"Houston we have a problem" This just got very real

Published

And so it begins....

A health care worker who treated Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person in the U.S. diagnosed with Ebola who later died, has preliminarily tested positive for the deadly virus, the Texas Department of State Health Services said in a statement today.

The health care worker at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital has been isolated since reporting a low-grade fever Friday, the department said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will conduct further testing to confirm the diagnosis.

"We knew a second case could be a reality, and we've been preparing for this possibility," Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services said in the statement. "We are broadening our team in Dallas and working with extreme diligence to prevent further spread."

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/texas-health-care-worker-tests-positive-ebola/story?id=26135108

if it were me I'd want the hazmat suit AND a gown... the gown to protect my front so that it's safe to take off the front opening of the hazmat suit.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I read that all of the healthcare workers that took care of Duncan were being 'monitored'. That doesn't sound like 'monitoring' to me if you're free to go off on an airplane. (I'm not blaming her, I'm seeing just a lot of lies out there in the media and I'm commenting on that. Also my son is flying today so I'm kind of freaked out)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

CNN is now reporting that the 2nd nurse is being transferred to Emory.

ETA: It sounds like the second nurse is sicker than the Nina Pham.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
CNN is now reporting that the 2nd nurse is being transferred to Emory.

ETA: It sounds like the second nurse is sicker than the Nina Pham.

Yes, I am watching CNN live and the 2nd nurse Amber Vinson is being transported to Emory at Atlanta. The CDC director also said that any potential healthcare workers who are among the ones they are currently monitoring and/or possibly exposed are not allowed to travel.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in L&D, Women's Health.

Hospitals vs CDC . . . I am not laying all this on CDC. CDC works on a national level; hospitals work on a community level.

CDC can only make recommendations to hospitals. It made these recommendations . . . the hospital did not follow them. CDC relied too much on hospitals managing on the local level by making certain they and their employees were protected. Now that hospitals realize they are woefully prepared to manage Ebola, they are more receptive to CDC interventions and probably begging for it. Again, my thoughts.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.
Hospitals vs CDC . . . I am not laying all this on CDC. CDC works on a national level; hospitals work on a community level.

CDC can only make recommendations to hospitals. It made these recommendations . . . the hospital did not follow them. CDC relied too much on hospitals managing on the local level by making certain they and their employees were protected. Now that hospitals realize they are woefully prepared to manage Ebola, they are more receptive to CDC interventions and probably begging for it. Again, my thoughts.

How do you know that the hospital did not follow CDC guidelines? In the same breath, you said that the CDC relied on hospitals...Who are the experts at containing infectious disease??

No no doubt in my mind that the CDC dropped the ball, especially now that they are doing things reactively that they should have done proactively.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.
why wasn't she in isolation? why was she flying? why was she out in public?

I don't want to beat up on a fellow nurse, but why would she do such a thing?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Academics.

Let's think this through...in hospitals, you have an infectious disease nurse and a team headed by a practicing ID doc. For a hospital to fully prepare for Ebola, the ID doc would have to drop everything, form a larger team, review and re-review CDC guidelines, identify an appropriate physical space for isolation, requisition gear, design training, complete training, identify a team that would be on call for any possible Ebola patients, design and implement procedures for the ER, ICU, and transport between the two areas. I'm sure I'm missing steps here.

And the CDC--the EXPERTS--provided ever-changing guidance to hospitals only...what...10 days ago?

Yes, please, let's blame hospitals for not listening to the CDC. Hospitals were NOT properly supported. Friedan has proven himself to be incompetent.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU, Trauma, Oncology.
Let's think this through...in hospitals, you have an infectious disease nurse and a team headed by a practicing ID doc. For a hospital to fully prepare for Ebola, the ID doc would have to drop everything, form a larger team, review and re-review CDC guidelines, identify an appropriate physical space for isolation, requisition gear, design training, complete training, identify a team that would be on call for any possible Ebola patients, design and implement procedures for the ER, ICU, and transport between the two areas. I'm sure I'm missing steps here.

And the CDC--the EXPERTS--provided ever-changing guidance to hospitals only...what...10 days ago?

Yes, please, let's blame hospitals for not listening to the CDC. Hospitals were NOT properly supported. Friedan has proven himself to be incompetent.

Freiden = "Brownie" from FEMA 2005.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
If the PPE we don for every day contact precautions was adequate, these health care workers wouldn't be getting sick.

I am not a in a panic or hyped up about this. I honestly don't think this country is going to see an epidemic because I KNOW it's not airborne. I am concerned about the health care workers not being given proper PPE for a disease from which THIS country has never dealt with.

I'm not sure where you're getting that it's not droplet spread because the CDCs own website says it can be spread by droplets but the CDC considers droplet transmission a form of contact. That is directly from the CDC not my made up interpretation. I agree, people are getting hysterical over the situation. As healthcare providers we have been caring for patients with infectious diseases for many many moons. This one should be no different but don't be part of the problem by spreading misinformation. You lose credibility and then no one is listening.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Acute post op ortho.

Ponder this. The CDC owns a patent on this variant of Ebola, and any other viral variant within 30% of this specific genomic sequence.

http://www.google.com/patents/CA2741523A1?cl=en

Patent holders for intellectual property waltz from industry to regulatory agency then back to industry unimpeded, a practice I find deplorable. For all practical intents & purposes they are married.

The vaccine currently in clinical trial is being “fast tracked” by the FDA, meaning industry PAID the FDA under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) to get this off the ground, sans standard safety protocols.

(In fact, half of the FDA’s budget comes from fees paid by manufacturers to facilitate accelerated approval for new drugs and medical devices).

It’s worth noting, the virus in the before mentioned patent is not the same variant currently believed to be circulating in West Africa and that may very well be why American Ebola victims have been brought to the United States in the first place.

From the patent description on the EboBun virus, we know that the U.S. government:

1) Extracts Ebola viruses from patients.

2) Claims to have “invented” that virus.

3) Files for monopoly patent protection on the virus.

To understand why this is happening, you have to first understand what a patent really is and why it exists. A patent is a government-enforced monopoly that is exclusively granted to persons or organizations. It allows that person or organization to exclusively profit from the “invention” or deny others the ability to exploit the invention for their own profit.

On one hand, it’s worth pointing out that the CDC’s patent on Ebola is at least partially focused on methods for screening for Ebola and treating Ebola victims with drugs or vaccines. This seems like a worthwhile precaution against an infectious disease that clearly threatens lives.

On the other hand, why the patent? Patenting Ebola seems as odd as trying to patent cancer or diabetes. Why would a government organization claim to have “invented” this infectious disease and then claim a monopoly over its exploitation for commercial use?

Make no mistake that billions of dollars in profits (and zero liability) are at stake in all this. Vaccines are the ONLY product with this unique marketing advantage.

So,

1. The patent for this sub-variant of Ebola was acquired in 2007 for a vaccine that has proven disastrously elusive for decades.

Long Quest for Ebola Vaccine Slowed by Science, Ethics, Politics

"Slowed by ethics" Yes, ethics got in the way.

2. Safety steps are abandoned because the virus, which has never posed a threat beyond isolated outbreaks in Africa, is suddenly a possible pandemic of epic proportions.

3. Bring patients to America & show the world we have this under control, “see, we saved those heroic doctors”…

4. Sell us a scantly tested vaccine during a “crisis” (remember, you can't sue the manufacturer for a vaccine injury).

5. Nurses & 1st. responders will be the first to see the pointy end of the syringe.

There are 5 individuals listed on the patent, where are they now?

This is how Ebola is seen in the eyes of the investor.

Because all pharma companies are publicly traded, their 1st. bound legal duty is to the investor.

Fiduciary obligation, look it up.

Ebola stocks: 2 to sell, and 5 to consider buying - MarketWatch

Why Ebola Vaccine Makers' Stocks Soared (NLNK, TKMR)

This blog is usually on the money when it comes to news in the development end of vaccines.

Vaccine News | Vaccine Market | Vaccine Research | Fierce Vaccines

I laughed at the swine flu panic, and was suitably horrified at the number of narcolepsy cases following vaccination in certain genetic phenotypes.

Bringing Ebola patients to our shores?

Well, either SKB is closer to an answer than thought, or we're in deep doo.

My money on the former, literally.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in L&D, Women's Health.
How do you know that the hospital did not follow CDC guidelines? In the same breath, you said that the CDC relied on hospitals...Who are the experts at containing infectious disease??

No no doubt in my mind that the CDC dropped the ball, especially now that they are doing things reactively that they should have done proactively.

I know because Duncan was discharged. Yes, CDC is the expert and made recommendations to hospitals which were not followed. I am not saying CDC is faultless . . . as I am not saying the hospital is faultless either.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion