Tag Archives: Ebola

Ebola 20141117

Ebola 20141117

Dr Salia contracted Ebola and was brought to a hospital in Nebraska for treatment. Reportedly he died around 4 am Monday, may he RIP.

Salia first showed Ebola symptoms on Nov. 6 but tested negative for the virus. He eventually tested positive on Nov. 10. This is from yahoo news linked at
http://news.yahoo.com/nebraska-hospital-surgeon-ebola-died-134817996.html?soc_src=mediacontentstory&soc_trk=ma

Which tells me that practicing universal precautions is still the best option. Basically treat everyone as if they have everything. ;] consider following the advice in the posts starting at http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/ebola/

Some points to ponder.

West Nile virus was identified in the late 90s on our east coast. A year later it had made it out here to the Rocky Mountains. That is mighty fast and far for something that is carried by mosquitoes? Many of us suspect that it was out here a lot longer and merely found than as we were at last looking for it.

Back when we worked general medical some of the staff [who were good people] would be in and out of patients’ rooms providing care. Yet when test results came back that they had something contagious, the staff would freak and go overboard with isolation.

Back in the 80s and early 90s I sometimes worked with ‘high risk’ patients for HIV populations. In the 80s AIDS was assumed to be strictly a homosexual or IV drug abuser problem. –now we know this is not so – When AIDS first raised it’s ugly head as a general concern, there was the same disquiet and unease as we have now with this Ebola.

Ebola was discovered in the mid 70s. Since that time people have been traveling back and forth to those areas of the world that have Ebola. Does anyone really think that it has not already been here before?

Every year in the US we lose on average 36,000 dead due to the FLU. It is just the normal garden variety flu, not swine or avian flu flavor of the week in the news. This is with a fully working medical system. Most of them die from de-hydration and electrolyte imbalance.

My point being that while Ebola is not a good thing to contract, it appears as if it can be treated IF identified early. Good hygiene is a must. As is being prepared to shelter in place [be quarantined] so as to be away from the civil unrest more so than protect the public. ;]

Ebola 2

Ebola 2

Years ago, back in the 1980s and early 90s I worked with ‘high risk’ HIV patients. How the general public is responding to Ebola reminds me a lot of the attitudes back then, except this time around there is not the stigma of it being a homosexual [only] disease as was believed back then. Some of my friends worked in public health at the time. One of them who I will call Rob was a minister by training and was working as a paper pusher compiling statistics and writing reports except on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. On Monday, Wednesday and Fridays the nurses in the clinic drew all the blood and collected other samples for syphilis and gonorrhea screenings and they were not concerned for their own safety beyond ‘universal’ precautions. However the blood draws for HIV screening were done Tuesday and Thursday mornings NONE of the nursing staff would do those blood draws due to fear of catching the HIV bug. Rob had to do all the HIV blood draws because of this. Rob and I discussed all this often and we would both laugh – AT those nurses – because it was the same patient group who had been in the day before for the syphilis blood draw. It would have been easier on the patients [and the nursing staff] if all the blood was collected at the same time.

The short of the story is that there is a lot of fear over some things that as long as you take reasonable precautions and pay attention to details you will remain very safe even when dealing with deadly diseases such as HIV and Ebola. That is as long as whatever ‘bugs’ of the day have not been tampered with and weaponized. If they have been, well all bets are off.

Basically if you treat everyone as if they have everything –germ wise- and take those Universal Precautions AND use your head, you should be reasonably safe.

http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us/ebola/ or http://www.preparesurvivethrive.us

EBOLA

EBOLA

Its very name strikes FEAR into the hearts of men!

And it SHOULD….. 90% fatal if untreated and only 60% fatal with treatment. This last week Ebola has been in the news with a death count of over 800 so far, I bet that it is actually higher. Then over the weekend one of two healthcare workers contracted it and one of them has already been flown here to the US. According to the news people our public opinion was strongly against allowing the importation of the 2 healthcare workers to one of our best CDC hospitals. Rightly so…. Perhaps. Consider this on the other hand, thi8s may well be the first time someone with the disease has come here BUT it is not the first time that the infective agent has been brought into our country. Both the CDC and our military bio warfare facilities have active samples that they have been experimenting with and in some cases turning into a weapon. How do you think that CDC has serum to use to treat the 2 healthcare workers?

As a practical matter our government is going to do whatever they jolly well want to do and we the people can not really stop them. At least so far the Ebola bug is not truly all that contagious. YET.

So what do we the general public do in case the bug starts spreading here in the US? Same thing as we can do for most anything. Stay away from sick people unless you are their care giver. Beware of others body fluids. Wash your hands with plain soap and water and a lot of it. That alcohol gel stuff is not all that it is cracked up to be and the antibacterial soap isn’t all that good either. If the sick person is coughing or sneezing have them wear a mask to protect everyone else – you can wear one too if it makes you feel better. Ideally a glass walled sick room [or a green house] so that a lot of direct sun light can get to most sides of the treatment area and patient so that the UV light can help disinfect the area and the air. The more filtered air flow that you can provide the better. – is possible the air should be filtered entering and leaving the sick bay area. Limit the exposure to sick folks.

Keep the patient clean, dry, well hydrated and nourished. Keep your local environment clean and well ventilated.

You may consider making quarantine signs a head of time to warn others that you have sick folks in your house.

Some things to consider stocking include;
Chlorine bleach to disinfect things
Medical gloves of whatever fits most of your people
N 95 masks – these really should be fitted to you but most folks wont do that
A large supply of linens, towels and wash clothes
Safety goggles or face shields
Soap [bar, dish and laundry]
Wash basins
Outdoor drying lines so that the sunlight can get to the laundry

What else can you think of along with this?