Ebola Update

The fact that a nurse from Dallas has now contracted the disease proves to me that you cannot treat this disease in your local hospital isolation ward. The speculation is that she came in contact with the virus while she was taking off her PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). In any case, the CDC is blaming her the same way the FAA claims pilot error.

IMHO, Ebola should only be handled in a Level 4 biological facility. This facility would have several decontamination processes, complete space suits with an internal air supply and the personnel would be trained in their use. You can count the ones in the US on one hand. Your local hospital is not equipped nor is the staff trained.

In other news:

• The nurse in Australia was tested and found negative for ebola.
• Louisiana is refusing to allow medical waste (even if it has been incinerated) into the state. This could set up a states rights issue should the federal government mandate that the state accept the waste.
• There was a panic on an Emirates flight from Dubai to Boston when several people became sick. I suspect it was food poisoning.

Here are some things to ponder......

What do they have to do to decontaminate the apartment of an ebola patient? I suspect they have have to remove and destroy everything. They took 140 barrels of stuff out of Thomas Duncan apartment and burned it.

Do you think the owner will ever be able to rent that apartment, or any apartment in that complex?

Why have we not heard any news about the 48 people that the CDC is following in Dallas or the state of the ambulance staff?

Why do we not know how long the virus can exist on a hard surface? This is basic information that should be known.