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Ebola Comes To USA

Was watching CNN a few moments ago (I know, CNN is just a tin-foil hat propaganda news outlet), and they were discussing the events that led up to Thomas Duncan being rushed to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital with raging Ebola.

CNN Medical Contributor Dr. Sanjay Gupta offered this remark when asked how it was possible a person from Ebola-torn West Africa to wind up in a Dallas hospital:

"Well, there were some mistakes made."

Thank you Captain Obvious.

We were kinda hoping for some insights as to why Duncan was sent home when there should have been red flares and sirens going off when he arrived at the hospital with obvious Ebola symptoms.

The cavalier attitude by Chief Medical professionals is very disturbing.
We dodged a bullet. That could have been the beginning of an outbreak.
 
Was watching CNN a few moments ago (I know, CNN is just a tin-foil hat propaganda news outlet), and they were discussing the events that led up to Thomas Duncan being rushed to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital with raging Ebola.

CNN Medical Contributor Dr. Sanjay Gupta offered this remark when asked how it was possible a person from Ebola-torn West Africa to wind up in a Dallas hospital:

"Well, there were some mistakes made."

We were kinda hoping for some insights as to why Duncan was sent home when there should have been red flares and sirens going off when he arrived at the hospital with obvious Ebola symptoms.

The cavalier attitude by Chief Medical professionals is very disturbing.

What should have been pointed out in their response was the failure of the admitting Doctor to do a proper history. The history is the basic responsibility of the doctor. The nurses are also charged with taking a brief history. But it is the doctor's primary work duty to go beyond the superficial pleasantries and get a meaningful history.

Duncan DID tell them (the admitting nurse) about visiting Liberia. However, the admitting doctor should have been (mean it is a primary duty) asking questions about his contacts in Liberia. The red flags should have shot up.
 
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I feel the spread here is so much more likely to be contained than in western Africa.

One reason: For every medical doctor, there are at least 10 witch doctors in western Africa. People there talk freely of seeing spirits walk down the street and of evil spirits causing disease.

Witchcraft is amazingly popular there. While at the same time there is a strong distrust of trained doctors and nurses. That's why we saw images of crowds attacking medical personnel who had to be escorted by heavily armed troops in some small towns.

Another reason: our infrastructure is sooo much better.

- Nurses in most African countries go from village to village on DONATED bicycles. (Picture 1 nurse for 5 villages vs 1-3 witch doctors in every village.)

- we have the CDC. Nothing like it in Africa beyond what NGOs provide.

Just for the record: So am I concerned? Of course. What sane person wouldn't be : )
 
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Heres a startling revelation from the CDC Director Tom Frieden (Oct 2nd 2014):

"In this age of global travel, we anticipated that a traveler from a country with an Ebola outbreak would come to the United States and develop symptoms once they arrived."

Well, Mr Frieden, i should point out that these African countries
africa-EbolaRestrictions.jpg

thankfully don't share the same indifference concerning the introduction of Ebola into their country that you do.

The fact you failed to realize the threat and impose air-travel restrictions on travellers from the hot zone indicates you lack a clear understanding of the danger posed to the American Public.

He further states:

"The fact is that CDC has been preparing for this day, working around the clock with local and state health departments to enhance surveillance and laboratory testing capacity, provide recommendations for health care infection control and other measures to prevent disease spread, and deliver guidance and tools for health departments to conduct public health investigations."

So reading between the lines, one can glean that he looks at it more like a challenge to test the health care infrastructure serviceability.

Im going out on a limb, but Ill wager if just one more Ebola-infected air traveller sneaks into the U.S., we will be seeing 2 things from the CDC;

Air travel restrictions and Frieden's resignation.

edit: source: Invalid Link Removed
 
Too early for the conspiracy nuts? 1st out of Africa case of transmission confirmed in Spain last night. A nurse tending returned missionaries. Iirc the missionaries already died, doesn't look good for the nurse.

More scary than ebola, airborne Marbelo (sp?) has broken out in Africa also. That one is so deadly it tends not to spread out in rural areas. Everyone dies quickly and it disappearsbut if it got on a plane
 
Heres a startling revelation from the CDC Director Tom Frieden (Oct 2nd 2014):

"In this age of global travel, we anticipated that a traveler from a country with an Ebola outbreak would come to the United States and develop symptoms once they arrived."

Well, Mr Frieden, i should point out that these African countries
africa-EbolaRestrictions.jpg

thankfully don't share the same indifference concerning the introduction of Ebola into their country that you do.

The fact you failed to realize the threat and impose air-travel restrictions on travellers from the hot zone indicates you lack a clear understanding of the danger posed to the American Public.

He further states:

"The fact is that CDC has been preparing for this day, working around the clock with local and state health departments to enhance surveillance and laboratory testing capacity, provide recommendations for health care infection control and other measures to prevent disease spread, and deliver guidance and tools for health departments to conduct public health investigations."

So reading between the lines, one can glean that he looks at it more like a challenge to test the health care infrastructure serviceability.

Im going out on a limb, but Ill wager if just one more Ebola-infected air traveller sneaks into the U.S., we will be seeing 2 things from the CDC;

Air travel restrictions and Frieden's resignation.

edit: source: Invalid Link Removed

I'm back!

This is a world problem and not an American one.

Every health authority has pointed out the danger of isolating African countries that are experiencing outbreaks. Besides restricting medical personnel from coming and going to these countries to help
Contain the virus, you destroy the already fragile economies of these countries and the result is inevitably the further breakdown of civil society and the ability to treat cases as they are appear. The result is raging epidemics and eventually MORE risk to the rest of the world.

Sorry, but the world is connected and you can't simply close borders to disease.

There is widespread agreement on this and we are all in this together,for better or worse.
 
I'm back!

This is a world problem and not an American one.

Every health authority has pointed out the danger of isolating African countries that are experiencing outbreaks. Besides restricting medical personnel from coming and going to these countries to help
Contain the virus, you destroy the already fragile economies of these countries and the result is inevitably the further breakdown of civil society and the ability to treat cases as they are appear. The result is raging epidemics and eventually MORE risk to the rest of the world.

Sorry, but the world is connected and you can't simply close borders to disease.

There is widespread agreement on this and we are all in this together,for better or worse.

I would be all for closing travel to anyone that isn't going or coming for the sole purpose of aiding in the epidemic. Give them their own dedicated airline and port of entry/departure.
 
You can't 'close' a country! Can you imagine the result of the cutting off of trade, just as one example? It sounds so simple but it's just not a viable solution.

Obviously, but I'd still be all for it if the situation started to develop in such a way that would make it logical and viable. This epidemic is on a scale where it was bound to get here sooner or later. A common sense approach would be to vastly limit travel to those involved in the aid of the outbreak in that case, in order to prevent any further spread. Thousands of people fly back and forth between these countries every day and just as many goods are transported. Is it really that unreasonable to establish an emergency hub to deal with those coming and going from affected countries that is a little more comprehensive than waving a thermometer across someone's head?
 
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Obviously, but I'd still be all for it if the situation started to develop in such a way that would make it logical and viable. This epidemic is on a scale where it was bound to get here sooner or later. A common sense approach would be to vastly limit travel to those involved in the aid of the outbreak in that case, in order to prevent any further spread. Thousands of people fly back and forth between these countries every day and just as many goods are transported. Is it really that unreasonable to establish an emergency hub to deal with those coming and going from affected countries that is a little more comprehensive than waving a thermometer across someone's head?

I think so. The logistics are mind boggling.
 
I'm back!


Sorry, but the world is connected and you can't simply close borders to disease.

Welcome back One Drop.

True, we cannot close borders to disease, but we can impose flight restrictions on those people from the zone who are potential carriers of Ebola.

Many countries have already imposed flight restrictions to persons from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. If more Ebola-stricken people arrive in the U.S. on International flights, the CDC has no choice but impose flight restrictions. The stakes are just too high.

While their efforts are appreciated, we cant rely on the West African Flight Screeners, who screen the travelers leaving the region, to filter out all of the Ebola-carriers.

Fortunately, its been reported that Nigeria has had much success in containing the Ebloa, but the news outlet (NY TImes) admits it would be much harder for containment in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Invalid Link Removed
 
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While their efforts are appreciated, we cant rely on the West African Flight Screeners, who screen the travelers leaving the region, to filter out all of the Ebola-carriers.

Fortunately, its been reported that Nigeria has had much success in containing the Ebloa, but the news outlet (NY TImes) admits it would be much harder for containment in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Invalid Link Removed

Containment: Containment would have worked weeks ago. Not now. It impossible to contain an entire country. People who want to leave a country will hike across desserts and mountains. Then, carriers could pop up anywhere without warning.

Excessive containment will only breed resistance, fear, and secrecy which are the friends of Ebola.

So far, the only countries with flight restrictions are African countries without adequate medical infrastructure to deal with Ebola.
 
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