First Ebola Patient to Arrive in Atlanta Saturday.

[RiffRandell]

It's been all over our local news as we live 35 minutes from Atlanta. The brother of the male victim said he's very sick. I hope this goes well. Emory is a great hospital and good vibes/thoughts not only for the victims, but also to the doctors and medical staff treating them.

ATLANTA —


Preparations are underway at Emory University Hospital to treat two Americans infected with the Ebola virus.

In a Pentagon briefing Friday morning, officials announced that the two American patients infected with Ebola will be coming to metro Atlanta. Officials say the victims, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, will pass through Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Cobb County. From there, the two will be transferred to Emory University Hospital.

Friday afternoon, Emory held a news conference saying it is “looking very much forward to assisting” the Ebola patients. The hospital says Samaritan’s Purse first contacted them about bringing the patients to Atlanta. Doctors say treatment in the U.S. will give the patients a better chance of survival.

The patients will be kept isolated in special containment units, which will have a window and intercom system, and will be treated by highly trained personnel.

Link: http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/local/emory-university-hospital-prepares-ebola-patient/ngsL7/

[Sunlei]

1. not good. Hospitals need a public released test for rates of all hospital infections before we trust

hospitals to contain ebola virus.

Most people who die in the usa have a coroner sign off a death certificate on them, who isn't even a Doctor and never even sees the body.

[pinboy3niner]

5. A bit premature to be calling the coroner

These patients are being transported here in the belief that that will give them a better chance of survival.

And regardless if a non-MD coroner signs off, all autopsies are performed by a qualified M.D.

[Sunlei]

10. no, no one does autopsies on All USA deaths. my point is plenty of people can die from hospital

infections because there is no public accountability. Hospitals are not required to release any test results to the public.

[pinboy3niner]

13. That's an entirely different issue; any possible Ebola deaths will, of course, have autopsies. nt

[magical thyme]

25. the patients will be in a isolation ward that was specifically set up to treat

researchers who have accidental exposures to highly transmissable and deadly pathogens while they are working to develop treatments and vaccines. They have already handled, in the past, a number of patients exposed to diseases that are more highly contagious than ebola.

I am far more concerned about infected international travelers who are asymptomatic when they arrive here and show up in a public ED when symptoms show up.

[Sunlei]

37. Not just international travelers. Products are imported from there & could be contaminated.

For the USA, I'm concerned because usa hospitals have no public disclosure of their routine tests of sanitary conditions in hospitals. There is no public disclosure of hospital rates of , for example numbers of patients infected with mersa.

Hospitals seem to make a lot of 'mistakes'. Resulting in infections of their hospital patients.

"accidental exposures" as you called similar 'mistakes' by professionals.

[magical thyme]

38. actually the "accidental exposures" I was thinking of are things like equipment failures or

normal human error or accidental needlesticks.

Human error can consist of things like bumping a rack of chemistry samples and knocking it over (the having a rack topple without even being bumped). The racks on my chemistry analyzer topple easily. I brace them when I am filling them, but I have seen them topple without even being bumped.

Needlesticks are not necessarily due to "mistakes" by professionals. I very nearly had a needlestick a few weeks ago when I was drawing an adult male who decided he was going to "help" me by holding his bandage. The problem is that he doesn't know my job and I hadn't yet asked him to hold it. I was pulling the needle out of his arm when he unexpectedly reached over and knocked my arm out of his way. That was slightly dangerous to him, as I had barely got the needle out when he hit me -- a fraction of a second earlier and he would have been ripping the needle out instead of letting me slide it straight back. He could have ended up with bad bruising or even a tear in his skin. It was very dangerous for me, as the exposed needle was now out of my control as my arm and hand were flung to the side. Fortunately, what control I still had I used to swing my hand away from both of us.

Patients that are thrashing about, small children and animals are dangerous to draw or inject.

In order to draw, you have to brace the vein with your thumb and forefinger. All it takes is for the patient to jerk their arm or leg with enough force and your forefinger, which is just a couple inches above the entry point for the needle, is at high risk.

As far as "public disclosure" in order to maintain their certification, hospitals are inspected by various governmental and non-governmental organizations for safety. There is safety training, which is ongoing. And their are policies and procedures in place to prevent transmission. The simple fact is that in an environment with a concentration of sick people and public coming and going.

And I have no idea what this means: "their routine tests of sanitary conditions." I'm not aware of "routine tests of sanitary conditions."

[In_The_Wind]

2. The isolation pods were shown on the news this morning.

[RiffRandell]

3. I'm a wicked germaphobe but not freaking out about it.

I'm expecting a call from my Mom today telling me not to leave the house.

[In_The_Wind]

4. Your Mom will probably invite y'all to come on up for a visit.

Ya think?

[RiffRandell]

6. We were just up there and the kids start school Tuesday and husband

is traveling to Denver next week. Maybe she'll want to come visit me!

[In_The_Wind]

7. Should I call you on Tuesday

or let you take a nap after lunch?

[pinboy3niner]

8. If she's infected, will she have the strength to answer the phone?

She needs mom right now!1!!

[RiffRandell]

9. That's not nice!!!!

But funny!

[In_The_Wind]

17. Oh. Silly me.

[RiffRandell]

11. After lunch, for sure.

We've all been sleeping in...it's going to be rough.

[In_The_Wind]

16. I didn't know the Atlanta schools were starting so soon.

When I was growing up in the Atlanta area, we started school on the first Tuesday after Labor Day.

[RiffRandell]

18. It's crazy to me being from CT, but they get out mid-May. nt

[In_The_Wind]

19. Things have changed in my old hometown.

We almost moved back down there two years ago when we lost the house up here. All of my family is either dead or scattered around America from coast to coast so we stayed near MR ITW's family instead.

The thing I miss most is springtime in the southeast. What do you miss about CT?

[RiffRandell]

22. Everything!

The fall, snow, fresh seafood, family (sometimes), it's blue...trying to convince my man to move but so far no luck.

[msanthrope]

12. WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!!!! nt

[RiffRandell]

14. I guarantee you I'm going to see people wearing masks when I

go shopping.

[msanthrope]

21. Of course!!! The Ebola is gonna get 'em!! It always starts in Atlanta....GRAPHIC

Last edited Sat Aug 2, 2014, 11:16 AM - Edit history (1)

GRAPHIC...

http://m.

[magical thyme]

27. wtf?!? at least put a graphic warning. that is disgusting.

[msanthrope]

31. It's the Walking Dead.....what did you think was gonna happen to the nice horsey? FINE--

I put a GRAPHIC warning on for those 6 people on DU who might not know what The Walking Dead is....

[magical thyme]

33. I'm not familiar with them. on to ignore you go.

[msanthrope]

35. I have edited my post to please you, and you still put me on ignore? Well, then....

GOOD DAY SIR!!!

[MikeW]

15. incredibly stupid

Violates the basic premise of a quarantine no one leaves the contaminated area.

If something happens the people and doctors who signed off on this should be criminally prosecuted. They are putting an entire city at risk for a cause.

“The arrogance of man is thinking nature is in our control, and not the other way around.”

[pinboy3niner]

20. "They are putting an entire city at risk for a cause."

There's no need for hysteria here. Science trumps hysterical fear-mongering. I don't see the scientists who have studied this as "incredibly stupid."

[MikeW]

23. really

Please ... yes thats right ... were all supposed to bow down to the highly educated - no common sense egos of scientists.

Science? The same scientists that left active small pox in dusty vials in a closet? The same scientists that used plastic freezer bags to transport hazardous samples at the CDC? The same scientists that thought it was a good idea to sequence the spanish flu and recreate it in the lab? Please. These people are beyond arrogant. Common sense has absolutely nothing to do with education.

Sorry as cold as it sounds the CDC violated the quarantine if anyone gets sick as a result those deaths are on their hands.
Every single person in this decision chain should be held criminally negligible if something happens.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

24. 'science' unfortunately relies on people

and people are imperfect... there are too many things that can go wrong. now, i don't think this will result in problems, but it certainly could. and in the case that problems occur it IS putting not only the city but the whole world in danger... with incubation periods that may not yield symptoms for days, and infected person could be anywhere in the whole world in about 20 hours thanks to Hartsfield Airport (you know, the busiest one in the world).

sP

[RiffRandell]

28. That's part of my fear.

My husband flies out of there just about every week and a lot of his job requires international travel.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

29. I fly out next Sunday... n/t

[RiffRandell]

32. He's going to Denver Tuesday and last week

got in from Amsterdam, the lucky guy. Would you consider wearing a mask?

He laughed at me when I suggested it and keeps telling me it's not airborne.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

34. at this time there seem to be no aerosol fears...

and you would be more likely to catch it from the guy sitting next to you on the plane that has a fever and is sweating and touching you... maybe a full body suit?!?

sP

[user_name]

26. best case, no problem, but are we so quick to forget

that the CDC shut down 2 labs just a month ago because of lab accidents:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/12/science/cdc-closes-anthrax-and-flu-labs-after-accidents.html?_r=0

I believe that most likely nothing will come of this, but the reason that these health care workers were exposed in the first place was because of human error.

[MikeW]

30. for those who have a lot of faith in the most esteemed CDC watch this interview

[AngryAmish]

36. The easiest way to contain this is to use existing quarantine facilities.

Since this is a human disease just put these folks in the veterinary quarantine area in NY.

But the the ebola could combine witth rabies...creating super ebola-rabies that infect humans and animals in Manhatten! Then the rabid lesh-eating undead could invade Central Park, craving the flesh of the living.