Ebola in the news...

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Oct 15, 2014

I'm in Fort Worth, approximately 30 miles west of Dallas. As most people on this board know, Dallas has been rendered infamous for the tiny number of Ebola cases in the US.

It's too early for me to become nervous just yet. Although I'm too young to remember, I'm assured people were frightened in almost the exact same manner when the first cases of HIV and AIDS started surfacing in the early 1980s.

I'd rather take a wait-and-see approach for the time being, but I can definitely understand your nervousness. We do not know where this will lead just yet.

andreasmom02 · Oct 15, 2014

Yes, I know what you mean... I definitely feel for the people of Texas right now. I know this is definitely all new to the U.S., and I feel we were unprepared for it. My husband and I live in a rural area with small, very unprepared (I'm sure of it) hospitals for something like this. I've joked with him and told him "if this hits here, we're gonners!!" As a mom of two young children, and a nurse, this thing is definitely making me anxious. My health anxiety doesn't help.

LVN2RNMom, ASN, BSN, LVN · Oct 16, 2014

My feeling on Ebola is this....I have a healthy immune system (Thank the man above)! Along with that I thought people feared similar from TB, polio, AIDS/HIV when they hit. I mentioned this to a friend and she mentioned how she has TB. hahahaha I never knew & we've hugged, kissed, shared food/drinks, etc...My point being, in the US we are exposed to many different things and you honestly never know. We all go to the grocery store, movies, etc...and how do you know what the person next to you has? Just my thoughts but my feelings are not of paranoia or urgency. All I need to do is keep doing what I have been taught. Wash my hands like no one's business, keep smart about wearing protective gear during patient care and treat everyone with respect yet equally. Nonetheless, I sure hope they find a cure fast and help people whom have become exposed to this threat.