<p>Governors of NY and NJ just announced a quarantine of anyone entering the states after exposure to Ebola pationets in West Africa.</p>
<p>LOL, I stand corrected that there are people here who view ebola in the US as no big deal.</p>
<p>On another front, I just got asked to work two surgeries at Presby Dallas. Granted, not in the main hospital, but in the attached Professional buildings. That gives me hope that eventually people will not be afraid to go there.</p>
<p>I consider ebola a big deal. IMO it is a big deal. That said, I don’t consider it currently a very high risk exposure issue in the US - its not a very high risk issue at this time. IT IS in several parts of Africa.</p>
<p>You guys would be the life of a party arguing back and forth as much as you do on this forum. I’ve been avoiding this thread because of the endless circle of arguments that has occurred over the past 151 pages. Though, it has been very educational for me to read everyone’s concerns, I had gotten to a point where I didn’t feel I could further contribute new information to the thread.</p>
<p>I had an interesting experience last night during a meeting. I consulted with the CEO, COO and CFO of a hospital large rural hospital. They expressed their preparations for potential Ebola infected patients. However, they fear the financial repercussions of admitting or caring for an Ebola patient. They’ve expressed that they will do everything in their power not to be involved in the care of that patient and will try their best to divert that patient to another hospital. The CEO looked me in the eyes and said, “wait until flu season and people arrive to the ER thinking they have Ebola!” I am sure these executives aren’t alone. One of my hemophiliacs recalled the hysteria during Slim disease (original name for AIDS). She said that Ebola has been the reincarnation of that experience.</p>
<p>Lastly, I’ve read proposals regarding banning residents or flights from infected countries but allowing healthcare professionals to enter the US. At the time, I thought this was a crazy idea because healthcare professionals who provided care for infected patients were among the riskiest travelers. I reluctantly agreed that this was better than banning all flights from infected countries. Now, Dr. Spencer became the example of why that idea doesn’t make sense. One of my colleagues had a solution to tracking quarantined travelers, place ankle bracelets on them. At some point, as the Ebola epidemic rages on, we will be overwhelmed with our abilities to track, quarantine, and avoid the paths of infected patients.</p>
<p>By the way, I don’t consider Ebola to be a big deal to the general public. It is a VERY big deal to healthcare workers who will be exposed when patients are at their most infectious. </p>
<p>“Governors of NY”</p>
<p>Oh good grief. I cannot wait until Andrew is re-elected in a few weeks and stops this kind of nonsense.He’s been on a tear the last month or so. </p>
<p>Thank you for returning to the thread, frugaldoctor. You can be not only the voice of reason, but of correct, first line data. I sincerely hope you will stay and keep us updated with accurate, first hand information.</p>
<p>That is really unfortunate, but understandable that some hospital fear the financial repercussions of trying to gear up for, and possibly manage/treat (or not) an ebola patient. </p>
<p>Ankle bracelets seem to stir up images of a scarlet letter, or yellow star of David… Gonna have to think about that one…</p>
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<p>Yeah, not going to be fun for the ER staffs across the nation.</p>
<p>Ankle bracelets only to track those who decide to get coffee through the drive through during their quarantine (wink wink). I thought it was a very interesting idea. Otherwise you would never be able to verify that individuals are following their quarantine agreement. Anyway, I want to provide another important article to read as it relates to the shedding of the Ebola virus in bodily fluids: <a href=“http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/196/Supplement_2/S142.full.pdf+html”>http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/196/Supplement_2/S142.full.pdf+html</a></p>
<p>Good to hear the governors of NY and NJ have a little bit of common sense. It is likely that more infected people will be coming back from these hot zones, and apparently they can’t be trusted to self quarantine. I can only imagine the financial impact (even if there is supposedly no risk) to the areas that infected people come back to. That money would be far better spent sending it to help treat the disease in West Africa (not that it’s going to be).</p>
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<p>That would apply to HCW not residents of the affected country. Would they include travelers from Hot Zone in the future? CT may follow the example and quarantine as well as travelers from West African countries.</p>
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<p>Correction - not “their” wallet, but the entire “country’s” wallet. A country cannot help others if its resouces are spent trying to save its own hide. </p>
<p>I guess if one does not understand economics and where foreign aid comes from, then financial loses by the country that provides the most foreign aid would not matter to you. Hint - those humanitarian workers would have much less money if the most productive economy falters. </p>
<p>Anyway, the states have seen the economic impact. They will get the CDC off the hook via federalism and institute their own quarantines.</p>
<p>Thanks, Frugaldoctor! </p>
<p>busdriver11, the doctor in Bellevue was following the Doctors Without Borders guidelines, which indicated that he should live a normal life and take his temperature 2x/day. That’s what he did, and he called them as soon as he had a fever yesterday.</p>
<p>He was healthy enough to run three miles on Wednesday.</p>
<p>The states that dont expand medicaid are losing billions and billions of dollars. </p>
<p>More people are going to die because medicaid wasnt expanded.</p>
<p>So reading about these economic comcerns from certain posters rings silly to me. Sorry.</p>
<p>AW- You sure make a lot of unfounded assumptions. Not worth responding to.</p>
<p>Appreciate frugaldoctor’s information and updates. And thanks for the link. The article is a little old, but a big yay for the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine!</p>
<p>Iglooo, it would include any contact.</p>
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<p><a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/25/nyregion/new-york-ebola-case-craig-spencer.html”>http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/25/nyregion/new-york-ebola-case-craig-spencer.html</a></p>
<p>Thank you, old mom. How would they verify someone like Duncan?</p>
<p>Frugaldoctor,
Under the current arrangement, if a person who had direct contact with an ebola patient entered the US through one of the other 3 cities (Chicago, Washington or Atlanta) and then flew to NY or NJ, would they be tracked? If, for instance, they had a layover in one of these cities and were’t flying to NY or NJ for a day or so, would their home state be notified that they were back in the US?</p>
<p>They don’t tattoo an “E” on anyone with contact with an Ebola patient. It’s all voluntary reporting as far as I know.</p>
<p>I think this policy would only end up applying to aid workers. For example, Duncan would have not been allowed to leave Liberia if he’d have admitted exposure, he wouldn’t have had the chance to be quarantined. So people who lie will still get in without monitoring.</p>