Ebola epidemic

Originally Posted by Lucille

Sometimes I think that unless the issue can be treated right there in the ER, the patient is send home.
I recall some years ago a teacher's assistant brought her young child to my clinic at 7AM or so (yeah, I got there early most of the time). She did not want to take off work unless she had to, she had used up all her sick leave so if she didn't work, she didn't get paid, and those assistants make very little money. The child presented with the classic symptoms of appendicitis, so I told her it was urgent that she take her child to the emergency room immediately, and she went.
Her child was seen, and they were sent home. That day in the late afternoon, according to what she was told on her second, now extremely urgent visit, the appendix ruptured.

Fortunately the child lived. But here, with an infectious disease such as Ebola, the urgency for a correct, early diagnosis is multiplied, it is not only the ill person at risk, but potentially many, many more.

Yeah, think this one through. Now, anyone in the area where this guy with Ebola was located who develops flu like symptoms can expect that if they go to any medical facility there is an excellent chance that they are going to want to isolate and observe him or her for 21 days in case it IS Ebola. Many people knowing this are quite likely going to try to convince themselves that it's "only the flu" and try to tough it out rather than losing work (and pay) and their freedom of mobility for three weeks. Many people are not going to want to be sequestered away and many are not going to be able to afford (not just for monetary reasons) to be locked up away from home.

People are not programmable and controllable robots and there is going to be an awful lot of unpredictability in just how people are going to react to Ebola being in their own home town.

Originally Posted by WebSlave

Now, anyone in the area where this guy with Ebola was located who develops flu like symptoms can expect that if they go to any medical facility there is an excellent chance that they are going to want to isolate and observe him or her for 21 days in case it IS Ebola.

They might. But remember, this is Texas, and those who live in Texas have Rick (Let's not actually spend any money on public healthcare) Perry as our governor. Unless federal money is involved, exactly who is going to pay for all that monitoring?


Apparently the infected person in Texas was in contact with several school age children.

Originally Posted by Lucille

Here in Texas, schools receive funding from the state based on daily attendance. All kinds of incentives are used to get the kids in the school so that that school receives maximum funding- drawing for bicycles and other nice items based on attendance, perfect attendance parties, films, pop corn, ice-cream.
Teachers would often not send sick kids to the clinic before 10 (that was the magic hour, if the student was there at 10AM, they were counted there for the day). The kids themselves would often not say anything no matter how sick they were prior to 10AM because they wanted the incentive gifts and parties. Some of the parties were organized by classroom, so you can imagine the peer pressure exerted by the kids on each other to not be absent or go home early.

I would not underestimate educational politics and funding weakening the fabric of any quarantine efforts especially in urban areas where students are frequently bussed out of their area rather than attending the local school they are zoned to.
There would be all kinds of wrangling as to who would bear the burden of paying the various schools for their attendance losses due to quarantine. If you question how local politicians could possibly wrangle about money when there were dead people in the street with blood coming out of their orifices, I suggest listening to them closely some time and getting that 'me and mine first' flavor.

While I totally agree with the concept of preparation, stocking food and so on, I also believe that money and politics may defeat the concept of quarantine.
I'm not even going to get started on favoritism for the rich and powerful, but I can't imagine those sorts of people being unable to come and go, quarantine or not.

I wonder if any lawsuits will propagate if others wind up coming down with Ebola from the guy getting turned away from that emergency room? Seems kind of silly, but certainly wouldn't be the silliest lawsuits to ever take place in this country.

Anyway, I know if I lived in the area and started developing flu-like symptoms, I'd have to seriously think it over about going to the doctor and risk betting hawg-tied for 21 days. Of course, what if it IS really Ebola?

Well, this is interesting. Did you know that the US Government has a patent on the Ebola virus?

http://worldwide.espacenet.com/publi...741523A1&KC=A1

Dallas parents pull kids from school

http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/10...bola-case.html

DALLAS

— Parents rushed to get their children from school Wednesday after learning that five students may have had contact with the Ebola patient in a Dallas hospital, as Gov. Rick Perry and other leaders reassured the public that there is no cause for alarm.

The patient, identified by The Associated Press as Thomas Eric Duncan of Liberia, arrived in the U.S. on Sept. 20 to visit family. Dallas County Health and Human Services Director Zachary Thompson said county officials suspect that 12 to 18 people may have had contact with Duncan.

“Right now, the base number is 18 people, and that could increase,” he said. Thompson said more details are expected by Thursday afternoon. The number includes five students at four schools, Dallas school district Superintendent Mike Miles said.

“This case is serious,” Perry said during a news conference at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, where Duncan is being treated. “Rest assured that our system is working as it should. Professionals on every level on the chain of command know what to do to minimize this potential risk to the people of Texas and of this country.”

Miles said Dallas school officials learned Wednesday morning that five students at four schools — Tasby Middle, L.L. Hotchkiss Elementary, Dan D. Rogers Elementary and Conrad High — had come in contact with Duncan. Lowe Elementary is also being watched because it connects to Tasby.

“Since none of the students had symptoms, I’m pretty confident that none of the kids were exposed,” Miles said.

At L.L. Hotchkiss, parents pulled their children out of school early.

“I’m scared,” said parent Kia Collins, who has four children at the school ages 5 to 11. “I may keep them home all week.”

District officials said they plan to have counselors and translators reach out to parents: 32 languages are spoken just at Conrad High.

“That’s one of the reasons we’re here is we don’t want misinformation getting out there,” Miles said. “We found out this morning, and then we had a press conference.”

He urged parents to keep their children in school, but some were wary. Marcie Pardo said she picked up her 8-year-old daughter, Soriah, within minutes of being notified by school officials.

“To find out this is a school where it is happening, what are the odds?” Pardo said. “I’m sure there could have been some kind of contact somewhere.”

A letter to parents of children at Hotchkiss, 6929 Town North Drive, said the school was notified Wednesday that “one of our students may have had contact with an individual who was recently diagnosed with the Ebola virus.”

The letter goes on to say that the student has no symptoms, has been told to stay home and is under observation by the Dallas County Health and Human Services Department.

Originally Posted by bcr229

From that article:

Just great. Go to the hospital because you feel bad, the health care workers do get told that you've recently arrived from a viral hot zone, and you get sent home with an antibiotic.

The video at this link discusses the failure of the first visit.
The infected person told them right away that he just came from Liberia.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/02/health...-us/index.html

Also, now we are up to a 100 people who had contact with this guy. Including five students at four different schools.

Dallas (CNN) -- Health officials are reaching out to as many as 100 people who may have had contact with the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the U.S., a spokeswoman with the Texas Department of State Health Services said Thursday.

These are people who are still being questioned because they may have crossed paths with the patient either at the hospital, at his apartment complex or in the community.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we're starting with this very wide net, including people who have had even brief encounters with the patient or the patient's home," spokeswoman Carrie Williams said. "The number will drop as we focus in on those whose contact may represent a potential risk of infection."

The number of direct contacts who have been identified and are being monitored right now is "more than 12," a federal official told CNN on Thursday.

Patient in isolation in Hawaii.

http://khon2.com/2014/10/01/patient-...a-possibility/

Old news story but
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/fb...-solution-to-h

All of which is why the FBI is interested in talking to Texas ecologist and herpetologist, Dr. Eric R. Pianka, who suggested at a meeting of the Texas Academy of Sciences that an airborne version of Ebola that would wipe out 90% of the human population was the solution to the human “overpopulation problem.”

Interesting full read at the link.

I'm wondering what really is the percentage of those that have Ebola will perish.

Before and at the beginning of this outbreak the figure thrown around was 90% would die. Those that survived would then be immune.

Seems like the actual numbers is closer to 50%. So far those treated in the US (The two Doctors) with the experimental vaccine has been 100% survival.

Granted that's only two people. So I'm wondering who would get this vaccine if we see a rapid outbreak here? Why isn't that vaccine being mass produced and sent to Africa now?

Originally Posted by Dennis Hultman

So I'm wondering who would get this vaccine if we see a rapid outbreak here? Why isn't that vaccine being mass produced and sent to Africa now?

the vaccinations would probably start with the rich, then trickle down to the poor... as usual.

If you are referring to the vaccine z-mapp, they grow it in tobacco plants, extract it, then refine it; a very time consuming process. the manufacturer stated "tobacco plants only grow so fast."

The Texas Hospital's response is alarming, to say the least.

I would imagine pharmaceutical companies are scrambling for research, patents, rights, etc. for any upcoming vaccine. If you're willing to gamble, there will be serious stock payouts to be had for those who have correctly guessed the winner.

Noelle