<p>Anyone know why they are going to euthanize the Spanish nurse’s pet dog? Did it test positive too?</p>
<p>I am appalled that the Spanish authorities want to put down the people’s dog. It would be a lot more rational and ultimately useful to quarantine him and take blood samples to see if he does, in fact, become infected.</p>
<p>That LA Times article is extremely interesting. In addition the the scientific issues it discusses, it also contained this nugget:</p>
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<p>Emphasis mine. An older Irish relative of mine told me years ago that back when tuberculosis ravaged the public, it was not uncommon for the family of a victim to try to ascribe their illness to another cause, because everyone else would view the household with (justifiable) unease if they knew. </p>
<p>@zoosermom, you are in my thoughts.</p>
<p>thank you Consolation.</p>
<p>Consolation I know you want to believe he didn’t know for some reason and maybe he didn’t at the time. I can believe that the landlord paid him to take on the task of moving the daughter with a lie about the disease. Who would agree if they knew? Although, the cab driver says he bleached is cab afterwards and all five people who were in it died of Ebola. So, they probably figured it out, later. Bottom line though, it really doesn’t matter at this point.</p>
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<p>That’s similar to what my mom told me about her father (my grandfather). He died, in her words, throwing up blood. The neighbors all suspected it was TB and pressured my grandma to burn his clothing & stuff; my grandma thinks it was ulcer. At any rate, rural area with no good medical care a long time ago, so one can’t blame the neighbors for being cautious.</p>
<p>actingmt, I don’t <em>want</em> to believe anything. I just think that it is possible that he didn’t “know” he was almost certainly exposed because denial is a powerful human emotional state, and given what we know of the circumstances I objected to the accusations made by people who insisted that he must have “known” he was infected and that he cynically came to the US to get better medical care. Where did you get the info that the landlord “paid” him to help take the young woman to the hospital? And where did you get the info that all five people in the cab were dead? I know that the young woman and her brother died, but Duncan and apparently the cab driver are still alive. I don’t know about the fifth person.</p>
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I agree with that. It’s not like a giant E suddenly sprouted out of his forehead. There are other illnesses that can cause the same initial symptoms. Of course, if I were on cruise ship where everyone had norovirus, I would be absolutely sure that I, alone, actually had Ebola, but I digress. He could have had another virus or food poisoning.Plus denial is very powerful.</p>
<p>“I am appalled that the Spanish authorities want to put down the people’s dog. It would be a lot more rational and ultimately useful to quarantine him and take blood samples to see if he does, in fact, become infected.”</p>
<p>That would be way too rational, but someone has to feed, walk the dog, and clean after him. Compared to the pet-centric USA, other countries deal with pets like they are disposable objects. When D was flying home with the cats whom she adopted suring her work abroad, she endured a ton of questions like, “don’t you have cats in the US?” As if she could easily replace her family members! So the folks in Spain decided, lets just get rid of this potentially contaminated object and don’t bother with it.</p>
<p>So true about TB.</p>
<p>The question he lied about isn’t do you have Ebola. It’s have you been exposed. </p>
<p>Neighbors said the whole thing was a paid job for the landlord who is the girl’s father. He and his wife have also been diagnosed with Ebola. Coming to the US wasn’t cynical, imho. it was desperate and I don’t blame him one bit…I can’t go looking for all of the links, right now. But, the most important person accusing him of lying is the Liberian President so If he lives she can do the investigating. No-one cares what I think.</p>
<p>But for the record, I think it’s a ridiculous question and can’t imagine anyone going to the airport and checking yes since everybody knows that means your headed back home.</p>
<p>^If he thought it was malaria, which is what Consolation is referencing, then he did not lie about having been exposed. It’s possible he didn’t know he was.</p>
<p>And again, I think it’s idle speculation to say he came here out of desperation, snce there is ample evidence he planned it before the incident in the taxi.</p>
<p>As has been covered here more than once already.</p>
<p>No, it’s not idle speculation. He’s being prosecuted in his home country. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.liberianobserver.com/news/man-who-took-ebola-us-will-be-‘prosecuted’”>http://www.liberianobserver.com/news/man-who-took-ebola-us-will-be-‘prosecuted’</a></p>
<p>And, incidentally, yesterday Louise told AC on CNN that he was coming for a graduation and she was angry that we were out of ZMapp… But fine, she would have been a beautiful bride and he was clueless when he exposed all those kids. Have it your way.</p>
<p>That is sad about the dog.</p>
<p>Right. But if what Consolation said is true, he wasn’t lying. (again, we don’t know if it is, but if he was told it was malaria, then to the best of his knowledge, he answered truthfully. no matter what they are doing in Liberia.) And again, I said that it was idle speculation that he came here “out of desperation.” That has nothing to do with him being prosecuted.</p>
<p>You still have no evidence that he came here <em>because</em> he was ill, and there is much evidence that he planned to travel well before the incident. Hence yes–idle speculation.</p>
<p>Bunsen,</p>
<p>Please don’t paint such a broad brush with your comments about Spaniards’ behavior towards their pets. A solution other than euthanasia is being sought. And the fact that Mr. Romero has reached out as he has indicates that you are wrong.</p>
<p>What evidence? He got a Visa sometime in September, quit his job suddenly, and hopped on a plane. We don’t know why. There’s no evidence. i don’t think he knew he was ill but i think it’s likely he figured out that the girl had Ebola and knew the US was the place to be. Now, the family is grumbling about his treatment which means they know a lot about previous treatments. They want ZMapp. They knew enough to call the CDC with complaints. And, CNN.</p>
<p>And, the relatives interviewed early on with the story of the pregnant sick girl did not mention Malaria. They mentioned Ebola.</p>
<p>Gloworm, that was not meant to insult Spain and its fine citizens (who knows how things progress, we might be welcoming one into our family). It was more a poke at the pet-centric US (the movie Wag the Dog comes to mind - the president needs a kitten!). The dog needs to be observed and quarantined and possibly studies for the presence of Ebola exposure/resistance (that would be also cruel to some). </p>
<p>“And, the relatives interviewed early on with the story of the pregnant sick girl did not mention Malaria. They mentioned Ebola”</p>
<p>Sure. He did not pay the rent and escaped, and they are getting at him. Also, if they lied to him, they could be on the hook with the Liberian authorities. Just another bunch of speculation with alternative explanations. ;)</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20141006-ebola-victim-came-to-dallas-to-realize-his-u.s.-dreams.ece”>http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20141006-ebola-victim-came-to-dallas-to-realize-his-u.s.-dreams.ece</a></p>
<p>""The first time Thomas Eric Duncan left Liberia, he was lucky.</p>
<p>He escaped a civil war that killed tens of thousands in the 1990s. From the safety of a refugee camp, he got an education, met a woman and had a son.</p>
<p>Even better, the woman took the boy to the United States for a life that would have been impossible in a war zone: high school quarterback in Dallas, then college.</p>
<p>But Duncan couldn’t follow his new family. He tried for years to get a U.S. visa while the war ebbed and a plague came to West Africa.“”</p>
<p>Duncan knew he was exposed to Ebola. He took Marthalene to two Ebola clinics where she was turned away. Saw this on TV. They retraced his steps. CNN? Don’t remember.</p>