Ebola outbreak: Second Texas health worker 'tests positive'

[webfact]

Ebola outbreak: Second Texas health worker 'tests positive'

(BBC) A second health worker in the US state of Texas has tested positive for Ebola, health officials say.

A 26-year-old female nurse is already receiving treatment after becoming infected by a Liberian man who died from the deadly virus last week.

US officials say they are monitoring 48 contacts of the Liberian national and the healthcare workers who treated him.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says 4,447 people have died from the outbreak, mainly in West Africa.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29628622


-- BBC 2014-10-15

[manarak]

very strange to say the least - weren't the workers briefed about what they were cleaning up?

[harryfrompattaya]

Maybe now is the time for the countries not permitted travels from the United States

[Chicog]

Maybe now is the time for the countries not permitted travels from the United States

You wag, you.

LOL@ Jon Stewart: ""All right, Texas, here's the deal," Stewart said. "We can build that border fence you've always wanted. We're just going to do it a little farther north.""

Edited October 15, 2014 by Chicog

[cloudhopper]

"Clearly" another mistake.

[harryfrompattaya]

I was call a wag by a member who I respect I want him and other to know I only want to protect mankind

Ban travels from USA to prevent the spread of Ebola

Remember Harry only went to the 3rd grade but he has street smarts

[wackybacky]

3 days after the last nurse was tested positive, so how many contacts in that extra 3 days have been made?

This is exactly how it gets out of control, no matter what money you have or technology. Humans are social creatures and ebola doesn't discriminate. In total (before this latest case) there were over 800 people in various levels of quarantine or monitoring... All from a single person, I hope the USA is prepared for many more. Do they have the capabilities to make sure they have absolutely everyone in their sites that can spread this further?... I doubt it.

[Credo]

It would be better to not use the phrase "in their sites" when talking about Texas.

[zydeco]

So much for dismissing those people questioning the competence of the CDC as "fear mongers." Thanks Tom "Stop Ebola in its Tracks" Frieden for the latest infection, the millions of taxpayer dollars this is costing, and the possibility of more deaths. All because the US embassy in Liberia issued a tourist visa to a man with no job who planned to overstay, not go home, and ended up causing a catastrophe.

[NeverSure]

So where are Obama and the director of the CDC who promised this would be contained and there would be no outbreak? Now they can't even contain it inside a hospital for 2 employees?

[zydeco]

So where are Obama and the director of the CDC who promised this would be contained and there would be no outbreak? Now they can't even contain it inside a hospital for 2 employees?

At the recently concluded press conference the CDC was no where in sight. Only Clay "Howdy Doody" Jenkins and Mike "Carpetbagger" Rawlings. Things don't seem to be getting "stopped in their tracks" so far. It's pretty clear that the head of the CDC is a nitwit.

[F430murci]

Yes very disconcerting that hospital workers contracted Ebola, not because of outbreak or pandemic concerns. My heart goes out to people that work in the health care industry and harmed while helping people.

Hard to tell if some of you guys are reveling in the fact more are contracting Ebola to feed some personal want or desires or are just scarred it may impact you. I am saddened by the health care workers going through this while trying to care for some piece of <deleted> from a piece of <deleted> country that shouldn't be here in the first place.

RE: outbreak and pandemic fears

The fact remains that none of 48 exposed to Duncan while he was sick between the first and second trips to the hospital have contracted Ebola. Zero. Not family in apartment with Duncan, not the judge giving them a ride, not the police and paramedicas entering the apartment and etc.

2 of the 77 health care workers involved in Dumcan's care have contracted Ebola. That sucks and it is unclear whether contraction was due to not taking appropriate precautions or if appropriate precautions failed. Some of you banging on CDC and pronouncing airborne are a bit inconsistent on this point.

If airborne, everyone it that apartment with Duncan would be sick by now.

Edited October 15, 2014 by F430murci

[attrayant]

So where are Obama and the director of the CDC who promised this would be contained and there would be no outbreak? Now they can't even contain it inside a hospital for 2 employees?

I've read Obama's speech at the CDC and found no such promises. Perhaps you'd be so kind as to link us to them?

What I did find him saying was this:

Now, here’s the hard truth: In West Africa, Ebola is now an epidemic of the likes that we have not seen before. It’s spiraling out of control. It is getting worse. It’s spreading faster and exponentially. Today, thousands of people in West Africa are infected. That number could rapidly grow to tens of thousands. And if the outbreak is not stopped now, we could be looking at hundreds of thousands of people infected, with profound political and economic and security implications for all of us.

That sounds like the opposite of "promised this would be contained and there would be no outbreak".

[bendywire]

So where are Obama and the director of the CDC who promised this would be contained and there would be no outbreak? Now they can't even contain it inside a hospital for 2 employees?

Yep. Another Fox News viewer strikes again. He has never said he would contain it nor has he ever promised he can keep it out of America. Now instead of jumping on the "blame it on Obama train " you should think how you could form your own opinion without the aid of Fox News and Co.

[JDGRUEN]

very strange to say the least - weren't the workers briefed about what they were cleaning up?

I am from the U.S. and not only that I lived in Dallas - Fort Worth most of my adult life ... and I really do not disagree with your statement.

The numbers would have to get higher of course but -- the truth is the truth ... Ebola can be slowed down by restricting issuance of visas and in some cases banning them all together. But there is utter resistance to doing it - especially by the leaders of the U.S. (in reference to the affected West African Nations).

[Greer]

I was call a wag by a member who I respect I want him and other to know I only want to protect mankind

Ban travels from USA to prevent the spread of Ebola

Remember Harry only went to the 3rd grade but he has street smarts

Harry - it means a person who makes jokes... I think he was just kidding, and I don't think he meant any harm by it at all...in fact just the opposite.

[ClutchClark]

Yes very disconcerting that hospital workers contracted Ebola, not because of outbreak or pandemic concerns. My heart goes out to people that work in the health care industry and harmed while helping people.

Hard to tell if some of you guys are reveling in the fact more are contracting Ebola to feed some personal want or desires or are just scarred it may impact you. I am saddened by the health care workers going through this while trying to care for some piece of <deleted> from a piece of <deleted> country that shouldn't be here in the first place.

RE: outbreak and pandemic fears

The fact remains that none of 48 exposed to Duncan while he was sick between the first and second trips to the hospital have contracted Ebola. Zero. Not family in apartment with Duncan, not the judge giving them a ride, not the police and paramedicas entering the apartment and etc.

2 of the 77 health care workers involved in Dumcan's care have contracted Ebola. That sucks and it is unclear whether contraction was due to not taking appropriate precautions or if appropriate precautions failed. Some of you banging on CDC and pronouncing airborne are a bit inconsistent on this point.

If airborne, everyone it that apartment with Duncan would be sick by now.

Agree with first half of your posting.

Any idea which stage of Duncan's care this second nurse was present and risked exposure? I recall the first nurse was there on the last day and post mortem?

Ofcourse, the virus multiplies from the moment it enters the host; I wouldn't be surprised if the ebola virus is found to multiply so rapidly at some point in its life cycle and it becomes so concentrated that two things occur-- the first is the obvious onset of death and immediately prior to death becoming airborne in respirations and coughing attacks. This would account for Duncan's family not testing positive while nursing staff did.

Or as JD has pointed out about the claim the patient's room was also used to store Duncan's "waste", its possible it resulted in heavy enough concentration to emit airborne particulates. In other words, if healthcare workers PPE prevented any chance of skin-to-skin contact or skin-to-object-to-skin vector then you have to accept airborne risk.

I recall the nurses were wearing face shields but those are not airtight. Does anyone know if goggles or safety glasses were worn under faceshields?

Edited October 15, 2014 by ClutchClark

[Chicog]

I was call a wag by a member who I respect I want him and other to know I only want to protect mankind

Ban travels from USA to prevent the spread of Ebola

Remember Harry only went to the 3rd grade but he has street smarts

Harry - it means a person who makes jokes... I think he was just kidding, and I don't think he meant any harm by it at all...in fact just the opposite.

It is also a nickname for footballers "Wives And Girlfriends", but I don't think Harry took it that way.

[harryfrompattaya]

I was call a wag by a member who I respect I want him and other to know I only want to protect mankind

Ban travels from USA to prevent the spread of Ebola

Remember Harry only went to the 3rd grade but he has street smarts

Harry - it means a person who makes jokes... I think he was just kidding, and I don't think he meant any harm by it at all...in fact just the opposite

Great Thanks

But what happens if 50 cases in America is the EU countries going to accept fights from America?

Edited October 15, 2014 by harryfrompattaya

[F430murci]

Yes very disconcerting that hospital workers contracted Ebola, not because of outbreak or pandemic concerns. My heart goes out to people that work in the health care industry and harmed while helping people.

Hard to tell if some of you guys are reveling in the fact more are contracting Ebola to feed some personal want or desires or are just scarred it may impact you. I am saddened by the health care workers going through this while trying to care for some piece of <deleted> from a piece of <deleted> country that shouldn't be here in the first place.

RE: outbreak and pandemic fears

The fact remains that none of 48 exposed to Duncan while he was sick between the first and second trips to the hospital have contracted Ebola. Zero. Not family in apartment with Duncan, not the judge giving them a ride, not the police and paramedicas entering the apartment and etc.

2 of the 77 health care workers involved in Dumcan's care have contracted Ebola. That sucks and it is unclear whether contraction was due to not taking appropriate precautions or if appropriate precautions failed. Some of you banging on CDC and pronouncing airborne are a bit inconsistent on this point.

If airborne, everyone it that apartment with Duncan would be sick by now.

Agree with first half of your posting.

Any idea which stage of Duncan's care this second nurse was present and risked exposure? I recall the first nurse was there on the last day and post mortem?

Ofcourse, the virus multiplies from the moment it enters the host; I wouldn't be surprised if the ebola virus is found to multiply so rapidly at some point in its life cycle and it becomes so concentrated that two things occur-- the first is the obvious onset of death and immediately prior to death becoming airborne in respirations and coughing attacks. This would account for Duncan's family not testing positive while nursing staff did.

Or as JD has pointed out about the claim the patient's room was also used to store Duncan's "waste", its possible it resulted in heavy enough concentration to emit airborne particulates. In other words, if healthcare workers PPE prevented any chance of skin-to-skin contact or skin-to-object-to-skin vector then you have to accept airborne risk.

I recall the nurses were wearing face shields but those are not airtight. Does anyone know if goggles or safety glasses were worn under faceshields?

At this point, I could care less what anyone says about mode of transmission. I will accept airborne or extreme cause for concern as plausible when rate of transmission suggests such a mechanism. That is why I read both sides and try to form my own conclusions after disregarding hysteria, fruit loops, CYA explanations and political rhetoric.

Right now we have 2 out of 125 monitored contacts with many having a very high level of unprotected exposure. The 48 personal contacts are getting close to the all clear stage. If this number starts to increase dramatically for the community acquired contacts, my level of concern will start to rise from simply concerned to potentially worried or scared.

[JDGRUEN]

Most of these 'tweets' seem to be related to the Dallas situation ... and are very interesting ... bureaucrats should learn to balance their statements with reality ... but as we see ...

Nine Ebola tweets that the CDC probably wishes it could take back

http://twitchy.com/2014/10/15/nine-ebola-tweets-that-the-cdc-probably-wishes-it-could-take-back/

[MJP]

Ebola bio-hazard suit: How to wear it and what can go wrong

The BBC's Alastair Leithead visited the National Biocontainment Training Centre in Galveston, Texas to try on a bio-hazard suit and see just how hard it is to guarantee the safety of Ebola doctors and nurses.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29628834

[ClutchClark]

Yes very disconcerting that hospital workers contracted Ebola, not because of outbreak or pandemic concerns. My heart goes out to people that work in the health care industry and harmed while helping people.

Hard to tell if some of you guys are reveling in the fact more are contracting Ebola to feed some personal want or desires or are just scarred it may impact you. I am saddened by the health care workers going through this while trying to care for some piece of <deleted> from a piece of <deleted> country that shouldn't be here in the first place.

RE: outbreak and pandemic fears

The fact remains that none of 48 exposed to Duncan while he was sick between the first and second trips to the hospital have contracted Ebola. Zero. Not family in apartment with Duncan, not the judge giving them a ride, not the police and paramedicas entering the apartment and etc.

2 of the 77 health care workers involved in Dumcan's care have contracted Ebola. That sucks and it is unclear whether contraction was due to not taking appropriate precautions or if appropriate precautions failed. Some of you banging on CDC and pronouncing airborne are a bit inconsistent on this point.

If airborne, everyone it that apartment with Duncan would be sick by now.

Agree with first half of your posting.

Any idea which stage of Duncan's care this second nurse was present and risked exposure? I recall the first nurse was there on the last day and post mortem?

Ofcourse, the virus multiplies from the moment it enters the host; I wouldn't be surprised if the ebola virus is found to multiply so rapidly at some point in its life cycle and it becomes so concentrated that two things occur-- the first is the obvious onset of death and immediately prior to death becoming airborne in respirations and coughing attacks. This would account for Duncan's family not testing positive while nursing staff did.

Or as JD has pointed out about the claim the patient's room was also used to store Duncan's "waste", its possible it resulted in heavy enough concentration to emit airborne particulates. In other words, if healthcare workers PPE prevented any chance of skin-to-skin contact or skin-to-object-to-skin vector then you have to accept airborne risk.

I recall the nurses were wearing face shields but those are not airtight. Does anyone know if goggles or safety glasses were worn under faceshields?

At this point, I could care less what anyone says about mode of transmission. I will accept airborne or extreme cause for concern as plausible when rate of transmission suggests such a mechanism. That is why I read both sides and try to form my own conclusions after disregarding hysteria, fruit loops, CYA explanations and political rhetoric.

Right now we have 2 out of 125 monitored contacts with many having a very high level of unprotected exposure. The 48 personal contacts are getting close to the all clear stage. If this number starts to increase dramatically for the community acquired contacts, my level of concern will start to rise from simply concerned to potentially worried or scared.

Perhaps I stepped into some ongoing argument you are having with some other poster? Regardless, my post was not intended to provoke but only to ask for clarity.

All I know is what you have yourself stated, that numerous individuals that were exposed to Duncan in the early stages of his infection and who were not wearing any PPE to wit, have not become infected. I also know that two nurses who were exposed to Duncan in the later stages of his infection while wearing full hospital PPE and practicing some amount of HazMat protocol have become infected.

I also know that the original claim that the nurse was responsible for her own exposure by not following protocol has now been withdrawn as an incorrect assumption. It also appears the CDC and hospital staff are still in a learning stage as to how virulent Ebola is and what modes of transmission are possible.

It is of zero concern to me if someone wants to become worried or scared. I just like to be informed so I come here to listen to intelligent posters like yourself and others. Without a confirmed method of transmission and a provable failure of nurses to follow HazMat protocols then airborne vector of transmission can not be ruled out.

Cheers

Edited October 15, 2014 by ClutchClark

[tw25rw]

I was call a wag by a member who I respect I want him and other to know I only want to protect mankind

Ban travels from USA to prevent the spread of Ebola

Remember Harry only went to the 3rd grade but he has street smarts

Harry - it means a person who makes jokes... I think he was just kidding, and I don't think he meant any harm by it at all...in fact just the opposite.

It is also a nickname for footballers "Wives And Girlfriends", but I don't think Harry took it that way.

Now he thinks you are comparing him with Posh Spice...

[JDGRUEN]

Ebola bio-hazard suit: How to wear it and what can go wrong

The BBC's Alastair Leithead visited the National Biocontainment Training Centre in Galveston, Texas to try on a bio-hazard suit and see just how hard it is to guarantee the safety of Ebola doctors and nurses.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29628834

Good information - very informative... I only wish the health care workers had actually been wearing a real bio-hazard suit... but they were wearing only an abbreviated one... no head covering and some exposed skin ... and other exposures... just really sad ...

[MJP]

Ebola bio-hazard suit: How to wear it and what can go wrong

The BBC's Alastair Leithead visited the National Biocontainment Training Centre in Galveston, Texas to try on a bio-hazard suit and see just how hard it is to guarantee the safety of Ebola doctors and nurses.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29628834

Good information - very informative... I only wish the health care workers had actually been wearing a real bio-hazard suit... but they were wearing only an abbreviated one... no head covering and some exposed skin ... and other exposures... just really sad ...

I do a lot of work with hazardous waste (asbestos and chemicals, occasionally anthrax risks) and it's my opinion the protocol shown is utterly inadequate especially when it comes to hand and lower arm contact. These should be one piece suits including hood and they should go through a sterilisation shower before removal. I also doubt the adequacy of respiratory protection.

The PPE shown was certainly not user friendly, difficult to work in and under pressure I can see why this system is failing those it's meant to protect.

It's no wonder medical personnel are becoming infected.

[Lex Talionis]

The nurses who work at the hospital are giving a very different account of what went on there with Duncan.

News of the latest positive test comes one day after the largest U.S. nurses' union charged that Duncan's caregivers worked for days without proper protective gear and faced constantly changing protocols.

A statement from National Nurses United also says Duncan was left in an open area of an emergency room for hours.

A spokesman for the group says nurses were forced to use medical tape to secure openings in their flimsy garments. It's said that the patient had explosive diarrhea and projectile vomiting.

In a conference call with reporters executive director RoseAnn DeMoro says the allegations are based on revelations from "a few" nurses and that the claims were vetted.

The nurses also said that Duncan's lab samples were allowed to travel through the hospital's pneumatic tubes, opening the possibility of contaminating the specimen delivery system. The nurses also alleged that hazardous waste was allowed to pile up to the ceiling.

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/10/15/texas-health-officials-say-second-healthcare-worker-at-dallas-hospital-tests/

If this is true, and I have no doubt that it is, it would explain why the healthcare workers are coming down with the virus and not Duncan's family.

[ClutchClark]

Good information - very informative... I only wish the health care workers had actually been wearing a real bio-hazard suit... but they were wearing only an abbreviated one... no head covering and some exposed skin ... and other exposures... just really sad ...

I do a lot of work with hazardous waste (asbestos and chemicals, occasionally anthrax risks) and it's my opinion the protocol shown is utterly inadequate especially when it comes to hand and lower arm contact. These should be one piece suits including hood and they should go through a sterilisation shower before removal. I also doubt the adequacy of respiratory protection.

The PPE shown was certainly not user friendly, difficult to work in and under pressure I can see why this system is failing those it's meant to protect.

It's no wonder medical personnel are becoming infected.

Excellent post.

Unfortunately, it appears there has been a failure to properly assess the risk of the Ebola virus.

Edited October 15, 2014 by ClutchClark

[JDGRUEN]

Nightmare on USA Street ... as if it couldn't get worse...

2nd health care worker with Ebola flew from Cleveland to Dallas on Frontier Airlines the day before presenting symptoms, according to CDC, Frontier - @NBCNews

http://www.breakingnews.com/item/2014/10/15/2nd-health-care-worker-with-ebola-flew-from-clevel/

[MJP]

Flight alert over new US Ebola case

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is seeking 132 passengers on Frontier 1143 on 13 October for interview.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-29632433