Dr. Kent Brantly is on the flight today

[magical thyme]

It's a headline at nbcnews, but I can't open their articles or link to them.

Fox has it.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/08/02/dr-kent-brantly-named-first-ebola-patient-on-plane-back-to-us/
Dr. Kent Brantly, one of two Americans who contracted the deadly Ebola virus while working in Africa, was identified Saturday as the first patient aboard the plane headed to the United States for treatment, sources told Fox News.

The details of why he was selected for the first flight was not immediately clear, but he had been receiving treatment with fellow American, Nancy Writebol, who is expected to take a later flight to the U.S.

The U.S. State Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are helping to arrange the evacuation.

[littlemissmartypants]

1. It's my understanding Nancy Writebol was from NC.

Has that been confirmed? I hope they survive.
Heaven help us.
This is all so horrible.

Thanks for your post, magical thyme.

[magical thyme]

2. I hope they make it too.

At least in the US, they will be able to closely monitor their electrolytes, liver and kidney function, etc., as well as provide plasma and platelets should they start bleeding internally. They'll be able to provide more complete and faster supportive care. Everything they can do will be right there, ready to go.

I don't remember where she is from; NC sounds right.

[B2G]

3. Yes, she is from Charlotte, NC. nt

[JanMichael]

8. She and her husband are

members of Calvary church in Charlotte- lots about her in the Charlotte Observer

[pinboy3niner]

4. Update: The plane reportedly is now refueling in Bangor, Maine. nt

[magical thyme]

5. Oh NOES!!!!! I take back everything I said about it being safe!!!!!!

No warning!!!! No time for plastic sheeting and duct tape!!!!!! GBCW!!!!!!!

Seriously, though, I wondered if somehow they'd pass through my area.

Just a few more hours of transport for Dr. Brantly. Sending healing vibes a little to my northeast...

[pinboy3niner]

14. OMG! Whatever you do...

...DON'T EAT THE LOBSTERS!1!!

[AngryAmish]

20. CUJO!!!!!!!

[magical thyme]

6. He's in Georgia

American Doctor With Ebola Arrives in Georgia
Aug 2, 2014, 11:31 AM ET

A plane carrying an American doctor who contracted Ebola while treating patients in West Africa landed at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia, today.

Samaritan's Purse confirmed that Dr. Kent Brantly was the first American patient to be evacuated from Liberia aboard a private air ambulance. The flight landed about 11 a.m. Saturday.

Brantly and Nancy Writebol, an aid worker, will be treated at a specialized unit at Emory University in Atlanta.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/american-patient-ebola-en-route-us/story?id=24818577

[magical thyme]

7. the isolation unit has it's own lab equipment

I was wondering about that yesterday. In particular, where I work our chemistry analyzers are "open tube," which means we uncap the tubes when we put them on and re-cap them when we take them off. plus all the probes and tubing inside of all the analyzers would be exposed. They get washed between specs with bleach solutions, but the waste is always considered infectious.

Good that they have their own lab...

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2014-08-02/us-aid-workers-headed-to-atlanta-for-ebola-care

The unit has its own laboratory equipment so samples don't have to be sent to the main hospital lab. Located on the ground floor, it's carefully separated from other patient areas, said Dr. Eileen Farnon, a Temple University doctor who formerly worked at the CDC and led teams investigating past Ebola outbreaks in Africa.

[magical thyme]

9. and he has arrived at Emory.

So people can stop worrying about his plane or ambulance crashing.

[pinboy3niner]

10. We'll always have sharknado

[msanthrope]

12. And 50 shades. nt

[RiffRandell]

16. You read my mind.

I would rather discuss Ebola any day over that trash. This is big....not in a freakazoid way, but it's interesting.

[denbot]

15. pinboy3niner wins this thread.

Too funny man!

Plus vibes to all that respond to the things that make most of us squimish.

[MohRokTah]

11. Somebody posted the facts about the aircraft being used

Finding out they were using the type of aircraft the CDC typically uses when transporting their field staff who get sick alleviated all of my concerns about this transport.

Hopefully, this can result in some progress that will halt the current outbreak.

[magical thyme]

13. Agreed. Also, the CDC is practically next door to Emory

People are forgetting that we already have ebola in the US, as the virus is being studied for vaccines and treatments.

I'm suspect that of the 4 hospitals set up with isolation units, Emory was chosen due to its proximity to the CDC. They will have access to experimental treatments in development. And an official interviewed this morning said that at least one vaccine is just a couple months away from safety and efficacy approvals -- they'll know by January, 2015.

[Octafish]

17. magical thyme, why or how do you think Dr. Brantly contracted Ebola?

If anyone would know what to do to prevent infection, it would have been him and his team.

From what I understand, the virus is believed to be spread by exposure to body fluids of an infected person.

What happened? I've read many stories, but can't find an answer.

[magical thyme]

18. they haven't determined how either of them contracted it

I had read that it may have been from a local health care worker who was in decontamination with them, who could have brought it in from the outside. I later read that they could have been exposed outside the hospital environment. They don't live in isolation there.

From pix I've seen, their decontamination processes are more manual than ours. For example, I've seen a picture of Dr. Brantly mixing chlorine using a bowl and a bucket, and I've seen pictures of rows of their boots set out on stakes to dry in the sun.

Here in the U.S., we use disposable materials and what isn't disposable we can autoclave. Our decontamination processes can be automated showers as a first step.

The more manual the processes are, the less exact and more error and accident-prone they become. Also the more tired the worker, the more accident-prone. For example, there is a specific way to remove gloves to prevent contamination, so that both gloves end up inside out, one inside the other. But if you are sufficiently tired, you might not even realize you touched your wrist while removing the glove. Or unconsciously wiped sweat from your forehead, contaminated the sweat drops that run into your eyes.

I can't speak to Ebola specifically, but viruses can be transmitted even if your skin appears intact. A few years ago, a boy down in Texas died of rabies when a bat got into his bedroom. While he and his family were chasing the bat out the window with a towel, it brushed up against his chest. There was no apparent bite. But we all have micro-cracks in our skin, and that was all it took. A little saliva on apparently intact skin with a micro-crack or a bugbite, and the boy was dead 3 weeks later.

[Octafish]

19. Thank you. Heartbreaking...

I have a much better understanding of the situation and dangers Dr. Brantly and his team faced. They stepped in where they were needed, regardless of the personal consequences.

The report of the child who was exposed to the rabid bat is also invaluable. Many, if not most, people have the mistaken belief their skin serves as an impenetrable shield.