First diagnosed case of Ebola in the US

lc07 · September 2014

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/30/health/ebola-us/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Air travel and germs already really squick me out. What do you guys think about this? Will it become a threat to us here in the US?

Edited: to add spacing

holyguacamole79 · September 2014

It scares me, especially since my sister lives in the DFW area.

sarawifenow · September 2014

I think that we are far more equipped to handle this than the people suffering in Africa. I am not too worried right now. If it starts spreading, then I may be singing a different tune.

lyndausvi · September 2014

Scary.

DH is flying to TX next week. I'm not really worried about him getting it, but it will be in the back of my mind.

Sugargirl1019 · September 2014

I'm not worried about it. It's really so difficult to catch, and the hospital will have over the top isolation precautions.

Did you hear about the young girl in Africa with a year left in nursing school? She nursed 4 family members without catching it herself and 3 of them lived. She used her own isolation garb (trash bags) and gave her family members intravenous fluids in their home. NOBEL PRIZE OR SOMETHING!

levieenrose · September 2014

This article gives me hope! Amazing devotion.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/25/health/ebola-fatu-family/index.html?iid=article_sidebar

pinkcow13 · September 2014

Well. Being that I am in Texas right NOW, this is just lovely news. My cousin texted me frantically, and my coworker back in NY just imed me to tell me not to bring it back to NY with me. Thanks dude.

Well. I'm not really fazed by it. Dallas is pretty far from where I am. I'm more worried about the plane ride home than Ebola, I'll tell you that much lol.

jdluvr06 · September 2014

I'm only worried about it because I work with so many people who spend time in Africa. I'm not too worried about it becoming widely spread here though.

Jells2dot0 · September 2014

I wish I knew a little more about the flight timing. DH flew from DFW to come home and take care of me during chemo. He seems fine, but i can't handle a cold right now, let alone Ebola. It would surely kill me.

Without the cancer, I'd probably not think as much about it. I'd just try to stay a little more sanitary when traveling.

Sugargirl1019 · September 2014

Uncles someone with Ebola is sneezing on the plane, I don't foresee passengers catching it. This is not an airborne disease.

But I bet those passengers who flew with him are being notified and are scared.

lc07 · September 2014

Jells2dot0 said:

I wish I knew a little more about the flight timing. DH flew from DFW to come home and take care of me during chemo. He seems fine, but i can't handle a cold right now, let alone Ebola. It would surely kill me.

Without the cancer, I'd probably not think as much about it. I'd just try to stay a little more sanitary when traveling.

If I understand correctly, it sounds like the patient flew on September 20th. Did not have symptoms until the 24th, sought initial care on the 26th and was admitted to the hospital on the 28th.

lc07 · September 2014

Sugargirl1019 said:

Uncles someone with Ebola is sneezing on the plane, I don't foresee passengers catching it. This is not an airborne disease. But I bet those passengers who flew with him are being notified and are scared.

Right. And if he didn't have symptoms when he was flying, the likelihood of him spreading the disease also drops significantly, no?

Jells2dot0 · September 2014

lc07 said:

Jells2dot0 said:

I wish I knew a little more about the flight timing. DH flew from DFW to come home and take care of me during chemo. He seems fine, but i can't handle a cold right now, let alone Ebola. It would surely kill me.

Without the cancer, I'd probably not think as much about it. I'd just try to stay a little more sanitary when traveling.

If I understand correctly, it sounds like the patient flew on September 20th. Did not have symptoms until the 24th, sought initial care on the 26th and was admitted to the hospital on the 28th.

Good to know. DH flew home on the 18th.

bethsmiles · September 2014

lc07 said:

Sugargirl1019 said:

Uncles someone with Ebola is sneezing on the plane, I don't foresee passengers catching it. This is not an airborne disease. But I bet those passengers who flew with him are being notified and are scared.

Right. And if he didn't have symptoms when he was flying, the likelihood of him spreading the disease also drops significantly, no?

Correct. The incubation period of Ebola is something like 3 - 20 days but it isn't contagious until symptoms are present.

I'm not really worried about it. Like @SaraBrideSoon said we are far more equipped to handle this and it's not unexpected the CDC had already said given the size of the epidemic in Africa they expected some cases in the U.S. at some point.

Sugargirl1019 · September 2014

I kinda want to volunteer to care for the guy, since I live close by.

lurkergirl · September 2014

Sugargirl1019 said:

I kinda want to volunteer to care for the guy, since I live close by.

I don't know how that hospital is handling it, but everyone who cared for the patients at Emory was a volunteer. I mean they were Emory employees, but they volunteered to be the ones to care for the people treated there.

Sugargirl1019 · September 2014

lurkergirl said:

Sugargirl1019 said:

I kinda want to volunteer to care for the guy, since I live close by.

I don't know how that hospital is handling it, but everyone who cared for the patients at Emory was a volunteer. I mean they were Emory employees, but they volunteered to be the ones to care for the people treated there.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm not sure if nurses can "refuse" to care for him. (Part of me says no you can't refuse, but then another part feels like you can't be made to care for someone and put yourself at risk). However, if in the case that no one wanted to care for him, and the hospital needed help, I would volunteer. I wish there was information about staffing for the care of him.

It's a completely different hospital system than the one I work for, and I don't know how that would work.

lurkergirl · September 2014

Sugargirl1019 said:

Sugargirl1019 said:

I kinda want to volunteer to care for the guy, since I live close by.

I don't know how that hospital is handling it, but everyone who cared for the patients at Emory was a volunteer. I mean they were Emory employees, but they volunteered to be the ones to care for the people treated there.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm not sure if nurses can "refuse" to care for him. (Part of me says no you can't refuse, but then another part feels like you can't be made to care for someone and put yourself at risk). However, if in the case that no one wanted to care for him, and the hospital needed help, I would volunteer. I wish there was information about staffing for the care of him. It's a completely different hospital system than the one I work for, and I don't know how that would work.

At Emory, nobody was every put in a position of needing to refuse because nobody was assigned/forced/scheduled to work with them. They had notice that they would be receiving the patients at Emory, so they asked for volunteers.

I guess that's the big difference. If the patient is admitted and then tests positive, I guess they are sort of stuck with whoever is working at the time. I wonder how quickly he was isolated. I have seen "sanitation" practiced by some nurses (that half assed squirt of hand sanitizer doesn't cut it), so I would hate to think of the implications of it being spread that way.

KPBM89 · October 2014

Eh, I'm not worried about it. I live in ATL and everyone was freaking out before when the first cases came here. We have the busiest airport and everyone thought it would become airborne and spread out to everywhere from our airport (not that they were brought into the Jackson-Hartfield, but just that it was so close to it).

lurkergirl · October 2014

KPBM89 said:

Eh, I'm not worried about it. I live in ATL and everyone was freaking out before when the first cases came here. We have the busiest airport and everyone thought it would become airborne and spread out to everywhere from our airport (not that they were brought into the Jackson-Hartfield, but just that it was so close to it).

Hey neighbor! I live really close to the airport they did use

KPBM89 · October 2014

lurkergirl said:
KPBM89 said:
Eh, I'm not worried about it. I live in ATL and everyone was freaking out before when the first cases came here. We have the busiest airport and everyone thought it would become airborne and spread out to everywhere from our airport (not that they were brought into the Jackson-Hartfield, but just that it was so close to it).
Hey neighbor! I live really close to the airport they did use

We're kinda close to it, too. We're OTP, but in North Fulton (I'm pretty sure that base is Cobb, right?).

KPBM89 · October 2014

Sorry double post!

goldchocobo.defunct635829490514903826 · October 2014

Ebola isnt contagious until symptoms are present. The patient would not have transmitted anything to anyone on the plane. Also, hospitals in the USA are better equipped (gowns, gloves, handwashing, N95 masks) and Ebola is fairly difficult to transmit when using the proper PPE and patient handling techniques.

I think they are doing good job locking it down and contacting the right people

lurkergirl · October 2014

KPBM89 said:

lurkergirl said:
KPBM89 said:
Eh, I'm not worried about it. I live in ATL and everyone was freaking out before when the first cases came here. We have the busiest airport and everyone thought it would become airborne and spread out to everywhere from our airport (not that they were brought into the Jackson-Hartfield, but just that it was so close to it).
Hey neighbor! I live really close to the airport they did use
We're kinda close to it, too. We're OTP, but in North Fulton (I'm pretty sure that base is Cobb, right?).

Yes, it is. I grew up in Johns Creek (back when we still called it Alpharetta, but also close to Roswell

larrygaga · October 2014

See you ladies on the other side of the apocalypse.

LadyMillil · October 2014

Sugargirl1019 said:

Sugargirl1019 said:

I kinda want to volunteer to care for the guy, since I live close by.

I don't know how that hospital is handling it, but everyone who cared for the patients at Emory was a volunteer. I mean they were Emory employees, but they volunteered to be the ones to care for the people treated there.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm not sure if nurses can "refuse" to care for him. (Part of me says no you can't refuse, but then another part feels like you can't be made to care for someone and put yourself at risk). However, if in the case that no one wanted to care for him, and the hospital needed help, I would volunteer. I wish there was information about staffing for the care of him. It's a completely different hospital system than the one I work for, and I don't know how that would work.

I can't speak to nurses, but I do research with blood-borne, risk group 3 viruses (one level below Ebola) and it is part of the health and safety agreement for my research that I have the right to refuse any work that I deem unsafe or am uncomfortable doing and can not be forced to do said work under any circumstance. There are also a ton of "health checks" I have to pass to be deemed healthy enough to safely work with these viruses. I would guess that health care professionals have a similar set up, but I don't know.

Sugargirl1019 · October 2014

@LadyMillil‌ In my other life, I would totally be doing your job. I am FASCINATED by all of that! I should be an advanced practice nurse to an infectious disease doctor.

kla728 · October 2014

Ebola is transmitted through bodily fluids. As long as you aren't having sex with someone infected, sharing needles with them, or existing in their feces, you are probably good. The people treating infected patients, and thus likely actually risking exposure to their urine, feces, blood, snot and/or vomit, are well versed in the safety protocols needed to ensure they are not exposed.

It will all be oookkkkaayyyyy.

hellohkb · October 2014

Exactly what @kla728‌ said. You can only get it through blood or bodily fluids. You can't catch it by sitting next to someone infected or being around them. I think we are all fine.

jynxiie · October 2014

I am not too concerned yet. Also I thought you only contracted it from mixing bodily fluid? Unless someone is sneezing into my mouth haha.

Sugargirl1019 · October 2014

jynxiie said:
I am not too concerned yet. Also I thought you only contracted it from mixing bodily fluid? Unless someone is sneezing into my mouth haha.

If those body fluids get into a paper cut or scrape on your arm.

First diagnosed case of Ebola in the US

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