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 Critical Care.
"HIV was.is not airborne (saliva does go airborne, read up on transmission)."

No one knew how HIV was spread when it first appeared. More is known about the transmission of ebola than was known about the transmission of HIV. Ebola is in saliva which can be transferred via droplet transmission and travels only so far as the droplet will go. From reading about the history of ebola, the reason it has not been contained appears to be due to the lack of quality healthcare, inability to educate citizens, and beliefs of the citizens in those countries affected. SARS was transmitted via droplet, close contact, and possibly airborne. Using SARS as an example, it was rapidly contained since it first appeared in China. It was brought to the US and again rapidly contained. Conditions in those countries affected by SARS differed greatly from those in Africa.

As with AIDS, I also feel that, should an outbreak of ebola occur in the US, there would be healthcare providers who would volunteer to care for these patients. They would be highly trained in ID and correct use of PPE. Personally, I don't think ebola would have a chance in the US or in other developed countries. Just my thoughts.

I don't remember SARS being in America, but I remember it was in Canada and some of the nurses got it, two died! I remember it was a very scary time for those nurses.

I found a story about it on the ona.org site but aren't able to link it. If you search Sars on the website you will see a special report called "Nurses were sacrificed."

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Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.
Iunenlightened but cautious.

What does come across as hysterical and unenlightened to me is the expressed assumptions that this disease is going to decimate the US, the world, that it will not and cannot be contained, that Africa is doomed, that CDC is lying, that research is erroneous, that two people brought to US will result in ebola sweeping the nation, etc.

Please point me to the posts that said Ebola was going to decimate the world. Please show me where somebody posted that Africa is doomed.

There are 25 pages to this thread, and nowhere has anyone said Ebola was the second plague.

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To address whomever posted that Ebola CANNOT go airborne... really? So saliva, mucous and secretions that are cough/sneezed do not go airborne?? Really.

In isolation precautions, there's a HUGE difference between "airborne" and "droplet."

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Specializes in Critical Care.
I, for one, am truly astounded by the total lack basic understanding of microbiology re eboli, the transmission of eboli and the protection against eboli by some ?professional nurses (as well as the inability to apply any research or evaluate statistics). At times like this, I wish this were a closed forum so the general public cannot feed into the baseless suppositions (NOT research, NOT knowledge) expressed by some, not only unaware but unwilling to become aware, posters (I cannot say nurses as I don't know if they are or not).

Immortalessence, please pass the popcorn!

Microbiology doesn't protect someone from getting infected. The Dr certainly knew all about micro etc and took all proper precautions and yet was still infected. Lucky for him, he received the experimental med and blood transfusion from a survivor. They said it was an hour after receiving the med that he started to turn around and before that he thought he was going to die.

I'm in awe of the bravery of the Dr and nurse and all the volunteers and of course Medicine Without Borders who have been volunteering for decades in these dangerous situations! I know I'm not that brave! I'm glad the Dr and nurse are getting better.

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Thank you wooh for the link. Very interesting article, calm and rational as well as compassionate. Makes me proud to be a nurse :)

As human beings, we all

hope that if we were in need of superior health care, our country and its top

doctors would help us get better. We can either let our actions be guided by

misunderstandings, fear and self-interest, or we can lead by knowledge, science

and compassion. We can fear, or we can care.

(from the article)

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Nice PR bit, but I would be more impressed to hear from the nurses themselves in their own words, particularly the two that cancelled their vacations to treat the patients! They really should let these nurses have their moment in the spotlight. They deserve it!

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Specializes in L&D, Women's Health.
I don't remember SARS being in America, but I remember it was in Canada and some of the nurses got it, two died! I remember it was a very scary time for those nurses.

I found a story about it on the ona.org site but aren't able to link it. If you search Sars on the website you will see a special report called "Nurses were sacrificed."

Hi, Brandy . . .

I remember it in the US.

Quick search from CDC: "The United States now counts 115 cases, up 15 from yesterday, in 29 states, said Dr. James Hughes of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Twenty-seven patients are currently hospitalized, and the same number have had evidence of pneumonia, said Hughes, director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases."

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Specializes in L&D, Women's Health.
Please point me to the posts that said Ebola was going to decimate the world. Please show me where somebody posted that Africa is doomed.

There are 25 pages to this thread, and nowhere has anyone said Ebola was the second plague.

Oh, dear me. I guess I should've said IMPLIED assumptions rather than EXPRESSED, although I'm sure some have been expressed but I haven't the inclination to read through all posts on this and the other thread. Forgive me.:confused:

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Specializes in L&D, Women's Health.

This is so funny (and informative):

The Paranoid Hypochondriac's Guide to the Ebola Outbreak

I especially liked these comments:

"Freaking out about Ebola in the U.S. while antibiotic resistant superbugs rampage in our hospitals is like fearing Freddy Kruger will ring the doorbell while Jeffrey Dahmer sits at your dining room table.

The truth is, the people most at risk are caregivers and medical professionals in contact with infected individuals. My rational brain knows that. The rest of my brain is planning on barricading the front door with 2x4s.

and especially:

The good news amid all this almost cinematic potential for disaster is this little nugget of information: Ebola can be killed by hand washing.

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Specializes in Primary Care, OR.
This is so funny (and informative):

The Paranoid Hypochondriac's Guide to the Ebola Outbreak

I especially liked these comments:

"Freaking out about Ebola in the U.S. while antibiotic resistant superbugs rampage in our hospitals is like fearing Freddy Kruger will ring the doorbell while Jeffrey Dahmer sits at your dining room table.

The truth is, the people most at risk are caregivers and medical professionals in contact with infected individuals. My rational brain knows that. The rest of my brain is planning on barricading the front door with 2x4s.

and especially:

The good news amid all this almost cinematic potential for disaster is this little nugget of information: Ebola can be killed by hand washing.

I just can't!!!!!!!!!:roflmao:

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Specializes in Oncology.

What continues to bother me is that the two infected Americans are not untrained laypeople, but a doctor and a nurse. In the face of such a deadly virus, I can't see them being anything less than vigilant with PPE. Given that, how did they become infected? That's what scares me the most. If the experts are getting it, what hope is there for the rest of us?

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