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Ebola Nurse Critical


Huffton
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Absolutely horrible. Don't take this the wrong way, but she (and the doctors) knew the risks in giving her the experimental treatment. Heaving forbid this turns out the wrong way but if it should, I hope people don't start clamouring for the doctors/scientists to be sacked.

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Iv'e just read a book (The Hot Zone by Richard Preston) about this, and some other nasty viruses that come out of Africa. This thing is bad, really bad. Its time the WHO did something positive to stop this spreading as if it gets out properly, the consequences don't bear thinking about. I have huge respect for the people who go out there to help but we need to look at quarantining them on their return at the very least. Apparently they tried this in America, but the person in question sued as it was a breach of their human rights. What about the human rights of people to be protected from contracting it?

Edited by Huffton
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Absolutely horrible. Don't take this the wrong way, but she (and the doctors) knew the risks in giving her the experimental treatment. Heaving forbid this turns out the wrong way but if it should, I hope people don't start clamouring for the doctors/scientists to be sacked.

 

There is no known cure, there is no risk in giving her an experimental treatment as I see it.

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Iv'e just read a book (The Hot Zone by Richard Preston) about this, and some other nasty viruses that come out of Africa. This thing is bad, really bad. Its time the WHO did something positive to stop this spreading as if it gets out properly, the consequences don't bear thinking about. I have huge respect for the people who go out there to help but we need to look at quarantining them on their return at the very least. Apparently they tried this in America, but the person in question sued as it was a breach of their human rights. What about the human rights of people to be protected from contracting it?

A couple of questions for you:

 

Do you know how big Africa is?

Do you know how many people travel out of Africa every day?

Are you suggesting that only medical aid workers should be quarantined?

 

Wouldn't it just be easier to refrain from exchanging body fluids with somebody who has just returned from an Ebola-risk area?

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I have worked in west Africa for over 30 years off and on, since the first time I went there I was unable to give blood because of the risk of an infectious disease. If I did see a doctor on my return to the UK the first thing they did was test for TB then any other contractable diseases the last one being AID's as that would affect your insurance rating. At no time did they ever come up with a virus or bacterium that was causing the illness i had gone to see the doc with. So what isolating people will do is basically nothing. At present working in Angola where we get inspected on arrival at the airport in Luanda and then on arrival at the first airport after leaving Luanda for temp /sweats / fevers Etc so it is pretty much covered unless you are actually working with the victims of Ebola it is difficult to catch and if you do have it easy to spot.

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If she dies then there could be a public outcry particularly with the screening process at the airports .

I would question the use of auriscope thermometers . They do not always work effectively . On occassion you have to find a replacement to get an accurate reading . I hope she survives and her deterioration is just down to her body fighting the anti virus plasma and drugs she gas been given

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If she dies then there could be a public outcry particularly with the screening process at the airports

Why? It's not designed to prevent her from becoming infected. It's designed to stop her from infecting anybody else. So far it seems to have succeeded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

p.s. I don't want to seem uncaring, because I have nothing but admiration for what she and others are doing, but if, heaven forbid, she doesn't pull through, it won't be because of anything that did, or didn't, happen at Heathrow airport.

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Why? It's not designed to prevent her from becoming infected. It's designed to stop her from infecting anybody else. So far it seems to have succeeded.

..and anyway there is no practical alternative, its just another example 'we should do something and someone is to blame' hand wringing . If people have no symptoms then there is nothing to screen for. Even if you detained every passenger and carried out blood tests for viral loads or antibodies they wouldnt show up anything in the early stages of incubation.

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Why? It's not designed to prevent her from becoming infected. It's designed to stop her from infecting anybody else. So far it seems to have succeeded.

 

Has it? We won't know for two weeks. She potentially could have infected everyone sat near her on any of the 3 flights she took.

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Iv'e just read a book (The Hot Zone by Richard Preston) about this, and some other nasty viruses that come out of Africa. This thing is bad, really bad. Its time the WHO did something positive to stop this spreading as if it gets out properly, the consequences don't bear thinking about. I have huge respect for the people who go out there to help but we need to look at quarantining them on their return at the very least. Apparently they tried this in America, but the person in question sued as it was a breach of their human rights. What about the human rights of people to be protected from contracting it?

 

Excellent book. This is a different strain though so not as bad as the book describes.

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Excellent book. This is a different strain though so not as bad as the book describes.

 

I guess we can take some comfort in that its clearly not the Zaire strain, however do we actually know which strain it is? Everyone in the media keeps banging on about how it can only be passed through body fluid but look at the Reston strain, that went airborne.

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it is difficult to catch and if you do have it easy to spot.
well if it was that easy perhaps the staff at Jeathrow need sacking.

we have to hope the virus does not change and becomes able to be contacted airborne.

I do hope the world is not being too complacent. Imo no reporters or unimportant visitors should be allowed to the areas that are badly affected

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