I agree with many.

My point is this. The family in Texas. They haven't been hearing and watching the news. The whole Ebola thing has been going on in the news WEEKS before Duncan arrived here. See this is what happens when you don't pay attention to the news and get informed. People don't want to tune into CNN because it's all bad. Okay, yes. Call me a news junkie but it also informs. It's education people!!! Stop watching all them so called reality shows and watch what is really going on in the world.

This Ebola thing was all over the place. The Texas family didn't put two and two together and realize that if Duncan was sick and just came from Liberia it could be Ebola. I would have figure that out in a heart beat. Someone lied, didn't tell the whole truth or pretend not to notice. Something is fishy.

But let it be a lesson. From now on, we all need to keep our eyes and mouth open. Pay attention people!!!! Read and/or watch the fact about Ebola and act accordingly.

~Milo

Edited October 9, 201411 yr by gladiator in flip flops

Austerity is always a terrible idea. It's wreaked havoc in Europe and has helped lead to a big comeback of fascism and racism and anti-Semitism.

The sad thing is that's what so many people want for America, what the media pushes, etc. And after November we may be even closer to getting a more extreme version of it.

I agree that austerity has been keeping Europe's economy from growing. I read that some parts of Europe have had 3 recessions in the past 5 years (WTF!) and some other countries, suprisingly not just Germany, think that austerity remains the best way forward. Sadly, I think short of Germany going into recession, that the EU will stick with this no growth course.

Also sad is that the far right-wing organizations like the National Front in France are already using the Ebola crisis to bolster their xenophobic agenda.

Let's see...

In the U.S. many Republicans declared years ago that they wished the U.S. were more like China for their economic policies that have led to growth. Well, China's growth has slowed since those days and the recent protests in Hong Kong have show that the quasi-capitalistic autocratic form of governance is far from the ideal.

Many Republicans also championed Vladimir Putin a couple years ago, well, at this time, I'm not hearing a peep from those people about the supposed virtues of ole' Vlad.

And John McCain and several people wanted the U.S. to send arms to Syrian rebels two years ago and complained bitterly that other countries like France were doing it. Two years later, many of those weapons are in the hands of ISIS.

I really hope the Senate does not tip toward the Republicans because some of them have some frightening ideas of what they think works.

So true. Even though I hate to see people suffering, I think it's best the world has been tested by a disease that isn't airborne.

I remember American nurses coming out and saying that they didn't feel prepared to take on Ebola her in the US either. I can't remember where I read it though. It just struck me because certain elements in the medical establishment seemed overly confident to me on that front. I honestly don't think we are going to have an epidemic here, but I also think it's foolish for those in charge to be overconfident.

Today, the government announced that they will be implementing specific protocols for checking people entering the U.S. from several major airports. I don't know how it is going to be implemented but it seems to be mostly about quelling anxiety.

I agree with many.

My point is this. The family in Texas. They haven't been hearing and watching the news. The whole Ebola thing has been going on in the news WEEKS before Duncan arrived here. See this is what happens when you don't pay attention to the news and get informed. People don't want to tune into CNN because it's all bad. Okay, yes. Call me a news junkie but it also informs. It's education people!!! Stop watching all them so called reality shows and watch what is really going on in the world.

This Ebola thing was all over the place. The Texas family didn't put two and two together and realize that if Duncan was sick and just came from Liberia it could be Ebola. I would have figure that out in a heart beat. Someone lied, didn't tell the whole truth or pretend not to notice. Something is fishy.

But let it be a lesson. From now on, we all need to keep our eyes and mouth open. Pay attention people!!!! Read and/or watch the fact about Ebola and act accordingly.

~Milo

I'm a news junkie too, and judging from the comments on this board, I have a feeling we're in good company!

It's scary how neither the family nor the hospital initially put the pieces together. It was actually the daughter of Duncan's girlfriend who figured it out. I read that she had to convince her mother that a brand new blanket they'd bought at Walmart for Duncan had to be disposed and when her Mother protested, she said "Is this blanket more important than your life?!" At least she was thinking...

According to Duncan's girlfriend, he thought he was helping a pregnant lady who was in the midst of a miscarriage. At this point, I don't know if there is any way to verify her story but if true, it just makes the entire thing sadder.

On a more optimistic note, the Sheriff who was in the apartment, tested negative for Ebola. I guess he will still need to be monitored (and probably isolated) for the new few weeks.

Definitely worth a read:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/the-ominous-math-of-the-ebola-epidemic/2014/10/09/3cad9e76-4fb2-11e4-8c24-487e92bc997b_story.html?hpid=z1

This article has some good information on what is needed to contain the outbreak in west Africa.

It really is sad that Duncan died because he was really trying to help and save someone. That part is really sad. I heard he was trying to help a pregnant teen. Now I am not sure if he knew that she had Ebola. I heard stories that folks in that particular area knew and this is why they didn't want to help. I am not sure about these facts. Now they are trying to make it a race thing. They want to blame the hospital for not taking better care of Duncan. Well, I say that the responsibility should have been on Duncan and his love ones.

I hear that his girlfriend is an assistant nurse. Can you believe this. So when Duncan first got sick, she couldn't put it all together. Him coming from Africa. She is in the medical community and she don't know about Ebola. It's all sounds real fishy to me.

~Milo

An assistant nurse isn't a doctor or an RN. They aren't trained to diagnose illness Unless this woman treated Ebola patients in Africa herself, she probably had never seen a case before in person. I have heard of younger doctors misdiagnosing things like measles because they've never seen a case before, and they just don't expect to see it. Yes, he was from Liberia, but even so, odds are that if you have fever and vomiting, it's a stomach bug and not Ebola.

This hospital in Nebraska, in addition to Emory seem to be two hospitals who appeared to have had the best preparation, probably because both had prior training in treating biohazardous and infectious disease.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/10/us/ashoka-mukpo-ebola-nebraska-hospital.html

Still a little disconcerting when the doctor stated that she felt they could never treat more than 10 people at at time. Can you imagine what staff in those countries dealing with the outbreak must contend with??

Still a little disconcerting when the doctor stated that she felt they could never treat more than 10 people at at time. Can you imagine what staff in those countries dealing with the outbreak must contend with??

Exactly. That's the reason it couldn't be contained. The medical personnel in west Africa simply don't have the supplies or staff to give the level of care that Ebola patients need.

I personally think those that know they were exposed to this and didn't say anything about it should face criminal charges, they're putting too many people at risk

This hospital in Nebraska, in addition to Emory seem to be two hospitals who appeared to have had the best preparation, probably because both had prior training in treating biohazardous and infectious disease.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/10/us/ashoka-mukpo-ebola-nebraska-hospital.html

Still a little disconcerting when the doctor stated that she felt they could never treat more than 10 people at at time. Can you imagine what staff in those countries dealing with the outbreak must contend with??

Yes, NMC is right near me. It doesn't concern me, but I'll admit, I won't give birth there by choice. I understand that's a bit of paranoia, but that's how I feel. At the same time, if there's an emergency and I have to, I won't be freaking out.

An assistant nurse isn't a doctor or an RN. They aren't trained to diagnose illness Unless this woman treated Ebola patients in Africa herself, she probably had never seen a case before in person. I have heard of younger doctors misdiagnosing things like measles because they've never seen a case before, and they just don't expect to see it. Yes, he was from Liberia, but even so, odds are that if you have fever and vomiting, it's a stomach bug and not Ebola.

True this. I am not saying she should have diagnosed the illness.

All I am saying is that she should have been aware of the news. She got this guy coming from Liberia. Staying in her house. He gets sick. She didn't hear about Ebola. She being in the medical community. That's all I am saying. And none of the folks in that apartment watch the news?

Okay, well now it's all over the place. Not that we have to be paranoid or anything. But me personally, I'd keep my eyes open.

I got a friend going up to NYC next week. She doesn't pay attention to the news but she knows at least about Ebola. I told her to be careful up there. She was going to go to Harlem and some spots and I already warned her that there is a West African community up there and to be careful. I got a friend who used to date a guy from Sierra Leone. Used to. But sometimes, she talks to him on the phone. They are still friends. I told her to stay the heck away from him. I remember he always has visitors coming in and out of here from his country. Just trying to get everyone alert instead of hearing, "Oh I didn't know."

~Milo

I personally think those that know they were exposed to this and didn't say anything about it should face criminal charges, they're putting too many people at risk

I agree. I think that there were few who knew the deal and didn't say much.

Maybe some infected individuals are trying to get into this country so that their chances for survival are better.

At least some airports are screening. Not that this is a hundred percent - a sure thing. But at least they are taking measures.

~Milo

I personally think those that know they were exposed to this and didn't say anything about it should face criminal charges, they're putting too many people at risk

I don't see what good that would do. It certainly won't encourage people who are afraid to come forward to do so and it only adds to the witch hunt factor.

I have to admit that I'm a little more forgiving of the medical personnel than most. It's not like any of them have seen ebola first hand and when you add the hysterical hypochondriacs who get any and every disease they see on the news, I'm not surprised at the fact this was missed by overworked ER staff. It makes me think about all the resurgences of measles we seen in this country thanks to anti-vaxxers. I've never seen measles in my lifetime so even if I were staring at someone who had it, I wouldn't recognize it.

One of Thomas Duncun's nurses tested positive.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/12/health/ebola/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

. I've never seen measles in my lifetime so even if I were staring at someone who had it, I wouldn't recognize it.

You really don't think so? I suspect if you saw a kid covered in spots and feverish, especially one from Cali, it might at least cross your mind as a possibility, since you know about the anti-vaxing craze. I don't blame that first hospital too much, but now it's time to get in the game and pay attention when someone from West Africa is at your ER.

You really don't think so? I suspect if you saw a kid covered in spots and feverish, especially one from Cali, it might at least cross your mind as a possibility, since you know about the anti-vaxing craze.

If I saw a kid with a rash and a fever my mind would consider a million things before measles. Allergic reaction, mono, Reye's syndrome (I'd actually think this fairly early because of all the warnings about giving aspirin to kids with viral illnesses), lyme disease, etc... I might consider measles now but before these idiot anti-vaxxers brought all these diseases back I never would've considered it. Honestly, when you consider how many diseases manifest with "flu-like symptoms" including the actual flu there's a lot of things I would think first. You are right however that I've studied up on measles now. Ohio has been a real hot spot for measles not just in the colleges but also in the Amish community.

I wouldn't automatically suspect measles with a rash either if I saw a rash on my kid, but I do know what to look for because, hello, Google. It's right there. I'm also not all that worried about measles because I've had it myself (caught it as a toddler before it was time for the MMR), because we have an effective vaccination for it, and because it doesn't kill like Ebola kills. It's hard to scare people over something like seasonal flu or even measles that MIGHT kill you when there are scary diseases like Ebola that you are statistically less likely to get but are almost guaranteed to cause you to suffer an agonizing, brutal death should you get it. Liquifying organs and bleeding from every orifice scares a lot more people than hacking cough or itchy rash ever will.

As far as doctors or nurses missing a diagnosis, I think that's bound to happen. Right now people are commenting on articles about this nurse in Dallas getting Ebola... the CDC is saying that there must have been a breach in treatment protocol and people are freaking out and going, "ZOMG, CDC is lying! It must be airborne!" Well, no. Somewhere between 200,000 - 400,000 people die every year in this country because of medical error. Stop and think about that number. That's really freaking scary. Doctors and nurses and other medical staff are all human, and they make mistakes. Somewhere along the way, mistakes are going to be made in treating Ebola patients, ESPECIALLY if you are talking about a hospital that is not used to caring for level 4 bio-hazard patients. Odds are, she touched her unmasked face while disrobing.