Precisely.

And the biggest hindrance comes from people who are too focused on political implications and personal CYA - from the local level to international.

The CDC is notorious for it, and that's just one of the things that has earned them so much contempt from people on the ground.

That's always a problem, but now, when we are in such need of competent, reliable guidance for professionals and the general population, it's all but criminal. IMO

If we don't learn from the consequences of arrogance and politicizing in Spain and Liberia, then we could be in for real trouble.

SMH at the prevalence of self-centered leaders and their tools.

 

[WichitaFalls]

Did I miss update on Duncan?
Is the experimental drug working?
Was the last update on Sat?

CDC will update Dallas Ebola patient today at 3:00pm ET

 

[Detective Klimpt]

About making mistakes, I wonder......

What if on the first visit, all personnel seeing Duncan were aware he had been in Liberia, do you think they would have feared Ebola and isolated him immediately? I'm not sure I do. He came in with only stomach cramps and a mild fever; isn't that right? He had no diarrhea or vomiting or red eyes on that visit. Sure, now after the fact, the hospital would be on guard for mild symptoms, but should they have been more diligent then? Unlike so many, I can understand and forgive the hospital for making the mistake they did. I hope they are not hit with a law suit, because financial punishment won't help anything, except make the beneficiary wealthy.

 

[trigger]

Virus may spread more easily then assumed



Yet some scientists who have long studied Ebola say such assurances are premature — and they are concerned about what is not known about the strain now on the loose. It is an Ebola outbreak like none seen before, jumping from the bush to urban areas, giving the virus more opportunities to evolve as it passes through multiple human hosts.

Dr. C.J. Peters, who battled a 1989 outbreak of the virus among research monkeys housed in Virginia and who later led the CDC's most far-reaching study of Ebola's transmissibility in humans, said he would not rule out the possibility that it spreads through the air in tight quarters.

"We just don't have the data to exclude it," said Peters, who continues to research viral diseases at the University of Texas in Galveston.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-ebola-questions-20141007-story.html#page=1

 

[trigger]

Ebola killing robot developed in Texas

San Antonio, TX (KENS) - A local invention may turn out to be a key piece of technology in the fight against Ebola. It's a robot used by hospitals to disinfect and destroy bacteria and viruses.

http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/2014/10/06/ebola-killing-robot-developed-in-texas/16794187/

 

[SStarr33]

Re: whether people in Monrovia knew about the ebola outbreak.

Published on Aug 8, 2014

'People are very tense in Monrovia - all conversations are about Ebola'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiSw9BHPunY

"there's a constant awareness of this epidemic. No matter where a conversation starts, it will always end in ebola. ANY time you enter a public building--a bank, a restaurant, a hotel, just a normal shop, everyone's now got these buckets of water and you are asked to wash your hands when you go in and when you leave. Everyone is also aware of physical contact because they are believing if you touch the skin of anyone you can catch ebola....."

and more.

 

[LaborDayRN]

I wonder if a mod might be able to start a thread specific to the discussion of whether or not Duncan lied. It seems to be monopolizing a good portion of this thread, which I was under the impression was for the Ebola outbreak in general. Others may disagree, but for me it's difficult to find the posts specific to the outbreak. Thanks!

 

[SStarr33]

This seems kind of weird to me.

2:06 pm ET
Oct 7, 2014 IMF
IMF and World Bank: Welcome to D.C. Here’s A Thermometer To Check If You Have Ebola

http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2014...res-a-thermometer-to-check-if-you-have-ebola/

 

[Hiandmighty]

I think everyone thought it would happen eventually in the US, but no one thought it was going to happen RIGHT NOW in the US.

That is why the docs and nurses in Dallas didn't screen him properly. :moo: or didn't recognize the importance of testing him for ebola the first time.

MOO

 

[SStarr33]

Husband of ebola patient makes internet plea to save his dog

http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/10/07/inenglish/1412696221_462332.html

 

[Hiandmighty]

That makes me sick with worry for the poor dog.... This couple doesn't have any children, so their dog is likely like their child to them...

 

[SeekingJana]

There CDC has actual expertise on Ebola. Perhaps it is time people stopped calling for the experts to be fired and let them do thier work.

Yes, there were failures at the local level in Dallas. Not because the CDC experts were wrong, but because the locals were not following the guidelines produced by the CDC.

I agree with this post. The CDC IS the best we have in the USA, and they will remain the best medical experts on infectious disease in the USA. We need to listen to them unless it is proven at some point that they are not being honest or forthcoming with the US public.

The isolation precautions in place in developed countries should stop Ebola transmission. However, humans are imperfect. A break in technique with gloving, gowning, foot coverings, a splash in the eye, and so forth can result in that person being exposed to Ebola during direct patient contact and contact with body fluids of infected persons.
Another consideration is that the N-95 respirator masks which are standard in the USA for keeping particulate matter out of the mouth and nose are only effective for 5-6 hours, then they have to be discarded and replaced with a new mask which is fitted to each masked person. ( My mask may not fit your face, IOW).
Condensation from respirations cause the masks to be as effective after about 5-6 hours. Therefore, the structural integrity is not the same.

It is still my opinion that the isolated outbreaks among workers in W. Africa come from breaks in isolation technique, however small or short. They occurred.

 

[BirdycatNY]

That makes me sick with worry for the poor dog.... This couple doesn't have any children, so their dog is likely like their child to them...

It is so disturbing that ebola may affect more vulnerable groups like children, homeless, elderly and pets, and which is why it is imperative that adults/countries/health agencies be responsible and diligent. This poor dog will lose his life and those exposed children in Dallas may get sick and die; and both they rely on adults to keep them safe and healthy. We have a duty to protect not only citizens, but especially vulnerable individuals like children, pets, homeless, etc. If any of these children or homeless or anyone else besides Duncan in Dallas get sick, I for one will be furious. jmo

Article talks a little bit about effects on children in Africa: http://www.bbc.com/news/health-29507673

 

[SallyLu]

Virus may spread more easily then assumed



Yet some scientists who have long studied Ebola say such assurances are premature — and they are concerned about what is not known about the strain now on the loose. It is an Ebola outbreak like none seen before, jumping from the bush to urban areas, giving the virus more opportunities to evolve as it passes through multiple human hosts.

Dr. C.J. Peters, who battled a 1989 outbreak of the virus among research monkeys housed in Virginia and who later led the CDC's most far-reaching study of Ebola's transmissibility in humans, said he would not rule out the possibility that it spreads through the air in tight quarters.

"We just don't have the data to exclude it," said Peters, who continues to research viral diseases at the University of Texas in Galveston.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-ebola-questions-20141007-story.html#page=1

Good article and I tend to err the side of caution along with Dr Peters.

 

[SallyLu]

This seems kind of weird to me.

2:06 pm ET
Oct 7, 2014 IMF
IMF and World Bank: Welcome to D.C. Here’s A Thermometer To Check If You Have Ebola

http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2014...res-a-thermometer-to-check-if-you-have-ebola/

I don't know if that's daft or sensible!