First Ebola case diagnosed on US soil

[webfact]

First Ebola case diagnosed on US soil

DALLAS: -- The first case of the deadly Ebola virus diagnosed on US soil has been confirmed in Dallas, Texas.

Officials at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital say the unidentified patient is being kept in isolation.

The man is thought to have contracted the virus in Liberia before travelling to the US nearly two weeks ago.

More than 3,000 people have already died of Ebola in West Africa and a small number of US aid workers have recovered after being flown to the US.

"An individual travelling from Liberia has been diagnosed with Ebola in the United States," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Thomas Frieden told reporters on Tuesday.

According to Mr Frieden, the unnamed patient left Liberia on 19 September and arrived in the US the next day without displaying any symptoms of the virus.

Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29437070


-- BBC 2014-10-01

[Somtamnication]

..............and it begins..... Stephen King could not have written a better book.

[MJP]

This isn't good . . .

Exciting career opportunities at the CDC.

[Suriya4]

Don't worry. Just send him to Siriraj where thai doctors already have a cure.

[zydeco]

Unbelievable incompetence on the part of the medical staff in Dallas. The infected man apparently visited a medical facility on 24 September with fever and flu like symptoms. But was not isolated until his visit on 28 September. He is said not to be an American but somebody "visiting" family/friends from Liberia living in the US. And it took two visits before anyone asked if this guy was coming from an ebola infected hot zone? Nobody bothered to ask where he was from? Best guess is he doesn't have an American insurance carrier or medicaid. Oh, well. At least the hospital staff will not be accused of being racist. Yes, they may have helped jump start an ebola wave in the US, but they are not racists. How nice.

http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2014/09/dallas-presbyterian-prepared-to-care-for-ebola-patient-hospital-continuing-normal-operations.html/

[shirtless]

So how many people has he infected , this is exactly what i am afraid of,

[MJP]

So how many people has he infected , this is exactly what i am afraid of,

. . . and how many people have they infected. And how many people have . . .

Need to stop people coming in from Ebola hot zones now.

[ClutchClark]

And then it will be determined he has infected his entire family and a couple of women he has met since arrival.

They will be afraid the authorities will deport them and they will not seek medical care.

This is not racist, its simply suggesting they will respond similarly to this crisis like their countryman back home.

[harryfrompattaya]

It is time people realizes Ebola can spread thru sex. When will the public be told of this. I am sorry to say another HIV like diease

[Anthony5]

I bet the US has contacted Siriraj hospital already to help them out with the Ebola cure

[Kabula]

Should we be surprised with importing Ebola patients in the US and sending soldiers to Ebola areas that will return, combined with open borders?

An intentional act?

A time will come when I may pass on the crowded BTS with the ice cold AC blowing across the herd. I even avoid touching the hand rails now.

And yes there is clear evidence it can be spread air born. All viruses and bacteria are spread airborne as it enters through the moisture in the eyes and nose, especially if you spread it with your fingers.

If the truth be know, I bet there is more than 1!

If you disagree you did not do your research!

[kamahele]

Unbelievable incompetence on the part of the medical staff in Dallas. The infected man apparently visited a medical facility on 24 September with fever and flu like symptoms. But was not isolated until his visit on 28 September. He is said not to be an American but somebody "visiting" family/friends from Liberia living in the US. And it took two visits before anyone asked if this guy was coming from an ebola infected hot zone? Nobody bothered to ask where he was from? Best guess is he doesn't have an American insurance carrier or medicaid. Oh, well. At least the hospital staff will not be accused of being racist. Yes, they may have helped jump start an ebola wave in the US, but they are not racists. How nice.

http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2014/09/dallas-presbyterian-prepared-to-care-for-ebola-patient-hospital-continuing-normal-operations.html/

It is awfully strange that no one bothered to ask if he traveled anywhere (perhaps they did and he lied) for several days. Normally, even before this Ebola outbreak, doctors would ask those suffering from nausea and diarrhea if they had been travelling recently and to where in addition to the other standard questions.

[mjef]

See the glass half full! Soon there will be cheap medicine to cure and/or vaccines for Ebola!!!

[Credo]

This is the first patient to have contracted the disease and arrived without medical people knowing they were infected. The others were brought back from Africa. There is no way that hospitals would generally be expecting Ebola, but now there will be much more careful screening of patients.

There would be little concern if he was only exhibiting flu like systems.

Another poster mentioned that the disease is sexually transmitted. It can be, and it can be transmitted in other ways as well. It is not like HIV. This is a quick virus and illness and death are reasonably quick. With HIV from the time of infection until the time of actual illness could be many years and up to a decade.

[ClutchClark]

This is the first patient to have contracted the disease and arrived without medical people knowing they were infected. The others were brought back from Africa. There is no way that hospitals would generally be expecting Ebola, but now there will be much more careful screening of patients.

There would be little concern if he was only exhibiting flu like systems.

Another poster mentioned that the disease is sexually transmitted. It can be, and it can be transmitted in other ways as well. It is not like HIV. This is a quick virus and illness and death are reasonably quick. With HIV from the time of infection until the time of actual illness could be many years and up to a decade.

Agree except for little concern if only exhibiting flu-like symptoms.

Flu-like symptoms along with a strong African accent should have been a red flag.

As a previous poster suggested, I wonder if he denied that he had traveled on the first visit?

[OPG]

This is very serious. Who will be impacted... to start with, the people he came into contact with at the Airport terminal in Liberia who travelled to every part of the world; passengers and crew on his flight; if he had a layover, everybody who he came into contact with at that airport and who continued their travels elsewhere; the airport in Dallas and passengers on their way to other places and the continued domino effect.

This is more than serious...

When I read the article about a Thai hospital finding the Cure for Ebola, I laughed and joked as well...if there's any truth to it, and I hope there is, as it will surely be needed now.

[MJP]

This is very serious. Who will be impacted... to start with, the people he came into contact with at the Airport terminal in Liberia who travelled to every part of the world; passengers and crew on his flight; if he had a layover, everybody who he came into contact with at that airport and who continued their travels elsewhere; the airport in Dallas and passengers on their way to other places and the continued domino effect.

This is more than serious...

When I read the article about a Thai hospital finding the Cure for Ebola, I laughed and joked as well...if there's any truth to it, and I hope there is, as it will surely be needed now.

The lack of responses to this thread suggests quite how serious it is.

Normalcy bias.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normalcy_bias

[zydeco]

This is very serious. Who will be impacted... to start with, the people he came into contact with at the Airport terminal in Liberia who travelled to every part of the world; passengers and crew on his flight; if he had a layover, everybody who he came into contact with at that airport and who continued their travels elsewhere; the airport in Dallas and passengers on their way to other places and the continued domino effect.

This is more than serious...

When I read the article about a Thai hospital finding the Cure for Ebola, I laughed and joked as well...if there's any truth to it, and I hope there is, as it will surely be needed now.

The lack of responses to this thread suggests quite how serious it is.

Normalcy bias.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normalcy_bias

Most of the ebola threads are left relatively empty. This situation is just building beneath the surface, waiting to erupt. This illness is being treated politically, rather than medically. The flight the infected man came in on is being kept secret (none of our business, says the CDC), as is the man's identity, immigration status, and who he visited. All based on "medical privacy." And absolutely no moves to cancel US visas for people from infected nations traveling to the US. I would expect strict visa limitations at the least--if not outright bans. This situation would never have occurred had this preventative measure been in place.

Edited October 1, 2014 by zydeco

[Credo]

Ebola is bad. It is deadly, but it is not that easy to contract. It requires direct contact with an infected person.

This virus, like many viruses, does mutate and the big danger is that it could come up with a more effective method of spreading.

[MJP]

This is very serious. Who will be impacted... to start with, the people he came into contact with at the Airport terminal in Liberia who travelled to every part of the world; passengers and crew on his flight; if he had a layover, everybody who he came into contact with at that airport and who continued their travels elsewhere; the airport in Dallas and passengers on their way to other places and the continued domino effect.

This is more than serious...

When I read the article about a Thai hospital finding the Cure for Ebola, I laughed and joked as well...if there's any truth to it, and I hope there is, as it will surely be needed now.

The lack of responses to this thread suggests quite how serious it is.

Normalcy bias.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normalcy_bias

Most of the ebola threads are left relatively empty. This situation is just building beneath the surface, waiting to erupt. This illness is being treated politically, rather than medically. The flight the infected man came in on is being kept secret (none of our business, says the CDC), as is the man's identity, immigration status, and who he visited. All based on "medical privacy." And absolutely no moves to cancel US visas for people from infected nations traveling to the US. I would expect strict visa limitations at the least--if not outright bans. This situation would never have occurred had this preventative measure been in place.

Absolute madness.

[Chicog]

I can't wait to see what die-hard Texan scaremongerer Alex Jones has to say about this tonight.

[MJP]

I can't wait to see what die-hard Texan scaremongerer Alex Jones has to say about this tonight.

Illuminati, Dick Cheney, Rumsfeld, big medicine, global domination . . .

[Asiantravel]

Ebola is bad. It is deadly, but it is not that easy to contract. It requires direct contact with an infected person.

This virus, like many viruses, does mutate and the big danger is that it could come up with a more effective method of spreading.

But if that was correct, how come more than 100 health workers ended up getting sick when they were dressed in biohazard body suits that keep any air from touching the skin?

[MJP]

Ebola is bad. It is deadly, but it is not that easy to contract. It requires direct contact with an infected person.

This virus, like many viruses, does mutate and the big danger is that it could come up with a more effective method of spreading.

But if that was correct, how come more than 100 health workers ended up getting sick when they were dressed in biohazard body suits that keep any air from touching the skin?

It was 240 health workers infected and that was by the end of August . . .

http://news.yahoo.com/widow-nigerias-sixth-ebola-victim-virus-135345158.html

The World Health Organization has voiced concern about the "unprecedented" number of healthcare workers hit by the Ebola outbreak. More than 120 health workers have died and over 240 others infected so far.

Edited October 1, 2014 by MJP

[Asiantravel]

U.S. Hospitals Fall Far Short in Emergency Planning as First Ebola Case Reported in the U.S.

In the wake of the first confirmed case of a patient in the U.S. who has been infected with the Ebola virus, the largest U.S. organization of nurses today warned that U.S. hospitals are far from ready for the Ebola outbreak, are sorely lacking in other disaster planning, and everyone needs to do more to stop Ebola.

• More than 60 percent of RNs say their hospital is not prepared for the Ebola virus.
• 80 percent say their hospital has not communicated to them any policy regarding potential admission of patients infected by Ebola
• 85 percent say their hospital has not provided education on Ebola
• 30 percent say their hospital has insufficient supplies of eye protection (face shields or side shields with goggles) and fluid resistant gowns
• 65 percent say their hospital fails to reduce the number of patients they must care for to accommodate caring for an “isolation” patient

http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/entry/u.s.-hospitals-fall-far-short-in-emergency-planning-as-first-ebola-case-rep/

[F430murci]

Ebola is bad. It is deadly, but it is not that easy to contract. It requires direct contact with an infected person.

This virus, like many viruses, does mutate and the big danger is that it could come up with a more effective method of spreading.

But if that was correct, how come more than 100 health workers ended up getting sick when they were dressed in biohazard body suits that keep any air from touching the skin?

Uhm, read the interviews of those catching it and working in that environment that I posted in response to the last time you asked the exact same question and when trying to state it was air borne. They fully explain as did my summary to you of those interviews in the prior thread . . .

[F430murci]

U.S. Hospitals Fall Far Short in Emergency Planning as First Ebola Case Reported in the U.S.

In the wake of the first confirmed case of a patient in the U.S. who has been infected with the Ebola virus, the largest U.S. organization of nurses today warned that U.S. hospitals are far from ready for the Ebola outbreak, are sorely lacking in other disaster planning, and everyone needs to do more to stop Ebola.

• More than 60 percent of RNs say their hospital is not prepared for the Ebola virus.
• 80 percent say their hospital has not communicated to them any policy regarding potential admission of patients infected by Ebola
• 85 percent say their hospital has not provided education on Ebola
• 30 percent say their hospital has insufficient supplies of eye protection (face shields or side shields with goggles) and fluid resistant gowns
• 65 percent say their hospital fails to reduce the number of patients they must care for to accommodate caring for an “isolation” patient

http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/entry/u.s.-hospitals-fall-far-short-in-emergency-planning-as-first-ebola-case-rep/

To be completely fair, lets put this in some context. No one is really prepared for anything like Ebola. That being said, a very low percentage of RNs would be required to address or work in areas of a hospital that dealt with Ebola patients. The only RNs that would feasibly have to deal with an Ebola patient would be triage and ER nurses. I would estimate that a very small percentage (2 %) of the RNs working in hospital are triage and ER nurses. Most RNs are assigned to ICUs, recovery, surgery and patient floors to administer meds, insert or change IVs, handle care plans, perform diagnostic testing, operate and monitor medical equipment, and handle other duties that LPNs cannot handle. These RNs would not come into contact with Ebola patients. Not sure an RN working in surgery recover, ICU, cardiac unit, neonate unit and etc. would need Ebola training so candidly, the result of the survey are not surprising.

The isolation one is really a doozy and taken out of context. No doubt about it that RNs nurse to patient ratio does not change when they typically deal with an isolation issue. These issues, however, are Clostridium Difficile, MRSA, Staff and perhaps certain pneumonia. I can guarantee the ratios would drop dramatically with an Ebola patient and,. in fact, nurses assigned to normal patients would not even be assigned to an Ebola patient.

[F430murci]

So how many people has he infected , this is exactly what i am afraid of,

. . . and how many people have they infected. And how many people have . . .

Need to stop people coming in from Ebola hot zones now.

No doubt about it. Why the heck are we still letting people from these regions in . . . they perhaps should be banned in the first instance from casual visits like individuals from other countries that actually have more morals. I deposed a guy from Sierra Leone the other day who was one of the named plaintiffs in a class action case. What a tool. Complete scammer, utter dishonest and abusing the heck out of our hand out system. Perhaps Obama has a soft spot in heart for these people, but I wonder if he would have stopped the inflow of people from impacted areas if they were Asian coming from China, Philippines and etc.

[ClutchClark]

U.S. Hospitals Fall Far Short in Emergency Planning as First Ebola Case Reported in the U.S.

In the wake of the first confirmed case of a patient in the U.S. who has been infected with the Ebola virus, the largest U.S. organization of nurses today warned that U.S. hospitals are far from ready for the Ebola outbreak, are sorely lacking in other disaster planning, and everyone needs to do more to stop Ebola.

• More than 60 percent of RNs say their hospital is not prepared for the Ebola virus.
• 80 percent say their hospital has not communicated to them any policy regarding potential admission of patients infected by Ebola
• 85 percent say their hospital has not provided education on Ebola
• 30 percent say their hospital has insufficient supplies of eye protection (face shields or side shields with goggles) and fluid resistant gowns
• 65 percent say their hospital fails to reduce the number of patients they must care for to accommodate caring for an isolation patient

http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/entry/u.s.-hospitals-fall-far-short-in-emergency-planning-as-first-ebola-case-rep/

To be completely fair, lets put this in some context. No one is really prepared for anything like Ebola. That being said, a very low percentage of RNs would be required to address or work in areas of a hospital that dealt with Ebola patients. The only RNs that would feasibly have to deal with an Ebola patient would be triage and ER nurses. I would estimate that a very small percentage (2 %) of the RNs working in hospital are triage and ER nurses. Most RNs are assigned to ICUs, recovery, surgery and patient floors to administer meds, insert or change IVs, handle care plans, perform diagnostic testing, operate and monitor medical equipment, and handle other duties that LPNs cannot handle. These RNs would not come into contact with Ebola patients. Not sure an RN working in surgery recover, ICU, cardiac unit, neonate unit and etc. would need Ebola training so candidly, the result of the survey are not surprising.

The isolation one is really a doozy and taken out of context. No doubt about it that RNs nurse to patient ratio does not change when they typically deal with an isolation issue. These issues, however, are Clostridium Difficile, MRSA, Staff and perhaps certain pneumonia. I can guarantee the ratios would drop dramatically with an Ebola patient and,. in fact, nurses assigned to normal patients would not even be assigned to an Ebola patient.

Second paragraph, "Isolation". Don't the highly unique standards and protocols for Ebola require a higher level of clinical isolation and PPE for healthcare staff? Not to be confused with Staph.

Looking for clarity--not argument.

[MJP]

Bothersome . . .

Ebola crisis: Texas children 'monitored for symptoms'

Children have come into contact with the first patient to be diagnosed with Ebola on US soil, the governor of Texas has said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29447877