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I've read more posts in this thread today that seem unhinged and downright paranoid than I could imagine.
We have one, repeat one, patient in the hospital with a definite diagnosis of Ebola and many of you are ready to jump off bridges. The other two patients have been treated and released.
The difference between isolation and quarantine has been explained.
There is no proof that immigrants are the cause of any infectious disease in this country.
There is no connection between enterovirus which is affecting some children in this country and Ebola.
Allowing someone with a visa or American citizenship to reenter this country is not criminal negligence. Its the law. Such a person can be quarantined, but he cannot be prohibited from returning to his country of lawful residency. You don't lose your citizenship because you become sick in a foreign country.
As far as hazmat suits and that goes undoubtedly some precautions are being taken which are probably not necessary or even helpful. However, no matter what choice you make your damned if you do and damned if you don't. Take too many precautions? People doubt what science says about how a disease is transmitted. Take what the ordinary citizen considers "too few precautions" and everyone will panic and refuse to leave their homes.
What I panic over is not the official response to Ebola. Its the downright ignorance and panic I see among so many people.
Stop and think about it. If Ebola did spread through other means than direct contact with bodily fluids than more than 3 or 4 thousand people in West Africa would be dead. It would be more like 3 million. Public health and sanitation conditions in those countries are appalling and the conditions are ideal for the spread of infectious disease.
Patient Zero is NOT a U.S. Citizen. He's here on a tourist visa, issued to him in the midst of a raging Ebola epidemic in his country. Why is it so hard to understand how that can make people upset?
I don't think we'll get a vast epidemic of Ebola here, but I would like to be assured that once this guy and all affected persons in isolation or quarantine are cleared there isn't a need to worry about when the next case will turn up because we're still letting people fly into this country from affected areas or walk into this country via our unsecured borders with no check whatsoever.
The 3 or 4 thousand number in West Africa is not accurate because hospitals and clinics are so overwhelmed they're turning people away, or people are not even seeking medical treatment. I'm sure the number is quite a bit higher, but even so it's not in the millions as you say. Conditions are appalling there, but not everyone will pick up a virus that goes around a community. Some have natural immunity, others just lucky to not come into contact with it. And then you also have people who probably are taking the extra precautions. I would imagine they're not going around in taxis or picking up dead bodies or having known Ebola victims in their houses.
I think I read somewhere in this thread that the cameraman was washing a car that had previously had an Ebola victim in it, and that may have been how he picked up the virus. Though he was wearing the hazmat suit, he admitted to being a little lax due to the 115 degree weather. Presumably he was still wearing gloves and armed with bleach and rags though. One would think that would be enough protection if this virus is so very hard to get.
Yeah, Katygirl needs a bit of an education abut HIV. I'm also concerned she may be instilling fear in her child.
More importantly than fear, potentially dangerous misinformation. If her daughter is at an age where she may be sexually active, she NEEDS to know that HIV is not just spread by blood.
Katygirl, if you're still following this thread, I urge you to please do some more research and talk to your daughter again.
Rather, Duncan's claim of "innocence" by saying he had not been exposed to an ill person (per the released hospital statement) may not be credible.
He also said "No" to every question on the airline questionnaire he filled out in Liberia.
From my link above:
Duncan was specifically asked whether he had been stuck with a needle used on an Ebola patient; had body fluids of an Ebola patient in his eyes, nose or mouth; had taken part in burial or funeral rites, touched body of someone who had died in an area where there is Ebola, stayed in a house with or had other casual contact with an Ebola patient, whether he had taken care of an Ebola patient or come into contact with body fluids of an Ebola patient or worked in a laboratory that processes body fluids of confirmed Ebola cases. He responded NO to all of the questions listed on the form at the RIA.
Then you're a better person than I am. Considering his lies not only brought the disease into the country but also possibly infected god knows how many people including innocent kids he knowingly exposed, I hope he does die. I don't believe we shouldve treated him to begin with. Plus if he recovers chances are high he'll go and have sex with someone while his sperm is still infectious. Just sounds on par with the kind of person he's coming off as.
I was NOT going to post again but this is so doggone irritating that I can't help but vent. Part of my interest in this story is how various news sources shape the reporting and so I'll pull up podcasts. CNN (depending on the show) seems to be developing a victimization scenario. Also, my graduate work is in public health (biostatistics/epidemiology).
According to a recent CNN podcast presenting the NC brother and Duncan's mother, the story about Duncan helping the neighbor is absolutely NOT TRUE. Duncan told them he no longer lived anywhere NEAR where ebola is currently found.Now this is a tad strange, since Duncan certainly HAS ebola.
More, WHERE POSSIBLE health officials and medical personnel in Liberia question patients to ensure there is no change in transmission patterns. Apparently, the great majority of exposures continue to be explainable by contact with body fluids from very ill patients (i.e., whose fluids contain a high viral load). And by "majority," I don't mean to imply other scenarios are developing. Rather, the situation in some settings is understandably chaotic and so there isn't always the opportunity to adequately explore exposures. (That said, how the American doctor working with obstetric patients was exposed does remain unknown. Officials tested all patients in the hospital where he worked; none had ebola).
As for Duncan's story... One of Duncan's brothers first mentioned he assisted the dying woman. A Morning Joe podcast had a clip of the taxi driver describing Duncan's contact with the woman; the taxi driver sure sounded believable. Another CNN story mentioned a third person describing the same story. The Liberian officials seem to find it quite credible.
Now I can appreciate Duncan not WANTING to believe he was exposed and now finds it difficult to explain carelessly endangering his family here. But I sure hope CNN doesn't play this. An Anderson Cooper substitute interviewed Louise's daughter hyping her story for all it was worth with a practiced incredulous tone. I swear some news anchors must take acting lessons.
Venting over. Thanks for listening.
Do you have a source for this? Literally everything I've read about this situation (which is a lot) states that he most definitely did have direct contact with Ms. Williams, the 7 month pregnant Liberian who he helped carry into the hospital. I actually can;t find anyhting that states this is false. I am not doubting you or calling you a liar, just would like a reliable source.
Patient Zero is NOT a U.S. Citizen. He's here on a tourist visa, issued to him in the midst of a raging Ebola epidemic in his country. Why is it so hard to understand how that can make people upset?
I don't think we'll get a vast epidemic of Ebola here, but I would like to be assured that once this guy and all affected persons in isolation or quarantine are cleared there isn't a need to worry about when the next case will turn up because we're still letting people fly into this country from affected areas or walk into this country via our unsecured borders with no check whatsoever.
The 3 or 4 thousand number in West Africa is not accurate because hospitals and clinics are so overwhelmed they're turning people away, or people are not even seeking medical treatment. I'm sure the number is quite a bit higher, but even so it's not in the millions as you say. Conditions are appalling there, but not everyone will pick up a virus that goes around a community. Some have natural immunity, others just lucky to not come into contact with it. And then you also have people who probably are taking the extra precautions. I would imagine they're not going around in taxis or picking up dead bodies or having known Ebola victims in their houses.
I think I read somewhere in this thread that the cameraman was washing a car that had previously had an Ebola victim in it, and that may have been how he picked up the virus. Though he was wearing the hazmat suit, he admitted to being a little lax due to the 115 degree weather. Presumably he was still wearing gloves and armed with bleach and rags though. One would think that would be enough protection if this virus is so very hard to get.
Patient Zero in Lagos was not a Nigerian citizen. He was American and he fought the hospital staff over them telling him he had ebola.
His sister died of ebola and he buried her and still denied he had ebola.
Presumably he was still wearing gloves and armed with bleach and rags though. One would think that would be enough protection if this virus is so very hard to get.
Not when actually handling body fluids of someone who was terribly ill. You think cleaning out that vehicle is like cleaning our yours. Imagine vomit and diarrhea EVERYWHERE, and tell me you believe you'd need the same level of protection to clean that up that you would need to go about your daily business of running errands each day.
So you're saying it's only possible to get HIV/AIDS from blood contact?
You might want to rethink that opinion.
Your daughter was as correct as one can be given what is known (or at least admitted to) at this point.
Do you know something I don't know? I did mention sexual contact and semen as well, in both viruses. What I did not mention was that it's a fact that people have had sexual contact with an HIV infected person and never contracted HIV at all. It's in the semen, but it also needs to get through to the blood (i.e., tearing that can occur with anal intercourse, women with small lesions, etc.). It is much more rare for a man to get HIV from a woman during intercourse unless he has cuts or lesions. I actually read recently that the recent trend in waxing off the hair down there by both men and women is contributing to a rise in STD transmission because of the lesions.
Anyway, that's been my understanding of the virus transmission for years. I would never downplay the importance of protection.
Then you're a better person than I am. Considering his lies not only brought the disease into the country but also possibly infected god knows how many people including innocent kids he knowingly exposed, I hope he does die. I don't believe we shouldve treated him to begin with.
Wow. Just wow. That's the evil in the cookie talking.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EvilCookie
Plus if he recovers chances are high he'll go and have sex with someone while his sperm is still infectious.
This is illogical. His sperm wouldn't be infectious after he recovers.
Do you have a source for this? Literally everything I've read about this situation (which is a lot) states that he most definitely did have direct contact with Ms. Williams, the 7 month pregnant Liberian who he helped carry into the hospital. I actually can;t find anyhting that states this is false. I am not doubting you or calling you a liar, just would like a reliable source.
The girlfriend said this to Anderson Cooper. She also said she didn't have direct contact with Duncan and that Duncan cleaned up himself when he got sick in the apartment.
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