Ebola inside the US
Well it was predicted. Seems this time we had someone exposed who turned right around and hopped on a plane bound for the US and attempted to check himself into a US hospital as soon as he felt symptoms. Smart guy. Dumb ER staff. In spite of being told he had just left West Africa and was worried he had contracted Ebola the staff treated him as a person with the Flu and sent him home with useless anti-biotics. 2 days later an ambulance brought him back to the same ER and now our CDC is up to almost 100 people who may have had contact with him and those persons those people had contact with.Our media's reaction is to waste time wondering if all direct flights from West Africa should be denied. Like he couldn't have flown to Barcelona, or New Delhi, or London , or Cairo, or Sydney first, then booked a second flight to the US from there.
Flu season approaches and the first symptoms are identical. My own thought is this man is only the first. Fortunately the contacts he has had were normal family oriented contacts and he is not being close mouthed about them.
Imagine some tourist infected at home by an Aid worker (or an Issa supporter intentionally getting infected), then coming to the US to partake of our many, many street hookers then going to the hospital 2 or 3 days later and forgetting to mention the hooker as being amongst his contacts. Next week 100 people may walk in the door complaining of Flu. Our ER staff will, under current guidelines, ask those American people if they have been outside the US and upon being told no, give them all anti-biotics and send them home to their families. Inside a second week the number of infected will probably greatly exceed all of the available hospital beds inside the entire state.
My thought is that ALL persons going to a doctor because of Flu like systems should undergo mandatory blood testing to rule out the possibility it is Ebola instead of Flu. Only in this fashion will a handle be grasped on that scenario. Of course I am not the King, so by the time that becomes SOP it will probably be way too late for many.
Comments (12)
I wonder if the people that was on the flight with him, also is being contacted as well?...
It will be a disaster if more people will e infected as you said...the hospital will be filled to its rafters sort to speak...mean while people like myself will have to care for these people and risk getting sick...time for a vacation I think!!
The ERs of the hospitals do not spend enough time with each patient in my opinion...from the triage perspective and the time spent with the doctors...many people are turned away and sent home...problem with the flu...you are better off at home than the hospital...and others will not be infected by the flu...that is the rationale...however listening to the patient would have resulted in isolating that patient and running more tests to rule ebola out...
We should also do that, don't you think?
I do believe some sort of scrutiny should be taken with world travelers.
All I know, if that stuff starts spreading, I am moving out of the city.
Plans or protocols should have been in place and I agree that stopping flights can reduce the transmission of Ebola...the people who had contact with the persons or bodily fluids should be quarantined for others safety and tested as you have pointed out...