Doctors Without Borders Physician Tests Possitive for Ebola In New York City

Tagg · Oct 24, 2014

He tested positive.

blondy2061h, MSN, RN · Oct 24, 2014

He has tested positive according to the NY Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/24/nyregion/craig-spencer-is-tested-for-ebola-virus-at-bellevue-hospital-in-new-york-city.html

TheGooch · Oct 24, 2014

They guy was not feeling well for a couple of days but it wasn't until he had a fever of 103 that he decided to seek medical care. Meanwhile he was out and about while he was feeling unwell riding in taxis and bowling last night(Wednesday). The guy just came back from west africa where he was treating ebola patients and it never occurred to him that he might have the disease when he started to feel unwell and self quarantine himself.

At least the one nurse who traveled on the airplane called the CDC before doing so and was given the go ahead to travel. So who is the stupid one in a comparison of both cases? The doctor.

RNSue · Oct 24, 2014

Dr. Craig Spencer has tested positive for ebola after a week with no new diagnosed cases in this country.

He was out and about the day before--going bowling, riding in the subway and a taxi--

before being admitted to the hospital this afternoon with a temp of 103.

Has he been in a bubble since his return to NYC on October 14?

At the end of his volunteer period in Guinea did the Doctors Without Borders do any teaching about self quarantining for awhile?

Has he not been watching ANY news? Was he checking his temp regularly on his own? Was anyone else checking him?

Good grief, he is a DOCTOR who has been in WEST AFRICA working with EBOLA patients!!

This is unbelievable! How many UNKNOWN people has he had contact with in passing? This ISN'T the FLU!!

Is the CDC on their way to NYC Bellevue Hospital? Are they going to move him to one of the 4 hospitals that specializes in ebola?

I have to sign off now. I have to sit quietly and just breathe for awhile. :banghead:

RNSue

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Oct 24, 2014

Recommending new standard to Doctors Without Borders: have staff returning from assignment in Ebola plagued countries be self quarantined in Africa for 21 days prior to returning to US.

Doctor in New York City Tests Positive for Ebola - NYTimes ...

Dr. Spencer’s travel history and the timing of the onset of his symptoms led health officials to dispatch disease detectives, who “immediately began to actively trace all of the patient’s contacts to identify anyone who may be at potential risk,” according to a statement released by the department.
It was unclear if the city was trying to find people who might have come into contact with Dr. Spencer on the subway. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority directed all questions to the health department, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the issue.

A photo of Dr. Spencer posted on his Facebook page.
At Dr. Spencer’s apartment in Harlem, his home was sealed off and workers distributed informational fliers about the disease. It was not clear if anyone was being quarantined.
Health authorities declined to say how many people in total might have come into contact with Dr. Spencer while he was symptomatic.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, speaking at a news conference Thursday evening before the diagnosis, said Dr. Spencer has given health workers a detailed accounting of his activities over the last few days.
“Our understanding is that very few people were in direct contact with him,” Mr. de Blasio said.
Dr. Spencer had been working with Doctors Without Borders in Guinea, treating Ebola patients, before returning to New York City on Oct. 14, according to a city official.
He told the authorities that he did not believe the protective gear he wore while working with Ebola patients had been breached but had been monitoring his own health.
Doctors Without Borders, in a statement, said it provides guidelines for its staff members on their return from Ebola assignments, but did not elaborate on those protocols.
“The individual engaged in regular health monitoring and reported this development immediately,” the group said in a statement....

Can You Get Ebola From a Bowling Ball?

chadrn65 · Oct 24, 2014

RN Sue - No, this doctor is not going to be moved to one of the "4 facilities". He is being treated at Bellevue right now, currently in isolation. CNN reported that Bellevue and their staff have been preparing/training for Ebola since August and that they have isolation units on site. CNN also said that a team from the CDC will also be showing up. The mayor of NY was stating that they actually have 5 hospitals in NY that are equipped to take care of an Ebola patient. Below is the latest east coast time at 10:39pm. This is an updated version from CNN's earlier post.

NYC physician tests positive for Ebola - CNN.com

"After confirming that tests showed a patient tested positive for Ebola, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said, "We want to state at the outset there is no reason for New Yorkers to be alarmed."
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that authorities are "as ready as one could be for this circumstance." He noted that the situation in his state is different than what happened in Dallas, where a man was diagnosed with Ebola and two health care workers who treated him contracted the virus.
"We had the advantage of learning from the Dallas experience," Cuomo said.
The governor said that it's believed four people came in contact with the person, and authorities are in contact with all four of those people. It is not yet clear whether authorities where counting only those people who came into contact with the man after he became symptomatic.
The Ebola patient finished his work as a doctor in the West African country of Guinea on October 12, left Africa two days later via Europe, and arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy airport on October 17, New York City health commissioner Dr. Mary Travis Bassett said.
He had no symptoms throughout his journey and immediately after arriving in the United States, said Bassett, who added that he checked his temperature twice a day after returning to the United States.
A Doctors Without Borders physician who recently returned to New York from West Africa has tested positive for the Ebola virus, becoming the first diagnosed case in the city, a law enforcement official briefed on the matter told CNN.
The doctor, identified as Craig Spencer, 33, came back from treating Ebola patients in Guinea about 10 days ago, and developed a fever, nausea, pain and fatigue Wednesday night.
The physician, employed at New York's Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, has been in isolation at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan since Thursday morning, the official said.
At a news conference Thursday, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio sought to allay public concerns about the spread of the deadly virus, saying that "careful protocols were followed every step of the way" in the city's handling of the case. The hospitalized doctor has "worked closely" with health officials, the mayor said.
The doctor exhibited symptoms of the Ebola virus for "a very brief period of time" and had direct contact with "very few people" in New York, de Blasio told reporters.
On his Facebook page, Spencer posted a photo of himself in protective gear. The page indicates he went to Guinea around September 18 and later to Brussels in mid October....

All4NursingRN · Oct 24, 2014

I used to work with Dr.Spencer. He is an awesome emergency room doctor and person as well. I wish him a speedy recovery.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Oct 24, 2014

Where are the accusations that *HE* "broke protocol"? Where is the outrage about him riding the subway, going bowling or catching a ride with a ride sharing service?

"Authorities stress that the possibility of Dr. Spencer spreading the virus is low."

This is what should have been reported about Pham and Vinson as well.

loving2024, BSN, RN · Oct 24, 2014

"Can You Get Ebola From a Bowling ball"

This is a good title

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Oct 24, 2014

This doctor's absence under the bus was not lost on me, either. Nor was his presence on the subway.

Hope he has a smooth recovery, though!!

nurseblob · Oct 24, 2014

I completely agree! Can we please stop flaming a nurse for believing the CDC and her state health department that she was at low risk for transmitting the virus?? My gosh, she went to visit her family and was given the okay to do so!