Ebola, news and discussion

[MsTinkerbelly]

Originally Posted by cricket26

They also have someone else that was close to Nina in isolation as they are showing symptoms. This was per CNN, just a few minutes ago.

[TruTexan]

Originally Posted by MsTinkerbelly

They also have someone else that was close to Nina in isolation as they are showing symptoms. This was per CNN, just a few minutes ago.

The person that was close to Nina Pham, the Dallas Nurse, is her boyfriend, it was on the news today in Dallas. They didn't mention anything about him having symptoms today that I recall. I'll check the Dallas news tonight and go from there.

I"m glad the CDC is there giving extensive training for all the caregivers for PPE protection usage and giving the hospital protocols to follow. That should have happened when Duncan showed up at the hospital and it was reported to the CDC. They dropped the ball from the get go in my .02 opinion.

[firegal]

Folks are all ready slowly starting to over react.... In the emergency medicine world... God help anyone if they cough and have a fever!

Went thru I it with 9-11 twin towers and terrorist stuff and abandoned bags and white powder etc.

It's ok to be carefully and cautious but paranoid makes life harder!

[cricket26]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=717755041627102

[MsTinkerbelly]

Originally Posted by firegal

Folks are all ready slowly starting to over react.... In the emergency medicine world... God help anyone if they cough and have a fever!

Went thru I it with 9-11 twin towers and terrorist stuff and abandoned bags and white powder etc.

It's ok to be carefully and cautious but paranoid makes life harder!

After basically NO REACTION from the United States and the rest of the world during this crisis, I'll take a bit of over-reaction and paranoia. This disease has been around for decades and we did nothing.

No this was not a "United States" problem, but we could have helped stop this before it became our problem. Was this left alone because it was primarily killing poor black people? We involve ourselves in other people's wars and issues all of the time, was it because there was nothing in it for us to gain by helping?

This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better...paranoia? We will see!

[firegal]

Originally Posted by MsTinkerbelly

After basically NO REACTION from the United States and the rest of the world during this crisis, I'll take a bit of over-reaction and paranoia. This disease has been around for decades and we did nothing.

No this was not a "United States" problem, but we could have helped stop this before it became our problem. Was this left alone because it was primarily killing poor black people? We involve ourselves in other people's wars and issues all of the time, was it because there was nothing in it for us to gain by helping?

This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better...paranoia? We will see!

I'm talking about the public....not government or administration and paranoia doesn't address the problem. A appropriate reaction from all does.When the public is informed it helps any system not get slowed down as they address the problem.

When I say paranoia I mean like the over reaction that some folks did after sept 11 .....calling reporting suspicious folks just because they were were from the Middle East and/or wore a turbin.In the early 80,s there was over reaction from some folks about aids too,not helping injured folks, as folks were educated and informed about what to do and not to do that paranoia was stopped.

I do whole heatedly agree that ALL agency's need to get on this and soon as they should on all matters affecting the health and safety of ALL communities......and country's.

[TruTexan]

Originally Posted by MsTinkerbelly

They also have someone else that was close to Nina in isolation as they are showing symptoms. This was per CNN, just a few minutes ago.

MsTinkerbelly, the Dallas news stations have NOT reported that Nina Pham's boyfriend, who is the contact person in isolation for 21 days, as showing any symptoms, they have said he is being monitored only.

And the Dallas news stations have NOT reported anything about the claims that CNN has made about the Nursing Union statements made on behalf of anonymous nurses either.

Not sure why it's different reporting, makes me wonder though if someone somewhere isn't making HYPE to scare people.

[MsTinkerbelly]

Originally Posted by TruTexan

MsTinkerbelly, the Dallas news stations have NOT reported that Nina Pham's boyfriend, who is the contact person in isolation for 21 days, as showing any symptoms, they have said he is being monitored only.

And the Dallas news stations have NOT reported anything about the claims that CNN has made about the Nursing Union statements made on behalf of anonymous nurses either.

Not sure why it's different reporting, makes me wonder though if someone somewhere isn't making HYPE to scare people.

I never said boyfriend. Close to her, worked closely with her, whatever.

Like i said there is someone at the hospital also being monitored.

As far as the nurses union goes, i have no clue.

[SleepyButch]

Originally Posted by MsTinkerbelly

They also have someone else that was close to Nina in isolation as they are showing symptoms. This was per CNN, just a few minutes ago.

I wonder if this was referring to the second nurse who now is positive for the virus. I'm sure these two won't be the only ones who test positive before all is said and done.

Anyone know how soon you will test positive after exposure? Or do you have to start exhibiting symptoms first??

[*Anya*]

Originally Posted by SleepyButch

I wonder if this was referring to the second nurse who now is positive for the virus. I'm sure these two won't be the only ones who test positive before all is said and done.

Anyone know how soon you will test positive after exposure? Or do you have to start exhibiting symptoms first??

I think this is good information and hope it answers some questions:

Tests for Ebola

A number of tests can be used to diagnose Ebola within a few days of the onset of symptoms, which can detect the virus's genetic material or the presence of antibodies against the pathogen.

The most accurate of these is likely the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, a technique that looks for genetic material from the virus and creates enough copies of it that it can be detected, Hirsch said. "PCR is a really definitive test," Hirsch said. It can pick up very small amounts of the virus.

>>>>>However, this test can be negative during the first three days an infected person has symptoms, said Dr. Sandro Cinti, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of Michigan Hospital System/Ann Arbor VA Health System.

"Somebody could be in the hospital for three to five days before a diagnosis [of Ebola] is confirmed," Cinti told Live Science. "The important thing is keeping the patient isolated until you can get to a diagnosis." Meanwhile, doctors will be running tests to rule out other diseases, such as malaria, which can be detected more quickly than Ebola, he said.

>>>>Another test for Ebola looks for antibodies produced by the body's immune system in response to the virus. Known as the antigen-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), this test can take even longer than three days to give a positive result for an infected person, Cinti said. And antibodies can also be detected after a patient recovers, he added.

Once a patient is diagnosed with Ebola, scientists may attempt to isolate the virus -- which is a type of filovirus, known for their filamentlike shape -- by culturing it with living cells and examine it using electron microscopy. But culturing Ebola is very dangerous, and should only be done in a high-biosafety-level lab, Hirsch said. Culturing the virus is not a practical means of diagnosing infection, but may help researchers understand how the virus infects cells and test possible treatments.

So, given the severity of an Ebola infection, why wouldn't you test everybody with the remotest chance of having the disease?

A huge number of people come to the United States from Africa with fevers, Cinti said, and testing all of them for Ebola would drain hospital resources and raise unnecessary panic. "We really have to be clear and get good histories about exposure," he said. "It makes absolutely zero sense to test people who aren't from high-risk areas."

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-doctors-test-for-ebola/