US Ebola Patient Exposed School Age Children, Governor Said

[Purveyor]

Source: ABC NEWS

Oct 1, 2014, 1:19 PM ET
By SYDNEY LUPKIN

School-aged children in Texas may have been exposed to Ebola by the first patient diagnosed with the virus in the United States, officials said today.

The children had contact with the patient and are being monitored at home, Texas Gov. Rick Perry said today in a press conference.

"Let me assure you, these children have been identified and are being monitored," the governor said.

"This is all hands on deck," Perry said.

The country's top medical official who has vowed to stop Ebola "in its tracks" in the U.S., conceded today that it's "not impossible" that others will contract the disease.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/impossible-us-contract-ebola-cdc-head/story?id=25885934

[pnwmom]

1. For those who haven't been taking this seriously till now -- hopefully a wake-up call.

The Dallas hospital screwed up horribly by letting the sick patient go home.

[Geoff R. Casavant]

16. I would not consider the misdiagnosis a screwup.

Early Ebola symptoms are flu-like. If a patient comes in with flu-like symptoms, in the United States, it makes little sense to test for Ebola.

[pnwmom]

18. The screw-up was in the nurse not communicating to the rest of the staff that the patient

had come from Liberia. He told at least one hospital employee but the information didn't get passed on.

In the US, hospitals are supposed to test for Ebola when a patient arrives with flu symptoms, if that person has recently been traveling in Liberia.

[Geoff R. Casavant]

20. Good to know.

I was not aware he had informed the nurse of his travel when I responded. Yeah, that changes things for sure.

I wonder if there will now be a new protocol when a patient presents flu-like symptoms, to ask of any recent travel.

[woodsprite]

31. Had a visit to the ER in Delaware recently and they didn't just ask

if you'd been traveling. They had a list of countries that they ran down. You had a list that you filled out on the intake paperwork, then we were asked again by the nurse, and again by the doctor. We were there because hubby was short of breath, was breaking out into a cold sweat, and couldn't keep still. It was a reaction to his sinus meds.

[YarnAddict]

26. Wasn't he also

supposed to inform Liberian authorities that he had had close contact with an Ebola patient before boarding the plane? They took his temp--apparently normal, but if he failed to inform them of his exposure, the fault is his.

[pnwmom]

28. We can't control that. All we can control is our response here, and our hospital screwed up horribly

They also screwed up by letting the ambulance stay in service for 2 days after he was finally admitted into the hospital.

And the CDC still hasn't figured out how to dispose of the mountains of virulent medical waste each patient produces.

[YarnAddict]

29. Can't they burn it? n/t

[pnwmom]

30. Very few hospitals have systems large enough to accommodate the mountains of waste involved.

Even Emory University hospital (the hospital that treated Dr. Brantley) did not -- they ended up sending their waste to the CDC, which happened to be in the same city.

[Nihil]

32. I hope the companies shipping that stuff around ...

... are more reliable than the ones shifting the toxic waste products from fracking ...

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. aren't they proud that fellow GOPers cut Ebola funding by $600 Million?

[Iamthetruth]

5. Just curious

So you're blaming the fact that the person who was infected went to the hospital told them he was in Liberia and was sent home on the 600MM that was cut and not complete fucking incompetence on the employees at the hospital?

[IDemo]

7. I did not read that as a direct statement of blame for the contact with children

But potentially for the fallout if Ebola winds up being far more widespread than the Pollyannas are advising.

[deutsey]

13. Yeah, gutting the national and global health infrastructure probably wasn't a great idea

Perhaps this will be a big wake-up call...assuming it doesn't go pandemic on our stupid asses.

[valerief]

8. Yeah, but they all have guns. They'll shoot ebola. Cuz guns save lives!

Freedumb.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

17. there you go. The perfect response. Guns vs. Ebola.

[valerief]

19. I think you just created a new reality series. Unfortunately.

[Trillo]

3. Since we can now track diseases so well,

where they began, who was in contact, etc., I find myself wondering, if you pass a deadly disease onto someone, why does that someone have to pay for medical treatment or copays, instead of the person who gave you the disease?

[another_liberal]

6. One can be held legally accountable for infecting others with HIV . . .

Though I believe they have to know they are carriers, and then not share that knowledge with partners beforehand.

[Dopers_Greed]

4. And this is happening in the state with the highest rate of those w/o health insurance

Excellent.

[another_liberal]

10. Most people who don't have health insurance try to avoid getting medical help . . .

If they develop stomach distress and a fever, they will be staying at home not going straight to the doctor's office. In the case of anyone infected with Ebola who is without insurance, they will likely be trying to go on with their lives while already showing symptoms and infecting others.

[Dopers_Greed]

11. Not to mention that...

Most jobs doesn't offer sick time or are extremely stingy with it. So most people will just go to work sick.

[DotGone]

23. Calling in sick can get you fired

In the places I worked, calling in sick gets you a demerit on your record. 3 call outs within a 12 month span and you were gone. 2 call outs got you a negative review and no raise (however crappy they were). Missing days also meant missing $$$. Needless to say, those places were a germ bank.

[marble falls]

9. Perry's not much of a governor, not a President, nor a Pediatrician or infectous disease expert...

there's just so much he can't do. He's a perfect example of a Teapublican Renaissance man

[Wellstone ruled]

12. Not looking good for Mr. Prefect Hair.

Some one f--ed this up big time. Oh,forgot,it's Obama's fault.

[Dopers_Greed]

14. President Obola

Number of Ebola infections in the US under Bush: 0

[YarnAddict]

27. Since Perry

isn't responsible for there being no ban on travel from Liberia, and doesn't run the hospital that gave the patient antibiotics and let him go, I don't think this is one you can blame on Perry. Sorry.

[ZombieHorde]

15. I thought that trench coat was suspicious. nt

[AverageJoe90]

21. WTF were these morons thinking?

If Ebola were ever to become a real problem in the West, it would be thanks to incompetent B.S. like this.

[quadrature]

22. is there an online list of Ebola infested schools? ...nt

[Kablooie]

24. If a poor person contracts Ebola in a state that doesn't offer them insurance...

they may not go to a hospital until the illness is very advanced.
During this time they Will be contagious and could infect other people who would spread the infection further.

Also there are some people who are stubborn and won't go to a doctor until they absolutely have to.

The fact that our big hospitals are prepared for the disease doesn't mean that smaller rural hospitals will be too.

The comment from the CDC that the chance of an epidemic are close to zero may indicate a different concept of zero than the one we are used to.

[Aerows]

25. All that we need is a fast food worker

that goes to work sick, cooks, and boom, you have an outbreak. And you know they will go to work sick because they need the money.

[alarimer]

33. That's not how it spreads.

It isn't typhoid.

It spreads like AIDS or hepatitis, by contact with blood and other bodily fluids. It is not airborne and will not become so.

The hysteria over this is breathtaking.