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2nd health care worker tests positive for Ebola at Dallas hospital
(CNN) -- A second health care worker at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital who cared for Thomas Eric Duncan has tested positive for Ebola, health officials said Wednesday -- casting further doubt on the hospital's ability to handle Ebola and protect employees.
The worker reported a fever Tuesday and was immediately isolated, health department spokeswoman Carrie Williams said.
The preliminary Ebola test was done late Tuesday at the state public health laboratory in Austin, and the results came back around midnight. A second test will be conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
"Health officials have interviewed the latest patient to quickly identify any contacts or potential exposures, and those people will be monitored," the health department said.
But the pool of contacts could be small, since Ebola can only be transmitted when an infected person shows symptoms. Less than a day passed between the onset of the worker's symptoms and isolation at the hospital.
An official close to the situation says that in hindsight, Duncan should have been transferred immediately to either Emory University Hospital in Atlanta or Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
Those hospitals are among only four in the country that have biocontainment units and have been preparing for years to treat a highly infectious disease like Ebola.
"If we knew then what we know now about this hospital's ability to safely care for these patients, then we would have transferred him to Emory or Nebraska," the official told CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
"I think there are hospitals that are more than ready, but I think there are some that are not."
The latest infection marks the second-ever transmission of Ebola in the United States. Both stemmed from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.
Late last week, nurse Tina Pham tested positive for Ebola. She also took care of Duncan, the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the United States. Duncan died last week.
On Tuesday, Pham said she was doing well.
"I am blessed by the support of family and friends, and am blessed to be cared for by the best team of doctors and nurses in the world," she said.
Also Tuesday, National Nurses United made troubling allegations about the hospital, claiming "guidelines were constantly changing" and "there were no protocols" about how to deal with the deadly virus."
"The protocols that should have been in place in Dallas were not in place, and that those protocols are not in place anywhere in the United States as far as we can tell," NNU Executive Director RoseAnn DeMoro said. "We're deeply alarmed."
Protective gear nurses initially wore left their necks exposed; they felt unsupported and unprepared, and they received no hands-on training, union co-president Deborah Burger said.
A Texas Health Presbyterian spokesman did not respond to the specific allegations, but said patient and employee safety is the hospital's top priority.
While the Texas hospital deals with its third Ebola patient, the situation in West Africa is getting increasingly dire.
More than 4,000 people have died from Ebola this year in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
And it could be up to 10,000 new Ebola cases per week in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone by the end of this year as the outbreak spreads, the World Health Organization warned Tuesday.
U.S. President Barack Obama says he'll reach out directly to heads of state to encourage other countries to do more to fight back.
"There are a number of countries that have capacity that have not yet stepped up," he said. "Those that have stepped up, all of us, are going to have to do more."
SOURCE: http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/15/health/texas-ebola-outbreak/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
The worker reported a fever Tuesday and was immediately isolated, health department spokeswoman Carrie Williams said.
The preliminary Ebola test was done late Tuesday at the state public health laboratory in Austin, and the results came back around midnight. A second test will be conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
"Health officials have interviewed the latest patient to quickly identify any contacts or potential exposures, and those people will be monitored," the health department said.
But the pool of contacts could be small, since Ebola can only be transmitted when an infected person shows symptoms. Less than a day passed between the onset of the worker's symptoms and isolation at the hospital.
An official close to the situation says that in hindsight, Duncan should have been transferred immediately to either Emory University Hospital in Atlanta or Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
Those hospitals are among only four in the country that have biocontainment units and have been preparing for years to treat a highly infectious disease like Ebola.
"If we knew then what we know now about this hospital's ability to safely care for these patients, then we would have transferred him to Emory or Nebraska," the official told CNN Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
"I think there are hospitals that are more than ready, but I think there are some that are not."
The latest infection marks the second-ever transmission of Ebola in the United States. Both stemmed from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.
Late last week, nurse Tina Pham tested positive for Ebola. She also took care of Duncan, the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the United States. Duncan died last week.
On Tuesday, Pham said she was doing well.
"I am blessed by the support of family and friends, and am blessed to be cared for by the best team of doctors and nurses in the world," she said.
Also Tuesday, National Nurses United made troubling allegations about the hospital, claiming "guidelines were constantly changing" and "there were no protocols" about how to deal with the deadly virus."
"The protocols that should have been in place in Dallas were not in place, and that those protocols are not in place anywhere in the United States as far as we can tell," NNU Executive Director RoseAnn DeMoro said. "We're deeply alarmed."
Protective gear nurses initially wore left their necks exposed; they felt unsupported and unprepared, and they received no hands-on training, union co-president Deborah Burger said.
A Texas Health Presbyterian spokesman did not respond to the specific allegations, but said patient and employee safety is the hospital's top priority.
While the Texas hospital deals with its third Ebola patient, the situation in West Africa is getting increasingly dire.
More than 4,000 people have died from Ebola this year in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
And it could be up to 10,000 new Ebola cases per week in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone by the end of this year as the outbreak spreads, the World Health Organization warned Tuesday.
U.S. President Barack Obama says he'll reach out directly to heads of state to encourage other countries to do more to fight back.
"There are a number of countries that have capacity that have not yet stepped up," he said. "Those that have stepped up, all of us, are going to have to do more."
SOURCE: http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/15/health/texas-ebola-outbreak/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
Americans are 4 times more likely to marry Rush Limbaugh than contract ebola and die. Which are you more scared of ?
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/cured-ebola-nina-pham-anxious-see-family-dog-n233171
"Nina Pham walked out of the hospital and into the White House.
Two weeks after she tested positive for Ebola, the Dallas nurse was declared free of the virus Friday and discharged from the Washington-area hospital where she had been treated in a special containment unit.
A short time later, she was in the Oval Office with President Barack Obama, who hugged her.
“I do not know how I can ever thank everyone enough for their prayers and the expressions of concern, hope and love,” Pham told reporters outside the National Institutes of Health hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, where she walked outside to applause. She said she felt “fortunate and blessed.”
Pham, 26, was infected while treating Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian man who later died at Pham’s hospital, Texas Health Presbyterian. She was the first person to contract the virus on American soil.
Fifteen days after she tested positive, the nation’s top infectious-disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, pronounced her “cured of Ebola.”
She credited her medical team and God, and said she looked forward to going home to Texas and reuniting with her dog — Bentley, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that was quarantined after Pham tested positive. The dog tested negative for the virus earlier this week.
Asked whether any special measures or restrictions would be in place for Pham’s travel back to Dallas, Fauci said he could not discuss it because it was private.
The other nurse infected at the Dallas hospital, Amber Vinson, tested virus-free earlier this week, her family said. She has remained in a biocontainment unit at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta for a few more days of treatment. The hospital said Friday that Vinson is “making good progress.”
Authorities have not said definitively how the nurses were infected.
Pham said that the experience had been “very stressful and challenging” and said it could be a while before she has her strength back.
Pham thanked Dr. Kent Brantly, a recovered Ebola patient who donated plasma to her. She also asked for prayers for Dr. Craig Spencer, the New York City doctor who tested positive for Ebola on Thursday.
She told reporters: “I believe in the power of prayer because I know so many people all over the world have been praying for me.”
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/cured-ebola-nina-pham-anxious-see-family-dog-n233171
"Nina Pham walked out of the hospital and into the White House.
Two weeks after she tested positive for Ebola, the Dallas nurse was declared free of the virus Friday and discharged from the Washington-area hospital where she had been treated in a special containment unit.
A short time later, she was in the Oval Office with President Barack Obama, who hugged her.
“I do not know how I can ever thank everyone enough for their prayers and the expressions of concern, hope and love,” Pham told reporters outside the National Institutes of Health hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, where she walked outside to applause. She said she felt “fortunate and blessed.”
Pham, 26, was infected while treating Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian man who later died at Pham’s hospital, Texas Health Presbyterian. She was the first person to contract the virus on American soil.
Fifteen days after she tested positive, the nation’s top infectious-disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci, pronounced her “cured of Ebola.”
She credited her medical team and God, and said she looked forward to going home to Texas and reuniting with her dog — Bentley, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that was quarantined after Pham tested positive. The dog tested negative for the virus earlier this week.
Asked whether any special measures or restrictions would be in place for Pham’s travel back to Dallas, Fauci said he could not discuss it because it was private.
The other nurse infected at the Dallas hospital, Amber Vinson, tested virus-free earlier this week, her family said. She has remained in a biocontainment unit at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta for a few more days of treatment. The hospital said Friday that Vinson is “making good progress.”
Authorities have not said definitively how the nurses were infected.
Pham said that the experience had been “very stressful and challenging” and said it could be a while before she has her strength back.
Pham thanked Dr. Kent Brantly, a recovered Ebola patient who donated plasma to her. She also asked for prayers for Dr. Craig Spencer, the New York City doctor who tested positive for Ebola on Thursday.
She told reporters: “I believe in the power of prayer because I know so many people all over the world have been praying for me.”
I see no reason for panic but yes the mistakes that keep happening is worry some as it only takes one mistake for 20 to be infected and then that 20 turns into 100 and then we are closing schools and work which will hurt the economy. The market crashes and our economic system is in shambles because of someone making a mistake and the government not taking control of the problem.
The government is here to protect us when we need them to protect us. They serve the will of the people and they are not doing that right now.
The government is here to protect us when we need them to protect us. They serve the will of the people and they are not doing that right now.
Thank you Vance, you're right, every one has a different "normal" temperature. Mine runs low 97.5 or lower so I could have a fever and no one would know.
They continue to say don't panic however the mistakes are piling up, it seems as if they really do not know so it worries me.
They continue to say don't panic however the mistakes are piling up, it seems as if they really do not know so it worries me.
The CDC is clueless at this point. The plane made 5 flights before it was taken out of service and she had a very low grade fever when flying (99.5), which can actually be the normal body temp since it can go up and down during the day.
This story is getting worse by the day. Now they think the nurse that flew was showing symptoms when she flew from Dallas to Ohio.
I wondered why they were isolating a teacher who did not fly on the plane with her but possibly flew on the same plane after. So this one nurse has possibly exposed hundreds of people. I am getting the impression that the CDC does not know everything about Ebolla.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/16/health/us-ebola/index.html
I wondered why they were isolating a teacher who did not fly on the plane with her but possibly flew on the same plane after. So this one nurse has possibly exposed hundreds of people. I am getting the impression that the CDC does not know everything about Ebolla.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/16/health/us-ebola/index.html
Aren't you nice to explain it, I appreciate your help
Say hey to Riv
Dee
Say hey to Riv
Dee
http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/196tu0/what_are_the_differences_between_linear/
" a quantity grows linearly if you need to wait twice as long for it to grow twice as big and it grows exponentially if you only need to wait a fixed time interval."
" a quantity grows linearly if you need to wait twice as long for it to grow twice as big and it grows exponentially if you only need to wait a fixed time interval."
Again...I feel like this is a very bad movie where everything that can go wrong is going wrong. They originally said this was linear but if every person infected goes on to infect two people, then they infect two people, isn't that exponential?
I was never very good at math :)
I was never very good at math :)
I just read that the second nurse called the CDC several times asking if she should fly home. She told them she had a 99.5 temp. They told her since it was under 100 she could fly
That was wrong says CDC. Well....they need to get their S___ together quickly.
The nurses are saying that at first they had no protection. They were using medical tape to cover areas the suits did not cover, their necks and wrists.
I am seeing negative pressure suits with oxygen. If it isn't airborne why do they need that? Somebody is not telling the truth.
It got out of control in Africa because the scientists did not know what they were looking at for months. They confused it with malaria, cholera, lassa fever because at first it all looks the same. It wasn't til a doctor got it that they were able to dx. By the time they came in with their suits on it was every where. The suits scared the people and they hid which caused the spread.
Good article in Vanity Fair about how this began in January and snowballed.
That was wrong says CDC. Well....they need to get their S___ together quickly.
The nurses are saying that at first they had no protection. They were using medical tape to cover areas the suits did not cover, their necks and wrists.
I am seeing negative pressure suits with oxygen. If it isn't airborne why do they need that? Somebody is not telling the truth.
It got out of control in Africa because the scientists did not know what they were looking at for months. They confused it with malaria, cholera, lassa fever because at first it all looks the same. It wasn't til a doctor got it that they were able to dx. By the time they came in with their suits on it was every where. The suits scared the people and they hid which caused the spread.
Good article in Vanity Fair about how this began in January and snowballed.
Just like they did in Europe during the Plague, burn the body.
AND she had a 99.5 temp BEFORE flying! Geeze Us!
From what I understand the body has to be cremated or put in a sealed casket to contain the virus.....That information came out with Duncan, and that was the choice given to the family. They opted for cremation.
How long can the virus live on a dead body?
The root of my question is this... do dead bodies have to be disposed of by burning, or some other way, in order to render the virus inactive & incapable of infecting someone?
If there's an outbreak, and it infects SO many people that it overwhelms our public services and our ability to dispose of the number of bodies we'll be having to deal with (10's of thousands, if not 100's of thousands), does the virus just sit on the dead body waiting for someone to come along to infect them?
If that's the case, there's absolutely NO escaping this.
You can seal yourself in amine-shaft, or hide in a bunker, but EVENTUALLY, you have to come out.
And when you DO come out, if there are millions of dead bodies laying around, with live virus still inhabiting their corpses, those that hide underground are only delaying the inevitable.
Know what I mean?
The root of my question is this... do dead bodies have to be disposed of by burning, or some other way, in order to render the virus inactive & incapable of infecting someone?
If there's an outbreak, and it infects SO many people that it overwhelms our public services and our ability to dispose of the number of bodies we'll be having to deal with (10's of thousands, if not 100's of thousands), does the virus just sit on the dead body waiting for someone to come along to infect them?
If that's the case, there's absolutely NO escaping this.
You can seal yourself in amine-shaft, or hide in a bunker, but EVENTUALLY, you have to come out.
And when you DO come out, if there are millions of dead bodies laying around, with live virus still inhabiting their corpses, those that hide underground are only delaying the inevitable.
Know what I mean?
I just saw this, that the 2nd woman dx flew the night before, I posted this in the wrong place
http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/15/health/texas-ebola-outbreak/index.html
At Yale, two students who just came home were going to be quarantined, now they are saying they are just going to observe.
WTH?!
This makes no sense?!
What happened to over abundance of caution?
Desrt, what were those coordinates to the mine shaft? :)
http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/15/health/texas-ebola-outbreak/index.html
At Yale, two students who just came home were going to be quarantined, now they are saying they are just going to observe.
WTH?!
This makes no sense?!
What happened to over abundance of caution?
Desrt, what were those coordinates to the mine shaft? :)
I think we are prepared to respond (force) but not deal with. We saw this from Katrina. Even though there was a lot that could have been done before hand the fact is the US was not prepared for that kind of disaster and still is not. Not blaming Bush or Obama or whoever it is a who government thing.
So, can anyone explain how it is that CDC gets the big bucks and is in charge of things, while the US Public Health Service (the uniformed Service created to deal with these things) has to scrape by, even sending its commissioned officers out to work for other agencies, just to keep them employed? Budget cuts have whittled this dept, down to 6,800 officers and I can see where our cheepniz is about to bite us in the bvtt.
Yet, we have been hearing for years how we are prepared to handle things like this, from chemical and biologic attacks on up.....They lied!
There are only 4 hospitals in the US that are designed to treat Ebola patients. I can't blame the hospital on this as they were not prepared. The CDC should have stepped in and transfered the patient to another hospital.
Playing politics with this is what is so sad. imo
The union for the nurses came out and the nurses from dallas hospital are saying that Duncan was not immediately put in isolation and that he was in an area of the hospital with regular patients.
They also said that the blood samples were tubed, rather than being sealed and hand delivered when testing for ebola.
This hospital has no protocol according to the nurses, and the rules were constantly changing.
The hospital treated one ebola patient that died and now two more are infected.
Looks to me that maybe the blame is on th hospital first and foremost and if not for the teachers union we may have never heard about any of it.
I hear they are now sending in special teams to deal with these patients, within hours of them being tested positive. I guess that makes sense in low numbers, but cannot see it happening if this thing grows.
The union for the nurses came out and the nurses from dallas hospital are saying that Duncan was not immediately put in isolation and that he was in an area of the hospital with regular patients.
They also said that the blood samples were tubed, rather than being sealed and hand delivered when testing for ebola.
This hospital has no protocol according to the nurses, and the rules were constantly changing.
The hospital treated one ebola patient that died and now two more are infected.
Looks to me that maybe the blame is on th hospital first and foremost and if not for the teachers union we may have never heard about any of it.
I hear they are now sending in special teams to deal with these patients, within hours of them being tested positive. I guess that makes sense in low numbers, but cannot see it happening if this thing grows.
Well the Dems are now out there blaming the Republicans. So sad that it is almost unlaughable.
Frieden... Obama appointee (that speaks for the President).
I heard a news conference and an interview with him, on CNN, last night. What's a freaking liar.
His lack of action may have doomed us all.
I heard a news conference and an interview with him, on CNN, last night. What's a freaking liar.
His lack of action may have doomed us all.
By December, there will be 10,000 new cases being reported each month. Mark my words. This is only the beginning. I hope you're all ready for it. Me thinks, none of us are.
I blame (2) people for this mess.
#1
Thomas Eric Duncan: for lying and bringing this disease to the united States
#2
Thomas R. Frieden: head of the CDC, for not reacting more strongly & decisively.
Moreso, #2. He could have stopped this dead in its tracks.
I blame (2) people for this mess.
#1
Thomas Eric Duncan: for lying and bringing this disease to the united States
#2
Thomas R. Frieden: head of the CDC, for not reacting more strongly & decisively.
Moreso, #2. He could have stopped this dead in its tracks.
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