Ebola

I say free pizza and beer for all, with first run movies. As long as people know ahead of time, this is the deal for exposed health care workers in or out of the US.

Pretty soon we should have a handle on what the risk is but for now this would be better than telling people to self monitor and then throwing a fit when they do and come down with it. It is crazy to tell people it is ok to travel and then have to trace every person they came into contact with.

I do think it is reasonable to wonder if it is possible something about the virus has changed making the old protocols insufficient when Doctors Without Borders has gone decades without a healthcare worker affected and then suddenly at least three who say they have no memory of any unprotected contact come down with it. Maybe it is coincidence but maybe there is something we dont know yet.

Meanwhile it would behoove us to get back to work on a vaccine and/or treatment because we cant be lucky forever.

 

June,

You are so right!

 

Keep us posted! You're a better source than any news channel I watch. Lol!

 

NY and NJ are enforcing a quarantine for 21 days for medical workers returning from West Africa coming in to our state. I'm glad they are doing that.

 

I wish they would just quarantine them there before letting them come home on a plane but this is better than nothing.
Kept off the news all weekend. I'll see the updates on Monday.

I will say that Govenors Cuomo and Christie didn't waste any time!!

 

I dont think it is practical for the US to do that. They would have to have quarantine facilities in every country that flies to the. US. I wonder how early these blood tests are reliable. If they are reliable immediately or within fewer than 21 days, then they could either be subbed for a quarantine or they could make the quarantine period shorter. But still you know, in this world, it will get here eventually no matter what we do. We just have to learn to deal with these things. Mainly that means dealing with these terrible diseases when they first pop up whereever they are instead of saying 'why should i spend my money helping those people' when they first appear and then screaming bloody murder when we are threatened. That was the mistake we made.

 

I was thinking the same thing June, if they are not symptomatic and not contagious until they exhibit symptoms, how reliable is the test when they are not showing any symptoms.

Being NY especially NYC is so populated, people on top of people, subways, busses, restaurants, theaters, etc etc it had to be done here. I am thankful Cuomo did what he did especially since Dr Spencer had ebola and was roaming around the city before showing symptoms.

 

See, that's the thing. If it stays dormant for up to 21 days and let's say the first symptom experienced is a fever, when do they test positive and have they had symptoms, fatigue, beforehand and didn't recognize it as being Ebola and thus were contagious.
In a city like NY the chances of spreading are still enormous even if it isn't airbourne.
I guess we will learn more with this current Dr since they've tracked his movements and thus far have good results.
Now, I wonder if he and his girlfriend had sex. Right now she's not positive but will she be within 21 days?
(Sorry, that's where my mind went, LOL!)

 

Who are you arguing with, bulldogs? That is what i said.

 

I agree, the cdc director is so arogant he cannot apparently see the contradictions in his statements. And that gives rise to the questions people have about whether they have thought this through or are just spouting platitudes from previous preparations for epidemics of other kinds of diseases.

I think the majority of people are seeing this and expressing these sentiments. I am not worried but i favor preparedness for this epidemic, not the last one.

 

That's exactly what I posted earlier. Although your post was more eloquent!

 

I rather they be quarantined here than there. More control over it and easier to oversee things are done properly while people are quarantined, the testing etc. Plus once they are cleared they still have to fly with others and ya never know what can transpire between their release of quarantine and by the time they get here. too many factors for something to go wrong IMO

 

People do not fly from west afrida to the us. They travel from west africa to somewhere to the us. You would have to have a quarrentine facility in every country that flies to the us. It is not feasible.

While i do favor a quarrntine for all people who have been exposed, which includes people who have never been to west africa such as the medical personnel taking care of ebola patients in the US, we have to make sure we are quarantining the virus, not just pandering to the excitment of a crisis. We dont want to get stupid like the people who run to the store to buy toilet paper whenever a foot of snow is prdicted just for the adrenaline rush.

 

I think there are certain criteria that would lead them to quarantine someone. I don't think they would start quarantining people who don't fit the pre determined criteria.

 

IMO we should not allow anyone into the USA from Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone since the virus is so rampant there. Many countries including ones in Africa have a travel ban from Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone.

https://www.internationalsos.com/ebola/index.cfm?content_id=435&

 

When we get down to specifics though, it takes a lot of detail work to figure out such a ban since people from these countries do not come directly from west africa to the US. Would you ban anyone from anywhere who had been in any of these countries within the last 21 days?

And a health care worker who takes care of ebola patients in the us who has never been out of his home state is equally risky or more so than a health care worker from abroad. The devil is in the details and in the virus. If we just go for feelgood policies, the virus will not be stopped.

But as of now, no reason to panic. We have time to think it through and get it right.