Ebola, news and discussion

Martina · 10-18-2014, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cricket26

apparently several people threw up on the dart rail today...

i am wondering if is just the normal seasonal flu going around, or people are so stressed out about ebola that they cant even leave their homes with out throwing up....this woman spit on the train platform and was taken away....

.

Don't you think on any given day several people throw up while on public transportation? Are people really getting "taken away?"

cricket26 · 10-19-2014, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martina

Don't you think on any given day several people throw up while on public transportation? Are people really getting "taken away?"

"She will be taken to a local hospital for additional medical evaluation or treatment as needed,” “Once she has been transported the station will be cleaned and put back in service."

yes people are being taken away...the lab tech worker on the carnival cruise is "asymtomatic" for ebola but she has been taken away for observation

Kobi · 10-19-2014, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cricket26

"She will be taken to a local hospital for additional medical evaluation or treatment as needed,” “Once she has been transported the station will be cleaned and put back in service."

yes people are being taken away...the lab tech worker on the carnival cruise is "asymtomatic" for ebola but she has been taken away for observation

The news reports I am hearing about the lab worker from the cruise was on arrival, she and her husband were checked by CDC people, then drove themselves home. The blood tests for ebola were negative, and today would have been the 21st day from possible exposure.

Vicky Rey, vice president of guest care for Carnival Cruise Lines, said the woman and her husband drove themselves home after arriving in Galveston early Sunday, but offered no further details.Source

As for the people who are puking at train, bus, and air terminals.....it is flu season. And, as far as I know, every business has a protocol for the cleaning up of unexpected customer deposits.

Businesses may be a little more diligent about it now which is actually a good thing. Actions speak louder than words. People want to SEE what is being done, not HEAR they shouldnt be worried or whatever. It is also survival strategy for businesses - frightened customers go elsewhere.

I think it is also important to remember that first responders have a job to do. EMT's, assess, treat as needed, and transport. It is not their job to diagnose. And risk management stuff almost mandates if they show up, you are getting a free ride to the nearest ER, and that has nothing to do with ebola per se.

We should all be prepared when seeking health care now or when we are exhibiting symptoms of illess to be asked if we have traveled recently or been around someone who has traveled recently. Yes or no are the appropriate responses. Refrain from adding in humor or innuendo or smartass responses - providers will err on the side of caution and you might not like what that means.

Common sense, level heads.

cricket26 · 10-19-2014, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cricket26

yes people are being taken away...the lab tech worker on the carnival cruise is "asymtomatic" for ebola but she has been taken away for observation

update: the lab tech and her travel partner were allowed to leave the cruise ship with no restrictions This morning, the Galveston County Health Authority has made the assessment that there is no evidence of a public health threat to cruise passengers or to Galveston County. The passenger and her travel partner have been allowed to disembark without restrictions. The public health assessment is based on the fact the person was confirmed to have
remained asymptomatic and reassurance provided by Department of State Health Services lab testing.

GeorgiaMa'am · 10-20-2014, 11:38 AM

Emory Healthcare has put up a website with their Ebola Preparedness guidelines. http://www.emoryhealthcare.org/ebola...c-message.html

As you all probably recall, Emory is one of the four U.S. hospitals with a special isolation unit. They have treated four patients with ebola so far.

*Anya* · 10-20-2014, 01:41 PM

CDC to revise Ebola protocol, Pentagon preps team

By MIKE STOBBE

ATLANTA (AP) — Revised guidance for health care workers treating Ebola patients will include using protective gear "with no skin showing," a top federal health official said Sunday, and the Pentagon announced it was forming a team to assist medical staff in the U.S., if needed.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said those caring for an Ebola patient in Dallas were vulnerable because some of their skin was exposed.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working on revisions to safety protocols. Earlier ones, he said, were based on a World Health Organization model in which care was given in more remote places, often outdoors, and without intensive training for health workers.

"So there were parts about that protocol that left vulnerability, parts of the skin that were open," Fauci said.

The CDC guidance was expected as early as Saturday, but its release has been pushed back while it continues to go through review by experts and government officials.

Health officials had previously allowed hospitals some flexibility to use available covering when dealing with suspected Ebola patients. The new guidelines are expected to set a firmer standard: calling for full-body suits and hoods that protect worker's necks, setting rigorous rules for removal of equipment and disinfection of hands, and calling for a "site manager" to supervise the putting on and taking off of equipment.

The guidelines are also expected to require a "buddy system," in which workers check each other as they come in and go out, according to an official who was familiar with the guidelines but not authorized to discuss them before their release.

Hospital workers also will be expected to exhaustively practice getting in and out of the equipment, the official said.

Said Fauci: "Very clearly, when you go into a hospital, have to intubate somebody, have all of the body fluids, you've got to be completely covered. So that's going to be one of the things ... to be complete covering with no skin showing whatsoever."

The American Nurses Association and other groups have called for better guidance that sets clearer standards on what kind of equipment, how to put it on and how to take it off.

"We're disappointed that the recommendations are still not available," association president Pamela Cipriano said. "Having a lag in official direction from the CDC doesn't instill the greatest confidence in their ability to rapidly respond."

Cipriano said she understands the guidance will also include a call for anterooms, apart from the patient room, where protective equipment must be put on and taken off.

The push stems from the infection of two nurses at a Dallas hospital who treated an Ebola-infected patient named Thomas Eric Duncan — the first person diagnosed with the virus in the U.S.

The nurses, Nina Pham and Amber Joy Vinson, were diagnosed with Ebola less than a week later. Officials say how they were infected remains a mystery.

Duncan's medical records, provided by his family to The Associated Press, show Pham first encountered the patient after he was moved to intensive care at 4:40 p.m. on Sept. 29, more than 30 hours after he came to the ER. Nearly 27 hours later, Vinson first appears in Duncan's charts.

In Pham's first entry, she makes no mention of protective gear — although doctors and nurses may not always note their own safeguards in medical records, since they are focused on logging the patient's care. When she logged again the following morning, she mentioned wearing a double gown, face shield and protective footwear — equipment she mentioned again in later entries.

In the first apparent mention of Vinson, she is said to have worn personal protection, including a hazardous-materials suit and face shield. Hospital officials have said masks that cover the nose and mouth were optional, consistent with CDC guidelines at the time. The CDC later advised leg covers and isolation suits, and the hospital complied, Texas Health Presbyterian officials said.

Nurses have voiced concern that they have never cared for Ebola patients before and feel unprepared and underequipped. "If hospital administrators had to take care of Ebola patients, they would have the gold standard and hazmat suits," said RoseAnn DeMoro, executive director of National Nurses United, a union with 185,000 members.

http://news.yahoo.com/fauci-protocol...-politics.html

Kelt · 10-20-2014, 05:19 PM

Something I’m starting to wonder about in all of this is the money. I see where Obama is asking for funding, all well and good and predictable and will be much needed by municipalities, hospital, and other agencies. My question is more toward individuals. For one, I see that some people are self-monitoring with paid leave and others are simply losing three weeks of income. For a lot of people, especially those who live paycheck to paycheck this could be devastating. Will we start seeing one person who got on an airplane (or whatever) seeking repayment from someone who was sick? Or better yet, not sick but suspected of being sick?

Much larger than that of course is the fact that the US does not have single payer healthcare but individual coverages. And we all know how much insurance companies love to find ways to not cover things. Anyone who gets this or even just has to be put in isolation for a while is going to rack up HUGE bills. The amount of money involved in bio-containment is amazing. I wonder if the annual OOP maximums will hold up? There is also the tremendous staffing required, 10-25 staff for one patient instead of half a dozen caring for multiple patients. I wonder how that 10-50% coinsurance is going to work out…?

I personally believe this will stay controlled in first world countries and hope I am right. But these expenses are incurred for a while at least even for people who will ultimately test negative for it during their time period of waiting to find out. Most of this abundance of precaution is good, although some may be over the top, but ultimately someone has to pay for it.

cricket26 · 10-20-2014, 07:08 PM

in response to kelts post and as someone who lives in dallas county i am very worried about my tax bill....

10-20-2014, 11:38 AM	#5
GeorgiaMa'am Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: High Femme Ma'am Preferred Pronoun?: Ma'am Relationship Status: widowed - involved, poly Join Date: May 2010 Location: Georgia Posts: 6,444 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 39,584 Thanked 28,485 Times in 5,812 Posts Rep Power: 21474858	Emory Healthcare has put up a website with their Ebola Preparedness guidelines. http://www.emoryhealthcare.org/ebola...c-message.html As you all probably recall, Emory is one of the four U.S. hospitals with a special isolation unit. They have treated four patients with ebola so far. __________________ -GeorgiaMa'am It's true that you are blessed and lucky It's true that you are touched by something that will grow and bloom in you. -10,000 Maniacs

10-20-2014, 01:41 PM	#6
Anya Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Lesbian non-stone femme Preferred Pronoun?: She, her Relationship Status: Committed to being good to myself Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: West Coast Posts: 8,258 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 39,306 Thanked 40,447 Times in 7,284 Posts Rep Power: 21474858	CDC to revise Ebola protocol, Pentagon preps team By MIKE STOBBE ATLANTA (AP) — Revised guidance for health care workers treating Ebola patients will include using protective gear "with no skin showing," a top federal health official said Sunday, and the Pentagon announced it was forming a team to assist medical staff in the U.S., if needed. Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said those caring for an Ebola patient in Dallas were vulnerable because some of their skin was exposed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working on revisions to safety protocols. Earlier ones, he said, were based on a World Health Organization model in which care was given in more remote places, often outdoors, and without intensive training for health workers. "So there were parts about that protocol that left vulnerability, parts of the skin that were open," Fauci said. The CDC guidance was expected as early as Saturday, but its release has been pushed back while it continues to go through review by experts and government officials. Health officials had previously allowed hospitals some flexibility to use available covering when dealing with suspected Ebola patients. The new guidelines are expected to set a firmer standard: calling for full-body suits and hoods that protect worker's necks, setting rigorous rules for removal of equipment and disinfection of hands, and calling for a "site manager" to supervise the putting on and taking off of equipment. The guidelines are also expected to require a "buddy system," in which workers check each other as they come in and go out, according to an official who was familiar with the guidelines but not authorized to discuss them before their release. Hospital workers also will be expected to exhaustively practice getting in and out of the equipment, the official said. Said Fauci: "Very clearly, when you go into a hospital, have to intubate somebody, have all of the body fluids, you've got to be completely covered. So that's going to be one of the things ... to be complete covering with no skin showing whatsoever." The American Nurses Association and other groups have called for better guidance that sets clearer standards on what kind of equipment, how to put it on and how to take it off. "We're disappointed that the recommendations are still not available," association president Pamela Cipriano said. "Having a lag in official direction from the CDC doesn't instill the greatest confidence in their ability to rapidly respond." Cipriano said she understands the guidance will also include a call for anterooms, apart from the patient room, where protective equipment must be put on and taken off. The push stems from the infection of two nurses at a Dallas hospital who treated an Ebola-infected patient named Thomas Eric Duncan — the first person diagnosed with the virus in the U.S. The nurses, Nina Pham and Amber Joy Vinson, were diagnosed with Ebola less than a week later. Officials say how they were infected remains a mystery. Duncan's medical records, provided by his family to The Associated Press, show Pham first encountered the patient after he was moved to intensive care at 4:40 p.m. on Sept. 29, more than 30 hours after he came to the ER. Nearly 27 hours later, Vinson first appears in Duncan's charts. In Pham's first entry, she makes no mention of protective gear — although doctors and nurses may not always note their own safeguards in medical records, since they are focused on logging the patient's care. When she logged again the following morning, she mentioned wearing a double gown, face shield and protective footwear — equipment she mentioned again in later entries. In the first apparent mention of Vinson, she is said to have worn personal protection, including a hazardous-materials suit and face shield. Hospital officials have said masks that cover the nose and mouth were optional, consistent with CDC guidelines at the time. The CDC later advised leg covers and isolation suits, and the hospital complied, Texas Health Presbyterian officials said. Nurses have voiced concern that they have never cared for Ebola patients before and feel unprepared and underequipped. "If hospital administrators had to take care of Ebola patients, they would have the gold standard and hazmat suits," said RoseAnn DeMoro, executive director of National Nurses United, a union with 185,000 members. http://news.yahoo.com/fauci-protocol...-politics.html __________________ ~Anya~ Democracy Dies in Darkness ~Washington Post "...I'm deeply concerned by recently adopted policies which punish children for their parents’ actions ... The thought that any State would seek to deter parents by inflicting such abuse on children is unconscionable." UN Human Rights commissioner

10-20-2014, 07:08 PM	#8
cricket26 Senior Member How Do You Identify?: femme Preferred Pronoun?: she/her Relationship Status: must be love on the brain Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 1,598 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 979 Thanked 4,258 Times in 1,311 Posts Rep Power: 21474850	in response to kelts post and as someone who lives in dallas county i am very worried about my tax bill.... __________________ Life is a long lesson in humility. James M. Barrie

10-20-2014, 05:19 PM	#7
Kelt Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Beach Butch Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: SoCal Posts: 2,751 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 19,765 Thanked 15,285 Times in 2,538 Posts Rep Power: 21474853	Something I’m starting to wonder about in all of this is the money. I see where Obama is asking for funding, all well and good and predictable and will be much needed by municipalities, hospital, and other agencies. My question is more toward individuals. For one, I see that some people are self-monitoring with paid leave and others are simply losing three weeks of income. For a lot of people, especially those who live paycheck to paycheck this could be devastating. Will we start seeing one person who got on an airplane (or whatever) seeking repayment from someone who was sick? Or better yet, not sick but suspected of being sick? Much larger than that of course is the fact that the US does not have single payer healthcare but individual coverages. And we all know how much insurance companies love to find ways to not cover things. Anyone who gets this or even just has to be put in isolation for a while is going to rack up HUGE bills. The amount of money involved in bio-containment is amazing. I wonder if the annual OOP maximums will hold up? There is also the tremendous staffing required, 10-25 staff for one patient instead of half a dozen caring for multiple patients. I wonder how that 10-50% coinsurance is going to work out…? I personally believe this will stay controlled in first world countries and hope I am right. But these expenses are incurred for a while at least even for people who will ultimately test negative for it during their time period of waiting to find out. Most of this abundance of precaution is good, although some may be over the top, but ultimately someone has to pay for it.