Would you treat someone with Marburg Virus?

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Apr 10, 2005

Also, have they tried any of the newer retrovirals to see if they might at least "slow" or lesson the mortality of this disease?

I believe that Marburg and Ebola are Filoviruses (though have been listed in other classes - Rhabdoviruses, etc.- at various times) , and if so, the newer antiretrovirals would probably not be effective.

Roland · Apr 10, 2005

I believe that Marburg and Ebola are Filoviruses (though have been listed in other classes - Rhabdoviruses, etc.- at various times) , and if so, the newer antiretrovirals would probably not be effective.

Several of you have referenced the difference in facilities. I have no doubt that this is the case. However, one of the articles referenced that it was the Doctors Without Borders clinic/hospital that suffered the most casulties. These are usually doctors and nurses from Western nations who are presumably using modern barrier precautions. However, I think that the problem is that Marburg is very contagious, and also produces a great deal of blood during the hemmoragic stage of the infection.

I would probably treat them, but as "messy" as I am even with my best efforts I would consider it a likely death sentence. I would probably seperate myself from my family until I knew if I was going to develop the infection. I'm not sure that I would let my wife go to work under those conditions. If she insisted I would probably not go myself since doing so would mean there was a considerable chance of our son being orphaned.

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Apr 10, 2005

However, one of the articles referenced that it was the Doctors Without Borders clinic/hospital that suffered the most casulties. These are usually doctors and nurses from Western nations who are presumably using modern barrier precautions. However, I think that the problem is that Marburg is very contagious, and also produces a great deal of blood during the hemmoragic stage of the infection.
I would probably treat them, but as "messy" as I am even with my best efforts I would consider it a likely death sentence.

Despite the fact that these are Doctors without Borders clinics, they still often do not have the same access to barrier protections that one would find in the USA. They cannot import enough nor set up the same isolation that one can here. One finds gloves being washed and reused, etc.

If you are "messy" then you need to be equally worried about VRE/MRSA that you may cart home to your family. Or picking up Hepatitis. Or developing cancer from inhalation of anesthetic gases, or exposure to radiologics in the hospital. That is more of a risk here yet many people are careless with those risks.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Apr 10, 2005

I think it's easy to say 'yes' when the situation is hypothetical--the world is filled with hypothetical martyrs.

Nice.

I don't consider it answering 'yes' to martyr-ism. I would consider it part of my JOB.

suzanne4, RN · Apr 10, 2005

Despite the fact that these are Doctors without Borders clinics, they still often do not have the same access to barrier protections that one would find in the USA. They cannot import enough nor set up the same isolation that one can here. One finds gloves being washed and reused, etc.
If you are "messy" then you need to be equally worried about VRE/MRSA that you may cart home to your family. Or picking up Hepatitis. Or developing cancer from inhalation of anesthetic gases, or exposure to radiologics in the hospital. That is more of a risk here yet many people are careless with those risks.

I definitely agree with you on this one. There are many more deadly things that you can pick up on a daily basis while at work here in the US. And most of it stems from protective equipment not being used the way that it should.

If the nurse is messy, then they need to be extra careful. Or there will be many different "things" that they can take to their own home.

Roland · Apr 10, 2005

I definitely agree with you on this one. There are many more deadly things that you can pick up on a daily basis while at work here in the US. And most of it stems from protective equipment not being used the way that it should.
If the nurse is messy, then they need to be extra careful. Or there will be many different "things" that they can take to their own home.

I think that one difference here and there is that things like VRE/MRSA can usually be controlled with things like hand washings, glove and gown changes ect. With Ebola/Marburg they really don't understand how much contamination is required to transmit the disease. I remember reading Richard Preston's The Hot Zone about ten years ago and in the case of a lab in Restin Virginia the Ebola (it was termed Ebola Restin) went "airborne" (fortunately it was not capable of infecting people). I'm thinking this bug might be sufficiently virulent to propagate itself even with a drop or two of contaminated fluid on intact skin. On the other hand it kills so quickly and doesn't have the highly contagious prodrome stage of something that it is not able to spread accross a huge area like AIDS or Small Pox.

As for my habits you are probably correct. I have revised my goal to become a nurse only long enough to support my wife through CRNA school (and then become a full time stay at home poster on Allnurses). I'm surprised that I haven't given myself Hep C or HIV as a homehealth Aide let alone nurse. Then again maybe I have and just don't know it.

IMustBeCrazy · Apr 10, 2005

It has nothing to do with 'nice' or 'not nice'...it has to to with reality. My JOB is to come home safe to my family, first and foremost. There really isn't even a question about it. My work is not my life, my family is. No amount of money or moral-ground grandstanding will trump that.

Roland · Apr 10, 2005

It has nothing to do with 'nice' or 'not nice'...it has to to with reality. My JOB is to come home safe to my family, first and foremost. There really isn't even a question about it. My work is not my life, my family is. No amount of money or moral-ground grandstanding will trump that.

That's true nursing is not the Army or even the priesthood. If the job crosses your personal line there is not a law that says you can't quit and find something else (even if it is another nursing job).

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Apr 10, 2005

And that's up to the people it involves, whether they want to or not.

I just do not appreciate that when someone says that they would do it, to have someone else referred to it as "hypothetical martyr". It was offensive.

Aneroo, LPN · Apr 10, 2005

I remember reading Richard Preston's The Hot Zone about ten years ago and in the case of a lab in Restin Virginia the Ebola (it was termed Ebola Restin) went "airborne" (fortunately it was not capable of infecting people).

I had a microbiology professor recommend this book to us one time, and I actually read it. Scared the heck out of me. It's very scary. :stone

As for the original question, I do not know. As an ER nurse, I would probably be caring for them and not even know that's what the disease is (when the outbreak begins). However, I am not going to go hunt them down and beg for them to be my patient. -Andrea

Tweety, BSN, RN · Apr 10, 2005

If proper precautions were in place, sure. That's not being a martyr. But I certainly am not going to put my life in danger for a disease with 90% mortality. The chances of both myself and patient dying too to great to waste that kind of effort.

To be totally honest, if they said "we can't afford precautions" and in my poor African areas the precautions may be prohibitive, I would struggle between letting the patient die alone without care, but in the end I wouldn't kill myself.

IMustBeCrazy · Apr 10, 2005

I think it's great that there are those willing to take care of others in dire circumstances. My point really was simply that until you actually do it, it is a hypothetical, no offense intended.