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-Signs, Portents, and the Weather- |
Texas Health Care Worker Tests Positive For Ebola |
2014-10-12 |
[NPR] A health care worker at the Texas hospital who was treating the Ebola patient at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, has tested positive for the virus, according to a statement from the Department of State Health Services. The worker reported a low fever Friday night and was referred for testing at the state public health laboratory in Austin. The preliminary result was released late Saturday. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta will perform further tests to confirm the diagnosis. "We knew a second case could be a reality, and we've been preparing for this possibility," said Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, in the statement. "We are broadening our team in Dallas and working with extreme diligence to prevent further spread." Officials are identifying the patient's contacts and will monitor them based on the nature of their interactions with the patient. Ebola is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids, and is not contagious before patients show symptoms such as fever. The worker helped care for Eric Duncan, the 42-year-old who contracted Ebola in Nigeria and flew to Texas on Sept. 20. He first developed symptoms on Sept. 24. Duncan died at Presbyterian Hospital on Wednesday. |
Posted by:Besoeker |
#22 As an informed reporter (fortunate to be here writing this byline) with multiple excursions to ISO, I would like to add that it was rare to see the J-staff or roaming techs swap gowns between patients. |
Posted by: Skidmark 2014-10-12 19:46 |
#21 Hazmat team arrives at home of Dallas Ebola patient #2DALLAS — Within hours after a test indicated that an employee at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital had contracted the Ebola virus, Dallas officials knocked on doors, made automated phone calls and passed out fliers to notify people within a four-block radius of the health care worker's apartment complex about the situation, though they said there was no reason for neighbors to be concerned. |
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2014-10-12 15:59 |
#20 Wearing those things for any amount of time or activity, especially in heat, is actually less fun than you think - knowing that it isn't much fun to begin with, especially as you increase your protection the more and more you end up inside a stiff ziplock bag. Without training and a certain level of actual physical conditioning, people will get tired and make mistakes, especially under pressure. |
Posted by: swksvolFF 2014-10-12 15:42 |
#19 Improper removal of PPE is how that nurse in Spain got infected. |
Posted by: OldSpook 2014-10-12 15:33 |
#18 #9 Even if the protection gear is fully functional a simple mistake when removing contaminated protection is enough to cause an infection. That is so true. Videotaping is a good idea to see where contamination is occurring. Some kind of decontamination/sterilization procedures may be required. The model used in the nuclear industry for PPEs, monitoring, decontamination, etc. is a good one. Get the damn pre-election politics out of this problem--they infest everything this administration does. |
Posted by: JohnQC 2014-10-12 14:16 |
#17 Muddled US standards for handling Ebola spreading FUD:Public health is the purview of the states, and as the nation anticipates more Ebola cases, some experts say the way the United States handles public health is not up to the challenge. Few seem to realize this. Local, state & federal authorities assembled 30 Sept 2014 to create the Dallas Emergency Operations Center, staffed by officials from Dallas County, the city of Dallas, the CDC, the county and state health departments and the Dallas County Sheriff's Department, among others. I have read countless examples from US history of contacts without symptoms being quarantined. Google "Typhoid Mary" Some of these cases required special court action &/or legislation, some did not. If Judge Jenkins is correct and there is no way to enforce a quarantine on asymptomatic Ebola contacts, the law needs to be changed NOW! |
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2014-10-12 13:36 |
#16 ABC health editor questions CDC Ebola guidelinesABC News chief health and medical editor Dr. Richard Besser recently returned from the Ebola hot zone in Liberia. He said Sunday morning that if the new Ebola case reported in Dallas is confirmed, it is a "very concerning" development....Besser said he does not agree with the Centers for Disease Control, which says any U.S. hospital can safely care for an Ebola patient. |
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2014-10-12 13:24 |
#15 Other news: Texas Department of State Health Services commissioner Dr. David Lakey confirmed that the new Ebola patient in Dallas was not among the 48 individuals who were initially thought to have been at potential risk of contamination from that "index patient," Thomas Eric Duncan, who died last Wednesday. Maybe it's time to revise the CDC protocol. |
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2014-10-12 13:19 |
#14 As an added precaution, Texas Health Presbyterian will not provide emergency services; instead, ambulances will be sent to other hospitals. Their ER is probably being scrubbed down BIG TIME. Cannot do that and continue to see patients! Other news articles this morning on this issue state there might be some staffing problems at Texas Health Presbyterian -- ? multiple no-shows by health care workers ? resignations. |
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2014-10-12 13:09 |
#13 OS would large hospitals have a decom chamber? A bleach shower deal? |
Posted by: Shipman 2014-10-12 12:43 |
#12 where's that dickhead Judge Clay Jenkins? Anybody check his temp lately? |
Posted by: Frank G 2014-10-12 12:19 |
#11 Er, should be who are now quarantined... |
Posted by: KBK 2014-10-12 11:33 |
#10 And the people Duncan lived with in close quarantine for several days? Any update? Bueller? |
Posted by: KBK 2014-10-12 11:31 |
#9 Even if the protection gear is fully functional a simple mistake when removing contaminated protection is enough to cause an infection. Doesn't the hospital keep videotape of their personnel performing highly sensitive tasks? If so they could objectively review their procedures. Another question: Why aren't all persons under special surveillance generally tested for Ebola at fixed intervals? This could both provide an early warning and help assess the sensitivity of these tests in human subjects. Also do we actually know that there's no silent form of Ebola in humans where humans are infected and nearly asymptomatic but somewhat contagious for a time? It looks like the 'top men' are passing on an opportunity to get actual hard data. |
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 2014-10-12 11:30 |
#8 And of course as we all know ( well those of us with 2 functioning brain cells to rub together) we can.t close the border or ban incoming flights since, like a forest fire building a wall doesn't contain it; you need to get in the middle and splash around a lot. |
Posted by: USN, Ret. 2014-10-12 11:20 |
#7 As an added precaution, Texas Health Presbyterian will not provide emergency services; instead, ambulances will be sent to other hospitals. To assure the distribution, I assume? |
Posted by: Skidmark 2014-10-12 10:52 |
#6 The PPEs, i.e. respirators and protective masks have to be inspected, tested and certified on a regular basis to insure proper function. I wonder if the hospital was keeping up with this aspect of their safety/hygiene program. |
Posted by: JohnQC 2014-10-12 10:38 |
#5 Simmons? WtF autocorrect. SCIENCE, it should have said |
Posted by: OldSpook 2014-10-12 10:34 |
#4 Transmission in spite of mask, face shield, gloves and gown. This is a frightening development. Either the PPE was defective or insufficient, or this may demonstrate that this strain of Ebola has become airborne. If they were using the cheap paper gowns, that might be a problem. I've seem two types, the thicker shiney side ones, and the cheap almost see thru paper ones. Also, did they mention a glove year or similar failure? If so then that's the likely vector. If not, then we should be reexamining the Simmons on how this spreads. |
Posted by: OldSpook 2014-10-12 10:31 |
#3 It is being reported that this health care worker did everything right according to precautions. I think the CDC is doing some "whistling in the graveyard." |
Posted by: JohnQC 2014-10-12 10:16 |
#2 |
Posted by: Whulet Shavins7256 2014-10-12 10:07 |
#1 |
Posted by: badanov 2014-10-12 09:57 |