Ebola- Quarantine/Quasi quarantine Yes or No?

nurse2033, MSN, RN · Oct 29, 2014

Too bad that the hysteria was allowed to carry the day. There is a balance between public safety and public trust. Trust is gone. How many nurses returning from volunteering in Africa will be admitting it to immigration officials? Or members of the public for that matter? It is a well known fact that people are not contagious until they have symptoms. It sounds like they incorrectly measured her temperature. I wouldn't have thought that should be done by someone with medical training but it seems that it should. This type of behavior will only discourage people from assisting, and the only way to contain the epidemic, is to attack it at the source. If the African countries involved can get it under control, this will dramatically reduced the risk for the rest of the world, and they clearly need help. She should get a medal, not be treated like a criminal.

GregoryGeczi · Oct 29, 2014

We are all healthcare providers and it is our job to not spread infection. Regarding the nurse in NJ shame on her, she should know better.

macawake, MSN · Oct 29, 2014

We are all healthcare providers and it is our job to not spread infection. Regarding the nurse in NJ shame on her, she should know better.

In order to spread an infection, a person would actually have to be infectious first.

She's asymptomatic , which means she isn't infectious.

Shame on her? She has personally contributed to the effort to stop this outbreak. What have you done? I'm guessing nothing. Same as me, but I feel grateful for this nurse's courage and dedication.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Oct 29, 2014

We are all healthcare providers and it is our job to not spread infection. Regarding the nurse in NJ shame on her, she should know better.

What is it that you know, that she doesn't?

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Oct 29, 2014

There should be a national policy that is reasonable. Such as self quarantine at home. I do not think that is unreasonable with people who have been exposed like the returning health care workers.

However, that will almost certainly decrease the willingness of HCW's to go in the first place which will not help the situation at all.

chadrn65 · Oct 29, 2014

Kaci Hickox and her attorney speak to Matt Lauer this morning via Skype. See complete interview below.

“Nurse Kaci Hickox — who remains symptom-free after spending three days in a New Jersey isolation tent after flying home from Ebola-stricken West Africa — remains under quarantine at home in Maine, but for only another day, she tells TODAY's Matt Lauer”.

Nurse Kaci Hickox says she won't obey Maine's Ebola quarantine: I won’t be 'bullied by politicians' - Health - TODAY.com

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Oct 29, 2014

In order to spread an infection, a person would actually have to be infectious first.
She’s asymptomatic , which means she isn’t infectious.
Shame on her? She has personally contributed to the effort to stop this outbreak. What have you done? I’m guessing nothing. Same as me, but I feel grateful for this nurse’s courage and dedication.

Where's the "Love" button?

And where's the outrage about the MD--you know, the one who got ebola--not voluntarily self-quarantining?

motherof3sons · Oct 29, 2014

She is not going to self quarantine and here is the latest.

Kaci Hickox back in Fort Kent, vows to fight 21-day isolation — Aroostook — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine

Mulan · Oct 29, 2014

Kaci Hickox and her attorney speak to Matt Lauer this morning via Skype. See complete interview below.
“Nurse Kaci Hickox — who remains symptom-free after spending three days in a New Jersey isolation tent after flying home from Ebola-stricken West Africa — remains under quarantine at home in Maine, but for only another day, she tells TODAY's Matt Lauer”.
Nurse Kaci Hickox says she won't obey Maine's Ebola quarantine: I won’t be 'bullied by politicians' - Health - TODAY.com

Thanks for posting the link.

I just watched it.

"currently I'm the one that's suffering"

suffering?

macawake, MSN · Oct 29, 2014

Thanks for posting the link.
I just watched it.
"currently I'm the one that's suffering"
suffering?

Yes, suffering. I don’t find it very hard to believe.

Imagine that you’ve been working for weeks/months in a state of constant hyper-vigilance and physical discomfort (full PPE in that climate is no joke). You’re surrounded by suffering, scared and dying human beings and copious amounts of contagious bodily fluids. You know that a momentary loss of focus can mean that you get infected.

Sometimes you’re forced to look a sick, terrified human being in the eyes and tell them that you’re facility is full and that you don’t have a place for them. You are forced to tell them to go back home again, where you know that they will likely die in pain and quite often infect other family members.

You’ve seen dozens adults, children and infants die. You have to deal with the bodies after these human beings have succumbed to the illness.

You’re trained and normally work in a first-world country. You know that the care you are able to give here is at a much lower standard than it would be at home. You know that many of the lives that were lost, likely could have been saved if the patient had been lucky enough to have been born somewhere else. Still, you get on with your job and do the best you can with the resources you have available to you.

Then, finally the time for you to go home again arrives. You’re emotionally exhausted from everything you’ve witnessed and experienced. You miss your family and friends, you long for a sense of normalcy.

On your return to your home country you are met by officials with a forehead scanner and then told that you’ll be put in quarantine because of some newly implemented policy. Being a healthcare professional with experience of working with EVD and in possession of actual scientific knowledge, you know that you aren’t contagious and don’t pose a health threat to anyone. Knowing this, you probably question both the reason and legality of this brand new policy. You know that this policy is based on hysteria, not science.

You work for an organization that has battled Ebola for decades and has a policy in place that has been proven to work, but now some politician who despite not having any medical education and specific experience with infectious diseases, has decided that he knows better.

Then you arrive at the quarantine location and you probably think that your eyes are deceiving you. You’re expected to spend three weeks alone in a tent dressed in paper scrubs, with a sani-can/porta- potty and no access to a shower or running water. Seriously?

Your name and face are being broadcast around the globe. All you ever wanted was to come home to your partner, family and friends, but instead you’re headline news. Ignorant people start spewing bile, contempt, hatred and threats in comments on the internet/social media. Even some fellow nurses who you’d expect would be better informed and educated, echo some of the misinformed opinions. Some do it quite harshly. You probably wonder what your life will be like the near future. How will friends and neighbors react and behave?

I don't know about you, but I'd be furious and feel so alone, if this happened to me.

Suffering? Yes, I can easily understand why she might feel that way.

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@Here.I.Stand Thank you so much for your kind words!

Sadly, judging by media reports and commentary it seems the doctor is being raked over the coals too.

“Hate-healthcare-workers” seems to be in vogue right now. :no:

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Oct 29, 2014

No doubt whatsoever in my mind that these politicians will decry the lack of humanitarian support available overseas, and the dearth of HCWs willing to deal with it over here.......while villifying those who have the cohones TO DO something.

Yep, someone steps up and helps, puts himself/herself at risk and in serious discomfort for long stretches of time......let's all be sure and smack them down and regret ever getting involved, shall we?

sbtr50 · Oct 29, 2014

I will fully admit I gave in to the hype of Ebola. I felt quarantine was necessary. Now that I have done my research and read differing opinions, I no longer think there should be mandatory quarantine? Not yet. Not to say it won't be necessary later. There should be mandatory monitoring, and these are healthcare professionals.I'd like to think that if they started to have an elevated temp, despite what a technical definition is for a fever, that they would make a choice to seek some medical attention. As for me, if I were in the same situation I would overkill and quarantine myself just because I tend to go with the " I'd rather than be safe than sorry" approach.A loss of my freedom for 3 weeks is better to me than the alternative.And yes I know these are two contradictions of my opinion and what I would do.