Let's liven things up

blue_elle

I live just outside of Atlanta, so this is a hot topic -

Two Americans infected with Ebola have been flown from Africa to the US to be treated at Emory in Atlanta (also home to the CDC).

Appropriate course of action? Government conspiracy for mass population control? The beginning of the end?

Commence the panic!

blue_elle

If it were my family member I would absolutely want them treated at home, by the best, in a hospital prepared for such situations and in vacinity of the top infectious disease experts. I'm more concerned about those traveling unrestricted in and out of outbreak areas right now and I hope they're able to get this thing under control quickly.

That being said, I have given thought to what would happen if a hospital employee becomes infected, spreads it to family, etc., etc...

KrystalCrockett

Wasn't there a movie about this?

MiaMyPuggle

I don't want to think about a US outbreak. I'm paranoid as it is (I lose sleep thinking about taking my kids swimming bc of drowning risks a few weeks before we actually go). I'll be obsessing over this until this Ebola thing goes away.

somewierd_person

I would want to be treated at home and would want that for anyone I know as well. I'm more concerned with more common issues like hfm and measles and nasty head colds that are running rampant in the areas around me. Anything can be a conspiracy but I firmly believe that what we focus our energy on is what gets manifested in our lives. Therefore I really really try to not get sucked into things like the general media would like us to be.

painttheair14

My favorite book is The Stand (most of the population is killed by a super flu) so I find it an interesting thought sequence.

karah4816

I agree with the pp, if it were me or someone that I love I would want them home so I really wouldn't feel right denying that to another family.

CopperT0p

I would be more concerned if they brought them back to a hospital that wasn't equipped to handle them, but it seems like appropriate precautions are being taken. 

I agree that my main concern is the risk from those travelling. I haven't heard of what travel restrictions are being put on the effected countries. I'm in Canada so it doesn't get a lot of air time on the news.  

RedSaffron

The US news isn't really bringing light to this yet, but watching the Japan news there's possible cases in China, Philippines, and Saudi Arabia already.

Rebis58

I don't know a lot about the virus and it's mode of transmission, but my understanding is it's spread through body fluids and not airborne. If this is the case it's relatively easy for health care professionals to take precautions to prevent transmission. I would be more afraid of an outbreak occurring if it was airborne, although even then there are precautions to protect caregivers and other patients in the hospital (negative pressure rooms, N95 masks, gowns, and other infection control precautions). That said, if I was a nurse working on the unit where these patients are being taken, I would be feeling quite nervous and feel the need to do extensive research to protect myself and my family.

I feel pretty confident that these people would not be brought back to the States if they weren't sure that it could be done safely, but then again I think most conspiracy theories are silly

SandFHasse

I agree with @esd and @tarajeanette

I don't think I would be happy if DH was an employee at the hospital that they were bringing these patients to.

I feel that yes I would want my loved one home, but at the same time what about my kids? What about the rest of the country? Could you imagine if the disease did spread, how is that family going to feel? Are the families of these people going to get to see them? Is the serum really working to cure these patients?

I'm rambling. I'm kind of confused as to why they were brought back I guess and about the disease itself. Can people survive it and have people survived it?

I remember reading a book about it in biology in high school, but I don't remember anything about the book except that it had monkeys in it (I think).

peanutmuse

My SIL lives outside of Atlanta. She is a MAJOR hypochondriac. ( a few examples... Her 5 month old son so far has had food poisoning (spit up), an obstruction (constipated), and was blind (he was 6 weeks old and sleepy). She got her second pp period last week and was convinced she was actually pregnant and miscarrying -- her husband had a vasectomy right after the baby was born. She has also had a brain tumor needing a cat scan (headaches) a few weeks ago.) So now I am just waiting for one of them to "have" Ebola.

But seriously, I don't have a problem with this decision. I do acknowledge that I might feel differently if I had a loved one who worked there. But at the same time, in the medical profession, especially at the CDC, this type of risk seems like it would be a necessary part of the job.

ccip82

I feel pretty confident that the CDC would not bring someone to the States for treatment if this were a highly contagious disease. The fact is Ebola is not. It is not until the person is really sick that they are contagious and the virus is only transmitted through bodily fluids- it is not airborne. What scares people so much regarding Ebola is the fact is it is such a deadly disease and there is no cure.

I would think that the CDC and other disease specialists are taking this opportunity to study the two Americans with Ebola to better understand this virus- especially since they were given drugs that have never been tested on humans before. If bringing back these two people can potentially help doctors treat this virus, than it is worth it to me. 

In countries like the United State have a healthcare system in place where any potential outbreak of Ebola would be isolated and contained very quickly and effectively. That is not the case in Africa where there are weak centralized governments, inadequate healthcare systems, and people who are uneducated in regards to Ebola. Many people do not trust and fear the foreign healthcare workers and even their own government. Therefore, they are not coming forward when they or family members are sick. Also, I read that burial practices in West Africa often involve touching the bodies which further spreads Ebola. 

Because of air travel today, diseases like Ebola have the potential to spread across the globe- I think there have been a couple cases outside of Africa that have recently popped up. As long as these countries isolate the suspected Ebola cases, Ebola will have a tough time spreading in countries with adequate healthcare. 

Chances are if you are living outside of West Africa, there is little chance of catching Ebola. I would be slightly more concerned if you travel internationally frequently- especially to parts of Africa. However, even then chances are still extremely small that you would catch Ebola. 

I would be much more concerned about airborne diseases such as SARS than I would Ebola. 

Boy, that got long winded...

bensmommy518

If it were someone I knew, I would want them treated here in the US by the best.  Ebola is highly deadly (something like a 90% fatality rate) which is why it gets such a high profile but it actually not as easily spread as a lot of other diseases.  They seem to be taking all the right precautions and these two individuals I think have a better shot at surviving being here and getting the best care.  Perhaps what they learn by treating these two can save hundreds more back in Africa where the devastation is worse. 

jcwinsto

I think @Rebis58 and @ccip82 covered my thoughts pretty well. The disease is transmitted directly through bodily fluids, rather than airborne, making it much easier to contain. I think we are at greater risk of catching it from people travelling to a from the area on business or vacation than from those who are directly working with it. These people aren't apt to take the same precautions as someone who is working with the virus and has seen it first hand. With that said, I think if an outbreak did happen we would have a much better survival rate here than they are having in Africa. A lot of the stories I've read are saying how folks over there aren't trusting of the doctors and nurses and rumors they hear are saying that Ebola is made up or that the doctors are actually the ones infecting the people with it. Aid workers have been attacked in outlying villages because of these rumors. Burial practices just spread the disease. One of the major factors in survival it seems is that people get care immediatly. Dehydration is one of the main things that leads to death in Ebola. We obviously wouldn't have a lot of these problems in the US and would be able to care for people fromt he beginning. Edit: TB ate my paragraphs and I can't fix it!

TheGreatBeyond

The concern is the unknowingly infected person that gets on a plane in Africa not the 2 people who have been transported and treated with all necessary containment precautions in place. Ebola crops up every few years and this is a bigger outbreak than usual but I don't think its of much concern for the US.

Or maybe I'm wrong and we all should be stocking up on biohazard suits.

sugarland726

So I was going to write out why I am not overly concerned, and then I read @ccip82's comment and thought, "There is no way I can more eloquently and succinctly write what I'd like to say." So, instead I'm just going to write "what she said."

ccip82

@sugarland726

Thank you! Can you tell it was 1. raining here in Scotland today and 2. Iain actually napped in his crib while Emma was at nursery

sugarland726

Nice! The holy grail of parenting. Or maybe I should say it's like Nessie. Often talked about, seldom seen.

RingOfFire11

I thought this was a good article.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/08/06/im-the-head-nurse-at-emory-this-is-why-we-wanted-to-bring-the-ebola-patients-to-the-u-s/

blue_elle

Great article @RingOfFire11‌, thanks for sharing

So nobody on the conspiracy train? No preppers stocking up for impending doom? I bet they're out there and afraid to speak up.