Clicky Poll - Ebola

GraceInCA

Lizzybizzy80

I work in Dallas. I'm more than mildly concerned but I'm not staying home. If I lived somewhere else I'd be less worried.

riansmommie

Not the least bit concerned.

Lizzybizzy80

A woman in my office asked if the flu shot would protect her from Ebola.
:: head desk::

riansmommie

@Lizzybizzy80‌ i would have laughed right in her face.

Lizzybizzy80

riansmommie said:

@Lizzybizzy80‌ i would have laughed right in her face.

I didn't keep a straight face. It was during a meeting (eta of the whole office).

GraceInCA

34blondie said:

Not worried. Enterovirus is my panic.

Mine too. D68 is so much more dangerous for our babies, especially because the means of transmission are like other respiratory illnesses so it's so much easier to catch.

amie444

I voted for Benedict. But I really am not scared at all

LaBellaVida

I'm not overly concerned with ebola.
I had a small 'Oh shit' moment when I heard on the news that there may have been 2 case's here in Portland Oregon, but turns out they just had the flu.
~sigh of relief~

I mean. ... it's scary stuff and it was a little to close to 'Home' For me.

[Deleted User]

I am legitimately concerned about Ebola. The disease can spread fast. The Dallas hospital has already proven that it's extremely hard to contain the virus.

Since I work on the frontlines, in a hospital, I think I have a reason for concern. Today I was told that I will be responsible for teaching my staff how to don and remove Ebola hazmat suits in the next several weeks (I almost freaked out). I don't want to be held responsible if my staff spread the virus. The ER has already been trained and we have ICU rooms prepared.

WasNotWas

Not worried. I generally try to avoid dealings with others bodily fluids. You nurses are angels @NurseMommy13‌

ilovemarfa

Not worried. Like I said in a previous post I worked for us customs and border protection in Toronto ( we screened passengers taking flights to the us). The whole SARS stuff went down when I was working there and there were cases in Toronto not to mention we came in contact constantly with people from Hong Kong transiting canada for the us. SARS was/is very contagious and it's airborne. I never got sick. Ebola is a lot harder to catch so I figure as long as I don't go to west Africa or touch somebody else's bodily fluids I'll be ok. Dh is a psychiatrist so in the even there is an ebola case in a hospital he works at he won't be treating them.

Cricket81

I'm not worried about getting Ebola, but I am incredibly worried and sad for all the people who are actually suffering and at risk in the effected countries. I hate that the only way to help is to give money (which we just don't have). Sorry to be a downer.

Yakut

I'm worried, but I'm a paranoid wreck in general, and am a former biodefense analyst (but with cultural expertise, not biological) and have nothing to occupy my brain with except SAHPing and googling sh!t, so I have just enough knowledge to freak myself out, and not enough to calm the f*ck down. Everybody I know who knows better (the psychiatrist I see for PPD who works in a hospital, my kid's pediatrician, my former biodefense work friends who majored in biology) says that we're OK in North America, and not to worry. So there's that.

I suspect that the US is only having any problem at all because a) lack of single-payer health care (the guy in Dallas wasn't treated with much concern originally because he didn't have insurance), and b) the hospital workers weren't given enough of the information they needed due to understaffing, top-down mistakes, etc. But this kind of thing in Dallas, while scary, will probably mean that these two situations will change for the better, at least for the duration of the situation, because an outbreak in North America is the last thing the authorities want. It's very bad for business and re-election and things like that.

needanustart

I would have said not worried at all until last night. I had to take Lo to the ER (just a really terrible reaction on his arm due to the flu shot but it was more than 2" wide and hot so I had to go in). I was overtired and it was past Lo's bedtime and I felt so badly about exposing him to more germs (enterovirus especially) when he was really fine. And then... in walked two African women into the ER waiting room. I felt terrible but I totally mentally panicked. I lived in Africa for pete's sake and here I am wanting to scream "Ebola!!! Ebola!" and point and run. The first thing the poor woman said at intake was "we are not West African."

I texted DH and he was like, "please avoid their feces and vomit if at all possible. And don't have sex with them." He was making fun of me of course but still, for everyone saying they aren't concerned at all it definitely brought out my true feelings to be in a more specific situation like that.  

numbersgirl08

I think the biggest issue is that the Dallas hospital wasn't adequately equipped or prepared. Atlanta has had multiple Ebola patients and no issues with medical workers being infected. It's because they specialize in this and are the most prepared, trained, equipped. I think the issue is more in the communication with Dallas and their staff and less in whether the CDC knows what it's doing.

I mostly just feel terrible for the nurses. I can't imagine going through what they are. And I feel bad for anyone else who worked with the Dallas patient - I'd be so paranoid, waiting for symptoms to show and my temp to go up.

ilovemarfa

Yakut said:

I'm worried, but I'm a paranoid wreck in general, and am a former biodefense analyst (but with cultural expertise, not biological) and have nothing to occupy my brain with except SAHPing and googling sh!t, so I have just enough knowledge to freak myself out, and not enough to calm the f*ck down. Everybody I know who knows better (the psychiatrist I see for PPD who works in a hospital, my kid's pediatrician, my former biodefense work friends who majored in biology) says that we're OK in North America, and not to worry. So there's that.

I suspect that the US is only having any problem at all because a) lack of single-payer health care (the guy in Dallas wasn't treated with much concern originally because he didn't have insurance), and b) the hospital workers weren't given enough of the information they needed due to understaffing, top-down mistakes, etc. But this kind of thing in Dallas, while scary, will probably mean that these two situations will change for the better, at least for the duration of the situation, because an outbreak in North America is the last thing the authorities want. It's very bad for business and re-election and things like that.

I disagree about the insurance too. There are so many people who to the hospital and are uninsured. My husband has a lot of them in his behavioral health unit and he treats him all the same. Besides, I believe that you have about 3 months after your hospital stay to apply for medicaid/insurance and the insurer has to pay. If he was immigrating to the u.s. And marrying a u.s. citizen, as the news has reported, he more than likely would have gotten medicaid or insurance.

WasNotWas

@calikat80 YH cracked me up