Ebola outbreak - general thread #4

[faw720]

I wouldn't be surprised if what's recommended by CDC is not adequate.

I totally agree. Theories are great but there is nothing quite as valuable as experience.

 

[Sigh Sister]

When the CDC works with the ebola virus in the lab, they wear a "space suit" and have to go through a 7 minute decontamination shower before they take the suit off. IMO, healthcare workers should also have to go through a decontamination shower before removing their gear as the risk of exposure is very high at that point. Even in Africa, workers are sprayed down with a solution before removing their PPE! Maybe, I'm wrong and this was part of the procedure in Dallas, but I doubt it.

 

[jjenny]

Or the ER folks all quit.

I really doubt they are all going to leave their colleague untreated.

 

[Elley Mae]

IMO, we don't have any type of control over this situation, right now. I feel like whoever is making these idiotic decisions to take temps, rather than quarantine people, is delusional. What if you have a body temp that is normally around 2 degrees lower than 98.6 (I do)? So if you have ebola, and the fever, you're going to present as if you have no fever, or not the degree that they're looking for. My dh has a meeting this week with someone who just returned from Africa. I don't want him to attend. I want this person to stay away for 21 days. And if they're asymptomatic, then they can have the meeting. Who knows who they came into contact with in the various airports they've recently traversed? Do I sound like I'm making a mountain out of a molehill? I don't care.

No not to me, my hubby deals with people that are coming and going (air travel) and I am paying attention to where they are coming from, I still don't know or think they (cdc/who) know how it is transferred as far as air borne or not. jmo idk

 

[jjenny]

When the CDC works with the ebola virus in the lab, they wear a "space suit" and have to go through a 7 minute decontamination shower before they take the suit off. IMO, healthcare workers should also have to go through a decontamination shower before removing their gear as the risk of exposure is very high at that point. Even in Africa, workers are sprayed down with a solution before removing their PPE! Maybe, I'm wrong and this was part of the procedure in Dallas, but I doubt it.

I agree with you. I don't think CDC guidelines are adequate at this point. At the very least they should decontaminate their hands (so they don't touch their face and get infected).

 

[Sonya610]

Even in Africa, workers are sprayed down with a solution before removing their PPE! Maybe, I'm wrong and this was part of the procedure in Dallas, but I doubt it.

Yeah I doubt if they were doing that in TX (or in Spain) and that is sad because honestly it is just so darn OBVIOUS and SIMPLE!

Of course the nurse in TX might not have even been wearing a PPE.

 

[jjenny]

Yeah I doubt if they were doing that in TX (or in Spain) and that is sad because honestly it is just so darn OBVIOUS and SIMPLE!

Of course the nurse in TX might not have even been wearing a PPE.

CNN is reporting she was wearing full protective gear: a gown, a face mask, a shield and gloves.

 

[Elley Mae]

"We knew a second case could be a reality, and we've been preparing for this possibility," said Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services. "We are broadening our team in Dallas and working with extreme diligence to prevent further spread."

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/health/2014/10/12/presbyterian-hospital-worker-ebola/17147507/

bbm, It's my opinion that the emergency room is not accepting patients because it is getting a scrubbing, I think that is where the wroker was working up till the spike in temp.

 

[jjenny]

"We knew a second case could be a reality, and we've been preparing for this possibility," said Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services. "We are broadening our team in Dallas and working with extreme diligence to prevent further spread."

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/health/2014/10/12/presbyterian-hospital-worker-ebola/17147507/


, It's my opinion that the emergency room is not accepting patients because it is getting a scrubbing, I think that is where the wroker was working up till the spike in temp.

Yes, I think so to. She most likely worked in the ER. I think what they should have done is close the hospital or the part of it, and set it up for Duncan's contacts like they did in Spain. We here allowed our contacts to be isolated in place, and we all know people don't always do what they are told.
They should have been in the hospital monitored instead of running around free.

 

[ClaireNC]

Horrible.

This news makes me wonder if someone in the family is positive and they are not telling us.

I wonder the same thing. With confidentiality laws as they are, I assume that if the family says they don't want the news released, then doctors are not allowed to release the news. Does anybody know if that's true?

 

[jjenny]

I wonder the same thing. With confidentiality laws as they are, I assume that if the family says they don't want the news released, then doctors are not allowed to release the news. Does anybody know if that's true?

We haven't heard a thing about WHO doctor with Ebola who has been in Emory for over a month. We don't even know what his name is, let alone his condition. So it's true.

 

[Elley Mae]

It is going to be interesting to see how this patient does with full blown, as good as it gets, medical care from the start.

Yes, so true. It will be interesting to see how this turns out. I do hope for the best. I can't imagine.

 

[Lyra500]

CNN is reporting she was wearing full protective gear: a gown, a face mask, a shield and gloves.

I have seen someone wearing that gear and I was surprised because they were not wearing a 'cover-all' hood. They were in the UK, but looked very like the CDC guidance pictures.

Not wearing a hood leaves visible skin and hair around the neck area.

In Africa they appear to work on the principle of covering every square inch of skin so that there is absolutely no chance of some wayward splash of virus laden fluid coming into contact with any part of the healthcare workers.

However, I suppose you can cover up as much as you like, but it will not help if something goes wrong when taking the PPE off or if the 'disrobing' procedures are not stringent enough.

 

[jjenny]

I have seen someone wearing that gear and I was surprised because they were not wearing a 'cover-all' hood. They were in the UK, but looked very like the CDC guidance pictures.

Not wearing a hood leaves visible skin and hair around the neck area.

In Africa they appear to work on the principle of covering every square inch of skin so that there is absolutely no chance of some wayward splash of virus laden fluid coming into contact with any part of the healthcare workers.

However, I suppose you can cover up as much as you like, but it will not help if something goes wrong when taking the PPE off or if the 'disrobing' procedures are not stringent enough.

Well, if people can get infected while following CDC guidelines (as the Dallas nurse apparently did) then guidelines are not adequate.

 

[SStarr33]

It seems to me when something is a public health issue, we should get details and lots of them.

 

[popsicle]

WTOP ‏@WTOP 7m7 minutes ago
Dr. Tom Frieden of the CDC suggests breach in safety protocol relating to new #Ebola case in TX http://bit.ly/1rom1SX

CBS News retweeted
​

CBS News Politics ‏@CBSPolitics 14m14 minutes ago
The CDC chief says there was "clearly" a breach in protocol that allowed a TX health care worker to contract Ebola: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cdc-chief-on-second-ebola-case-there-was-a-breach-in-protocol/ …
​

 

[Lato]

CDC Guidelines for Healthcare Workers and Settings......

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/index.html

 

[jjenny]

It seems to me when something is a public health issue, we should get details and lots of them.

ITA. But right now we have HIPAA laws preventing that.

 

[Brightbird]

Well, if people can get infected while following CDC guidelines (as the Dallas nurse apparently did) then guidelines are not adequate.

We don't know whether the guidelines are inadequate, the hospital didn't implement them properly, or the worker made a mistake.

 

[jjenny]

We don't know whether the guidelines are inadequate, the hospital didn't implement them properly, or the worker made a mistake.

While true, if I was asked to take care of Ebola patient, no way would I agree while wearing only mask, gloves and gown, with skin exposed. I would want a full space suit, thank you very much.