OT: Ebola – Global Pandemic?

[pencilneck]

They aren’t dog haters.

Ebola is widely assumed to be a zoonotic disease. That is, it is assumed to be a disease that jumps occasionally from wild animals to humans. This is a safe assumption. Many “new” diseases do this.

We barely understand ebola’s interaction with humans. It may be a long time before we know how ebola interacts with household animals such as dogs, cats, rabbits, finches, ferrets, chickens, hamsters etc.

In the case of the dog, possibly erring on the side of caution is prudent. Especially if it may help to save human lives.

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=Zeitgeist]zk,
I pray you are right and I am wrong. This is something I do not want to be right about. I hope the government is handling infection in a competent fashion and that the public is protected from this and other diseases that are being brought in from other countries as well as our own homegrown seasonal varieties. I remain hopefully skeptical based on how this first case was mishandled. Perhaps the various agencies involved will learn from their errors.

This is why I am skeptical, since you like to know these things: “U.S. officials initially described the number of people potentially exposed as a handful, and on Wednesday said it was up to 18. But on Thursday, the Texas health department said there were about 100 potential contacts. However, Dallas County officials said more than 80 had direct or indirect contact with the patient. ‘We are working from a list of about 100 potential or possible contacts,’ Texas health department spokeswoman Carrie Williams said.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/02/us-health-ebola-usa-exposure-idUSKCN0HR18720141002

The way I understand math, 100 is more than a handful and that is what I consider as lack of transparancy.[/quote]

How do you expect the government to handle this?

The CDC had a bulletin out and the local Dallas hospital did not follow the bulletin resulting in a delay in treating Thomas Eric Duncan. That’s where the mistake was.

[UCGal]

[quote=pencilneck]They aren’t dog haters.

Ebola is widely assumed to be a zoonotic disease. That is, it is assumed to be a disease that jumps occasionally from wild animals to humans. This is a safe assumption. Many “new” diseases do this.

We barely understand ebola’s interaction with humans. It may be a long time before we know how ebola interacts with household animals such as dogs, cats, rabbits, finches, ferrets, chickens, hamsters etc.

In the case of the dog, possibly erring on the side of caution is prudent. Especially if it may help to save human lives.[/quote]
Prior to this outbreak the suspected starts of the ebola outbreaks were traced back to a family eating an infected monkey. So it definitely can infect monkeys. No reason to presume it can’t be transfered to other mammals.

[Coronita]

Looks like the a nurse at texas now has it…. The question is, if this is a nurse that encountered Duncan before they took precaution or a nurse that encountered Duncan the second time, after they took precaution.

If it’s the latter, it does raise an eyebrow for folks saying that it’s not easy to get……

http://www.cnn.Com/2014/10/12/health/ebola/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Meanwhile, anyone know if any of the Marines dispatched to Africa on a humanitarian aid were from San Diego? If so, just saying. Me might not be so sheltered after all.

Also, anyone know what’s Dr. Kent Branty’s blood type is? Seems like people getting a blood transfusion with the antibodies are surviving.

Some are complaining Duncan didn’t get treated well in the hospital, but I suspect it’s because they ran out of ZMapp and his blood type didn’t match.

[ltsddd]

“…the worker wore a gown, gloves, mask and shield”

Ebola is likely to be more easily transmitted than we’re led to believe.

[scaredyclassic]

[quote=ltsdd]”…the worker wore a gown, gloves, mask and shield”

Ebola is likely to be more easily transmitted than we’re led to believe.[/quote]

OK now I’m nervous

Humanity has gotten out of control and I’m sure the globe is sick of us

[outtamojo]

According to Yahoo article, nurse who caught it knew full well she was treating Ebola patient and was wearing the full protective outfit.
I work in healthcare and I knew all along how these bulletins and special protocols work. They send you emails and maybe let you put on the gear a few times and then make you sign a piece of paper saying you were trained but nothing preps you for the real thing. There is only one good teacher and that is experience, which we dont have in good supply.
They will try to blame it on the poor
worker but in my view the pencil pushers as they always do failed to take into account the practical aspect of a learning curve.
They need to set up a team able to travel to care for stateside Ebola patients so they can get the necessary experience. They need to set up rooms for the team to live so they self quarantine.
The range in talent between the best and the worst healthcare workers is such that if you send in the worst you are just sending them in to die.
Hug your healthcare worker today for they risk their own lives and that of their families everyday.

[zk]

[quote=outtamojo]According to Yahoo article, nurse who caught it knew full well she was treating Ebola patient and was wearing the full protective outfit.
I work in healthcare and I knew all along how these bulletins and special protocols work. They send you emails and maybe let you put on the gear a few times and then make you sign a piece of paper saying you were trained but nothing preps you for the real thing. There is only one good teacher and that is experience, which we dont have in good supply.
They will try to blame it on the poor
worker but in my view the pencil pushers as they always do failed to take into account the practical aspect of a learning curve.
They need to set up a team able to travel to care for stateside Ebola patients so they can get the necessary experience. They need to set up rooms for the team to live so they self quarantine.
The range in talent between the best and the worst healthcare workers is such that if you send in the worst you are just sending them in to die.
Hug your healthcare worker today for they risk their own lives and that of their families everyday.[/quote]

Good points and good ideas, mojo. I like the traveling team idea.

I imagine that the story of the Texas healthcare worker will be similar to the Spain healthcare worker. Made a small mistake and paid for it tragically. Not to put the blame on her. Like you said, without experience in dealing with these things, it would be very difficult to make zero mistakes.

[outtamojo]

“At some point, there was a breach in protocol, and that breach in protocol resulted in this infection,” he said at a news conference Sunday. “The (Ebola treatment) protocols work. … But we know that even a single lapse or breach can result in infection.”
http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/12/health/ebola/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

That @hole from the CDC Frieden is blaming the worker. If that guy was in charge of highways he would take out all the center dividers and lane markers and tell everyone to just drive carefully and don’t run into anyone. Who needs lane dividers when everyone just needs to be careful? If you have an accident it’s because you didn’t follow the protocol to not run into anyone.
Mr. stop ebola in its tracks needs to get with the program and admit his precious protocol is a little light on safeguards and contingencies. Resign!

[outtamojo]

[quote=zk][quote=outtamojo]According to Yahoo article, nurse who caught it knew full well she was treating Ebola patient and was wearing the full protective outfit.
I work in healthcare and I knew all along how these bulletins and special protocols work. They send you emails and maybe let you put on the gear a few times and then make you sign a piece of paper saying you were trained but nothing preps you for the real thing. There is only one good teacher and that is experience, which we dont have in good supply.
They will try to blame it on the poor
worker but in my view the pencil pushers as they always do failed to take into account the practical aspect of a learning curve.
They need to set up a team able to travel to care for stateside Ebola patients so they can get the necessary experience. They need to set up rooms for the team to live so they self quarantine.
The range in talent between the best and the worst healthcare workers is such that if you send in the worst you are just sending them in to die.
Hug your healthcare worker today for they risk their own lives and that of their families everyday.[/quote]

Good points and good ideas, mojo. I like the traveling team idea.

I imagine that the story of the Texas healthcare worker will be similar to the Spain healthcare worker. Made a small mistake and paid for it tragically. Not to put the blame on her. Like you said, without experience in dealing with these things, it would be very difficult to make zero mistakes.[/quote]

A care team from the military sounds ideal – they are already on duty and I bet they get way more training than your average hospital worker.
http://www.naturalnews.com/047226_Ebola_outbreak_Dallas_health_care_worker.html
That Frieden guy needs to resign.

[joec]

The problem with perfect protocol is that it’s very hard to get everyone on-board and skilled with it.

Even something as simple as wearing a mask or respirator can be done wrong, like if you have a beard, long hair or facial hair or glasses, you need to cut it or trim it or use something special for something as simple as glasses since you can’t form a perfect seal on a respirator.

In a disaster or rush, people won’t do this unless everyone has long training times and knowledge of it already.

I agree that it’s “easier” to get ebola than the powers to be make it since these medical workers who catch it already knew they had a live case.

They could have done something stupid, but it’s not a stretch to assume they tried to be safe as well and still got infected.

[outtamojo]

No, the problem with a perfect protocol is that…we come to believe they are perfect. We will make no progress if we believe our protocols to be perfect and refuse to consider that they may be imperfect; which is why Frieden needs to resign or Obama needs to fire him.

[Coronita]

Well just thinking out loud. If we’re talking about nurses/caregivers handing the ebola patient(s).

Shouldn’t we at least we screen the nurses/caregivers and find the ones that at least are compatible to previous survivor’s blood type(s) and maybe work from that angle, in case it comes to that?

Assuming the worst case scenario that it’s easier to get ebola than people assumed, at least wouldn’t it make sense to take some precautionary steps and try to find the ones that are have a slightly better chance of surviving, given what limited tools we have right now?

I really hope hospitals elsewhere take this much more seriously.. Me thinks that if hospitals wait until they have a case, it’s already kinda late in the game…

[FlyerInHi]

How do you make a private hospital follow protocols handed down from CDC and NIH?

[CA renter]

[quote=outtamojo][quote=zk][quote=outtamojo]According to Yahoo article, nurse who caught it knew full well she was treating Ebola patient and was wearing the full protective outfit.
I work in healthcare and I knew all along how these bulletins and special protocols work. They send you emails and maybe let you put on the gear a few times and then make you sign a piece of paper saying you were trained but nothing preps you for the real thing. There is only one good teacher and that is experience, which we dont have in good supply.
They will try to blame it on the poor
worker but in my view the pencil pushers as they always do failed to take into account the practical aspect of a learning curve.
They need to set up a team able to travel to care for stateside Ebola patients so they can get the necessary experience. They need to set up rooms for the team to live so they self quarantine.
The range in talent between the best and the worst healthcare workers is such that if you send in the worst you are just sending them in to die.
Hug your healthcare worker today for they risk their own lives and that of their families everyday.[/quote]

Good points and good ideas, mojo. I like the traveling team idea.

I imagine that the story of the Texas healthcare worker will be similar to the Spain healthcare worker. Made a small mistake and paid for it tragically. Not to put the blame on her. Like you said, without experience in dealing with these things, it would be very difficult to make zero mistakes.[/quote]

A care team from the military sounds ideal – they are already on duty and I bet they get way more training than your average hospital worker.
http://www.naturalnews.com/047226_Ebola_outbreak_Dallas_health_care_worker.html
That Frieden guy needs to resign.[/quote]

Totally agree with all of your posts on this, outtamojo.

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