Nursing and the Ebola Virus

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For those of us in unaffected countries, are you concerned about the ebola virus spreading? Would you care for ebola patients? I live in an area with a very high density of African immigrants and come into contact with these individuals regularly. We have a lot of African immigrants who bring back tuberculosis from their home countries and at my unit we end up caring for them. We take care of a lot of rare infectious diseases. I was reading an article and it dawned on me how plausible it would be for me to encounter this virus. And I admit, it's terrifying and I might refuse that assignment. Many healthcare workers in Africa are dying because of caring for the ill.

Specializes in ICU.
I guess it's different when you actually have children. I personally wouldn't care for an Ebola patient. Nor would I expect anyone who wasn't comfortable doing it to do it, children or not. That's where accidents happens. Now, I don't use the excuse of my children... I have three... But they and my family are reason enough for me not too. I wouldn't say a "trump" card as it's more of a "I don't want to potentially expose my children or family to this". There are those that use it that way, but that's not the meaning behind my nurse friend or myself.

I get that you see that there's a difference between using a trump card and not wanting to expose other people, but I don't. I'd say there are probably very few nurses that are totally single with no kids, both their parents are dead, all of their siblings are dead or they were only children, and they live totally alone with no contact with any other human beings at all outside of work. If anyone at all like that exists, I would be surprised. I am single, I have no children, I live 400 miles away from my family, and I still come into contact with other people outside of my job. Every single nurse has the potential to infect other people outside of the hospital with deadly diseases. That you put your children's and family members' lives over the lives of other people is expected, it's basic biology and I can't criticize you for feeling that way, but I think that most human lives are equally valuable. Anyone who has the potential to come into contact with another human being ever can successfully use the logic that they don't want to take care of Ebola patients because they don't want to spread the infection, not just people with kids.

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You can't make a judgement on that UNTIL you have children because you have no idea what kind of bond is created between a parent and their child.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
You can't make a judgement on that UNTIL you have children because you have no idea what kind of bond is created between a parent and their child.

And are you saying that familial bonds aren't as strong? :confused:

True bonds that we make as humans can be just as strong; still doesn't erase the fact that children or no children, each human life is just that precious, and using "I have children" shouldn't be a priority over taking an infected pt; most of the time we do take highly infectious pts and still interact with the general public-which are all potential carriers of ANYTHING and EVERYTHING infectious btw-as well as our families, there's really no way of telling who has what unless we are ready don hazmat suits on our way to work and home or when interacting with our social bonds.

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Specializes in ICU.
You can't make a judgement on that UNTIL you have children because you have no idea what kind of bond is created between a parent and their child.

I'm not talking about the bond, which is subjective. I am talking about objectively determining which human life is the most valuable, and I think all human lives are (more or less) equally valuable. Other nurses' children are humans. My best friend is a human, too. So is the person in line in front of me at the grocery store. I don't think that, objectively, any of these people are more important than the others, and I don't think that any of them particularly deserve to be exposed to Ebola.

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Specializes in NICU.

So back to Ebola...

There's footage of the first guy arriving at the hospital and he was able to walk. Maybe he's recovering?

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But all that is different when you have children and there's no way to explain it. I felt the same way you do but once I had a child everything changed. I value the life of a child above the life of an adult. You cannot understand unless you have a child. I think it would be perfectly ok to refuse an assignment due to the possibility of infecting your children with ebola.

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Specializes in Hospice.

I have to say that this thread is a fascinating look at the survival instinct in action.

To those who worked on the HIV epidemic of the 70's, 80's and 90's, this thread is a bit deja vu. Be aware that my views evolved out of that history. I don't intend to repeat it.

First of all, there's a distinct note of panic going on. Remember, the first thing to do in a code is take your own pulse. Breathe, and look at what we know, what we think we know and what doesn't pass the sniff test.

Given the attention being given to the subject of Ebola, it's not unreasonable to assume that there are non-medical people reading this thread, many of them the "worried well" trying to control their own fear. We don't have definitive answers, but I think we can at least avoid feeding panic and spreading misinformation. We already have one national figure talking about ebola among the South American children coming across the border. I've also read of one extremist talking about "leaving corpses" along the border to deter more crossings.

The subject is nursing and the Ebola outbreak. So let's think like nurses.

First do no harm.

And for those who want to discuss this in terms of pro- vs. anti-natalist ideology, give it a break. Neither side has the moral high ground over the other, so get over yourselves. I trust that the nurse next to me is going to arrive at the decision that makes the best sense for his/her life. Wasting energy demonizing the other guy because s/he made a different decision than I did is irresponsible.

The key is information. My personal approach is to look at what's known to be, or is likely to be true, make my best guess about risk-benefit ratios and take it from there.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
I have to say that this thread is a fascinating look at the survival instinct in action.

To those who worked on the HIV epidemic of the 70's, 80's and 90's, this thread is a bit deja vu. Be aware that my views evolved out of that history. I don't intend to repeat it.

First of all, there's a distinct note of panic going on. Remember, the first thing to do in a code is take your own pulse. Breathe, and look at what we know, what we think we know and what doesn't pass the sniff test.

Given the attention being given to the subject of Ebola, it's not unreasonable to assume that there are non-medical people reading this thread, many of them the "worried well" trying to control their own fear. We don't have definitive answers, but I think we can at least avoid feeding panic and spreading misinformation. We already have one national figure talking about ebola among the South American children coming across the border. I've also read of one extremist talking about "leaving corpses" along the border to deter more crossings.

The subject is nursing and the Ebola outbreak. So let's think like nurses.

First do no harm.

And for those who want to discuss this in terms of pro- vs. anti-natalist ideology, give it a break. Neither side has the moral high ground over the other, so get over yourselves. I trust that the nurse next to me is going to arrive at the decision that makes the best sense for his/her life. Wasting energy demonizing the other guy because s/he made a different decision than I did is irresponsible.

The key is information. My personal approach is to look at what's known to be, or is likely to be true, make my best guess about risk-benefit ratios and take it from there.

THANK YOU. :yes:

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Specializes in IMCU, Oncology.

Heron...what you say sums up my thoughts!

I never thought one life is more valuable than another, NEVER! But as a mom, and a future nurse...I have to think of my patients and then of my child too. We are thinking of others on both sides of the story. As heron says, examine the risk and we each have to make a decision. Including those of who don't have kids, we have to decide if the risk is worth it based on the info that we have!

The subject is nursing and the Ebola outbreak. So let's think like nurses.

First do no harm.

And for those who want to discuss this in terms of pro- vs. anti-natalist ideology, give it a break. Neither side has the moral high ground over the other, so get over yourselves. I trust that the nurse next to me is going to arrive at the decision that makes the best sense for his/her life. Wasting energy demonizing the other guy because s/he made a different decision than I did is irresponsible.

The key is information. My personal approach is to look at what's known to be, or is likely to be true, make my best guess about risk-benefit ratios and take it from there.

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Specializes in ICU,ER,med-Surg,Geri,Correctional.

Lets remember the transport was not the decision of CDC, Emory or the medical community. It was Samarian Purse a religious humanitarian organization run and directed by Frank Graham the son of Billy Graham. Who arranged this transport. Now they are pulling a lot of other members who have been working with these patients. According to the rules they can get aboard a plane and return here. Folks are talking about 21 days but according to some reports there have been incubation in 8 weeks as well? So how do we bring all these workers home?

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Specializes in Hospice.
Lets remember the transport was not the decision of CDC, Emory or the medical community. It was Samarian Purse a religious humanitarian organization run and directed by Frank Graham the son of Billy Graham. Who arranged this transport. Now they are pulling a lot of other members who have been working with these patients. According to the rules they can get aboard a plane and return here. Folks are talking about 21 days but according to some reports there have been incubation in 8 weeks as well? So how do we bring all these workers home?

Verrrry carefully.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Lets keep to the subject please. Thanks.

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