As you've heard, I'm sure, a second nurse who was in contact with Duncan has tested positive.
The nurses are complaining about the protocols being inadequate and inconsistent. That may be. It seems odd that none of the family has shown symptoms. Bodily fluids, even in the most minute amounts, may contain the virus. A cough or a sneeze suspends fluids in the air. If Duncan was on a ventilator, for example, those surfaces were thoroughly contaminated.
How long does it take the virus to mutate until it is an airborne contagion? Had it already started to mutate in Duncan? Is this a matter of the hospital not taking adequate precautions, or is what we are seeing the result of a new means of transmission?
Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action. (Ian Fleming).
The enemy here is Ebola, but it seems to have allies at the CDC.
Well, there is the first nurse's boyfriend, who is supposedly in isolation. However, that comes from one source and it is not a particularly reliable one I'm told. So, we'll see.
ReplyDeleteYes, total numbers affected are small, and the naysayers are right on that. It's the potential for disaster that keeps me watching.
Also, I wish they would quit reporting the suspected cases and keep to the real ones. That's just adding noise to the signal.
I seem to recall that the SARS epidemic recieved a lot more attention at airports and customs that Ebola appears to be getting.
DeleteWhy wouldn't severely restrict inbound visitors who have been in the worst affected nations during the past two months? There could be case by case exceptions, but let's make it much harder than it appears to be right now.
What Brendan is saying seems like it would be the sensible thing to do.
ReplyDeleteYes, John, that's true about the boyfriend. I was just thinking of Duncan's family that all seem to be out of danger.