Ebola in Texas

[SmilingBluEyes]

Confirmed, a case in Texas.

[h=1][/h]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2014/09/30/cdc-confirms-first-case-of-ebola-in-the-u-s/

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

Nursing Practice & Patient Advocacy Alert: Treatment of Patients with Ebola

http://nurses.3cdn.net/d3c32a5e002e55c7bd_1bm6bxz4f.pdf

[heron, ASN, RN]

Another interesting observation: for

the last thirty years, one of the main arguments in favor of defunding government agencies and shifting services into the private sector, has been the theory that the private sector can do the job much better.

From what I'm reading, the private sector's performance has been even worse than the CDC's. They're collecting pretty big federal dollars, too. Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance subsidized under Obamacare, the Medicare funding for house staff salaries in teaching hospitals ... corporate charters that were originally intended to create organizations that serve the public interest ... Where'd they all disappear to?

[tntrn, ASN, RN]

Wish I knew the source, or could remember it, but the Republicans actually voted to give Obama more than he requested for the CDC. And of course, over 90% of their budget goes for stuff that has nothing to do with pandemic prevention anyway. It's been diverted to community type stuff. And we are going to pay the price for that.

[heron, ASN, RN]

Of course it was diverted to "community stuff". The community is where people are catching HIV, MRSA, whooping cough, Hep B, Hep C., E. Coli, measles, mumps, the flu, antibiotic-resistant Tb, salmonella, and all the stds. To name a few. A very few.

With limits on resources, one has to prioritize. You don't waste time and money chasing unicorns when there's a herd of horses pooping on your doorstep.

Unfortunately, we forgot how fast a distant tragedy can, all of a sudden, land squarely in our laps.

A lot of people are going to die because we refuse to learn from history.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

[tntrn, ASN, RN]

Um-hm..street lights, bike paths......voter registration....

[SmilingBluEyes]

Dallas Nurses Accuse Hospital of Sloppy Ebola Protocols - ABC News

despicable. "tape their necks with surgical tape"??? "no masks needed"? are you KIDDING ME?

[tntrn, ASN, RN]

I received my Nurse.com magazine in the mail today. Of note is an article about a nurse who found that putting on and taking off all that protective gear isn't that easy "in an intensive 10 day class" she took. Ten days!

Can you imagine intensive 10 day classes for all nurses (and other health care workers)?

[Dewman]

I received my Nurse.com magazine in the mail today. Of note is an article about a nurse who found that putting on and taking off all that protective gear isn't that easy "in an intensive 10 day class" she took. Ten days!

Can you imagine intensive 10 day classes for all nurses (and other health care workers)?

Yeah. THAT'LL happen. Not.

[SmilingBluEyes]

The important thing to remember is, not only is donning gear properly critical, but just as critical, is "doffing" properly. This has to be done in pairs to avoid contamination while removing protective gear. You and your buddy help each other remove the gear properly and safely. I really wonder how many people understand this level of protection and how to don/doff correctly, and decontaminating in showers etc. Is this even being provided for? So many questions.

What is done with such gear when removed? Clean/showered/decontaminated? Burned? Irradiated? That is also just as important. Piling hazardous waste to the ceiling just ain't gonna cut the mustard.

So many, many questions. Instead of trying to find blame, let's fix it.

[toomuchbaloney]

http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/article/2014/oct/20/few-words-those-who-think-george-will-was-right-ab/

George Will misinterpreted research and scientific findings and scared Fox viewers unnecessarily. He will not be required to apologize or walk it back, and he will not be held accountable for his irresponsible remarks. Many (too many IMHO) conservative already equate this disease which has been around for decades without mutating to an airborne transmission to some failure on the part of Obama (apparently Barack Obola is now a fun term thrown around in the comment section of Breitbart, The National Review, etc.

It is pretty clear when you read the thoughts and comments of conservative consumers of those media outlets that ignorance about ebola and about modes of disease transmission is rampant. Wouldn't it be nice if we had a Surgeon General who could address this with the public at large as would be the responsibility of that office? Unfortunately, the nominee for that post holds pretty typical views on gun deaths and ways to try to address that issue (his views are in line with the AMA and the majority of American citizens if you want to believe the data), but the NRA finds that too "radical". And so we are a nation scared spitless about a virus that has been known for almost 40 years, without our typical medical leadership in the government.

At the same time that we are certain, as a society, that the free market can solve most of our ills and that states can handle almost everything without assist from the federal government, and that it is okay to cut social and health programs in order to preserve military spending and corporate incentives while shutting down federal services in political tantrums...we now cry because the feds aren't doing enough, fast enough, good enough, or broadly enough.

Why haven't American hospitals embraced training and equipment and facilities before now? Because that is not profitable.

Did anyone catch the notice that none of the people who were in close contact with Thomas Duncan or his terribly soiled and contaminated personal items in a contaminated apartment came down with ebola? It is NOT that contagious, comparatively. Had the fellow died from measles those folks would have been considerably more likely to have come down with the disease. It IS pretty deadly when/if you get it, but infection can largely be avoided in industrialized nations with access to health care.

[Jolie, BSN]

So Ebola hysteria is not the fault of inept government leadership, but the NRA.

Thank God I leave on vacation soon.

And BTW, there ARE hospitals that embraced proper training and protection for employees. They include Emory University & the Nebraska Medical Center, both of which have successfully cared for and/or safely discharged every Ebola patient admitted. It was the foolish "leadership" of this administration and "top" public health officials who claimed that every hospital in the U.S. was ready for Ebola, when anyone with a millisecond of clinical experience knew that to be false.

It's the basic evolution of medical knowledge. When a new disease process, new technique, or new treatment is developed, it is tried and tested in a few research centers until it is perfected. At which time, that information is gradually disseminated to other academic facilities, and over time (years, usually) to smaller facilities in the community. We've seen this over and over again with virtually every advance in medical care. There was absolutely no reason to believe that the evolution of knowledge, experience and success with Ebola patients would be any different, regardless of what this administration wanted to lead people to believe.

[toomuchbaloney]

Please share where I stated that the NRA is responsible for ebola hysteria.

It is true that we do not have a Surgeon General because of the NRA and the willingness of republican legislators to deny almost anything of substance to this POTUS.

Sure there are hospitals that have prepped adequately...are they the majority do you suppose? After 4 decades of experience with ebola what exactly do you think this administration wants the American public to believe about it? We have a pretty good idea what republican leadership and talking heads want us to believe, what does this administration want us to believe, in your opinion?

Yes, a vacation is a good thing to help one relax and think clearly. I am glad that you will enjoy one soon.