Ebola- Quarantine/Quasi quarantine Yes or No?

Nurses COVID

Published

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/10/28/new-debate-over-ebola-quarantine-looms-as-nurse-returns-to-maine/

I will be curious to see how this plays out in developing "quarantine rules"...do we as a nation, go state by state? do we follow the lead of the CDC? what will this mean if in fact she tests positive for Ebola?

What a mess.

I believe the quarantine KH was placed in was wrong. I believe she was right to grab herself a lawyer to fight it.

I also believe that if she's going to be making public statements, videos, it wouldn't kill her to explain that she intends to take her temperature twice a day as recommended, IN CASE she were to develop any symptoms requiring further action. Right now, her public personna is giving nursing a black eye. Why do I say this? Because although *I* am an educated nurse, and understand she is being put through a wringer unnecessarily, I ALSO know that the general public just wants reassurance that she's going to be handling this situation safely. Right now, all they see is "FORGET IT!! NOT ME!!! NO WAY!!" .....and I think that's damaging to all healthcare professionals. Makes people think it's a GOOD thing we have politicians making medical decisions for all of us (ie: NY/NJ quaratine).

My own husband relayed to me the latest news story as he understood it (missing pieces, which is what I'm now going to be asking about); point is he felt it makes RNs in general look bad. He's MARRIED to an RN, so he has a very definite clue about how I go about things, how seriously I take public health. And he was left with the impression she doesn't give a damn because she doesn't want to be inconvenienced. NOT the image we want out there.

I'm not sure of the timeline here.....did Hickox clear as Ebola negative (blood sample) BEFORE she stated she would not adhere to an at-home quarantine? I'm not clear if she was refusing to have her temp taken before she knew she was not infected with Ebola....?

More details would help me process this, thanks :)

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

And has anyone given any thought to all the lab tech personnel who handle the lab specimens? At last light, they were still considered body fluids. And there but for a break in technique they may or may not be exposing the outside to EvD. Do we know? Anybody quarantining them??? No, they just jumped on Kaci.

Great point. Did Christie order the quarantine of all those people? No. Is he planning to quarantine all US caregivers who have cared for the recent patients? Where does it stop?

And like others, I am appalled at the way she was treated and not given decent accommodations. Totally unnecessary even if they did want to isolate her. That was panic-induced stupidity, not an intelligent, well-reasoned isolation.

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Specializes in kids.

I guess I am really struggling...I personally tend to be a conformist and NOT a rule breaker. That said, I also believe in science and evidenced based medicine.

I believe in the transmission mode (ie cannot give it if you don't have it)....but on the other hand I see fear and concern for the general health of all of us.

I think the bigger issue is our CDC got caught with its pants down. Plain and simple. If an articulated response had been set up with national guidelines (regardless of political posturing), there would not have been the mass hysteria that is running amok, especially in the media.

IMHO, she strikes me as a know it all-without regard for others. Which I find unsettling given her role as a nurse. And I think THAT is what has struck a chord with so many. Her tone.

She has not tested positive. I guess time will tell. Were it me, I'm not sure I would have gone there to start, in all honesty. But I think I would have voluntarily quarantined if I had experienced a fever.

Sadly, the conditions she was put in were abysmal, and I am sure that fueled her rage.

I know for a fact I would not be threatening to sue.

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Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

I'm not defending the tent. It was indefensible.

What I can't understand is why she can freely risk her life for Ebola victims in Africa, but can't give a scared American public peace of mind by spending 21 days in the comfort of her home.

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

Per the JAMA:

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe1413139

Sent from my iPhone.

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Per the JAMA:

MMS: Error

Sent from my iPhone.

Now THIS is a great article. Thanks :)

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
You know what...if you're going to volunteer to go to a country that has the deadliest virus on the planet; you should absolutely be quarantined when you get back for 21 days. I would expect that the volunteers would do this willingly and I'm shocked about the response of boo hoo, not me for Christ's sake...how dare you take 21 days of my life to ensure that this virus does not spread!:banghead:

This is deadly and people are crying over 21 days. Don't people get it yet, it's unpredictable and mutating as we speak. Take no chances. I don't know what's happened to people, but it's scary IMO. Symptoms or not, they should be quarantined! It's called common sense.

Influenza kills thousands of people in this country every year, yet there are nurses who refuse to get the flu vax because they don't want their rights infringed. I think we should quarantine these nurses until flu season is over. Just because they aren't sick now doesn't mean they don't have the flu and aren't capable of infecting others.

While we're at it, all children who have not had their vaccines should be denied the right to attend school. You never know when one of them could make someone else sick.

These viruses are unpredictable and mutate constantly. Take no chances. In fact, why don't we just quarantine everyone, just to be safe.

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
Influenza kills thousands of people in this country every year, yet there are nurses who refuse to get the flu vax because they don't want their rights infringed.

^^^ absolutely this. Isn't it ironic that the many of the same people pushing for quarantine are also vaccine refusers.

Sent from my iPhone.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
I predicted the Hickox would get a lawyer stat. Even when they announced she was going into quarantine I was hoping that this nurse wouldn't smell blood but she did. It's embarrassing IMO; and shows all nurses as money grabbing opportunist. I don't think it's a hysteria that's out or public panic as the media has reported to sell the news that others parrot for effect; it's extreme caution. I'm for self quarantine but look at the doc going out to a bowling alley, taxi, and where ever in the world he went, oh yea subway. He was fine, symptom free and than what happened...ah huh.

I do think they went overboard with the tent but they are still learning. I think self monitoring is fine as long as they stay home. Perhaps we could compensate them but there it is again...money. We should all be working together to help keep this out of America, not cry law suit everytime someone doesn't like what happened. She will lose her suit since to make her whole...anyway, that's a whole different thread.

They talk about how hard it is to get it but I want to know how the doc and nurse got it (the first ones who came and got treatment). No one talks about it. Now all these others... Duncan knew he had it, and hopped on a plane not telling anyone to get to America for treatment. You know others will do that.

I thought we were professional nurses willing to help; I have been proved wrong.

Where did you read (National Enquirer doesn't count) that Kaci got an atty. for a big money grab? Everything I read was that she got a lawyer because she feared for her civil rights.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
What a mess.

I believe the quarantine KH was placed in was wrong. I believe she was right to grab herself a lawyer to fight it.

I also believe that if she's going to be making public statements, videos, it wouldn't kill her to explain that she intends to take her temperature twice a day as recommended, IN CASE she were to develop any symptoms requiring further action. Right now, her public personna is giving nursing a black eye. Why do I say this? Because although *I* am an educated nurse, and understand she is being put through a wringer unnecessarily, I ALSO know that the general public just wants reassurance that she's going to be handling this situation safely. Right now, all they see is "FORGET IT!! NOT ME!!! NO WAY!!" .....and I think that's damaging to all healthcare professionals. Makes people think it's a GOOD thing we have politicians making medical decisions for all of us (ie: NY/NJ quaratine).

My own husband relayed to me the latest news story as he understood it (missing pieces, which is what I'm now going to be asking about); point is he felt it makes RNs in general look bad. He's MARRIED to an RN, so he has a very definite clue about how I go about things, how seriously I take public health. And he was left with the impression she doesn't give a damn because she doesn't want to be inconvenienced. NOT the image we want out there.

I'm not sure of the timeline here.....did Hickox clear as Ebola negative (blood sample) BEFORE she stated she would not adhere to an at-home quarantine? I'm not clear if she was refusing to have her temp taken before she knew she was not infected with Ebola....?

More details would help me process this, thanks :)

She had already tested negative twice before she said enough was enough. Now the state of Maine wants her to submit to a third test, and if that is neg., they say they'll "consider" cancelling the quarantine.

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She had already tested negative twice before she said enough was enough. Now the state of Maine wants her to submit to a third test, and if that is neg., they say they'll "consider" cancelling the quarantine.

Thank you, that's important to know. I was unclear as to whether she was refusing the temperature checks DESPITE the necessity (because she was ******) or because she already had PROOF she was not infected (and therefore didn't NEED temperature checks. That piece was causing me discomfort.

I had told my dh that I was sure she'd continue to do her own T checks regardless of whether she refused ot allow the DOH to do it; it only made sense to monitor herself in case she DID become symptomatic.

However, if she has already blood-tested negative (twice??) then that becomes unnecessary.

Question for all: Is this blood test so prohibitively expensive that it cannot be performed on EVERYONE who is returning from W.Africa? Why would we need a 21 day quarantine if a blood test can confirm lack of disease? What is the window of time in which one might test positive after an exposure to a victim.....and why could THAT window not be used as a potential quarantine time-frame (if necessary at all)?

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Per the JAMA:

MMS: Error

Overall, that's a good article, but they might want to update it and NOT use Craig Spencer as an example to follow, since even after he got sick he lied about his activities, including being out and about after he started feeling ill.

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