<p>From the CDC site:
</p>
<p>There isn’t any way to be extremely precise about this. That’s one of the problems with all this “remain calm, we’ve got it under control” stuff. They don’t.</p>
<p>We now have someone who was being “monitored” who got on a plane and flew to Cleveland. And now its being called “self-monitoring”, with the benefit of hindsight. (Also referred to as not being monitored.) </p>
<p>Iirc, Nancy Writebol had malaria AND Ebola at the same time. It’s a miracle she survived, really.
I wonder if she can even give blood though - doesn’t malaria stay in your body forever?</p>
<p>I also find the nephew’s article unconvincing. He continuously emphasizes that Duncan could have been saved. Sadly, even with an earlier diagnosis, there is a high probability that it may have been lethal, especially since his blood type did not match the current US survivors, precluding the possibility of a transfusion of plasma with antibodies. And apparently the date, and he claims the experimental antiviral was never administered, which is challenged by the editorial note (and presumably the medical records which the family has released). This sounds like litigation posturing, and using the media to do so. </p>
<p>scholarme, I saw an interview with Ms. Weitbol (sp?) where she said she’d been asked if she was willing to donate to Duncan. She was, but her blood type was incompatible. So apparently she’s in the pool.</p>
<p>Has anyone else read “Year of Wonders” by Geraldine Brooks? It is the story of a small, European village that self quarantined during the black plague. Interesting read.</p>
<p>I find it interesting to read everyone’s take on the responsibility for controlling this and where it lies. I see it as the same as controlling terrorist threats from abroad. </p>
<p>I also want to acknowledge Frugal Doctor’s comment about other viruses that are a threat. Our lack of preparedness, ignorance and overall bumbling clumsiness around the Ebola issue does not bode well in terms of overall preparedness in terms of other infectious diseases. We can only hope that contagion here is contained for long enough that we get some kind of working, responsible plan in place so that when, not if, we are faced with a pandemic disease that is out of our comfort zone, we will have some kind of clue what to do in the face of it.</p>
<p>Has there been any word about the second nurse’s mother and fiancé and if they are being quarantined? I saw so much coverage this evening about the Frontier Airlines plane being decontaminated, and health officials reaching out to the 132 passengers on that flight, but nothing about those she spent time with in Cleveland. If she was feverish when she boarded the return flight on Monday, wouldn’t everyone she had close contact with on Monday be at risk?</p>
<p>This was tweeted by a CBS reporter:
“Vinson called CDC several times before flying, informed staff she had fever. It allowed her to fly, reports @DrLaPook on @CBSEveningNews”</p>
<p>^^Yes, I saw that report on the news tonight. She apparently spoke to someone at the CDC several times who advised that her temp hadn’t reached the threshold that would make them advise her not to travel. Unbelievable.</p>
<p>
Has this been verified? If so, unbelievable is an understatement. </p>
<p>Every time you think it can’t get more unbelievable, you are corrected in that notion.</p>
<p>^^That is unbelievably stupid. That CDC person really dropped the ball there. If it was 99.5, it was clearly elevated, and if I wereon the phone with her and she told me about her Ebola status, I’d tell her to get her blood tested right away. A false alarm in this situation is better than a disaster. Per Wiki and my mom (when I was a kid):</p>
<p>"A fever is when a person’s body temperature is hotter than 37.5 degrees Celsius (99.5 Fahrenheit). Normal body temperature for humans varies based on a variety of factors, including age and level of physical activity.</p>
<p>Someone up the thread was wondering why we are using temperature and not any other test at the airports. First, even if we could test everyone, people who simply have been exposed and are incubating the virus would not be detected as correctly posted above. Second, there is a big issue with diagnostic testing: all of these Ebola tests require a blood sample. You can’t test people for Ebola at the airports using such a method. </p>
<p>Lovely. </p>
<p>I feel like I’ve woken up in a crappy horror B movie prequel.</p>
<p>My sons and I temperatures all run low around 96.5 . If one of us has a temperature of 99.5 we are definitely ill. I have to wonder what the second nurses normal temp is.</p>
<p>If she called the CDC, she must have had some concern. They shouldn’t have told her it was ok to go, and she should not have chosen to fly.</p>
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<p>I don’t think they are. Some of her relatives with whom she stayed with work at Kent University and the University asked them to stay at home.</p>
<p>It doesn’t sound like she was traveling in violation of the terms she was given. I am guessing they didn’t forbid her from traveling at all.</p>
<p>^^ Me too, MichiganGeorgia. But doctors are always unimpressed by my 99+ fevers, even though <em>I</em> feel distinctly feverish.</p>
<p>Once again the CDC tried initially to lay the blame on the nurse. I said in an earlier post that she was irresponsible. And while she was irresponsible to be traveling after being exposed to an Ebola patient, looks like it was the CDC that was the irresponsible entity here and then Frieden tried again to blame the nurse. </p>
<p>I also heard while driving on CNN that the reason Amber Vinson was being moved to Emory was because the nurses at Texas Presbyterian were threatening to walk off the job! </p>
<p>My H and I were thinking how unbelievably sad it is that our government agencies who are literally “charged” with health and welfare seem to be incredibly inept at getting off their desk chairs, onto planes and get down and dirty where the action is in a crisis situation. FEMA is another example of a federal agency that sat on it’s hands until the country literally shoved the idea of getting away from their desks and mobilizing down the organization’s throat. I can’t help but wonder how different this scenario would have been if the actual people that understand this disease to the point that they can issue recommendations on procedures, etc. would have gotten away from their labs and desks and actually gone to Dallas to help. I’m not the tiny bit shocked that the second nurse got on a plane, not for a New York minute would I think she would have done anything else, sad as it is. </p>
<p>There are over 5,000 hospitals in the US and not every hospital even has a single physician with board certification in Infectious Disease. Infection Control for the most part is concerned with hospital practices as a quality indicator and not with “public health” which is often connected to local, regional and state governments. It’s a mess. where was the Texas Department of State Health Services in all this. In my opinion this should never have solely been a Texas Presbyterian “problem.” </p>
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