Ebola Outbreak

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ChemGal said:
I've pointed out the aerosols before. Generally, hanging out with someone who has Ebola while they are vomiting or having diarrhea that splashes isn't being incredibly cautious.
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Yuppers, the WHO procedures do seem to take that into account. Glad they're letting people know :3 & I'm glad that some of the MSN is transmitting that info...

(every time i read the phrase 'proper handwashing techniques' i get a tingle...)
 
Well that's good news......still this incident does bring to the forefront how easily this could have become something more. No matter how much the government wants to assure us that we are more equipped to handle something like this because of our experience with SARS, I truly wonder if we are. It seemed to take around 48 hours for the diagnosis didn't it?
 
Well, if I picture someone walking into our hospital with a high fever and flu symptoms, sneezing. I would imagine that he would have contact with at least 2-3 people before he sees a doctor. i don't think they are wearing surgical masks routinely in the ER, only if they have a cold themselves or for procedures. Now, if he happen to say, he is just back from Africa, he might get isolated. We have two specialized isolation rooms. By then, I would say he'd have had contact with at least five people. Not sure if our district would have those isolation suits. Then, the question would be- if Ebola is not confirmed yet, would they actually isolate him as if he had it? At what time would they isolate the ones that had contact with him? Their families? They would have to be moved to other hospitals and possibly out of province, due to the lack of specialized isolation rooms. We certainly have better equipment and conditions to get a handle on it, once we know that it is here.
 
Waterfall said:
Well that's good news......still this incident does bring to the forefront how easily this could have become something more. No matter how much the government wants to assure us that we are more equipped to handle something like this because of our experience with SARS, I truly wonder if we are. It seemed to take around 48 hours for the diagnosis didn't it?
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i still remember being in the car with my mom driving home when she stops to talk to one of her friends who we find out AFTER that she was supposed to be at home in quarantine for SARS. people can be so selfish.
 
Mrs.Anteater said:
Well, if I picture someone walking into our hospital with a high fever and flu symptoms, sneezing. I would imagine that he would have contact with at least 2-3 people before he sees a doctor. i don't think they are wearing surgical masks routinely in the ER, only if they have a cold themselves or for procedures. Now, if he happen to say, he is just back from Africa, he might get isolated. We have two specialized isolation rooms. By then, I would say he'd have had contact with at least five people. Not sure if our district would have those isolation suits. Then, the question would be- if Ebola is not confirmed yet, would they actually isolate him as if he had it? At what time would they isolate the ones that had contact with him? Their families? They would have to be moved to other hospitals and possibly out of province, due to the lack of specialized isolation rooms. We certainly have better equipment and conditions to get a handle on it, once we know that it is here.
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It all depends on how they get medical treatment to start with. If it's coming immediately from travel, procedures would hopefully be followed that do exist, and people in the hospital wouldn't be at risk. If you have something contagious that isn't a typical virus going around, you aren't just supposed to walk into the ER. You are supposed to call ahead so appropriate arrangements can be made. If an ambulance is needed, that info can be given when calling 911. The issue is if people follow this or not - it was an issue with the measles despite the information plastered everywhere that you are not to just walk in for medical help.

Ebola isn't going to be passed readily due to sneezing/coughing either. Later stages it's more likely, but someone in Canada would have likely sought medical help before that point.

I wish we had better ways of preventing the spread of more common illnesses actually. That's one of my issues with the ER being my IV option - the last thing I need when I'm having problems is the flu, which can also be a big trigger.
 
i know -- why don't more people, when they're ill with flu and have to go outside, wear masks? it would seem to be the compassionate thing to do
 
Inannawhimsey said:
i know -- why don't more people, when they're ill with flu and have to go outside, wear masks? it would seem to be the compassionate thing to do
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Wearing a mask with the flu would seem pretty miserable to me though. I would gladly do it for a short wait a doctor's office. A typical ER wait though? I would need to blow my nose way too many times, and when having breathing issues wearing a mask can make the struggle to breathe seem way worse.

I also see some issues with the way epidemics are handled, it's so easy to be selfish. If you get sick in Africa, maybe you just have malaria, are you going to go to the hospital to see if it's Ebola? In Canada I wouldn't have a problem doing that. In Africa, I would be concerned that I might not actually have Ebola to start with, but would contract it before I left. The same issue existed here with the H1N1 flu clinics.
 
ChemGal said:
Wearing a mask with the flu would seem pretty miserable to me though. I would gladly do it for a short wait a doctor's office. A typical ER wait though? I would need to blow my nose way too many times, and when having breathing issues wearing a mask can make the struggle to breathe seem way worse.
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I know, I know -- its a toss up between your comfort and health and protecting your fellow human being (which includes those with compromised immune systems) from getting your sickness.

Again, its a cultural (which is, again, a persons collected social norms) thing.
 
I agree, I can just really understand acting selfishly when it starts to go beyond inconveniences. As it is, I see people do very selfish things that I don't understand. When it comes down to their health though, I can understand it.

The blowing the nose vs mask thing isn't just a selfish thing though - when mucus starts dripping on them they aren't effective.
 
Yeah, it can go too far...apparently in WW 2 the Japanese culture was such that each person was willing to die for their country

A truly 'alien' culture :3

We Canadians are total Hobbits
 
The WHO has decided to use the experimental Ebola drugs in Africa. The drug ZMapp has been used on the two Americans and a Spanish priest - the priest died. I'm wondering if the physical care the Americans received in the states was a strong factor in their survival.
 
Here's an article describing the care and execution of bringing somewhere over with ebola and raises some questions that come with quarantines.

http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/ebola-fiction-quarantine

And it seems ZMapp, the experimental drug, is in short supply. And is it just me or does the person in the picture seem a tad under protected for the ebola virus?

http://news.yahoo.com/eight-chinese-quarantined-ebola-hit-leone-184831106.html

And some news on the effectiveness of face masks. Surprisingly they just don't know. I remember with SARS it was found the disease could pass through a regular surgical mask.


http://www.theage.com.au/national/face-masks-do-they-work-20090430-aojq.html

Any airborne highly contagious disease (which we don't know if Ebola is for sure) will probably require an N95 respirator mask and not the usual loosely fitting ones that are more commonly thought of.
 
And Canada's sending vaccine:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/canada-s-experimental-ebola-vaccine-how-does-it-work-1.1959082

I have less concerns about ZMapp, as the supply is so small. I hope the vaccine doesn't create some of the issues that I fear it might.

I've read a bit about Patrick Sawyer, the man who brought Ebola to Nigeria. I don't know how much of it is true, but some of his reported actions are horrible. Apparently he was carrying for his sister, found out she had Ebola after she died, freaked out. Denied having any direct contact with her, is shown looking quite sick before getting on a plane. When he was told he had Ebola in Nigeria he went into an outrage, urinating on health care workers. He was planning on coming back to the US, where his wife and children live. This is a government official!
 
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