Confirmed Ebola case in the UK!

originally posted by: Vasa Croe
Well, they have only managed to curtail it a bit in the originating countries, so this doesn't surprise me at all. While the number of cases daily is a lot less than it was, there are still at least 10 new ones daily in the heavily affected areas. This tells me that it is still spreading and has now had an extended period of time in which to "mutate" into another strain.

Hopefully they caught this one before she was able to infect too many others, though it sounds like she was only around in the UK for a single day before being admitted to a hospital. Guessing there are going to be a few other aid workers from her group that are infected as well.

I think you're quite off the mark with your '10 a day'.

For comparison, the previous 4-day periods:
Dec 16th-19th: 95/day
Dec 12th-15th: 87/day
Dec 8th-11th: 96/day
Dec 4th-7th: 102/day
Nov 30th-3rd: 128/day
Nov 26th-29th: 129/day
Nov 22nd-25th: 129/day
Nov 18th-21st: 120/day
Nov 14th-17th: 122/day
Nov 10th-13th: 165/day
Nov 6th-9th: 185/day
Nov 2nd-5th: 115/day
Oct 29th-1st: 115/day
Oct 25th-28th: 146/day
Oct 21st-24th: 107/day
Oct 17th-20th: 168/day
Oct 13th-16th: 127/day
Oct 9th-12th: 130/day
Oct 5th-8th: 132/day
Oct 1st-4th: 124/day
Sept 27th-30th: 138/day
Sept 23rd-26th: 129/day
Sept 19th-22nd: 137/day
Sept 15th-18th: 130/day
Sept 11th-14th: 124/day
Sept 7th-10th: 127/day
Sept 3rd-6th: 105/day
Aug 30th-2nd: 104/day
Aug 26th-29th: 101/day
Aug 22nd-25th: 101/day
Aug 18th-21st: 90/day
Aug 14th-17th: 51/day
... Either similar rate to 51/day or smaller for all earlier periods.

www.reddit.com...

There is another suspected, but unconfirmed case in Aberdeen this morning, another health care worker with links to Sierra Leone. Will be watching this very closely.

Aberdeen suspected case report

What gets me with this though, is that these health care workers bravely volunteer to put themselves in harms way to help people, and I commend them for that, however, they know the risks, they know how the disease presents, how long symptoms take to develop etc... and STILL, completely avoidable incidents like this happen!

The charities/organisations that these health care workers and volunteering for surely must shoulder some of the blame, sure they provide the workers with all the protective gear while they are in the 'hot zone' but they travel in/out on commercial flights?

Surely a BASIC rule of this should have been controlled flights in/out for all and mandatory 21 day quarantine on return, as a condition of going.

Its all irrelevant now as its happened and the disease has been brought back to the UK, lets just hope she hasn't passed it on to one of the potentially hundreds of people she would have come into contact with at Heathrow.

and another testing...this has all pretty much been out of the news of late, however if this one does test positive this would be a concerning turn of events?
Health worker taken from Highlands Youth Hostel to be tested for Ebola

THE woman was believed to have been at the Torridon Youth Hostel when she started showing symptoms linked to the killer disease and called a doctor.
The woman is the second health worker to be tested in Scotland this week after returning from West Africa.

She was believed to have been at the Torridon Youth Hostel when she started showing symptoms linked to the killer disease and called a doctor.

The patient was being transferred to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary yesterday where she was expected to be tested for the illness and the results were expected to be confirmed last night.

However, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stressed that the case was being treated as "low probability". The patient is believed to have returned to Scotland form West Africa a few months ago.

The hostel is based in a remote area next to the Upper Loch Torridon in the North Western Highlands and is popular with hillwalkers and outdoor sports enthusiasts at this time of year.

The building has a self-catering kitchen along with large lounges and multi-share bedrooms as well as private family rooms.

a reply to: steaming

They said that Ebola survivors are immune for 10 years? Wasn't there a physician in Massachusetts who recovered then got sick again? I never heard if he had Ebola again or caught something else.

This virus lasts in body fluids for a long time. Hence the instructions to refrain from sex or use condoms for at least three months. However, I never heard anyone explain how those condoms should be disposed of. There are other personal items I won't mention here that would need proper disposal.

If it can last in body fluids for that long after the person is "cured" I don't understand how they can be immune. Then again, I'm no doctor.

One in Cornwall now aswell

BBC Cornwall

Close the boarder

originally posted by: angelchemuel
a reply to: Necrose

I believe there are less than 10 'ebola ready' beds in the whole of the UK....that's full quarantine beds.......

Jane

If this is correct, then the UK is in big trouble should this turn into a full-blown pandemic. Where would the extra patients go? I doubt the NHS can handle this scenario.

Reports are that she was tested twice, at Sierra Leone and Heathrow for symptoms but were negative and instead of the 'don't use public transport' advice they weren't given a taxi like the previous suspects.

It is very stupid. Those going off to such places should be held in quarantine for a few months before being allowed in the country.

Flouting the 'no body contact' rule was very irresponsible also.

First picture of British Ebola victim as doctor who sat next to her on flight back from Sierra Leone says she could have contracted deadly virus by taking off her suit at Christmas Day church service

NHS health worker fell ill in Glasgow after return from Sierra Leone

She is believed to be Pauline Cafferkey, who is a nurse of 16 years

Colleagues believe she may have contracted Ebola on Christmas Day

63 of 70 people on flight from Heathrow to Glasgow have been contacted

Dr Martin Deahl sat next to her on flight to Heathrow from Casablanca

He said: 'The precautions and checks at Heathrow were shambolic. They ran out of testing kits and didn't seem to know what they were doing'

Hundreds may have had contact with her on two flights back to Britain

Screened for symptoms in Sierra Leone and London but nothing picked up

Second Health Worker from Scotland is also being tested for Ebola

Patient also being tested for disease in Cornwall and is in isolation

Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk...

a reply to: dianajune

If we have an imported case or cases in the UK, will this swamp the NHS?
No. The UK has two specialist high-level isolation unit beds available at the Royal Free
Hospital. There is further capacity available at the Royal Free and surge capacity at a
number of other units across the country.

Goverment Paper

I believe there are actually only 4 high level isolation unit beds in the whole of the UK.....the rest are your normal isolation type beds...........

a reply to: angelchemuel

Here are a couple of interesting excerpts from the link you provided:

If we have an imported case or cases in the UK, will this swamp the NHS? No. The UK has two specialist high - level isolation unit beds available at the Royal Free Hospital. There is further capacity available at the Royal Free and surge capacity at a number of other units across the country.

I wonder what they meant by "further capacity" and "surge capacity?" If there are only 4 high level isolation beds in all of Britain and the other two suspected cases turn out to be positive, that leaves one empty high level bed.

Contact tracing will only be undertaken if a patient tests positive for Ebola and they had symptoms while on the flight. In these circumstances, public health specialists will work with the relevant airline to identify those sitting one seat away in all directions from the patient, as well as any crew members who were working in
that section of the aircraft.

It seems to me that to contact only those seated one space away from the patient in all directions is inadequate. I know there has been a great deal of debate as to whether or not Ebola is airborne (I believe it is), but what if this patient gets up from his/her seat during the flight and uses the bathroom, etc, etc? And sneezes?

Source

That link was quite interesting. Thank you!

When are we supposed to get the test results? Tonight or tomorrow morning?

Apparently the patient from Aberdeen has tested negative. But according to this report from Russia Today, there are two other possible Ebola patients other than the one who was transferred to hospital in London.

Source

The virus doesnt last for 10years, its the antibodies that your body generates in response to the virus that may persist for a number of year. Its not an immunity and its entirely possible that you can get reinfected its just that your own immune system is "primed" to respond to the virus should you become exposed to it and will fight it off a lot more effectively meaning it is less likely you would become ill from it.
The body start developing antibodies a soon as it detects a virus in your system, either the virus will overwhelm your immune system or your immune system overwhelms the virus. The virus might still be in your system for a while (such as in semen or immune privileged organs) but its no longer a danger to yourself a your immune system has already beaten the virus and developed the antibodies to respond to it.
I think the doctor your referring to was the guy that was discharged and readmitted several days later, this wasnt because he was sick again with ebola but because ebola had taken a heavy toll on his body, i cant recall exactly what it was but i think it was just a regular infection that normally would be of no concern except that his immune system was still probably worn out.

originally posted by: dianajune
a reply to: steaming

They said that Ebola survivors are immune for 10 years? Wasn't there a physician in Massachusetts who recovered then got sick again? I never heard if he had Ebola again or caught something else.

This virus lasts in body fluids for a long time. Hence the instructions to refrain from sex or use condoms for at least three months. However, I never heard anyone explain how those condoms should be disposed of. There are other personal items I won't mention here that would need proper disposal.

If it can last in body fluids for that long after the person is "cured" I don't understand how they can be immune. Then again, I'm no doctor.

Miss Cafferkey had complained of a high temperature at a screening area at the airport but after being retested six more times was allowed to continue her journey.

So.. the investigations have started I think..

The British nurse being treated for Ebola should never have been allowed to leave Heathrow after displaying symptoms of the deadly disease at the airport, the Government’s chief medical adviser indicated last night. Professor Dame Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer, said health officials should have been “more precautionary” before allowing Pauline Cafferkey to board an internal flight from London to her home in Glasgow on Sunday night.

www.telegraph.co.uk...

Seems like the threat is gone. We are safe. Ebola better luck next time.
Cheers

My own thought this whole ebola madness seems more of a fear mongering thing than an actual health issue. Going back a few months when ebola started off the UKs tabloid papers and the usual sky news and bbc news kept saying how we would see 100s of cases by the end of the year .. And we've had pretty much nothing. The MSM and the crap tabloids do love a bit of fear mongering.
I'm not saying elsewhere in the world especially Africa that ebola isn't a cause for concern because Africa has had a large number of deaths but to be honest I'm not worried about it at all

Breaking News BBC

She's now in a critical condition.

Only yesterday I was reading that she was sat up, reading and talking with doctors, it probably sounds incredibly ignorant of me, but I had no idea Ebola acted this fast, from sitting up reading, talking with doctors, to critical in less than 24 hours.

a reply to: ukmicky1980

She was being given plasma from an ebola survivor.

Not looking great for that as cure.

Dont worry, It's all under control...

Another suspected case from Gloucestershire being sent to Swindon Great Western Hospital for tests, if positive then being sent to same hospital in London.

GWH Swindon is just a few miles from here.

Guessing the suspected case might be from Gloucester /Wilts border area such as Cirencester.

People returning from West Africa should be quarantined for a few months before being allowed in the country.

According to reports, the woman in London suffering from Ebola was displaying symptoms at Heathrow, was checked 7 times but still told to make her way to Glasgow on public transport.

www.telegraph.co.uk... ml

A new patient displaying symptoms of the deadly Ebola virus is being rushed to hospital as doctors say the Scottish nurse already suffering from the disease has worsened and is now in a critical condition.

Hospital officials said the unnamed new patient was being transferred to hospital in Swindon by specialist ambulance team after being taken ill after returning from West Africa.

www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk...

A PATIENT displaying Ebola symptoms is currently undergoing tests for the disease at Great Western Hospital in Swindon, where special measures are in place.

South West Ambulance Service’s hazardous area response team (HART) transported the as yet unidentified person from South Gloucestershire to the hospital.


A spokeswoman for the ambulance service said: "We can confirm the hazardous area reponse team has transported a patient into Great Western Hospital.

"That patient has recently returned from West Africa and has made complaints of feeling unwell.

"HART is carrying out all standard procedures to make the patient safe whilst they are transported."

A senior spokesman for Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said the hospital was in contact with the ambulance service and Public Health England on measures which should be in place for treatment.

It is understood that the patient in question had recently flown into the UK from South Africa, having previously spent time in Sierra Leone.

The patient would be the second to be diagnosed with the deadly virus in Britain.