Ebola here in Dallas USA

Nurses COVID

Published

With general American education levels on geography, and the propensity of many not to pay attention to the news, maybe the nurse didn't realize why being from Africa was relevant. Especially if he said "Liberia." There is a frightening number of Americans who can't find the US on a world map, so how many have any idea where Liberia is?

You know, this is sadly very true. I used to teach high school history, and I would always give a very general kind of geography test the first week to see where the kids were in that regard. A MAJORITY of these kids could not identify THE UNITED STATES on a world map! I kid you not. I think it may be quite likely that she didn't know that Liberia was even in Africa, much less that it is one of the "hot spots."

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

Who cares who didn't tell whom. It doesn't matter. The system broke now identify the system problem, do some education, and fix the problem so everyone can learn from this error.

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Specializes in ICU, Geriatrics, Float Pool.

Well, it was only a matter of time. It's unreasonable in this day and age to expect invisible borders to stop the spread of any disease. We need to change our thinking from treating outbreaks of communicable diseases as being someone else's problem. Every outbreak should be considered a global threat and treated as such. Up until now (and even still), people think of ebola as "Africa's problem" - that's simply not the case. People travel and co-mingle too frequently to restrict anything anywhere for long.

I just wish more preparation had been put in place at the community level. The response seems to have been disorganized, delayed, and scattered. I guess that's what happens when you just assume you're safe because Africa is far away.

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What I find scary is that this man helped care for two Ebola patients back in Liberia (whom he lived with, according to the New York Times), then knowingly boarded a plane four days later. He knew the infection was spreading wildly in his community, so he came to the U.S., where he'd have a better chance of survival. It's at best a selfish act, at worst an act of deliberate terrorism. I believe he was well aware that he was bringing the infection into the United States. Why are we allowing ANY travelers from infected countries?

If he did help 2 sick persons just days before flying to the US, then I would think what he did would be considered Attempted murder.

But if he was exposed for the first time just 4 days before flying here and was sick 4 days later, that is 8 days. Intresting.

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Both are to blame. They should have read her info, but seriously, she should have made certain they knew this incredibly important bit of information.

Really?

I am not a nurse yet. But what I get from this story, is that all you say during intake is a waste of breath. No one read it or paid attention to the information. They looked for information to confirm what they believed to be going on.

Also, Maybe this is a case of "whos responsibility is it", if the person before wasn't worried, then why should I be?

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Why would the Liberian guy with Ebola be charged with attempted murder?

I feel so bad thinking of all the little children dying over there.

There was a picture of a little girl suspected of having Ebola lying on the hospital floor filled with body fluids.

The workers sprayed the floor and her with bleach. Sad all around.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.
If he did help 2 sick persons just days before flying to the US, then I would think what he did would be considered Attempted murder.

But if he was exposed for the first time just 4 days before flying here and was sick 4 days later, that is 8 days. Intresting.

Ebola has about a 7-21 day incubation time. Eight days between exposure and onset of first symptoms is well within norms for this bug.

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Specializes in L&D, Women's Health.
Quote>The first person (and I don't care if it's the janitor) told by the pt that he was from Liberia has the responsibility to protect themselves and everyone else by isolating the patient immediately>quote]

You plan to quarantine everyone from Liberia? Nigeria? No matter what their symptoms?

I heard a blurb on NPR a month or so ago about some college presidents encouraging students to look with a "discerning " eye at students from theses African countries for health issues. All I could do is be so sad as I flashed back to the suspicious paranoia of the newly announced

HIV times

. I'm sure they would have loved to isolate anyone they suspected coming from the land of HIV

LOL . . . no, only those persons coming from areas of Ebola outbreak in Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone with Ebola symptoms. It would be ludicrous to guarantee everyone. Fortunately, we know so much more about Ebola than we did when HIV first appeared.

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Specializes in L&D, Women's Health.

Good!! Now, why can't the press make this more visible! Notice how this statement is sort of buried at the end of the article:

"On Thursday, the hospital elaborated by saying that a flaw in the electronic health records systems led to separate physician and nursing workflows and that the doctor hadn't had access to Duncan's travel history.

But the hospital issued a statement late Friday saying that the doctor who initially treated Duncan did have access to his travel history after all."

News from The Associated Press

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