Fear-bola is an airborne disease that spreads through conversation, entering your brain through your ears. Fear-bola is so contagious that some victims have contracted it by simply seeing images and videos about Ebola.Once inside your body, Fear-bola attacks the part of the brain responsible for rational thinking. It starts with a low-grade concern about the two health care workers diagnosed with Ebola in Dallas and slowly builds into fear of a widespread epidemic in the United States. Almost half of the people affected by Fear-bola are also "very" or "somewhat" worried they themselves will catch the virus.Fear-bola is dangerous because it leads to confused decision-making and illusions. People who favor travel bans, for example, suffer from Fear-bola. Anyone convinced Ebola is an airborne virus is suffering from the disease. If the news that a second health care worker in Dallas diagnosed with Ebola made you think you're in a real-life "Contagion" or "Outbreak" movie, you suffer from Fear-bola.
Despite assurance that an outbreak is unlikely & that Ebola will not suddenly mutate to become airborne, I'm hearing a lot of comments regarding the nature of the threat that aren't aligned with reality. It is my hope that those 2 nurses recover soon & any problems with infection control quickly identified. My heart goes out to them. In the meantime, I think we should arm ourselves with facts about Ebola pathophysiology, transmission, & prevention.
Do you have Fearbola? What do you think of our country's response?
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
I think some of the hysteria can be attributed to the fact that our so-called government "experts" have been acting like the Keystone Kops ever since Ebola came to our shores. If we can't trust the CDC and NIH to give us the correct information and make sure hospitals are up to date on how to care for Ebola patients (including the provision of proper training and protective equipment), who can we trust? If they were to pull their act together and be proactive, instead of reactive, in minimizing the threat to Americans from this disease, I believe the public would settle down.
I think some of the hysteria can be attributed to the fact that our so-called government "experts" have been acting like the Keystone Kops ever since Ebola came to our shores. If we can't trust the CDC and NIH to give us the correct information and make sure hospitals are up to date on how to care for Ebola patients (including the provision of proper training and protective equipment), who can we trust? If they were to pull their act together and be proactive, instead of reactive, in minimizing the threat to Americans from this disease, I believe the public would settle down.
The CDC makes recommendations, it's up to hospitals to implement them. Notice how the patients who were brought here from Africa haven't infected ONE person? That tells me the controls the CDC and NIH had in place are adequate. The HOSPITAL, IMO, is who didn't follow protocol. But it's always easier to blame the government agency, isn't it?
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Ah yes, they are busy freaking out about Ebola at my hospital. Managers came in on SUNDAY! to have listening sessions. The irrational fears expressed by staff were embarrassing.
You know how we say that 'you can't make these things up?' and how when you're at work in the middle of the stupidest craziest fiascos… you turn to your co worker and say…'no one would believe this'…
This Ebola 'crisis' is like that… one bad decision after the next. It actually does read a bit like a comedy if not for the tragedy of it. When I read about the quarantined lab person who handled a glass vial of the blood… I was like 'Seriously?!' There were no symptoms and no risk to the other passengers but a complete over reaction to a very small sliver of a chance of exposure. The entire ship not being allowed into 2 ports. Talk about ridiculous over reaction. It is funny in a sad pathetic way… I'd be so mad if I were on that cruise though and I wasn't allowed to disembark after taking time off work and also the cost of the cruise. I wonder if people will sue over it? or demand their money back? or another cruise… The hysteria will cost a lot in lost productivity and revenue on many levels (not just this cruise)… I want to laugh but… it's actually really sad.
Also, I read that the TSA agent that patted the nurse down at the airport is now on a 21 day (paid leave) quarantine. The dark side of me is saying… 'wow, really? talk about milking the system… I'd like a paid vacation so I could stay home on 'quarantine'.' Are they quarantining all the nurses who had contact with Duncan? The plot thickens and twists and turns… yes, we have to laugh at it.
Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.
I know of a local hospital whom, even after the recommendations of full gear still want their nurse in a face shield and mask!!
It's just like the spokesperson for NNU said this morning on Face the Nation. She said it all comes down to the bottom line and the cost of the gear needed. Of course the MD on the program and the head of Nat'l Hospital Association (?) said that wasn't true, that all hospitals have the best interest of their staff in mind.
Of course the MD on the program and the head of Nat'l Hospital Association (?) said that wasn't true, that all hospitals have the best interest of their staff in mind.
LOL- that is funny. It's all about the bottom line in this country. Even many of the non-profits are driven by the bottom line. Staff is expendable. So are the patients.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
It's pretty insane out there. When I saw the Ebola "info-graphic" used by my local news broadcast I literally burst out laughing. It was scarier than a horror-movie poster! I could just hear a producer saying "punch it up with a virus monster, kid" and boy did they deliver!
The CDC makes recommendations, it's up to hospitals to implement them. Notice how the patients who were brought here from Africa haven't infected ONE person? That tells me the controls the CDC and NIH had in place are adequate. The HOSPITAL, IMO, is who didn't follow protocol. But it's always easier to blame the government agency, isn't it?
The CDC PPE protocol was inadequate and may have well lead to the infections of the nurses. Note the CDC is now revising their protocol! Dr Fauci of the NIH has said all skin must be covered and that wasn't the case as we now know.
Who knew the CDC was so irrational treating Ebola as a level 4 pathogen?
"Almost all of these viruses are classified as a Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) pathogens and as such must be handled in special facilities designed to contain them."
Good news people and hopefully an efficient panic-antidote! Nigeria has officially been declared Ebola free.
On July 20th an American-Liberian male, infected with Ebola and already symptomatic, got on an airplane in Monrovia, Liberia and flew to Lagos, Nigeria.
It’s reported that he was already visibly ill upon departure from Monrovia and that he both vomited in-flight and on arrival in Lagos.
Upon arrival to Lagos, a densely populated city with approximately 21 million inhabitants, he was transported to hospital where he died five days later. Nigeria has more than 170 million inhabitants, and the Ebola outbreak there resulted in a total of 19 laboratory confirmed cases, seven of which have died. (That’s a mortality rate of slightly less than 40%).
Today 42 days (2 x the maximum incubation period of 21 days) has passed without any new Ebola cases and the country has contained this outbreak.
I recommend that you read all three pages of the WHO news release, it’s interesting reading in my opinion.
Please note that there have been no reported cases of passengers who were on the flights (it made a stopover in Togo), being infected by the symptomatic index patient.
VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN
22 Articles; 9,996 Posts
I think some of the hysteria can be attributed to the fact that our so-called government "experts" have been acting like the Keystone Kops ever since Ebola came to our shores. If we can't trust the CDC and NIH to give us the correct information and make sure hospitals are up to date on how to care for Ebola patients (including the provision of proper training and protective equipment), who can we trust? If they were to pull their act together and be proactive, instead of reactive, in minimizing the threat to Americans from this disease, I believe the public would settle down.