<p>
</p>
<p>It is one of those situations where people are making a calculation of whether to consciously go overboard or follow advice from agencies that keep saying conflicting things. People rather be safe than sorry, in the event the illogic proves to be true.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I read that she was “spotted” sitting in a car outside the restaurant while a male companion went in and got takeout. If that is the case, the restaurant losing customers is simply proof of the stupidity of its customer base. Or, to be charitable, a failure to make the circumstances of her visit completely clear.</p>
<p>As for the bus issue, give me a break. As Frieden said, no, you will not get Ebola from simply sitting next to a person on a bus. If that person VOMITS, or BLEEDS, or DEFECATES on you or on something that you immediately touch, then yes, you might get Ebola, which is why a person who MAY have the disease should not get on the g-d bus. There is IMNSHO simply no contradiction there unless the listener is actively trying to misunderstand.</p>
<p>A couple of points: “infected” does not mean the same thing as “infectious,” nor does it mean the same thing as “symptomatic.” “Exposed” means something else entirely. Care in using (and understanding) these terms can avoid confusion.</p>
<p>Also, criticism of CDC is not, in itself, political. I do think that ascribing ulterior motives to decisions (like decisions not to impose a travel ban) is political, and shouldn’t be done.</p>
<p>And here’s a question: If the head of CDC really thinks that there is only a microscopic chance of anybody catching Ebola from riding on a bus or a plane with an infected or exposed (but not symptomatic) person, do you really want him to also say that exposed people should feel free to ride around on public transportation? I don’t think you do.</p>
<p>And suggestions for quarantining people with no suggestion for funding it is also illogical. We can’t count on Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg for continued massive donations above and beyond the millions they have already donated.</p>
<p>“Just saw this on twitter - Nurse Pham is being moved to NIH in Bethesda, MD.
It’s good that she’s strong enough to move.”</p>
<p>Great news. Hope this will also take some stress off the hospital’s staff who have been stretched to the limits by all of this. </p>
<p>“Is Dr. Frieden’s advice wrong then?”</p>
<p>No. I think he made it clear that someone who has definitely been exposed (like the nurse) should not use public transportation. I just think that is common sense given the hysteria which has followed the nurse being on a plane and the disruption it is causing. </p>
<p>“If you still believe you are safe in the above situation when an infected person ignores the above advice, then we have vastly different definitions for words in the English language re whether one can catching it on a bus or plane.”</p>
<p>Yes, I still believe I would be safe. </p>
<p>The bus thing is funny actually, and just shows how stressed Friedan is.
The fact is, if you were exposed to Ebola, you could start showing symptoms at any point from day 2 to 42 (per WHO), and the first symptom is not necessarily fever. If you are on a bus, you could get motion sickness and throw up on someone. You could be standing, get dizzy,fall, cut yourself and bleed on someone.</p>
<p>If you are a Dallas commuter, hearing how the CDC ok’d Nurse Vinson’s air travel, realizing that there is a bunch of potentially exposed people who have not been asked to stay put, and hearing that, are you going to be relaxed and at ease when you ride the bus? Heck no, you would be watching everyone who looked even the slightest bit peaky. </p>
<p>So not only does the CDC fail at containing the disease, they also fail at keeping people calm.</p>
<p>What is idiotic is not the medically untrained public’s response to contradicting statements. The idiotic part is that Dr. Frieden would say such a thing to begin with. What was the point of using that example if it is not true during Ebola outbreaks? It was just a dumb, stupid thing to say.</p>
<p>I would point out that it has been 26 days since Mr. Duncan, an asymptomatic infected person, flew on several planes, and AFAIK no one on those planes was infected. As others have said, even those living in the same apartment with him after he became symptomatic are–so far, and let us hope it continues–not sick. It has been stated over and over again that the virus load grows very fast as the person becomes very sick, and the person sheds tons of virus at the end. The person is more infectious dead than when they have a low-grade fever at the beginning. Virus doesn’t appear in the saliva until near the end. Whole virus hasn’t been found in sweat.</p>
<p>IMHO, there is a line between “an abundance of caution” and hysteria.</p>
<p>
Ok, and? If he can’t do all the job, get someone who can.</p>
<p>I just read that Nina Pham is being moved to Bethesda, MD. I pray that doesn’t indicate that her condition has worsened.</p>
<p>I hope not. This is probably a smart move to get the nursing staff at Presbyterian a break. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I absolutely agree. He’s out of his depth and needs to be replaced with someone who can respond to the situation with the urgency and gravity it requires. Someone with a background in infectious diseases might be a good idea.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>And that line is found only in the eye of the beholder.</p>
<p>It would not cross my mind, for example, to call the parent of a child who flew with Amber Vinson “hysterical” (sorry I had to break my own ban of the word), for wanting to do everything to ensure that child was safe and ebola-free. I think some of you are just mean for judging how others react to crises to make themselves feel safe. It is not hurting you. Feel free to take a plane to Liberia and ride busses there. Just don’t judge me when I say I don’t want you to come back.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Agreed. And until clarity is presented, everyone should reach their own conclusions based on what they hear. No way would I be questioning someone’s want to fully protect the most valuable thing to them, their families.</p>
<p>What worries me about Vinson being on the flight was - did she use the plane restroom?
Seems like that would be the best chance for the virus to infect someone else.</p>
<p>The flight from Cleveland to Dallas takes 2 hours and 40 minutes. What are the chances that she had to go during 2 hr 40 min?</p>
<p>About Nurse Pham, why are they moving her? I know she was getting much better. Her conditions were upgraded to good the other day. Are they going to do research of some kind with her?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I so agree. If you are not panicking, great, keep calm and bless yourself for having a strong nerve. But don’t lecture others on how they should feel. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Given Texas Pres’s dismal response to their first Ebola case, would you want to be treated there?</p>
<p>There’s also a threat of a nurses’ strike there. Remember, this is the hospital which made Ebola training “optional” for its staff, and whose failure to provide adequate PPEs led to the recommendation that nurses use permeable tape to cover their skin while dealing with Mr. Duncan.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Given that there are doctors who disagree with the CDC, I guess there are “idiotic…medically untrained” doctors too.</p>
<p>Presby is not just treating Pham, they are now also isolating the other people who cared for Duncan.
It might be they feel she will have more resources available to her in NIH.</p>