<p>Texas health care worker infected</p>
<p><a href=“MSN”>http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/texas-health-care-worker-tests-positive-for-ebola/ar-BB8RVwO</a></p>
<p>It would be interesting to know if he/she treated Duncan in the ER where they missed the Ebola diagnosis or if this was someone who treated him later, when he came back. Either way it is troubling.</p>
<p>Yes, it is unfortunate, and hopefully treatment will be swift and successful for this healthcare worker.</p>
<p>My guess would be after he came back. We will know soon. This new stupid temperature check at the airports angers me. Not to be an alarmist, this is a highly contagious infection that needs a real measure taken to stop.</p>
<p>It is impossible not to have this occur given the following preparedness issues:</p>
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<p>Realistically, more american healthcare workers can be expected to be infected if there is no advance quarantine of people coming into the country who may be infected, as we cannot expect healthcare workers to be prepared if they were never trained properly in the first place. </p>
<p>The institutions in charge of creating coherent policies do not have a concerted system in place to handle this type of virus and to pretend that they do is bordering on dangerous. Words on TV and press conferences do not save lives. Only proper training and will do that. And until training is up to speed, we need to think long and hard about exposing others to the risk by openly bringing the risk here without being ready. Anything less seems like disregard for healthcare workers and the american population in general. </p>
<p><a href=“Cities, states scramble after Dallas's Ebola missteps expose planning gaps”>http://news.yahoo.com/cities-states-scramble-dallass-ebola-missteps-expose-planning-110808761--finance.html</a></p>
<p>Agree with you about the temperature check. People have elevated temps for all kinds of reasons.</p>
<p>ETA: ugh to the post above. This is so scary.</p>
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<p>Good point, Sally. Let’s hope it was from his first trip to the hospital. If it was someone who KNEW he had ebola, like the Spanish nurse, it will be devastating. If hospital workers can’t avoid it, how can the rest of us?</p>
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<p>It is not impossible, especially with our knowledge. But, what is required is an organized, dependable system that is consistent across all parties. This does not exist.</p>
<p>It was someone in full protective gear that treated him at his second visit back. </p>
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This is from the CNN website. So… now what?</p>
<p>Yes, it is contagious by exposure to body fluids, which is why airport screening would (and should) not include this at this point, given the potential risk of exposure to others. The temperature test, while certainly limited in its data, does not involve touching the passenger. If a passenger has an elevated temp and other risk factors, they will be referred for further screening. Of course this doesnt catch passengers who are not yet symptomatic.</p>
<p>As an aside, I found this interesting <a href=“Emory freshmen determined to build a fast, portable Ebola test”>http://news.emory.edu/stories/2014/09/er_freshmen_build_ebola_test/campus.html</a></p>
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<p>I asked a question very, very early back in the first thread and it was dismissed as a stupid thought and fear-mongering, but it bears repeating:</p>
<p>“With flu season coming up, what distinction going to be taken in certain places to separate the common flu fever from Ebola? And how are healthcare workers being trained to know the difference and protect themselves ahead of time?”</p>
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<p>When faced head on, reality is often very scary. However, better to face it sooner rather than later. </p>
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<p>From the most recent reports, it sounds like it’s someone who treated him on his second visit to the hospital.</p>
<p>Actually, this seems reassuring to me. So far, no one who came in contact with Mr. Duncan BEFORE he was feverish/contagious has come down with the disease (and that includes those family members who were stuck in that cramped apartment with him. None of those people are sick yet, right?) </p>
<p>Remember, that medical PPE is very cumbersome to wear, difficult to put on correctly - and most important, very hard to take off correctly. It’s been suggested that the Spanish nurse who came down with Ebola became infected while she was taking off her protective gear. All it takes is to transfer the virus from the suit to your skin, and even trained people subconsciously touch their face all the time.</p>
<p>I’m not surprised that a U.S. health care worker came down with the virus, especially if she was not well-trained in the use of protective wear. I hope she recuperates fully - what a scary situation to be in!</p>
<p>edited to add: I fixed the gender references. the infected health care worker is a female nurse.</p>
<p>^I am not surprised. Duncan was far more contagious when he was spewing body fluids. Like the spanish nurse, it is so easy for precautions to slip. The virus seems very contagious. Once you come in contact in the right place we got it. With AIDS, you have sex with an infected AIDS patient and you don’t necessarily get it.</p>
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<p>Or you can take tylenol and all the symtoms will disappear. </p>
<p>On entry to the US, as a foreigner, you have to do a full hand fingerprint scan by placing your fingers and thumb on a glass plate which is not cleaned in any way between passengers. I wonder how many infections of various types that has caused already.</p>
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This is not perfect, but its a start. Impose too stringent criteria and others may scream profiling. The other challenge is that at this point each state makes its own decisions as to how to handle these matters. They collaborate with public health organizations but they are not required to follow the recommendations.</p>
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<p>I was thinking this as well. I know that earlier in the outbreak, there were health care workers in the African countries that they thought got the virus because of flaw in the way they took off the equipment. </p>
<p>I think the fever spikes pretty quickly as an early symptom, not sure Advil would bring it down to undetectable. Of course there are a lot of reasons a person might have a fever, and there will be false positives, but it is actually a pretty good and simple way to check people coming into the country. Obviously can’t catch anyone still incubating, but i am glad they are checking. It makes sense to me.</p>
<p>We are heading to Dallas on Oct 19th for a business meeting lasting 3 days. As of today, I am thinking of no going. Who knows how many people have been come to contact with this nurse in these two weeks. </p>
<p>We will see. </p>
<p>This is more premature fear mongering. There is no reason to avoid going to a city because a healthcare worker has been exposed and is quarantined.</p>