Support Kaci Hickox

Nurses COVID

Published

  1. Do you support Kaci Hickox?

    • 179
      Yes
    • 93
      No

272 members have participated

Specializes in ER, ICU.

She is the nurse who returned from Africa and was placed in quarantine despite not being sick. I'm not going to give all the details here, they are readily available online. I support her position and hope you do too. She is not sick, she should not be quarentined.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

I'm too uncomfortable with the supposition that every infected person will perceive his/her symptoms and remove him/herself from contact with others before any viral shedding can occur. A 21-day quarantine is a sensible precaution for those who have just returned from high-risk activity in a high-risk area.

Her volunteer activities are admirable - I hope she will find it in her heart to use the 21-days to reflect on the experience, and stop throwing media-staged tantrums.

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Specializes in FNP, ONP.

I agree with the OP. Kaci is correct, science, medicine and the law are on her side. She doesn't have Ebola antibodies, therefore she doesn't have Ebola. She isn't going to suddenly develop Ebola next week, that is ludicrous. 2 days, 21 days, it doesn't matter. She doesn't have it and holding her against her will is illegal and immoral.

Honestly, I am so disappointed in nurses; I'd have hoped they would know better. Case in point that Nursing education is in the crapper.

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I think Kaci is wrong by not complying with the quarantine....and is giving nurses a bad rap. I'm sure there are people that are responsible enough to self monitor and go about his/her own life, and I'm sure she feels very capable of self monitoring without the quarantine. However, there are others out there that may be returning from west Africa that may be a little more reckless, ie. the good doc that traveled The subway and went bowling while feeling "sluggish .". I think his reckless behavior is why they put this quarantine in place. Correct me if I'm wrong. But that's my opinion about this situation.

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Specializes in LTC.

She has my support. She is not sick, she does not have Ebola so no need for quarantine.

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Specializes in Neuro, Telemetry.

If they are going to start quarantining every health professional who returns from Africa, they professionals may start taking alternate routes to get home that don't come from Africa and then lie about their exposure risk. Illegally holding a well adult against their will purely to nullify the fear of people who don't know anything about the disease is not a solution. It may take up to 21 days to develop symptoms, but the virus will have been actively multiplying during that time and as such the body would start making antibodies. If her Ebola antibody test is negative, then it is extremely unlikely that she has Ebola. So medical professionals and the CDC, having this information, have no right to hold her in quarantine. I am not willing to give up rights to satisfy fearful people. I don't want immune compromised children to get the flu either, but we don't quarantine everyone who sneezes. This is just ridiculous.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Tests for detecting ebola antibodies dont' typically turn positive until after the 21 day incubation period since it's not until the incubation period is over that your body begins a counterattack that the antibody detection tests will work, usually after obvious symptoms have already started. This is why PCR, not antibody tests, are the preferred test for ebola.

PCR tests are quicker but still not all that useful in ruling out someone for ebola prior to the end of the incubation period, mainly because the ebola virus incubates primarily in spleen and liver tissue and little if any makes it into the bloodstream during the first 21 days in order to make it detectable to a PCR test. It's a test where a positive result in most likely positive, but a negative result is basically meaningless unless the person is a day or two shy from being 21 days out from their last exposure to ebola.

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If they are going to start quarantining every health professional who returns from Africa, they professionals may start taking alternate routes to get home that don't come from Africa and then lie about their exposure risk.

Or, after seeing Ms. Hickox' experience, will simply not go to Africa in the first place, and that's where we really need the health professionals to stop the outbreak and keep it from spreading to other parts of the world ...

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I just asked this on another thread, but there are now so many.....and I'd like to better understand something.

Did KH test negative for Ebola before or after she refused to self-quarantine? Did she refuse to take her temps (or have DOH take them for her?) before or after she tested negative?

I'd just like to be clear on the timeline; while I think the treatment she received was a royal screw upon her return from W.Africa, I'm not sure she's behaving well at the moment.

The public statements from her are certainly not very reassuring to the public at all.

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, CICU.
Tests for detecting ebola antibodies dont' typically turn positive until after the 21 day incubation period since it's not until the incubation period is over that your body begins a counterattack that the antibody detection tests will work, usually after obvious symptoms have already started. This is why PCR, not antibody tests, are the preferred test for ebola.

PCR tests are quicker but still not all that useful in ruling out someone for ebola prior to the end of the incubation period, mainly because the ebola virus incubates primarily in spleen and liver tissue and little if any makes it into the bloodstream during the first 21 days in order to make it detectable to a PCR test. It's a test where a positive result in most likely positive, but a negative result is basically meaningless unless the person is a day or two shy from being 21 days out from their last exposure to ebola.

Would you provide references please for those of us who have a strong interest in microbiology and infectious diseases. Thank you.

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Someone correct me if I'm mistaken, but at no point did she choose to stop self monitoring. It's reasonable to me that she's past what could be considered to be proactive for outside monitoring. Self monitoring at this juncture is something I'd absolutely support. Even though I hold the unpopular position that HCW's returning from from the affected region should be monitored and home quarantined for a few days after getting back home. 21 days is excessive imo and unnecessary for healthcare professionals.

Either way, she's going to win against any legal action levied against her. And that'll cost the taxpayers in Maine a hefty chunk of dollars unworthy of risking in a courtroom gamble.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
I agree with the OP. Kaci is correct, science, medicine and the law are on her side. She doesn't have Ebola antibodies, therefore she doesn't have Ebola. She isn't going to suddenly develop Ebola next week, that is ludicrous. 2 days, 21 days, it doesn't matter. She doesn't have it and holding her against her will is illegal and immoral.

Honestly, I am so disappointed in nurses; I'd have hoped they would know better. Case in point that Nursing education is in the crapper.

​You and me both.

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