when will YOU go into "seclusion"? when there are 50 cases? 100 cases? 1000 cases?

originally posted by: mysterioustranger
a reply to: Cornczech

You absolutely are being paranoid...and you're in medicine?

Me too...and running away from helping anyone anywhere anytime with anything...even at great personal risk....goes against my nature.

Sorry...

MS
EMT/ERT
Advanced Disaster Life Support

Why are you twisting the OP's words?

Why do you bring up running away from anyone/anything, when the OP has specifically said this is about the ONLY thing she would consider dangerous enough to leave her post?

Is there a difference between running away from anything and running away from one thing?

HEALTH CARE WORKERS HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO TREAT THE SICK AND INJURED; HOWEVER THAT OBLIGATION ENDS WHEN THE RISK TO THEIR OWN LIVES IS EXTREMELY HIGH.

And I don't blame them.

WTF is the death rate for health care workers treating someone with the Flu, AIDS, car accident injuries, measles, cancer, etc etc it's about ONE IN A FREAKIN MILLION OR LESS.

For Ebola it looks like it's about 1 in ten or something like that.

Those are more dangerous odds than any cop, EMS worker or fire fighter has ever faced.

IT'S MORE DANGEROUS THAN GOING INTO COMBAT.

Unless some agency comes up a protocol and PPE that is close to 100% effective, I don't blame health care workers for one second for refusing to treat ebola victims or abandoning their posts.

Health care workers have signed up to help people, yes, but thinking the risks were extremely low. The equation with ebola has changed, I don't blame them if they don't want to commit suicide.

Here is an article by an ER doctor spelling things out:

So should we ever have a widespread outbreak, with travel history becoming unnecessary for exposure, it will be near impossible for frontline physicians such as myself to distinguish patients with early Ebola from patients with the common flu. Such a situation would make the safe practice of frontline medicine near impossible, something I fear to imagine the consequences of.

ER Doc on Ebola

I'll repeat the salient line:

Such a situation would make the safe practice of frontline medicine near impossible, something I fear to imagine the consequences of.

My tipping point would be the first time a person wholly unrelated to West Africa or health care gets it.

originally posted by: kosmicjack
My tipping point would be the first time a person wholly unrelated to West Africa or health care gets it.

I think we will see that within the next couple of weeks.

For me to isolate myself and family, the rate of infection would have to be around 1% in the surrounding area, because I know there are delays in reporting and it can take up to 21 days to become symptomatic, so if the publicized rate is around 1% you know the actual rate of people who are carrying the virus but not yet infected is probably 2-3 times higher than that.

When the University closes down and send the students home, and/or the local High School closes its doors. It will be too late to get supplies for anyone. This will be when people are completely on edge and worried. When we get news of a possible snow storm our stores are stripped of food in SC. This happens annually here. I would guess ten cases per state times fifty states.... 500 people. We will all be changing our behavior patterns. No eating out at all. No planes, trains, bus trips without face masks, goggles, and gloves on. Only necessary life threatening visits to doctors and grocery stores. Can you imagine how this will hit the dental practices? Who will want to get their teeth cleaned.... or even do the dental work? Who will want to touch their physical money? Who will want to pump gas, or get money from an atm machine? Who will want to use a public restroom? Who will want to touch a public door know any where? Who will board their pets at the local dog kennel? I don't want to travel at Christmas this year to see relatives....I just feel it's smarter not to go exposing my family to everyone's germs everywhere now. Virus usually spread and spread.

a reply to: WeRpeons

The virus was defeated a long time ago, is just that profits were not to be made from poor ebola ridden countries, so now that is plenty of trial vaccines including one that already been tested in humans with great results the greed of the manufacturers is on who hold the rights to it

a reply to: grandmakdw

I know, I remember when the first sick children crossing the border were send to a military base in California for treatment, this prompted the alert from the government to look for anybody that were showing symptoms of upper respiratory distress, I guess nobody put one and one together because it was not adults getting sick, until the immigrant children were spread to states and children started to get sick in schools.

This is what I want to add tho this discussion. I do think of this a bit differently because I have 2 children (okay man babies because well, they are my babies and they are 19 and 17) who have 'compromised immune systems' one more then the other. Both had mono at a very young age and one had it while strep throat traveled to his kindeys and started to shut them down. And I have only one kidney, I am a kidney cancer survivor. I must be a bit more cautious with all of the crud that flies around. I am in no way saying we are such sparlky special unicorns, just that I have to be a bit more cautious then the average bear.

While people go 'oh well, the population is X numbers and i'm not worried. But for people familiar with the Metroplex (Dallas/Ft Worth and surrounding suburbs) realize is this. Dallas is only about 40 minutes from Ft Worth (on a good traffic day) The metroplex is only about an hour south of the Oklahoma border, and maybe 2-3 hours from Louisiana. Houston, 4 hours away.

There is I-20 which is a major highway traveling east/west throughout the Untied States, I-10 as well. we have I-45 which is one way traveling to Houston, and lets not forget everybody's favorite NAFTA I-35 which runs north/south up and down the entire Untied States. And in Texas I-35 takes you from the Dallas/Ft Worth Metroplex, down through Central Texas, goes though Austin, San Antonio, and all the way down to the border with Mexico. Each and every one of these freeways, (and offshoots ) are heavily traveled each and every day.

And of course we have the Dallas Ft Worth International Airport (DFW for short) Flights coming in from all over the world. 24/7.

In Ft Worth, we have Alliance Air Port, (AFW for short) per the website "Fort Worth Alliance Airport (AFW) is the world's first 100% industrial airport designed for cargo and corporate aviation. AFW features a vast array of flight services, including air cargo, corporate and military aviation, and is the cornerstone for the nation's fastest-growing industrial complex, the Alliance Global Logistics Hub. There is no finer facility for corporate, industrial/air cargo or military aviation than Fort Worth Alliance Airport. - See more at: www.alliancetexas.com...

And Fed Ex has a huge hub, UPS flies jumbo planes into DFW.

So while not anything special compaired to other major Metro areas, we just happen to be the one who has Ebola and have many, many ways to travel in and out of it.

And I forgot too add, when do I isolate myself.. to be honest, I am not quite sure. I am more cautious, I am extremely aware, and I have started to buy a bit more in bulk. And I don't plan on traveling to see my Mom in Ft Worth for quite a while. And quite thankful I live in Central Texas. I have a wee bit of a buffer zone.

a reply to: Cornczech

I went into seclusion 11 years ago when the last human hurt me feelings. I actually thrive in seclusion ask my neighbors how often i go out. I apologize it creeps them out but most of you all creep me out as well.

I try to arrange my life so as to limit my exposure to people during the winter flu season. I make sure to wash my hands after handling anything outside my home, including mail. Other than that I will not make any changes due to Ebola.

oops sorry!

a reply to: Justaposter

I know is a lot of scaremongering around, I also know how ebola is working, while many will swear that is going to be the end of mankind in the US, you need to keep things in a good perspective, remember we are a nation of millions, one death man with ebola in one state and a sick nurse is not enough for anybody to run for the hills.

The man caught ebola in another country, the nurse could have been a mishap, but I expect the nurse to recover.

I know that having children with immune system deficiencies is hard, but unless the ebola in Texas spreads too close to your area, (I expect more people getting ebola due to the Dallas man contacts), then you should do what you think is necessary for you children safety and yours.

Get ready for the flu season early, that could be more dangerous to you and your children than ebola right now.

Keep up with the news and watch for the spread that is all you can do as today.

a reply to: marg6043

Marge, exactly.

I'm worried, not exactly terrified, but worried. Heck I was worried ever since this outbreak breached another African Country.

It is just a little bit too close for comfort. Like under 100 miles comfort. It is a whole lot more real, when it is in your back yard. Kinda like a "for reals?! for reals for reals?!" thing.

When you live in the Metroplex, or go play in the Metorplex, it is quite easy to do something in the Dallas area, and end up doing something fun in the Ft Worth area that evening.
The "Medical Complex" is huge.

www.texashealth.org...

^^ for an idea how big the complex is.

I do find it quite odd that DFW didn't make the cut for the air port screening. Really? um doesn't the Metroplex have ebola?! ::facepalm::

People keep comparing death rates for influenza with that of Ebola. Apples to oranges.

Flu kills infants, the elderly and those with impaired immune systems. Ebola kills across ALL spectrums of society. You cannot compare the two and lean back and feel complacent.

Ebola is a totally different ballgame. I'm not saying it will decimate the planet, but if we don't become more proactive...if we sit back and say "Quit fear-mongering, flu kills more people than Ebola" and do nothing...we will WISH Ebola only killed as many as the flu did last year.

Don't PANIC....do PREPARE.

a reply to: Cornczech

Do you have any level of preps? Please do not wait until something happens... It will be too late. You said you know you'll be on your own like the people in Katrina... If for nothing else than a possible natural emergency you should prep now. There's tons of info online as to what you need. You don't have to go all doomsday prepper... But listen to your gut and forget how you look to others.

a reply to: Cornczech

When it kills more than the common flu then I will get worried.

a reply to: Justaposter

Is ok to be worry is ok to be concern, heck we just have our first case of ebola in the US and while he was not the first, one, the first three survived with a serum the Liberian man was not so lucky, but be on the safe side and if you hear news of the infection spreading too close for you to feel secure and have the means to do what ever is necessary by all means do.

But for now enjoy life but be safe.

I tend to agree.

originally posted by: PlanetXisHERE

originally posted by: kosmicjack
My tipping point would be the first time a person wholly unrelated to West Africa or health care gets it.

I think we will see that within the next couple of weeks.

For me to isolate myself and family, the rate of infection would have to be around 1% in the surrounding area, because I know there are delays in reporting and it can take up to 21 days to become symptomatic, so if the publicized rate is around 1% you know the actual rate of people who are carrying the virus but not yet infected is probably 2-3 times higher than that.

a reply to: PlanetXisHERE

Seems you are twisting my words. Asked in the generalization as though everyone will be and should be waiting for some magic number of cases to "go into seclusion"...as though that would help, be a good idea, is the only idea, and that is (what seemingly the OP is implying THEY will do) as a suggested means-to-avoid-the disease.....I stand by what I said and meant, unchanged.

MS
EMT/ADLS

originally posted by: grandmakdw
In case you did not know:



The CDC says it is not airborne, because technically it is not, airborne in disease terms means the virus is small enough to travel more than a few feet in a sneeze or cough. The Ebola virus is large and falls within 3-4 feet of a sneeze and so is not technically airborne.

However, the cough and sneeze radius: would include anyone on the airplane to either side of the ill person also, the people behind and in front of the ill person. exposed

Anyone within a 3-4 foot radius - absolutely anywhere - if the sick person sneezes or coughs. exposed, as they walk past you anywhere or sit anywhere within 3-4 feet of you.

Using the urinal , the guy who is ill standing next to you sneezes or coughs or splashes urine on you, even on your clothes if you touch your clothes later. exposed

Somehow, I muddle through my daily routine without anyone sneezing on me or urinating on me. I didn't know those were common occurrences. In any case, Thomas Duncan had contact with around 80-100 people, and only one of them has contracted ebola -- a nurse who had repeated contact with him after he had already begun to detiorate. If he only managed to infect one person, and only in the last stages of the disease, casual contact with a carrier is not a big concern to me. Avoid people who are bleeding from their eyes, and you'll be fine.

If you want to worry about a disease, worry about influenza. I know the refrain on this thread is "it only kills infants, the elderly, and the weak," but so what? It kills thousands of them. Ebola is still working on #2. Or, heck, worry about the weather. We had more deaths due to lightning strikes last month than we've had due to ebola in the entire history of this country.