To be honest, I haven't read any of this thread. But after reading in the paper the other day that approx. 13,000 West Africans currently have Visas if they want to come to the USA, I am very concerned. WE aren't locking our country down. If you were a person from West Africa, possibly exposed to someone who has Ebola, or even possibly may have it, what better place to come than the USA where you can get much better health care if needed free of charge. Now you always have to take even the things you read in the paper with a grain of salt, but even considering that, it is enough to concern me.

I agree with you. He was put in place for his organizational/coordination and communication skills so that the experts can be brought together effectively. Doctors are not necessarily known for their communication skills.

Airborne Ebola
 

I was wondering how comments were being made on this thread that Ebola could be transmitted via air. Every expert to this point has said that is NOT airborne. Tonight I found out how this happened.... it seems George Will on Fox News is the person spreading this misinformation...

University of Minnesota officials are knocking down a tweet claiming its researchers say Ebola is airborne.

University spokeswoman Caroline Marin told the Star Tribune in Minneapolis that the university never made such a claim.

In fact, the tweet refers to a commentary posted a month ago on a university website that was written by Chicago-based researchers who were debating Ebola's "potential to be transmitted" to health workers by aerosolized virus particles, and thus what protective gear they should wear.

World health authorities have been clear that Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids, and that blood, vomit and feces carry the most virus. Health workers are at particular risk because in the course of caring for patients, they draw blood and clean up diarrhea when the patients are most infectious. Likewise in the epidemic zone in West Africa, people involved with burials of highly infectious bodies are at high risk.

What if a sick person's wet sneeze hits your hand and then you absentmindedly rub your eyes? Asked about such scenarios recently, Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, allowed that, theoretically, "it would not be impossible" to catch the virus that way. But it's considered highly unlikely. No such case has been documented.

"Should you be worried you might have gotten it by sitting next to someone?" he said Wednesday. "The answer to that is no."

Frieden said "what actually happens in the real world" — and he cited four decades of dealing with Ebola in Africa — is that the disease is spread through much more direct contact with a sick person.

The World Health Organization says the same thing and notes that few studies have found Ebola in an infected person's saliva, generally in patients who were severely ill

Hopefully this information will begin to calm the fears.

The only problem is who the heck believes anything Frieden says at this point? His plan changes daily which indicates he doesn't really have a clue or he would have had it right from the beginning.

Cologal, You have been a long time poster on this forum, and so I hope you won't be annoyed if I ask you if you have a medical background. Your very confident answers make me think so.

I almost always agree with anything you say, C. And you well may be right on this one. I think the frustration for ME comes from a number of things here. I had no clue we didn't have a surgeon general and I had no clue who the old one was and really thought she was underqualified when I read her Curriculum Vitae.. Do you remember that guy from a previous administration with the beard telling us to stop smoking? I remember him, and I seem to remember that he was a very respected person in the medical community.

I know this. That some people do not know body parts even. They cannot tell their posterior from an excavation.

But...whoever is in charge is moving toooooooo slowly for me.

I was a Medical Technologist in Hospital Labs for 40 years, so yes I do. In addition my family includes, 2 nurses, 1 pharmacist and 4 doctors currently. I forgot 1 make that 5 doctors.

Thanks for asking

Just read this...and this is sort of how I am thinking.

Ebola scare: We need a surgeon general (opinion) - CNN.com

If you don't believe him then find 1 case of Ebola which was transmitted through the air.

Would you rather the CDC keep using a protocol that puts medical personnel in danger or change the protocol to reduce risk?

Here is what I want. Too much, too early,but the too early part is slipping away.

Here is the dilemma for me. At the critical time, WHEN a person begins shedding viruses, when he becomes contagious, when he may put his hand to his mouth and carry the saliva to a towel dispenser or a theatre seat, I want to have SOMEONE who completely understands when that happens and how that happens and protects all of us from it.

I know I am not the only mom who TRIED to keep one kid from infecting another. For me, I had one kid who was born with congenital heart malformations and when she was little the risk factor for surgery had not dropped to a level to be safe yet. We had to keep her alive until it did. When she got a cold, it became pneumonia and she was hospitalized and terrified, because that was BEFORE parents were allowed to stay with their hospitalized kids 24/7.

SO I used all of my intelligence in keeping Helene safe from her sister, Typhoid Mary, and it didn't work.

So I am have panic programmed into me about this whole issue, and I don't want a lawyer telling me how to feel.

You are too funny! You should have been a journalist.

And I really, deep down inside, agree with you too. I'm very torn on this. But my poly-sci major husband informs me on such issues, and while he thinks it certainly would be better for this "Czar" to have a medical background, his communication and organizational skills are what's needed the most.

Does he have such skills? I don't know. But I do know from volunteer experience with SCORE and my SIL's job as private personal accountant that doctors have some of the worst management skills in terms of their personal lives and finances and are not necessarily qualified to be administrators.

One West African country is now free of Ebola. It's been 42 days. I am hopeful we can help wipe this out at the source. I prefer to look forward and not backward and keep my posterior off of a plane till it's over.:wave:

Is Ebola Airborne? Aerial Transmission Of The Virus Cannot Be

Monkey transmission in research 25 yrs ago...
Pigs, bats transmit.
And our baby soldiers in the guard are out there without hazmats.
Outrageous.

That is the very nature of an airborne disease Gracie. But from all that I have read any patients with active Ebola are very very sick not likely to be out and about. Just think about Duncan's family who were with them him once he was rejected by the hospital, none of them came down with Ebola and cleared the 21 day waiting period. Now I hear that some are calling for doubling the waiting period to 42 days.

Wasn't referring to transmission through air - am much more concerned about how he is making it up as he goes along. And I would rather he had enough sense to advise medical personnel before they were even exposed to an Ebola patient to suit up as he did when he visited Africa. One minute he says the initial protection was enough and then he says maybe not. Glad he came to that conclusion, but believe in his position he should have had foresight not hindsight.

Differing reasons to choose surgeons general.
 

I just wish they were the cream of the crop MEDICALLY, and not picked to make a political statement.

C. Everett Koop - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/about/...obenjamin.html

Me too. I know it's probably foolish but if someone coughed or sneezed near me in an airport or on a plane I would probably pass out.

My sweetie just called me from his changing planes in Nashville. I threw fits and cried and begged and he said...I have a job to do.

I am worried about HIM and he called to remind me to charge my cell.

sigh.

Dept. Homeland Security requires West Africa travelers to arrive at 5 airports: USA Today


The Department of Homeland Security announced today that all travelers entering the US from the three West African countries where Ebola is wide spread must enter through one of the five airports with advanced Ebola screening. Those airports are JFK, Newark, Dulles, Atlanta and Chicago.

In a related matter, Rwanda will begin screening all Americans entering its country for Ebola, whether they have symptoms or not.

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2014...cans-screening

No mainstream American hospital was prepared or trained for this so mistakes were made. The nurses were NOT protected. Now my niece I in Dallas and my cousin in Frostburg MD have received trading.

The fear is not productive... It's not airborne no matter what Fox says.

This is what Science Journal (not "Fox") says……


…..Researchers from Harvard, MIT and 11 other centers of excellence stated in Science Journal:

"As in every EVD outbreak, the 2014 EBOV variant carries a number of genetic changes distinct to this lineage; our data do not address whether these differences are related to the severity of the outbreak.

However, the catalog of 395 mutations, including 50 fixed nonsynonymous changes with 8 at positions with high levels of conservation across ebolaviruses, provides a starting point for such studies….."

Genomic surveillance elucidates Ebola virus origin and transmission during the 2014 outbreak

Now that is a peculiar comment which reveals a mindset behind it … “…no matter what Fox says,” and coming from someone who I doubt ever turns that channel on anyway. Plus, by making this charge, you are being neither fair nor balanced IMHO. It is also a streeeeetch to say that George Will ( a has-been, semi-conservative commentator) is somehow responsible for the “spread” of the airborne possibility discussion. This question is being pondered by a lot of people, including Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, hardly a Fox news flunky wouldn’t you agree, who said "I'm worried about it because we know so little about it," he said. "You'll hear different people describe whether it could become airborne." He said that scientists did not agree. "I don't know who's right. I don't want to take that chance. So I'm taking it very seriously."

Let’s look at the facts as best we can determine…

-This strain of the virus, so far, seems to be relatively hard to transmit and it’s been 5 days or so since the last infection. Let’s hope it stays that way. (on a non-related topic, that’s the main reason the stock market has gone up for the last few sessions)

-There is no evidence to date the virus can go airborne. Let’s hope and pray it does not.

-But, that does not mean it cannot go airborne, does it? To deny that possibility, or to equate talking about it in a responsible way with spreading fear, is simply another rationalization for the ostrich to justify leaving its head buried lest any bad news disturb it.

-As I said, this question is being debated, has been for years, and in lots of fora, various elements of the media and of course on TOTV. Here is just a brief sample of what a search turns up.

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/...ay-go-airborne

Why Won't The Fear Of Airborne Ebola Go Away? : Shots - Health News : NPR

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-1...-different-bug

Can Ebola Go Airborne? - Forbes


So the point is, we don’t know if it can go airborne, and until someone definitely proves it one way or the other, it remains a legitimate topic for discussion.

There is nothing wrong with a healthy fear of the unkown. I am always suspect to the bravado that puts down others NATURAL reactions to a life threatening situation.

Whether it is airborn NOW or not IS NOT the issue. Prudent planning and understanding just naturally includes what else COULD HAPPEN given the life threatening potential.

I agree with other posters that credibility is watered down when it is tainted with blatant bias!!

The thread went like this ...

I said (to another poster, not you): "Just out of curiosity and given your earlier comments about how you think a "political operative" is an ideal candidate to be Ebola Czar ...if the Ebola crisis had occurred in the prior administration would you have been as equally gushing had say Karl Rove been appointed?"

You replied: "Actually, Karl Rove or Andy Card would have been great choices. Both are insiders who know how to get things done. One does not have to be an expert in the field in order to coordinate operations and to get all the people talking on the same page."

After my jaw dropped with disbelief, I then replied to you with: "Actually, by saying what you just did, it's clear you have no idea how DC really works."

Your first reply to this was:

“You are probably right. We never had to know that much about Washington DC and the inner workings of federal agencies in my life before retirement. I should just leave it up to experts like you. Thank you for correcting me.”

But, then you changed your post to what’s shown above in which you say you do understand the workings of DC.

Now, we will never know whether you were telling the truth the first time, or simply being tongue in cheek, but we do know you changed your post.

Copy of my iPhone screen shot attached which shows your first post.

Since you have minimal fear regarding Ebola how about changing places with me!! I am a Primary Care R.N. Triage Nurse, and as of this writing have received no training on Ebola PPE, and the only info that has come down my pike are a few generic Ebola e-mails from my powers that be that continue to say protocols are in the works. To add fuel to the fire, my little state has a sizeable West African population, and the largest per capital Liberian population in the US.

This R.N. has received more Ebola info on my rides home from work listening to Sean Hannity on the radio than I have from my own healthcare facility which is pretty pathetic.

For those praying for the Pope save a few of those prayers for me and my nursing colleagues as we can certainly use them.

We are with you in thought and prayer!

Here is a picture of the Ebola kit baggies that were being given to nurses right up until the CDC's new guidelines on protective gear announced yesterday, as shown and discussed by a nursing union rep on Kelly File last night.

Nurses are supposed to be intelligent enough to fight Ebola, but yet dumb enough to be appeased into believing they are protected by these "baggies" kits….that don't even contain a GOWN!

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...1&d=1413912817

:22yikes: That isn't what we want to hear.
I have nothing but admiration for RNs and others who work on the front lines to keep us well.

__________________________________________________ __________________________

Originally Posted by Sandtrap328
No, I actually have a very good working knowledge on how things are really done in Washington.

Posted by Texan in VA
The thread went like this ...
I said (to another poster, not you): "Just out of curiosity and given your earlier comments about how you think a "political operative" is an ideal candidate to be Ebola Czar ...if the Ebola crisis had occurred in the prior administration would you have been as equally gushing had say Karl Rove been appointed?" .... snipped ....
Now, we will never know whether you were telling the truth the first time, or simply being tongue in cheek, but we do know you changed your post

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Careful, or you might both be sent to the principal's office. :Screen_of_Death:

Agree ... let's hear it for the RNs ... the front line in this fight indeed.

Regarding Sandtrap ... we're good. We've been in mutual contact and will keep it friendly if/where we agree to disagree

The recent move to funnel all folks travelling from the 3 countries in question into only 5 American airports is in my opinion the first step towards blocking all travel. Wonder why it took them so long to figure out what most of us said weeks ago! This wouldn't be pandering to the electorate or would it?

One thing is for certain. They are never going to admit to adopting a common-sense idea that any hardworking taxpayer with horse sense proposes.

It truly is amazing to watch isn't it? Inching their way towards the obvious. There is some kind of debilitating strain of PC that has infected the thinking of a large portion of the government leadership (not to mention about 30-35% of the electorate). This is hard to prove but I may post more on this "PCbola" after I ponder it some more.

Anyway, glad to see them progressing even if painful and slow. As far as I know, essentially all of the West African countries have instituted bans, including Senegal which is next door to the hot zone.

Nina Pham, the Dallas nurse who contracted Ebola, has been upgraded to good condition, the National Institute for Health is reporting.

Ashoka Mukpo, the freelance NBC cameraman who was treated in Nebraska, has been declared cured of Ebola.

This is good news for all concerned.

Fair and Balanced....LOL But I do tune in every once in a while. I did watch the clip of Mr Will making this claim now refuted by the original source.

There have been 5,000 deaths in West Africa in this outbreak,1 death and 2 sick any evidence you can site to confirm the virus is airborne?

To me this is a medical not a political issue and I have spent my entire adult life in the medical community.

I think the part you missed was that sandtrap's statement bolded above was sarcasm.

Most of us agree 100% it is a medical issue.......that is being managed and manipulated politically!!!!!

It is some good news, and we have learned a lot from the few cases here. But the news remains grim for west Africa. The poverty and government distrust has helped this awful disease roar on.


WHO | Ebola in West Africa: heading for catastrophe?

Instead of relying on news reports (even the BBC seems less newsworthy and more opinionatedto me) I find very helpful and factual info from the CDC and World Health Organization.

An interesting article from doctors without borders of what it is really like. The international response has been pathetic. This disease can be stopped or at least greatly reduced if those on the front lines had the resources.

Ebola: Impossible Choices in Liberia | MSF USA

This from WHO...Chilling.
 

Ebola in West Africa: heading for catastrophe?

Strong control measures needed to stop steep climb in cases

Ebola at 6 months

When used to describe outbreaks of infectious diseases, the word “exponential” strikes fear into the hearts of policymakers. But epidemiologists tracking the spread of Ebola virus disease are increasingly convinced that the current epidemic in West Africa has been growing exponentially for at least 16 weeks, since May 2014 (epidemiological week 21 of 2014, see figure). The number of new cases has been doubling every 20-30 days.
Late last week, epidemiologists at WHO headquarters in Geneva undertook a major re-assessment of all reported data coming from all sources at all outbreak sites. Though confidence in data being reported by Guinea is good, other significant problems were identified.
In Liberia, for example, data were being reported from 4 different and uncoordinated streams, resulting in several overlaps and duplicated numbers. In other cases, a backlog of unreported cases was detected, thus creating a distorted picture of how the outbreak has been evolving. Many cases and deaths were not being properly registered on standard reporting forms.
These problems have now been corrected. The results of this data clean-up and re-analysis were published online last night in the New England Journal of Medicine.

• Read the article

Strong control measures to stop steep climb in cases

Nearly 1000 new cases were reported in the week ending 14 September alone – certainly an underestimate of the true burden of disease. If the present rate of increase continues – if nothing is done to intervene – somewhere between 2500 (black line) and 5000 cases (blue line) will occur, each week, just four weeks from now. Affected countries could be seeing more than 10 000 cases weekly by mid-November.

The last paragraph in this article gives understanding about how poverty and misuse of the land in other countries affects us all:

"Scientists and epidemiologists know enough now to issue a clear warning. The risk of future Ebola outbreaks will persist as long as pervasive poverty forces large numbers of people, who depend on bushmeat for their very physical and economic survival, to hunt ever deeper in the region’s degraded and rapidly diminishing forests."

I believe first-world countries cannot afford to be isolationists, at least where world health is concerned.