Me, Now That Ebola Has Come To USA

[tcarcio]

Liberia is going to bring charges against this guy for lying. I hope he gets convicted and God forbid someone he came in contact with dies he could be charged in the death also. http://www.telegram.com/article/20141002/NEWS/141009985

 

[slipperybidness]

News this morning said the guy's family in Texas is now under armed guard because they tried to run after being quarantined in their home. And the guy himself lied at Customs, saying he had no contact w/ anybody infected. Actually, he carried infected and dying people to a hospital.

Who the heck are these people? Why aren't we seeing some detailed investigation about them? Knowingly trying to subvert containment precautions with a high likelihood of starting an epidemic in the US? They should be locked up in a cave somewhere in the desert. They are not nice people to be pitied.

+1

What a freaking inconsiderate, selfish, moron!

He lied on his paperwork to get on the plane! NPR said that he "took a relative to a treatment clinic in a wheelbarrow", yet all the questions on his travel paperwork were checked as "No". He lied on the paperwork to avoid any more hassle and get to the USA.

Then, his family tries to break the quarantine!

I also re-state the sentiment: There is no reason to pity this guy or his family. He knowingly put Americans at risk, and his family tried to do the same thing! Did the family REALLY think that they would be told to stay inside at home and that they would not be monitored? Dumb-a$$ must run deep in this family.

Well, this is TX, so we can just about guarantee that if this guy recovers then he will be prosecuted to the fullest extent.

 

[j_garcia]

Deport the whole family.

 

[slipperybidness]

Deport the whole family.

Yup. Deport them and send them to join the IS. Kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

 

[FourTwo]

Saw an infographic the other day. It said:

Ebola Containment Advise for Americans:
1) Stay home if you are sick
2) Wash your hands regularly
3) Do not eat fruit bats
4) Do not fondle the dead
5) Do not kill healthcare workers

 

[rnatalli]

I'm far more focused on the hospital which really screwed up. Seems they have successfully gotten the focus off themselves and onto the patient and his family.

And folks, we can't go around deporting people just because we're fearful. If this person's family is here legally and paying their taxes, they deserve help just like anyone else.

 

[markw]

+1

What a freaking inconsiderate, selfish, moron!

He lied on his paperwork to get on the plane! NPR said that he "took a relative to a treatment clinic in a wheelbarrow", yet all the questions on his travel paperwork were checked as "No". He lied on the paperwork to avoid any more hassle and get to the USA.

Then, his family tries to break the quarantine!

I also re-state the sentiment: There is no reason to pity this guy or his family. He knowingly put Americans at risk, and his family tried to do the same thing! Did the family REALLY think that they would be told to stay inside at home and that they would not be monitored? Dumb-a$$ must run deep in this family.

Well, this is TX, so we can just about guarantee that if this guy recovers then he will be prosecuted to the fullest extent.

I'd hate to be the people on that airplane. And, yeah, this is Texas. They could just "disappear" him and his family if they really want to.

 

[herbu]

If this person's family is here legally and paying their taxes, they deserve help just like anyone else.

1) "If"... right. Wonder if we'll ever hear.
2) They were given help... the best medical care this country has to offer, monitoring, and I suspect we would have given them everything they wanted during their quarantine. Yet they attempted to run and possibly start an epidemic. So the help they "deserve" has shifted considerably.

 

[TLS Guy]

I'm far more focused on the hospital which really screwed up. Seems they have successfully gotten the focus off themselves and onto the patient and his family.

And folks, we can't go around deporting people just because we're fearful. If this person's family is here legally and paying their taxes, they deserve help just like anyone else.

Yes, this is a massive breach of protocol. The professionals involved should loose their licenses for a period of time for retraining in history taking, system review and infectious disease.

Taking a proper travel history from any patient presenting with fever or any evidence of infectious disease, has been part of the basics for years and years.

The professionals involved, especially the physician, rendered a level of care far below what should be expected and needs to be disciplined. He has put his patient, hospital, first responders and the general public at risk.

The patient is also gravely at fault for lying. There is no doubt he did.

I suspect there will almost certainly be a number of cases show up among close contacts in the 21 day incubation period. I just hope there will be no cases in the secondary contacts. If there is the CDC should change there "nothing to it, piece of cake attitude fast".

The problems will mount fast. You can see this in that it took five days to find people willing to do the primary clean up. Unless individuals show some fortitude and be prepared to put themselves at some minimal risk we will not beat this if we do get unexpected cases crop up from this event.

 

[Swerd]

Yes, this is a massive breach of protocol. The professionals involved should loose their licenses for a period of time for retraining in history taking, system review and infectious disease.

Taking a proper travel history from any patient presenting with fever or any evidence of infectious disease, has been part of the basics for years and years.

The professionals involved, especially the physician, rendered a level of care far below what should be expected and needs to be disciplined. He has put his patient, hospital, first responders and the general public at risk.

Apparently, when the Liberian guy first went to the hospital's ER, he was seen by a nurse practitioner, not an MD. I read this the other day in either CBS News or the Washington Post, but now I can't find the news article to cite it.

Your comments about taking patient history still apply. The hospital administrators and the health insurance companies share the blame for cutting costs too much. Politicians also are blameworthy because of their efforts to politicize the sharing of health care costs. Here is an example where a modern hospital in the US failed to screen a patient properly (probably because of cost), in a state that refused to accept Medicare supplements.

To make matters worse, the patient was given antibiotics and sent home.

In response to the several posts demonstrating shocking attitudes toward panicked infected foreigners, drop the foolish jingoism.

Liberia is a mess of a nation. It has suffered severe problems for more than 30 years. A military coup in 1980 followed by years of revolution and bloody civil wars left Liberia with over 200,000 dead and more than 1 million displaced refugees, all in a country with a population of 4 million today. That's 5% dead and 25% refugees. In the USA (present population of 318 million) that would become 16 million dead and 76 million refugees.

Read about it in more detail here: Liberia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Liberia's health care is much worse than 3rd world standards. Most MDs fled the country years before the Ebola epidemic. Many MDs were volunteers from missionary groups and charities. When the outbreak took off, many of these MDs died or fled. Do a quick Google Image search on "Liberia hospitals" and see what it looks like. It's a complete disaster. War and pestilence are never separated events.

It's small wonder that Liberians fear any government officials or hospitals and will gladly lie to avoid dealing with them.

Yes, to contain this epidemic and prevent it spreading in our country, aggressive public health efforts, such as quarantine, are needed. But public witch hunts will lead to lawlessness, and won't solve the problem.

 

[Rickster71]

This doesn't sound good:


Obama administration scraps quarantine regulations - USATODAY.com

 

[herbu]

In response to the several posts demonstrating shocking attitudes toward panicked infected foreigners, drop the foolish jingoism.

Swerd, thank you. Your sentiment is reasonable and your tone is gracious. The situation and conditions in Liberia, and other places in the world including parts of the US, are heartbreaking. But while the reasons for one's actions may be considerable, they should not be used to abdicate his responsibility for those actions. It is frustrating to see a general abandonment of personal responsibility, and it sometimes prompts an overreaction on my part.

Regardless of one's status in this country, they should understand that among all the opportunities and human rights afforded here, we also demand that a person is ultimately responsible for his actions. Yes, I have great empathy for a father who shoots the guy that raped and murdered his daughter, but my empathy does not erase his responsibility. Likewise, the person who comes here from another country, for whatever reason, and in whatever manner, should be held accountable for what they do here. Fleeing quarantine with a likelihood of causing thousands or millions of deaths in inexcusable. Perhaps understandable, yet still inexcusable.

So I apologize for the "cave in the desert" comment. It was callous and born of frustration. And thank you for "jingoism". I had to look it up. My new favorite word.

 

[Swerd]

I appreciate your comments. Thanks.

I'm fine with holding people responsible for their actions. But the more serious and immediate threat is the spread of Ebola in the US. Hospitals and public health organizations have a clear responsibility in stopping this. Texas Presbyterian Hospital failed in its responsibility to protect the public health by sending the guy home when he had told them of his recent arrival from Liberia. I'm glad to see the efforts at quarantine have been increased since then, but this hospital has some 'splaining to do.

Since this happened, two local hospitals here in DC and Maryland have announced they each have patients with moderate fever, apparently caused by viral infection, and who have recently traveled from West Africa. Both are being closely monitored to see if they indeed have ebola. Both hospitals immediately announced this in local press releases, as if to say "we aren't like those screw-ups in Dallas". I'd guess this has happened elsewhere around the country.

 

[Adam]

This doesn't sound good:


Obama administration scraps quarantine regulations - USATODAY.com

Any updates in the 4.5 years since that article was written?

 

[Rickster71]

Any updates in the 4.5 years since that article was written?

That was kinda the point.
There are currently fewer systems in place to combat the spread of these things.

 

[Chu Gai]

Other than tha US developed experimental drug which seems to show promise but I understand we're all out of and some Canadian drug which I've read is pretty tough on a body, how are they treating Ebola? Is the treatment different in Africa as opposed to the US?

 

[markw]

I think in Africa they dump 'em into a hole and burn 'em. It may not cure it but ifthey apply it soon enough, it sure keeps it from spreading.

 

[Swerd]

Other than tha US developed experimental drug which seems to show promise but I understand we're all out of and some Canadian drug which I've read is pretty tough on a body, how are they treating Ebola? Is the treatment different in Africa as opposed to the US?

The treatment is indirect life support, IV fluids, adjust electrolyte balance, maintain oxygen & blood pressure, and treat other secondary infections if they occur. Most people die from dehydration due to vomiting & diarrhea and the subsequent kidney, liver or multi-organ failure.

Treatment | Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever | CDC

There is no direct pharmaceutical treatment. Zmapp is experimental and there is very little of it around. It consists of a mixture of three monoclonal antibodies, originally made in mice and 'humanized' by recombinant genetic methods so they can be injected IV. These neutralizing antibodies seem to provide passive immunity. They clear viral particles from circulating blood. It worked in a test of about 18 monkeys, and probably works in humans, but it hasn't been tested enough to provide any data where efficacy and safety can be determined. Only 2 humans have received it.

Active immunity would come after recovery from an Ebola infection, or from a vaccine made from inactivated Ebola virus. People (GSK and USAMRID) are working on several different vaccines now.

ZMapp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Canadian drug is a similar mixture of antibodies to Zmapp, but they are not humanized. Injecting mouse antibodies can work, but only once. If you inject them a second time, you develop an anti-mouse immune response, which can have severe, even life threatening, effects.

 

[ParadigmDawg]

The treatment is indirect life support, IV fluids, adjust electrolyte balance, maintain oxygen & blood pressure, and treat other secondary infections if they occur. Most people die from dehydration due to vomiting & diarrhea and the subsequent kidney, liver or multi-organ failure.

Treatment | Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever | CDC

There is no direct pharmaceutical treatment. Zmapp is experimental and there is very little of it around. It consists of a mixture of three monoclonal antibodies, originally made in mice and 'humanized' by recombinant genetic methods so they can be injected IV. These neutralizing antibodies seem to provide passive immunity. They clear viral particles from circulating blood. It worked in a test of about 18 monkeys, and probably works in humans, but it hasn't been tested enough to provide any data where efficacy and safety can be determined. Only 2 humans have received it.

Active immunity would come after recovery from an Ebola infection, or from a vaccine made from inactivated Ebola virus. People (GSK and USAMRID) are working on several different vaccines now.

ZMapp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Canadian drug is a similar mixture of antibodies to Zmapp, but they are not humanized. Injecting mouse antibodies can work, but only once. If you inject them a second time, you develop an anti-mouse immune response, which can have severe, even life threatening, effects.

Just wait until it mutates a few times and then you will be able to catch it just by looking at someone with it. I swear I'm going to get rich off of this one.....

 

[Swerd]

Just wait until it mutates a few times and then you will be able to catch it just by looking at someone with it. I swear I'm going to get rich off of this one.....

Once there is a vaccine, there will be no repeat customers.