A health care worker at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital has tested positive for Ebola

Watching ABC news and Dr. Besser was just on and if I read between the lines right he is skeptical of how isolation is handled in Dallas and that he feels much more comfortable with how it's done in Nebraska. He said it's hard to get right.

They should probably consider moving this new case to Nebraska before it gets transmitted again.

*inserts joker "And here we go" gif*


I don't understand how the system failed. It's not like Duncan didn't tell them he was in West Africa. Sure, he shouldn't have come go the U.S. but he was terrified. Were there not some type of measures taken to prevent this from spreading? It is a hospital, not McDonald's. Seems to me like the hospital failed.

a reply to: sirlancelot

It wouldn't surprise me if this is the case. Considering that at least one health care worker (who likely took precautions) has become infected, it's almost beyond belief to me that none of the people who shared an apartment with Duncan for days while he was symptomatic have contracted the disease.

a reply to: JustMike
Yes that is bazzare, and are they now putting this health care workers family in quarantine? Our government needs to become proactive and not reactive at this point. Kust now starting monitoring at airports...REALLY? Incompetent people running our nation at every level.

originally posted by: JustMike

originally posted by: Shana91aus
How close are we to the incubation period ending for anyone else that was in contact with Duncan prior to his hospital admission?

Good question, but in the current situation, we have to consider a "starting" incubation period from even after Mr Duncan died. Dead patients are still infectious and some people had to move him from his hospital room after he passed away. And as he died last Wednesday and the incubation period is 2 to 21 days, it's quite possible for someone who had contact with him even then (and got infected) to start to show symptoms two days later -- which was Friday.

And this health care worker started showing symptoms on Friday.

True, the worker could have picked up the infection sooner, but just saying that even last Wednesday is possible.

Dr. Thomas Geisbert, a virologist in Texas, says that you show symptoms quicker if it's injected directly into the bloodstream. If it's through skin then it takes longer to reach the bloodstream so you don't show symptoms until later, possibly even after 21 days. ( This guy is also featured in the book The Hot Zone.)

Very scary, indeed!!

a reply to: intrptr

Or just have a polygraph in customs haha im surprised they don't have them in there already in the US anyway, they are so intimidating, when i was going through minneapolis i was asked all this crazy stuff while trying to board the plane out of there, i don't even look suspect at all and they only picked me i was freaking out thinking they were going to haul me off for more interrogating because i kept messing all my words up because i was nervous lol.

a reply to: JustMike

I can't wrap my head around that either, unless they knew he had it and thats why they flew him over there and then they were super carefull around him so they didn't catch it? but even so its not like they had the gear and training that the health workers do to protect themselves from it.

All I know is there is no way the CDc or any one for that matter to follow every person that has come into contact with any of the people who have tested positive for Ebola there is already such a long list of not only people but objects and places this is so scary I live not to far from Dallas and I want to leave here but really were would I go to b safe and for my kids to b safe

I need to read that book a reply to: texasgirl

originally posted by: LadyLurker
I thought you go to a hospital to get well not sick and possible death

This gets more scary by the minute when or is it going to stop

The one place you are guaranteed to get sick is in a hospital. It is a reservoir of germs and beasties just waiting for right opportunity.

I cringe everytime I see a family bring their brood into the hospital. They are too often unattended and undisciplined. They crawl all over the floors, are in and out of the bathrooms, lying on the beds, rubbing all over walls then carry those beasties to the elevators, out the door, home, McDonalds, to school and anywhere else they travel. l learned the hard way not to say anything to these loving and supportive families. Even when a family brought a newborn and put her in the bed with grandma who was on 3 IV antibiotics, I was reported for suggesting it might not be a wise thing to do. Of course I receivef no support from the hospital, HCAPPS yoh know. Might lose a few dollars here or there.

If you aren't sick and don't have to be there stay out of hospitals. It just a wise thing not to do.

originally posted by: Vaxellion
I need to read that book a reply to: texasgirl

Dr. Thomas Geisbert is the same guy who sniffed a vial and completely freaked out when he found out it was crawling with the Ebola virus!

Dallas Deputy Monnig really needs to go back and get tested again. Especially if he still feels like crud!

Let's not forget about the Dr. being treated with an experimental drug at Clinical Center at the NIH in Bethesda Maryland. His exposure was from needle prick while treating patients in Sierra Leone. He was released to home isolation Oct. 8th.

We didn't hear anything from the MSM on this one. I found out from a relative who works for NIH one building over from the Clinical Center at NIH.

I have a feeling there are a LOT of suspected, and yes, some confirmed cases of ebola, we are hearing absolutely nothing about.

Patient Under Observation for Ebola Discharged from NIH Clinical Center -

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) confirmed on Tuesday that the patient who was flown back to the U.S. from Sierra Leone and admitted to the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md., on September 28 for observation, following a high-risk exposure to Ebola virus infection, was discharged to his home.

The patient has given NIH permission to release the following information: The high-risk exposure was a needle stick injury. The initial hospitalization was characterized by a brief period of fever that was subsequently determined to not be related to infection with Ebola virus.

Because he had an exposure and a fever, there was a greater chance he had active infection, thus the reason for isolation. Currently, the patient feels well and has no fever.

CDC guidelines are being followed and the patient will remain in his home, check his temperature twice a day, until the completion of a 21-day observation period from the time of reported exposure.
- See more at: globalbiodefense.com...

My personal *feeling*, there are current active cases in the group of close contact people from the apt. building Duncan was staying in. The silence is deafening.

Des

a reply to: NightSkyeB4Dawn

I agree 100% but if u have to u have to I had to have an emergency surgery last week that one of the only ways to get me in the hospital other wise I'm at home but these days everyone is at the hospital for one reason or another

originally posted by: LadyLurker
All I know is there is no way the CDc or any one for that matter to follow every person that has come into contact with any of the people who have tested positive for Ebola there is already such a long list of not only people but objects and places this is so scary I live not to far from Dallas and I want to leave here but really were would I go to b safe and for my kids to b safe

I would not bug out just yet. If you hear of any more getting infected or anyone not part of that hospital then run. Run fast away from humanity.

Oh and bring bleach

originally posted by: FlyersFan
There goes the 'zero chance' of it spreading . All the precautions and protocols failed ... Now they have to cast a net around this person and monitor all that were in contact with the health care worker. It gets bigger and bigger ..

I wouldn't say that ALL precautions and protocols failed. But one of them obviously did. And that's all it takes. At some point, we'll probably see some health care worker cut a corner because they don't want to miss some TV show or date and spread it to others. I've seen the most professional people cut corners quite a lot.

The phrase, "Good enough for Government work." comes to mind. If only people would actually remember how the Gov't doesn't really work that well...especially these days.

There will be a CDC press conference later today after the final confirmation with the second test. But Elizabeth Cohen with CNN says they're pretty confidence the healthcare worker does have Ebola.

It will be interesting to hear how this person got infected, was this a nurse from the initial hospital visit in which the patient was discharged and sent home or was this the second time once they knew he had ebola?
I certainly hope that it was the first time otherwise there is need for an overhaul of your procedures.. having said that isolation is a very relative term, isolation wards are nothing like what you image them to be unless they are in specific hospitals..
where i live we have 1 hospital in the sate that is designated as our ebola treatment hospital, all cases will be transferred there and placed into its specific hemorrhagic fever unit, having been inside this unit and seen firsthand the level of security i would have no doubt that its essentially impossible for anything to escape and am fully confident in the ability of the staff to manage a patient there.. it really is difficult to describe the facility because its like nothing you have seen or would expect. HOWEVER thats our designated hospital all other hospitals have 'isolation' rooms that range from airtight negative pressure rooms to isolated bed in corner of room with heavy duty curtain around it.. in these situations its not surprising that it can spread.
Im interested to know if people have information about the setup at the hospital where this nurse worked so i can compare we what i deal with?

a reply to: Xeven
I have all I need just have to decide when is the best time to go

originally posted by: LadyLurker
a reply to: Xeven
I have all I need just have to decide when is the best time to go

I understand how you feel LL.

If I were a parent in the immediate Dallas area. I know I wouldn't be allowing my kids to go door to door for Halloween.

I was just thinking about how when I was a kid, and we went trick or treating. When home with our loot, and starting to dig in to wrapped candies. The first thing we kids did was to stick the wrapper in our mouths to tear it open to get to the goodies inside. Do kids still do that these days?

Des