new Ebola patient

[Mulan]

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/13/health/nebraska-ebola-patient/index.html?eref=edition

"(CNN) -- A surgeon infected with Ebola will be transported from Sierra Leone to The Nebraska Medical Center for treatment, a U.S. government official familiar with the situation said."

"The doctor, a Sierra Leone national and legal permanent resident of the United States, is expected to arrive this weekend, most likely Saturday, the official said."

"The official said it's not known whether the doctor was working in an Ebola treatment unit or some other type of hospital. The surgeon is married to a U.S. citizen and has children, the official said."

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20141114/us--ebola-omaha_patient-ca9ee14176.html

"Salia is a general surgeon who had been working at Kissy United Methodist Hospital in the Sierra Leone capital of Freetown. Patients, including mothers who hours earlier had given birth, fled from the 60-bed hospital after news of the Ebola case emerged, United Methodist News reported."

"The hospital was closed on Tuesday after Salia tested positive and he was taken to the Hastings Ebola Treatment Center near Freetown, the church news service said. Kissy hospital staffers will be quarantined for 21 days."

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

MODS = Multi Organ Dysfunction Syndrome.

[CarryThatWeight, BSN]

Are you implying that nurses should choose the patients they take care of? So anyone who has TB, HIV, cholera, plague, C-dif, or Ebola should only be taken care of by volunteers? (We are all volunteers BTW. No one forced us into nursing.) Please forgive me if I've taken your comments the wrong way, but the ethics of nursing mandate we take care of anyone who needs it. If you won't do your job, you should find another field.

Oh boy, here's to starting another nurses-must-be-martyrs thread. Last I checked, C Diff and HIV are not highly contagious, highly fatal, with no proven treatment diseases. Please get off your high horse and stop acting like nurses need to be willing to die on the line of duty. This is not the military. If a nurse does not want to care for an Ebola patient (because we all know PPE is not foolproof), he or she shouldn't have to.

[toomuchbaloney]

I would imagine that the HCWs, who care for Dr. Salia will undergo the post-care monitoring protocols specified by the CDC and State of Nebraska.

What would you infer?

Of some possible interest--to quote the below-cited CBS News link:

"Dr. Martin Salia will be taken to the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha . . .

"The hospital in Omaha is one of four U.S. hospitals with specialized treatment units for people with highly dangerous infectious diseases. It was chosen for the latest patient because workers at units at Atlanta's Emory University Hospital and the National Institutes of Health near Washington are still in a 21-day monitoring period."

Doctor with Ebola on way to U.S. called "absolutely dedicated" - CBS News

I am inferring that public ignorance and hysteria required the quarantine of people who did not require it, simply because people were afraid. Why are they not similarly afraid of these HCWs who cared for this patient? Why are the frightened folks not calling for the quarantine of those asymptomatic folks like they did for Hicox?

[OCNRN63, RN]

The ethical dilemma of saving the American Ebola patients

Interesting article above written by a physcian on this particular ethical issue.

Now with all of the money/people being sent over to build better facilities by our government why can't this person be treated there. What special treatment did the others get here that they cannot get there???? Serum made from ebola survivors?? Others there did get it. Advanced supportive care like intubation/ventilation or CVVHD??? Which doctor sent here required that? Only Duncan I believe

​Duncan was not a doctor.

[OCNRN63, RN]

I am inferring that public ignorance and hysteria required the quarantine of people who did not require it, simply because people were afraid. Why are they not similarly afraid of these HCWs who cared for this patient? Why are the frightened folks not calling for the quarantine of those asymptomatic folks like they did for Hicox?

I think her treatment by the public had more to do with her being outspoken and refusing to play the shrinking violet, "good little girl" role. She dared to speak up for her rights.

I'm willing to bet there's a suffragette in her family history.

[OCNRN63, RN]

Ebola was so last week.

The new terrordemic is comet flu.

Sent from my iPhone.

Apparently, you don't read the Journal of Cosmology:

​(scroll down for the article)

Journal of Cosmology

[sistrmoon, BSN, RN]

I am inferring that public ignorance and hysteria required the quarantine of people who did not require it, simply because people were afraid. Why are they not similarly afraid of these HCWs who cared for this patient? Why are the frightened folks not calling for the quarantine of those asymptomatic folks like they did for Hicox?

There was an article posted recently about treatment of the HCWs in NYC who work at the hospital with the Ebola patient there. People refused to serve them at restaurants, take their kids at daycare, etc, even if they had no contact with the patient.

[toomuchbaloney]

There was an article posted recently about treatment of the HCWs in NYC who work at the hospital with the Ebola patient there. People refused to serve them at restaurants, take their kids at daycare, etc, even if they had no contact with the patient.

So the public continues to be ignorant and frightened but at least their public officials are not feeding the hysteria by calling for the quarantine of the individuals.

[Bengalcat]

I am inferring that public ignorance and hysteria required the quarantine of people who did not require it, simply because people were afraid. Why are they not similarly afraid of these HCWs who cared for this patient? Why are the frightened folks not calling for the quarantine of those asymptomatic folks like they did for Hicox?

I am not aware of any robust research studies relating to public perception and attitudes on the subject. However, one might be tempted to speculate that the public is better assured by the revised CDC protocols for active monitoring, et al. It, perhaps, bears mentioning that few outside of public health would have known and understood before now the distinctions between the different monitoring protocols, quarantine, and isolation.

[toomuchbaloney]

I am not aware of any robust research studies relating to public perception and attitudes on the subject. However, one might be tempted to speculate that the public is better assured by the revised CDC protocols for active monitoring, et al. It, perhaps, bears mentioning that few outside of public health would have known and understood before now the distinctions between the different monitoring protocols, quarantine, and isolation.

It is pretty easy to make observations about the public opinions relative to ebola and quarantine.

The fact that the ignorance of the general public is fueling their hysteria is widely accepted, it is not so widely accepted that we ought not allow ignorance define our medical or scientific response to Ebola in the USA. When ignorant politicians require things based upon the fears of the ignorant they only perpetuate and inflame the ignorance and fear. The public was not at all assured by the revised requirements and protocols regarding Hicox...they remained angry, frightened and hostile. Even the likes of Sean Hannity spread the ignorance by proclaiming her to be SELFISH which was quickly spread all over the internet by his faithful but ignorant fans.

[Susie2310]

It is pretty easy to make observations about the public opinions relative to ebola and quarantine.

The fact that the ignorance of the general public is fueling their hysteria is widely accepted, it is not so widely accepted that we ought not allow ignorance define our medical or scientific response to Ebola in the USA. When ignorant politicians require things based upon the fears of the ignorant they only perpetuate and inflame the ignorance and fear. The public was not at all assured by the revised requirements and protocols regarding Hicox...they remained angry, frightened and hostile. Even the likes of Sean Hannity spread the ignorance by proclaiming her to be SELFISH which was quickly spread all over the internet by his faithful but ignorant fans.

Ebola is a deadly disease, and a variety of ebola studies have given rise to differing opinions among noted scientists and infectious disease specialists regarding modes of transmission and incubation period, i.e., how, when, and under what conditions transmission of the virus can/does take place. In addition to watching the news, the general public have access to many of these studies and opinions. Why shouldn't some members of the public be angry and frightened? It is unfortunate that you characterize the public as a whole in this way. The general public have also witnessed the response of politicians and the health care industry to nurses pressing for better quality PPE and training when caring for patients with confirmed/suspected Ebola. Given the above, and the recent events of health care workers becoming infected with the Ebola virus, it is reasonable that the general public should favor quarantine for returning health care workers, or for health care workers who have treated patients with Ebola in this country. A great majority of nurses (yes, we can continue to argue about whether they were really nurses) who participated in the AN survey supported quarantine.

California has implemented new OSHA regulations that hospitals are required to comply with: High quality PPE, including portable air purifying respirators in order to protect against aerosolized transmission of the virus, in person training, and whistleblower protection. This came as result of nurses advocating for these measures in order to protect themselves, other health care workers, and the general public. These measures exceed the existing CDC regulations. Do you believe these measures are unnecessary? Would you like to have these measures made mandatory in your workplace?

I understand that when treating possible/confirmed Ebola patients you would like to be protected with the highest quality PPE including PAPR's, including training, with the aim of protecting yourself, other health care workers, and the general public, but do not wish to be personally inconvenienced by a short period of quarantine that also aims at protecting the individual concerned, other health care workers, and the general public. The general public, who you continually refer to in your posts as hysterical and ignorant, are in favor of quarantine, like the majority of nurses polled on AN, and the majority of clinicians polled on a recent Medscape survey (do you consider these clinicians hysterical and ignorant too?).

[wtbcrna, MSN, DNP, CRNA]

Ebola is a deadly disease, and a variety of ebola studies have given rise to differing opinions among noted scientists and infectious disease specialists regarding modes of transmission and incubation period, i.e., how, when, and under what conditions transmission of the virus can/does take place. In addition to watching the news, the general public have access to many of these studies and opinions. Why shouldn't some members of the public be angry and frightened? It is unfortunate that you characterize the public as a whole in this way. The general public have also witnessed the response of politicians and the health care industry to nurses pressing for better quality PPE and training when caring for patients with confirmed/suspected Ebola. Given the above, and the recent events of health care workers becoming infected with the Ebola virus, it is reasonable that the general public should favor quarantine for returning health care workers, or for health care workers who have treated patients with Ebola in this country. A great majority of nurses (yes, we can continue to argue about whether they were really nurses) who participated in the AN survey supported quarantine.

California has implemented new OSHA regulations that hospitals are required to comply with: High quality PPE, including portable air purifying respirators in order to protect against aerosolized transmission of the virus, in person training, and whistleblower protection. This came as result of nurses advocating for these measures in order to protect themselves, other health care workers, and the general public. These measures exceed the existing CDC regulations. Do you believe these measures are unnecessary? Would you like to have these measures made mandatory in your workplace?

I understand that when treating possible/confirmed Ebola patients you would like to be protected with the highest quality PPE including PAPR's, including training, with the aim of protecting yourself, other health care workers, and the general public, but do not wish to be personally inconvenienced by a short period of quarantine that also aims at protecting the individual concerned, other health care workers, and the general public. The general public, who you continually refer to in your posts as hysterical and ignorant, are in favor of quarantine, like the majority of nurses polled on AN, and the majority of clinicians polled on a recent Medscape survey (do you consider these clinicians hysterical and ignorant too?).

1. There is no evidence to support mandatory quarantine for HCWs who are asymptomatic after taking care of ebola patients.

2. Ebola is not transmitted by aerosolized particles. That has been debunked several times over. There is a theoretical concern that the EBV could mutate and become aerosolized, which has never occurred in any other virus and is highly unlikely to happen with EBV.

Those measures to protect against aerosolized particles is unnecessary, and no I would not like them implemented in my workplace.

3. The public is greatly influenced by the media, which needs the sensationalism to increase/maintain viewers and sell commercial air time.

4. The true Ebola experts do not support mandatory quarantines for asymptomatic HCWs or the use of PAPR's for the treatment of known EBV patients.

I am HCW and I believe all HCWs should be ruled by research/EBP not hysteria and fear mongering based on poor science, mid-term elections, and the sensationalist news media.