Wake Up, CDC: What If There Was NO Breach In Protocol In 2nd US Ebola Case? Try Investigating That!

Is it possible that current protocols employed and implemented by the CDC for managing Ebola in the US are not adequate in regard to containing this particular viral strain?

Dr. Friedan of the CDC seems a trifle adamant that WORKERS (plural) must have breached protocols when caring for Dallas' Patient Zero. Okay, fair enough (although this does seem to imply that the CDC did not properly train and supervise those involved in his care before he died - Not very reassuring). But...What if protocols were not breached? Why not investigate this possibility as well? My take on the matter: They are indeed investigating this...But the general masses will not be made privy to these investigative efforts. Wouldn't want to panic the people, after all. (Much less give us time to adequately educate ourselves and prepare...):

"But Dr. Tom Frieden, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on Sunday raised concerns about a possible breach of safety protocol and told CBS' "Face the Nation" that among the things CDC will investigate is how the workers took off that gear — because removing it incorrectly can lead to a contamination.

"I think the fact that we don't know of a breach in protocol is concerning, because clearly there was a breach in protocol," Frieden said. "We have the ability to prevent the spread of Ebola by caring safely for patients ... We'll conduct a full investigation of what happens before health workers go in, what happens when they're there, and what happens in the taking out, taking off their protective equipment because infections only occur when there's a breach in protocol."

a reply to: bludragin

"IF" they are telling us true this nurse worked directly with the Dallas index Ebola case, then there had to a breach of protocol.

This isn't magic. Just virulence.

a reply to: intrptr

I respect your position: In your opinion, is it at all possible that current protocols are not adequate, versus protocols having been breached?

Shouldn't the CDC personnel be the ones on the front lines of this thing in the first place? Not the local healthcare providers.

I mean, when police are confronted with a particularly volatile situation, they call in SWAT - for example.

Well, this is a volatile situation if ever there was one.

a reply to: bludragin
S&F
I hope someone in MSM sees this thread and starts asking hard questions.
IMHO Frieden needs to step down. What a fool.
Obama needs to get his big boy pants on and step up to the plate and make quite a few decisions about Ebola, and swiftly.
Now. Today.

Definitely would be good to be kept in the loop with these "investigations"

I guess with the type of gear they have been wearing it is possible that they where contaminated whilst removing said suit and equipment.

a reply to: bludragin

I go by what is been stated, Duncan visited the hospital before been diagnosed with symptoms of ebola sickness, during that time he "was infectious" anybody that were in the hospital, touched or was around Mr. Duncan during that time could get infected.

I expect more cases coming from people that had not clue how they go ebola

I am sure he was able to spread the disease around since his arrival into Dallas from oversea.

I said it elsewhere and I'll say it here ... the CDC is throwing the nurse under the bus. They say she broke protocol but wont' say exactly how. The nurse herself says she followed the protocol and broke nothing. The CDC is trying to cover it's backend with this. They don't want their heads to roll ... so the poor nurse gets blamed.

a reply to: marg6043

Friedan specifically states protocols "must" have been breached. This implies that it was a nurse working in the isolation unit who became infected. He does not mention the scenario you raise. But that would have been more reassuring, if so.

Or the protocol is wrong to begin with.

CDC protocols for doffing PPE state that step 1 is to REMOVE GLOVES FIRST. Based on my experience with PPE, that is backwards. Gloves are always last.

WHO protocols encourage the use of DOUBLE GLOVES. Again, backwards and absolutely does not provide more protection. If anything it would reduce the durability of the gloves.

a reply to: FlyersFan

I agree, she is one to be applauded for taking the risk to care for somebody with such a deadly disease, it hit me close to my hart as my daughter is an ER trauma nurse.

a reply to: FlyersFan

I think you are exactly right.

Again. They really don't know.

"I see the reasons to dampen down public fears," Russell said. "But scientifically, we're in the middle of the first experiment of multiple, serial passages of Ebola virus in man.... God knows what this virus is going to look like. I don't."

www.abovetopsecret.com...

In the 80s I read a book called the hot zone, and it was about Ebola and other dangerous viruses. It seems that in the 70s there was a airborne monkey only Ebola virus in a Washington lab. At the time they didn't know it was airborne until a room of healthy monkeys got infected and there was only a vent system connecting the rooms.

As we move forward with Ebola, one needs to question that maybe all protocols were in place and followed strictly for liquid only transfer type Ebola and this strain is at least limitedly able to infect airborne too.

a reply to: Sparkymedic

Yes, I have seen your excellent posts on this. Glad to see you here, and I agree with the possibility you raise.

a reply to: Xtrozero

If you have a link to that 70's monkey study, I'd love to have you post it here. Most intriguing.

originally posted by: FlyersFan
I said it elsewhere and I'll say it here ... the CDC is throwing the nurse under the bus. They say she broke protocol but wont' say exactly how. The nurse herself says she followed the protocol and broke nothing. The CDC is trying to cover it's backend with this. They don't want their heads to roll ... so the poor nurse gets blamed.

Breaking protocol is the most logical way for the nurse to catch Ebola. If the nurse had no contact with Duncan prior to them realizing that he had Ebola then the nurse had to screw up to catch it. Just look at all the people in Africa that has been working with the infected people for months and haven't caught it. The nurse could just a easily be lying to cover her mistake.

originally posted by: bludragin
a reply to: Xtrozero

If you have a link to that 70's monkey study, I'd love to have you post it here. Most intriguing.

The Hot Zone, free PDF

Sorry, but what protocol is there to breach if a nurse or other medical professional goes to help a sick person with bodily fluids all over them before ever knowing the history of the patient?

By this logic, all personnel at all medical centers and ERs and doctor's offices and all paramedics, firemedics, EMTs, and law enforcement everywhere should be wearing full BSL4 suits all the time. Starting NOW.

a reply to: Xtrozero

It wasn't in Washington is was a Military facility in Texas, they brought an infected monkey, when they found out how bad it was they burned the lab.