First Case of Ebola Diagnosed in the US

[Gelston]

Murphy's law doesn't give a fuck about odds.

Odds don't give a fuck about murphy's law.

[Methais]

Ebola: A Nurse's Perspective

So a few months ago the country was enthralled with the idea of a few patients, infected with the Ebola virus, coming to the United States. Up until this point, we had been safe from Ebola due to the fact that bats can’t fly over the Atlantic. Some people were completely indifferent, while others had seen Outbreak one too many times. Most were a healthy mix, somewhere in between, but what bothered me the most was both the lack of education and the poor information that was spreading more virulently than the virus could ever hope to.

First, I want to stress that I am a nurse, not a virologist, and hopefully throughout my post you will see that I am not pretending to be one. I have a Bachelor’s in Nursing and am currently a graduate student. I have worked extensively with Infectious Disease Specialists. I have been exposed to almost every infectious disease known to the modern world. I have taken courses in Biology, Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology, Pathophysiology, Advanced Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, and an assortment of others. However, I am not and will not pretend to be an expert, just an experienced professional. When it comes to an epidemic of any sort, my first focus is on the patient, protecting and healing them, my second focus is on protecting the community. I don’t care about which strain does what, or what we can do with in lab. As a nurse, I concern myself with the current patient and future possible patients. I feel the first thing we should examine is Ebola itself. It is foreign to the US, both literally and figuratively. What it does to people and how it harmonizes with nature are both things that most westerners have little concept of. It is a virus, not a bacteria. This means that it is not its own organism. It is actually much smaller and basic than you can imagine. It is nothing more than a few pieces of DNA/RNA and some proteins. No cell wall, no cytoplasm, no metabolic functions. This is both their advantage and their downfall. Viruses require a host. For this example I will use the HIV virus. HIV gets into the human body and invades the host’s white blood cells, T4 cells to be exact but I won’t get that involved. The proteins help get the virus into the cell and those few small sequences of DNA/RNA write themselves into the host DNA/RNA. Now instead of the white blood cell attacking invaders, it is nothing more than an HIV factory. All of its metabolic functions are redirected at producing more of the virus, which pours out of the white blood cell like a sieve until eventually the host cell dies. This is why HIV infected patients have poor immune systems. The virus re-writes the DNA of the host cells. This is not something we can stop. New viruses are pouring out of the white blood cells at a rate of millions a day. We cannot filter them out. We cannot “kill” a little chunk of DNA and we don’t know enough about the human genome to correct the DNA sequences. This is why a lot of viral infections like HIV, Herpes, and Hepatitis are life long infections. HIV invades the white blood cells, Herpes invade the nerve roots, and Hepatitis invades the liver.

Now that we have a better grasp of viruses, we will focus on Ebola a bit more. In tropical Africa, Ebola naturally lives in bats. It is nice to the bats and doesn’t cause them many issues. It is rumored that there are many viruses humans carry our entire lives and have no idea because they show zero symptoms. Therefore, they have never been studied. If this sounds crazy, just remember that it was in recent years the we discovered there was a virus behind cervical cancer. A virus that men can carry and spread without ever knowing they have it. Where the problem arises is that in tropical Africa, people like to eat bats. Sometimes they get infected with Ebola and it spreads. This process is called Zoonosis and can be true of bacteria or viruses. Racoons carry Rabies, Armadillos carry Leprosy, Birds carry the Flu, Bats carry Ebola.

When I said Westerners don’t really understand Ebola, the primary aspect that I am talking about is the patient. We don’t ever see what Ebola does. Our media is too censored, we hear how many died, and see people in haz-mat suits. Speaking of suits, we’ve all seen the pictures. Rubber gloves are adequate for AIDS and hepatitis, a simple mask (N95) stops Tuberculosis, but this requires space suits, just keep that in mind when you think its no big deal. So here is what happens when you catch Ebola, I figure you’re getting bored with reading right about now, so I’ll spice it up. First the virus gets into your system, I’ll elaborate on that later. Then, it hangs out for a few days, even up to 21, growing, multiplying at a rate of millions a day, and guess what, you’re infectious. Now at this point it would pretty much require a straight blood to blood interaction so the only real threat here is for IV drug users who share needles. Just like with the flu or hand foot and mouth disease, you can be spreading it to others before you show a symptom*(apparently not many see the *, so please read the elaboration at the bottom). Remember, nurse mind set, protect the community. At first it’s not bad, little nausea, some sweating, diarrhea, much like a stomach bug. But then the virus really starts to build up in your liver and adrenal glands, after it has saturated your blood cells, the lining of your vessel, your skin, and bones. Hepatocellular necrosis occurs, which is fancy term for your liver starts to decompose.Your liver is what regulates blood clotting. This causes your blood either clot up and turn to jelly in your veins, stay liquid and bleed profusely, or a combo of both. The adrenal glands then do the same, causing your blood pressure to drop. This requires lots of IV fluids to keep your circulating volume up. At the same time inflammatory cytokines are released which causes vascular leakage. Cells don’t do a good job of holding things together so it all becomes a bloody goop. Anywhere in your body that blood vessels are shallow, like your nose, ears, gums, throat, GI tract, urethra, vagina, rectum, all start oozing fluids and bleeding because the tissues that normally keep it contained are disintegrating. So now you bleed from every orifice, including your eyeballs. Every time someone or something touches you, your tissue gets damaged which further the cycle, so a shot in the arm can turn into a massive blood blister. Those who survive are left with massive scarring. Since the adrenals cannot keep your blood pressure up, and you are losing blood and fluids, we have to put IV fluids in to keep you out of hypovolemic shock. This in turn reduces your blood concentration, lowering your oxygen carrying capacity, which causes your heart to race. So you lay in bed, oozing fluids from everywhere, all while feeling like you just ran a marathon, with bloody diarrhea, oh and did I mention pain? Lots and lots of pain, but you can’t have any pain medicine because your liver and kidneys have failed. This why it pains me when I see this outbreak ONLY has a 50% death rate, when in Africa it is up to 90%…ONLY 50%. That is literally worse than cancer, and people are blowing it off. Imagine if cancer was infectious, and you lived in a country with zero cancer, and someone thought it would be a good idea to fly a few people in. I think there would be a different attitude.

The biggest part of the discussion is how Ebola is spread. I will say two things on the topic, no, it is not airborne, and yes, basic hygiene plays a HUGE factor. But while on the topic of whether it is or is not airborne, the definition of an airborne contagion is one that can freely float in the air, survive lengths of time, and infect someone else. VERY few things fit in this category, most have been eradicated, Small Pox, Tuberculosis, Measles. Things that are also NOT airborne, are the flu and the cold. For the flu, you have to come into direct contact with the patients body fluids. How then, do you explain why people catch it and have no idea how. Well for one, people can spread it before they show symptoms, just like Ebola, and one other HUGE factor…droplets….let that word really sink in. The virus may not be airborne, but the droplets are. I’m going to digress for a second and get back to HIV and Hepatitis, while I let droplets dwell in your mind. Everyone knows that HIV and Hepatitis are spread by blood contact, and sexual fluids, I don’t mean a drop of blood on the skin, or even a mucous membrane, it has to get INSIDE of you. This is why only gloves are required. HIV and Hepatitis are not found in urine, stool (Some forms of hepatitis are, but you have to eat the stool to get infected) saliva, sweat, tears, or mucous. This is where some viruses are different. The flu gets into your mucous and other secretions, Ebola tends to stay in the blood, but remember, every one of your bodily fluids are full of blood now. So a person with the flu sneezes, and now millions of little droplets (remember those guys?) shoot out of their nose at nearly mach 1, all across the room, same for a cough, all it takes is a little microscopic droplet to land in your eye, nose, mouth, or the unlikely scenario of an open wound, and you’ve now been infected, because you came in CONTACT with their bodily fluids. I see the word contact thrown around a lot, but most people think of mass amounts of contact with blood, but what they don’t realize is that contact also includes microscopic mucous and saliva droplets, each one chock full of Ebola. Bacteria can survive for long periods of time without a host because they are their own organism. They can feed on just about anything and be happy. Viruses lifespan without a host is much shorter. Their goal is to infect, replicate, and spread, if they cant replicate, they die. Measles only lives 2 hours. But Ebola, depending on what data you look at, can survive for several days.

So with all this information, lets have some role play, so that you can see exactly what this means, to a nurse, in the real world. Imagine it as a cheesy PSA or lifetime movie. You go to see your doctor because its that time of year, you need some blood drawn and refills of your blood pressure med. You sit patiently in the waiting room, thumbing a magazine while your 2-year-old plays with her toys. Like all two year olds, she touches everything, and everything goes in her mouth, toys, pens, her own fingers. She is a 22 lb drool factory and you love her to pieces. You see the doctor, get your goodies, and go home. A week later your angel starts vomiting blood and within 3 days she dies because her heart raced so fast it finally gave up while trying to maintain a blood pressure. Her eyes are blood red and demonic, her skin falls off in sheets. What you don’t know is that 3 days before your visit, someone thought they had the flu. It is October you see and they sneezed while thumbing through that very same magazine you thumbed through. The same thumb you grabbed her pacifier out of your purse with in the waiting room. The people caring for Ebola patients wear space suits, and burn the bodies, yet it still spreads. Here in America, we have much better protocols, and much better hygiene. So if it spreads, it will be contained much better. Still, it spreads prior to symptoms and survives will outside the body, just like the flu. Despite vaccines and good hand washing, thousands still get the flu every year. But while the flu kills 1-2% of its victims, Ebola kills 50% on a good day, and spreads the same way. So please, do not write it off as hype. It is a real thing and it is here.

The case in Dallas has been confirmed. The patient had contact with five children and adolescents prior to admission. Those five kids attend four of the largest schools in Dallas. One sneeze and we could already have thousands of people, who don’t know it yet, infected.

Thank you for reading. Please feel free to comment.

Symptoms* I have had a lot of comments in regards to this. I picked my words carefully, but I never imagined getting thousands of views an hour, or my article getting picked apart, but I will try to elaborate now. I said spread, the virus, I did not say you were contagious. What I meant by this, was the summation of two concepts. To fully explain everything I could write a book, but this is meant to be short and sweet. The first concept is that of a fomite. We have established that the virus can survive for an unspecified amount of time outside the host, and we have established that sneezing/coughing is a perfectly logical method of transmission. So if patient A is infectious/contagious, they sneeze on patient B, but then patient B goes home and picks up their sisters 1 6 month old, who rubs his face, and licks all over your shoulder, he could very well have just orally consumed large quantities of the virus, therefore become patient C. Patient B never got sick, the virus never entered their system, yet they are responsible for spreading the virus to someone else. This is why the 5 exposed kids are so important, there may only be a 2% chance or whatever that they’ll get sick, but if they went to school, and each rubbed up against 500 kids in the hallways, you now have 2500 exposed kids, 50 of which will statistically become infected, 25 of which will probably die. No I do not have a source for the 2%, that is just an EXAMPLE number used to represent the relatively low likelihood of contracting the virus if exposed, granted the R0 factor of R2 is correct. Remember, heal the patient, PROTECT the community. The second concept of this is defining “symptom”. Lets assume it means anything other than your baseline condition. That means the first signs of being contagious, are also the more mild symptoms, sneezy, achy, nausea, flu-like symptoms. So who is going to wake up, feel a little under the weather, and think, crap, I have Ebola, better get quarantined, no, THAT’S how you start fear mongering and mass panic. Again, flu season is upon us, the initial stages of Ebola are like the flu, and its human nature to be in denial, so many people, if infected, would hope its just the flu and wait it out, they are not showing symptoms indicative of Ebola, but they ARE symptomatic of something, and therefore, by the CDC definition, would be contagious. Its also normal procedure for people to be symptomatic BEFORE seeking medical care, so technically, everyone will be contagious, BEFORE knowing they have Ebola. But like I said before, I omitted this lengthy explanation because I didn’t feel it was necessary for the point of the article.

ADDENDUM: Sadly, I feel the need to point out that the title of this blog is “Ebola, A Nurse’s Perspective”, not “A Nurse’s Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse”, or “How to Become an Ebola Expert in 15 minutes”. It could just as well be “Hamburgers, A Chef’s Perspective” and no one would be hounding me over grammar, a misplaced comma, or wanting citations as to why I say it should be on the grill 5 minutes per side of 7 minutes per side. The point is those things are irrelevant to the goal of the article, this is MY perspective (a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.) I don’t have to prove anything, the point of my article is to take what the uneducated (in a medical sense) journalists say, what the talking heads on TV say, and then let you know what the people say who are on the front lines. That’s like discrediting your grandads account of what happened when he stormed Normandy beach, because its not what your history teacher told you. Have I experienced Ebola first hand? Nope, have I experienced a WHOLE lot of other things that the majority of the population has not? You bet your ass I have, and I felt the need to take the time to hopefully help other people out a little. So please keep that in mind, I’m not perfect, but my experiences are my experiences, and I wanted to share them with you, to let you inside the head of a nurse for a minute.

http://dtolar.wordpress.com/2014/10/01/ebola-a-nurses-perspective/

[Gelston]

Ebola: A Nurse's Perspective



So with all this information, lets have some role play, so that you can see exactly what this means, to a nurse, in the real world.

Keep your goddamn RP to yourself.

[Methais]

Keep your goddamn RP to yourself.

I won't let Lich ruin Ebola!

[Androidpk]

Odds don't give a fuck about murphy's law.

And odds are trumped by Murphy's law. As someone who has served you should know this.

[Gelston]

And odds are tempted by Murphy's law. As someone who has served you should know this.

Nope. Most of the time things didn't go wrong. I'd say 99% of the time things didn't go wrong. That 1% of the time things did, well, that falls into the regular odds.

Murphy's Law is just some bullshit some dude made up, like luck and stuff.

[Androidpk]

Nope. Most of the time things didn't go wrong. I'd say 99% of the time things didn't go wrong. That 1% of the time things did, well, that falls into the regular odds.

Murphy's Law is just some bullshit some dude made up, like luck and stuff.

Okay, Wrathbringer.

[Gelston]

Okay, Wrathbringer.

That makes no sense.

[Tisket]

That makes no sense.

Baseless accusations are the posting equivalent of someone thrashing around as they drown.

[Androidpk]

Baseless accusations are the posting equivalent of someone thrashing around as they drown.

I hope you dream about Twisty the Clown.

[JackWhisper]

Twisty The Clown before or after catching Ebola?

[crb]

Remember when Obama pushed the cdc to target such horrible infectious diseases as obesity. Remember when he picked some dude best known for new York's soda ban? Totally working out. I love it when specialized federal agencies have their core mission subverted for a political agenda. Hey my wife went to medical school too maybe she should run the cdc? Or Dustin Hoffman he played a guy in a movie at least. But the soda ban guy?

[Androidpk]

Remember when Obama pushed the cdc to target such horrible infectious diseases as obesity. Remember when he picked some dude best known for new York's soda ban? Totally working out. I love it when specialized federal agencies have their core mission subverted for a political agenda. Hey my wife went to medical school too maybe she should run the cdc? Or Dustin Hoffman he played a guy in a movie at least. But the soda ban guy?

Obesity is a serious issue, even of concern in regards to national security.

[Fallen]

Remember when Obama pushed the cdc to target such horrible infectious diseases as obesity. Remember when he picked some dude best known for new York's soda ban? Totally working out. I love it when specialized federal agencies have their core mission subverted for a political agenda. Hey my wife went to medical school too maybe she should run the cdc? Or Dustin Hoffman he played a guy in a movie at least. But the soda ban guy?

Yeah, it's kinda like how we don't have a surgeon general because the last nominee said something the pro-gun crowd didn't like. Fucking political agendas, man.

[Androidpk]

Yeah, it's kinda like how we don't have a surgeon general because the last nominee said something the pro-gun crowd didn't like. Fucking political agendas, man.

To be fair his comments were borderline ridiculous. I don't care that his nomination is being blocked.

[Tgo01]

Rwanda requires US, Spain visitor health reports (http://www.aol.com/article/2014/10/21/rwanda-requires-us-spain-visitor-health-reports/20981912/?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl2|sec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D549577)


KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) - Rwanda's Ministry of Health is requiring visitors who have been in the United States or Spain during the previous 22 days to report their medical condition to health authorities upon arrival in Rwanda, the U.S. Embassy in Rwanda said Tuesday.

A Ministry of Health document says all passengers from the U.S. and Spain - two countries that have seen cases of Ebola - will have temperatures taken upon arrival. Passengers with fevers will be denied entry, and those without fevers will still be required to report daily health conditions.

Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, Rwanda's health minister, said Tuesday that travelers from the U.S. and Spain will be required to fill a detailed form upon arrival at border entry points.

"It is definitely extra work for us. We have to ensure that all citizens or any other travelers arriving from the above mentioned countries including the U.S have to be screened in an extra careful manner and follow up on them during their stay," Bingwaho said.

No Ebola cases have been reported in Rwanda. The U.S. Embassy said that Rwanda is not allowing visitors who have recently traveled to Guinea, Liberia, Senegal, or Sierra Leone, though the incoming health form advises those traveling from those countries must also report health conditions daily.

Rwanda has quarantined 30 people since the Ebola outbreak. No U.S. citizens have been quarantined. One German national has been quarantined.

Yet it's racist if we even talk about doing something similar. What's wrong with the world?

[Gelston]

I think Rwanda vastly underestimates the size of the United States.

[Gelston]

Much like most of us do the size of Africa?

I don't? Rwanda is a speck though.

That picture leaves off Alaska, which is a part of our country... With that on, it is more about 3x larger than the US.

[Warriorbird]

I don't? Rwanda is a speck though.

Not you, but the people who practically jailed some Rwandan students (3000 miles away from the outbreak) rather than let them go to school.

[Gsgeek]

Next stop, NY...possibly

[Gelston]

Next stop, NY...possibly

I wouldn't mind it ravaging New Jersey... Although I imagine they wouldn't notice it.

[Tgo01]

White House Presses States To End Ebola Quarantine: Report (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/26/white-house-ebola-quarantine_n_6050448.html)


The Obama administration is pressuring New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) to reverse the mandatory quarantine for all health care workers who have treated Ebola patients, the New York Times reported Sunday.

One day after a doctor tested positive for the deadly virus in New York City, Cuomo and Christie announced a mandatory 21-day quarantine for any individual who has had contact with Ebola patients in Africa. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in contrast, recommends voluntary quarantines.

"It's too serious a situation to leave it to the honor system of compliance," Cuomo said of the decision.

According to the New York Times, the governors are now facing pushback from the White House:

An unnamed White House source made similar comments to the Associated Press.

Four patients in the United States have been diagnosed with Ebola since last month. The virus is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of someone who is experiencing Ebola symptoms.

On Sunday, the National Institute of Health's top Ebola specialist took to the morning public affairs programs to speak out on the quarantine. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned that such aggressive policies could deter health care workers from traveling to West Africa to curb the spread of Ebola, thus threatening public health globally.

"If you put everyone in one basket, even people who are clearly no threat, then we have the problem of the disincentive of people that we need," Fauci told ABC News. "Let’s not forget the best way to stop this epidemic and protect America is to stop it in Africa, and you can really help stopping it in Africa if we have our people, our heroes, the health care workers, go there and help us to protect America."

Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, made similar remarks on NBC's "Meet The Press."

Kaci Hickox, a nurse who treated Ebola patients in Sierra Leone, was quarantined Friday after flying into Newark Liberty Airport. In a Dallas Morning News op-ed and subsequent CNN interview, Hickox described being detained for hours in "a frenzy of disorganization" at the airport.

"This is an extreme that is really unacceptable, and I feel like my basic human rights have been violated," she told CNN. "To put me through this emotional and physical stress is completely unacceptable."

Christie and Cuomo have stood by the quarantine.

"The government's job is to protect safety and health of our citizens," Christie said on "Fox News Sunday." "I have no second thoughts about it."

Can't Obama ever mind his own business?

[Tgo01]

White House Presses States To End Ebola Quarantine: Report (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/26/white-house-ebola-quarantine_n_6050448.html)



Can't Obama ever mind his own business?

Amid mounting pressure, NJ Gov. Christie frees nurse quarantined over Ebola fears (http://www.aol.com/article/2014/10/27/amid-mounting-pressure-nj-gov-christie-frees-nurse-quarantined/20984399/?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl1|sec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D552687)

I guess whining like a baby actually yields results:


New Jersey Governor Chris Christie caved and allowed a quarantined nurse to leave a Newark hospital on Monday after she showed no signs of being infected with Ebola.

Kaci Hickox had previously threatened to sue the state of New Jersey after she was detained Friday following a policy enacted the same day by both Christie and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The White House had also pressured Christie to free her.

Hickox was brought to the isolation unit at University Hospital, in Newark, after landing last week at Newark Liberty International Airport.

The nurse was returning from Sierra Leone after volunteering to treat Ebola patients in the poverty-stricken West African nation.

Both Christie and Cuomo put the mandatory quarantine policy in effect after Columbia University Medical Center doctor Craig Spencer tested positive for Ebola last week.

"Sine testing negative for Ebola on early Saturday morning, the patient ... has thankfully been symptom free for the last 24 hours," Christie's office said in a statement.

"As a result, and after being evaluated in coordination with the CDC and the treating clinicians at University Hospital, the patient is being discharged."

Hickox is still subject to a mandatory quarantine despite the state agreeing to transport her to Maine via a private carrier.

She had previously threatened to sue the state, claiming it was a violation of her civil rights to be held without cause.

"This is an extreme that is really unacceptable, and I feel like my basic human rights have been violated," Hickox said Sunday on CNN. "To put me through this emotional and physical stress is completely unacceptable."

She compared the "inhumane" conditions to being "held in a prison," and vowed to immediately file a federal lawsuit demanding her release.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said during a Sunday evening press briefing that "what happened to her was inappropriate."

Further pressure mounted from the Obama administration, which also called for her release.

The Governor blinked and Hickox was freed as a five-year-old boy who landed at JFK International Airport was being tested for Ebola in a New York hospital.

The child, who had just flown from Guinea, had a 103-degree fever and was projectile vomiting, according to reports.

Spencer has not significantly improved since being hospitalized on Friday.

So she had no problem treating people infected with a deadly disease in Sierra Leone for a few weeks but she likens spending a couple weeks in isolation to being in jail.

[Latrinsorm]

Yeah, where does she get off comparing jail to a place run by the government that you can't leave?

[Methais]

Yeah, where does she get off comparing jail to a place run by the government that you can't leave?

Yeah, most prisons are private aren't they!?

?!!?!?!!??!

[Tgo01]

Yeah, where does she get off comparing jail to a place run by the government that you can't leave?

Well with that loose definition of jail then I guess anytime a child is sent to "time out" they are technically in jail.

Geez, no wonder hippie parents are against time outs.

[Kembal]

Amid mounting pressure, NJ Gov. Christie frees nurse quarantined over Ebola fears (http://www.aol.com/article/2014/10/27/amid-mounting-pressure-nj-gov-christie-frees-nurse-quarantined/20984399/?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl1|sec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D552687)

I guess whining like a baby actually yields results:



So she had no problem treating people infected with a deadly disease in Sierra Leone for a few weeks but she likens spending a couple weeks in isolation to being in jail.

Considering she didn't have access to a shower or any form of entertainment until she complained publicly, I think she's justified.

[Tgo01]

Considering she didn't have access to a shower or any form of entertainment until she complained publicly, I think she's justified.

First world problems.

[Gelston]

Considering she didn't have access to a shower or any form of entertainment until she complained publicly, I think she's justified.

I was confined in a small room in the bowels of a military vessel when I had Swine Flu for a week! It was too late as I had already spread that shit around the ship. I was free of it just as everyone else got it.

I loved it in there though. Whole room to myself, room service and all that. It was great.

[Kembal]

I was confined in a small room in the bowels of a military vessel when I had Swine Flu for a week! It was too late as I had already spread that shit around the ship. I was free of it just as everyone else got it.

I loved it in there though. Whole room to myself, room service and all that. It was great.

Hah. I'm betting the military did a much better job of taking care of you than New Jersey did for her.

[Gelston]

Hah. I'm betting the military did a much better job of taking care of you than New Jersey did for her.

Our entire ship ended up getting quarantined. Had to sit outside of Guam and get medicine dropped on the flight deck, because they refused to land a helicopter on it.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/navy-ships-under-swine-flu-quarantine/

The Boxer was our lead ship. I was on the USS Comstock.... During the google search to pull up one of the news stories covering it I saw so many conspiracy theories on this that I could personally disprove. Hilarious.

[Jeril]

First world problems.

Seeing as how we are still a first world country, providing those things shouldn't have been difficult I would hope.

[Tisket]

I was confined in a small room in the bowels of a military vessel when I had Swine Flu for a week! It was too late as I had already spread that shit around the ship. I was free of it just as everyone else got it.

I loved it in there though. Whole room to myself, room service and all that. It was great.

The military should use this when they plan their next recruitment campaign.

[Gelston]

The military should use this when they plan their next recruitment campaign.

See the world! Catch diseases!

[Gelston]

Speaking of which, an Army Major General and 10 other troops are in "controlled access" after returning from Africa. See, you call it that instead of quarantine now.

[Tgo01]

Seeing as how we are still a first world country, providing those things shouldn't have been difficult I would hope.

She was in isolation for less than 48 hours and was whining to every news network that would listen in less than 24 hours.

[Latrinsorm]

Well with that loose definition of jail then I guess anytime a child is sent to "time out" they are technically in jail.If they are sent to "time out" by the government, yes.
She was in isolation for less than 48 hours and was whining to every news network that would listen in less than 24 hours.Habeas corpus, motherfucker, do you speak it?
Speaking of which, an Army Major General and 10 other troops are in "controlled access" after returning from Africa. See, you call it that instead of quarantine now.Now that's the very model of a modern Major General.

[Tgo01]

Maine might seek legal authority to force nurse into quarantine. (http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/nurse-kaci-hickox-doesnt-intend-obey-maine-ebola-quarantine-report-n236116)

I bet Maine was hoping and praying that NJ would keep the nurse quarantined so they wouldn't have to do the same thing and face all of the backlash NJ was receiving.

I'm beginning to wonder if this lady is even cut out for a job in the medical profession. Her selfishness is quite staggering.

[kutter]

From the little I have read about her she is a self-involved bitch. I hope Maine does pursue legal action. Someone commented in an article I glanced at about her asked an interesting question, and I am paraphrasing, but How can she go to Africa to help people over there then come back here and put Americans at risk? How is that being benevolent? The answer seems to be, that she is not, she is more concerned about her 15 minutes than she is about the people of the U.S.

[Tgo01]

but How can she go to Africa to help people over there then come back here and put Americans at risk? How is that being benevolent? The answer seems to be, that she is not, she is more concerned about her 15 minutes than she is about the people of the U.S.

Yup. It's beginning to sound like she didn't go over there to help Ebola patients; she went over there to make herself look good.

I can't help but notice there are at least half a dozen pictures of her posing for pictures with people over in Africa.

[Latrinsorm]

Yup. It's beginning to sound like she didn't go over there to help Ebola patients; she went over there to make herself look good.

I can't help but notice there are at least half a dozen pictures of her posing for pictures with people over in Africa.You think someone flew to Africa... into a pandemic... on their own dime...

...for self-aggrandizement?

[Tgo01]

You think someone flew to Africa... into a pandemic... on their own dime...

...for self-aggrandizement?

Yes.

[Tenlaar]

You think someone flew to Africa... into a pandemic... on their own dime...

...for self-aggrandizement?

Come on Latrin, she took pictures with people while she was in a foreign country. What more evidence do you need!?

[Tgo01]

Come on Latrin, she took pictures with people while she was in a foreign country. What more evidence do you need!?

Well, yes. When I help someone I help them. End of story.

I don't help them then make them pose for a picture with me so I can share all over the world via social media.

Maybe I should start doing that though. Maybe I'm doing this wrong.

It reminds me of those Youtube videos where people go around and record themselves handing out money to homeless people. They are no longer doing it to help homeless people, they are doing it to make themselves look good and increase their Youtube view count so they can make money.

[Fallen]

Well, yes. When I help someone I help them. End of story.

I don't help them then make them pose for a picture with me so I can share all over the world via social media.

Maybe I should start doing that though. Maybe I'm doing this wrong.

When was the last time you traveled to a foreign country to help people?

[Tenlaar]

I don't help them then make them pose for a picture with me so I can share all over the world via social media.
So she made them now, did she? I bet she was all like "I'll only help you if you sign this agreement to take a picture with me afterwards" and broke out the stack of contracts she printed out before she left home. That selfish bitch!

Also, they would only be being shared with her "friends" if this quarantine stuff hadn't happened.

[Tgo01]

When was the last time you traveled to a foreign country to help people?

Just yesterday.


So she made them now, did she? I bet she was all like like "I'll only help you if you sign this agreement to take a picture with me afterwards" and broke out the stack of contracts she printed out before she left home. That selfish bitch!

Wouldn't surprise me considering how she lawyered up less than 24 hours of being subjected to the inhumane conditions of being put into an isolation tent...without any entertainment!!!1111!!


Also, they would only be being shared with her "friends" if this quarantine stuff hadn't happened.

Or she could have just went over there and helped people and didn't engage in photo ops whenever she could have.

Look, you guys can insist on sticking your head in the sand all you want but the proof is right in front of you. She traveled to another country to help people, took photo ops, claimed to care about the people, but as soon as she was asked to isolate herself as a precaution to not infect other people, as soon as she was no longer in control of things, all of a sudden she gets a lawyer and whines and complains and bitches in less than 24 hours.

So. Yeah. You're all wrong. I'm right. Case closed. No point in discussing this any further. Have a good day.

[Fallen]

I imagine the type that would travel to a foreign country to fight Ebola might also be the type that's pretty big on civil liberties and all that. Fucking Hippies.

[Tgo01]

I imagine the type that would travel to a foreign country to fight Ebola might also be the type that's pretty good on civil liberties and all that.

I would imagine such a person would also be aware that infectious diseases are, you know, infectious, and people are often isolated as a precaution against their will and she knew the risks before traveling to Africa.

[Fallen]

I would imagine such a person would also be aware that infectious diseases are, you know, infectious, and people are often isolated as a precaution against their will and she knew the risks before traveling to Africa.

Diseases far more contagious than Ebola are encountered when traveling abroad, especially for the sake of aid work, that never required periods of mandatory quarantine. I'm not sure this is the type of standard we want to set.

[Tenlaar]

Breaking news, any time somebody takes pictures with people (and especially while in a foreign country!), it is now to be referred to as a "photo op."

[Atlanteax]

I imagine the type that would travel to a foreign country to fight Ebola might also be the type that's pretty big on civil liberties and all that. Fucking Hippies.

Especially since they have no consideration for the well-being of other Americans.

[Fallen]

Especially since they have no consideration for the well-being of other Americans.

Considering the opposition to bringing back sick Americans directly into bio-containment facilities for medical treatment, Americans have no consideration for the well-being of other Americans.

[Methais]

It reminds me of those Youtube videos where people go around and record themselves handing out money to homeless people. They are no longer doing it to help homeless people, they are doing it to make themselves look good and increase their Youtube view count so they can make money.

HOW DO YOU KNOW THEY'RE NOT DOING IT TO MAKE MONEY SO THEY CAN HAND OUT MORE MONEY TO HOMELESS PEOPLE!??!?!?!!?


When was the last time you traveled to a foreign country to help people?

How do you know he's not there right now? Tgo might have ebola already, and you should appreciate the sacrifice he could possibly be making for the rest of us.

As for the nurse, I doubt she was like OMG PHOTO OP! and was probably just taking pictures with them to have some memories. People do that too. And since she's not running for office or anything, I don't see what purpose a photo op would serve her.

[Tgo01]

Breaking news, any time somebody takes pictures with people (and especially while in a foreign country!), it is now to be referred to as a "photo op."

Don't be mad at me because you don't know what a photo op is.

[Tenlaar]

As for the nurse, I doubt she was like OMG PHOTO OP! and was probably just taking pictures with them to have some memories. People do that too. And since she's not running for office or anything, I don't see what purpose a photo op would serve her.

Terrence explained this very concisely, pay attention. She had all of this planned out from the beginning and it's the only reason she went over there to offer her services in the first place! Obama probably had something to do with it too, knowing how he is.

[Tenlaar]

Don't be mad at me because you don't know what a photo op is.



pho·to op·por·tu·ni·ty
noun
noun: photo opportunity; plural noun: photo opportunities

an occasion on which famous people pose for photographers by arrangement.

Are you sure it's me that doesn't know what one is?

[Tgo01]

Diseases far more contagious than Ebola are encountered when traveling abroad, especially for the sake of aid work, that never required periods of mandatory quarantine. I'm not sure this is the type of standard we want to set.

Those diseases usually either have vaccinations or treatments that are indeed usually required. Or those diseases aren't as deadly as Ebola.

Regardless she's a nurse, she knows about this stuff. She's acting like she's special. People are forced into isolation and forced to receive treatment against their will all the time in this country.

[Tgo01]

Are you sure it's me that doesn't know what one is?

Quite positive.

[Tenlaar]

Quite positive.

What was the nurse famous for when she was over there? What photographers were prearranged to be there to take pictures of her?

[Tgo01]

What was the nurse famous for when she was over there? What photographers were prearranged to be there to take pictures of her?

She's obviously famous in her own head. As far as photographers prearranged, you tell is since you were apparently there and know her so well.

[Tenlaar]

Yyyeeeaaahhh...you don't get to just redefine things as you see fit to make somebody seem like a bad person for taking pictures with people they volunteer (and risk their lives) to help.

[Tgo01]

Yyyeeeaaahhh...you don't get to just redefine things as you see fit to make somebody seem like a bad person for taking pictures with people they volunteer (and risk their lives) to help.

This is America, bitch. I get to do what I want. Including putting myself in a situation where I can get a deadly and infectious disease then threaten to sue anyone if they try to place me in isolation.

[Androidpk]

Yup. It's beginning to sound like she didn't go over there to help Ebola patients; she went over there to make herself look good.

I can't help but notice there are at least half a dozen pictures of her posing for pictures with people over in Africa.

You are a moron.

[Tgo01]

You are a moron.

This coming from the man who insisted this Ebola outbreak was going to be the fall of civilization as we know it.

[Androidpk]

This coming from the man who insisted this Ebola outbreak was going to be the fall of civilization as we know it.

I never once insisted that. Sooo.. Yeah. You're a complete moron.

[Tgo01]

I never once insisted that. Sooo.. Yeah. You're a complete moron.

I was paraphrasing you. Also my right as an American.

[Androidpk]

I was paraphrasing you. Also my right as an American.

Learn to paraphrase because I never said anything like that.

[Tgo01]

Learn to paraphrase because I never said anything like that.

Words don't lie. People do.

[Tgo01]

Chuck Hagel Approves 21-Day Ebola Quarantine For Troops (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/29/chuck-hagel-ebola-quarantine_n_6068288.html)


WASHINGTON (AP) — All American troops returning from Ebola response missions in West Africa will be placed in supervised isolation for 21 days, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Wednesday. He called it a "safety valve" sought by military members' families.

The U.S. military has nearly 1,000 troops in Liberia and just over 100 in Senegal supporting efforts to combat the virus. The total could grow to 3,900 under current plans. None are intended to be in contact with Ebola patients.

In explaining his decision, Hagel noted that the military has more people in Africa helping with the Ebola effort than any other segment of the U.S. government.

"This is also a policy that was discussed in great detail by the communities, by the families of our military men and women, and they very much wanted a safety valve on this," he said at a public forum in Washington.

The move goes beyond precautions recommended by the Obama administration for civilians, although President Barack Obama has made clear he feels the military's situation is different from that of civilians, in part because troops are not in West Africa by choice.

Hagel acted in response to a recommendation sent to him Tuesday by Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on behalf of the heads of each of the military services. They cited numerous factors, including concerns among military families and the communities from which troops are deploying for the Ebola response mission.

Pentagon officials said it was too early to know exactly how the quarantine-like program will work. Hagel said he directed the Joint Chiefs to provide him within 15 days a detailed implementation plan. A Pentagon spokesman, Col. Steve Warren, said it is yet to be determined whether the new policy applies to Defense Department civilians returning from Liberia and to military air crews who fly in and out of the area without staying overnight.

As originally envisioned, Pentagon policy called for troops returning to their home bases from Ebola response missions to undergo temperature checks twice a day for 21 days to ensure they are free of Ebola symptoms and to be prohibited from travelling widely during that period. But they were not to be quarantined and kept from contact with others.

The Army, however, acting on its own this week, put a small number of returning soldiers, including a two-star general, in 21-day quarantine in Italy. That group was the first to return from West Africa after Ebola duty. Warren said that group of soldiers has grown from 12 to 42; all are in supervised isolation at a military base in Vicenza, their home base.

Hagel said he believed the 21-day supervised isolation, which he called "controlled monitoring," is a prudent measure. He ordered the service chiefs to conduct within 45 days a review of this new regimen.

"This review will offer a recommendation on whether or not such controlled monitoring should continue based on what we learn and observe from the initial waves of personnel returning from Operation United Assistance," Hagel's spokesman, Rear Adm. John Kirby, said in a written statement, using the official name of the military mission against Ebola in Africa.

"The secretary believes these initial steps are prudent given the large number of military personnel transiting from their home base and West Africa and the unique logistical demands and impact this deployment has on the force," Kirby added. "The secretary's highest priority is the safety and security of our men and women in uniform and their families."

The way Obama talks out of both sides of his ass is a sight to behold.

[Lord Orbstar]

Quaratine is the right thing to do. I would happily submit to it just to be 100% sure my family and friends were not at risk. Too bad that nurse, who should be a public servant, is not as selfless. Even if it is not 100% necessary, that .05% chance you could infect someone is worth the quarantine as well as providing family and friends piece of mind you are safe. You have to give her respect for volunteering to go to west africa, but her decision making now is selfish. And...the militaries decision showcases the level of absurdity and mishandling the Administration has achieved over the Ebola crap. Perception matters.

[Kerranger]

Quaratine is the right thing to do. I would happily submit to it just to be 100% sure my family and friends were not at risk. Too bad that nurse, who should be a public servant, is not as selfless. Even if it is not 100% necessary, that .05% chance you could infect someone is worth the quarantine as well as providing family and friends piece of mind you are safe. You have to give her respect for volunteering to go to west africa, but her decision making now is selfish.

This. I would fucking WANT to be quarantined if I thought I had any chance of being exposed to that shit, no matter how small the chance.

[Tenlaar]

Why have I not seen anybody saying that everybody who treated the US ebola patients should be quarantined?

She is complying with the CDC guidelines. She is self monitoring, reporting her temperature thrice daily, and having daily checkups with the CDC. It is people trying to go beyond what the CDC wants based on nothing but fear that she has a problem with, and rightly so.

[Tgo01]

Like the CDC knows anything about diseases.

[Latrinsorm]

Like the CDC knows anything about diseases.I gotta side with Terry on this one. The CDC's response to the 2012 zombiism pandemic was to lock themselves in a building (in ATLANTA of all places) and then blow it up. What happened to do no harm? What happened... to America?

[Tgo01]

I gotta side with Terry on this one. The CDC's response to the 2012 zombiism pandemic was to lock themselves in a building (in ATLANTA of all places) and then blow it up. What happened to do no harm? What happened... to America?

It was actually worse than that. They setup their building to self destruct if they went so many days without electricity. Keep in mind they did this many years in advance.

What is this shit, Star Trek, where everything has a self destruct feature on it?

[Methais]

http://images.amcnetworks.com/amctv.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/686805068001.jpg