Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

....A specific new office was set up to coordinate health emergencies, so I'd like to ask, where is Dr. Nicole Lurie? ...

Another article on same person/issue:

President Obama Already Has An Ebola Czar. Where Is She?

.....The Invisible Dr. Lurie

So, we have an office for public health threat preparedness and response. And one of HHS? eight assistant secretaries is the assistant secretary for preparedness and response, whose job it is to ?lead the nation in preventing, responding to and recovering from the adverse health effects of public health emergencies and disasters, ranging from hurricanes to bioterrorism.?...

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[liam]

Re: Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

Going back about to summer of 2013. Suppose a terrorist cell had been handling this strain of ebola in the apartment next to the Duncans. And they had used all the PPE exactly as described now by the CDC.

Would we have been reassured because the precautions taken were adequate?

Or would we have been shown all of the airlocks, showers, BL-4 suits w/ external air supply, separate air handler systems for containment and decontamination, the training required and additional personnel needed just to safely get one person in and out of the proper containment?

I find this kind of reflection Informative.
Liam

 

[AnnaLisa]

Re: Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

Looks like the CDC isn't changing their protocol for PPE. Looks like skin exposure is still acceptable. I really feel MSF PPE with all skin covered, is a better idea. IMO Tom Frieden is wrong. Is this decision based on economics and their belief that if we start with Tyvek now, in the future it will be economically unfeasible due to numbers? I can't imagine why else they would allow caregivers in those rooms without their skin covered with impermeable fabrics.

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

.....if we start with Tyvek now, in the future it will be economically unfeasible due to numbers? ......

I would hope they would consider the economic impact (to the nation/world) of NOT properly treating ebola patients, if they're really so concerned about money.

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[Emily]

Re: Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

In defense of the non-designated BSL-4 hospitals out there, of which there are about 5,000 in the US, why would they expend the effort to get up to speed on Ebola?...

Dani, was that remark irony pointing out that nothing but a true BSL-4 facility can offer BSL-4 safety? I just want to be sure there is not truly 'non-designated BSL-4' status.

This is a deadly disease, and modern high-tech medicine does not make it any less so. It may make it even worse.

I think so.

"If the same holds true for filoviruses, aerosol transmission is a greater threat in modern hospital or laboratory settings than it is in the natural climatic ranges of viruses."

Health care workers should have been warned to work at BSL-4, especially when patients are at their most infective, and to isolate themselves from loved ones, including pets during their risk period. This would mean separate residences for a lengthy time period, but would be worth the effort to avoid risk to loved ones and the community.

CDC should have known this. So should have DHS.

http://www.dhs.gov/reference-nbaf

BSL-4: Microorganisms that pose a high risk of life-threatening disease and for which there is no known vaccine or therapy.

Lab personnel have specific and thorough training in handling extremely hazardous infectious agents and fully understand all containment functions, practices, equipment and lab design characteristics.
Lab personnel are supervised by trained scientists who are experienced in working with the microorganisms and with associated procedures.
Access to the lab is strictly controlled. The facility is in a controlled area within a building, which is completely isolated from all other areas.
Currently, there are four BSL-4 facilities operating in the Following United States populated urban areas: Atlanta, Georgia; Fort Detrick, Maryland; Galveston, Texas; and San Antonio, Texas. There has never been a public exposure at a BSL-4 lab in the United States.
Examples of microorganisms that could possibly be studied in a NBAF BSL-4 lab include Nipah and Hendra viruses, both of which are emerging zoonotic diseases that can spread from their natural reservoir to human beings, and are often fatal.

 

[Dani]

Re: Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

Looks like the CDC isn't changing their protocol for PPE. Looks like skin exposure is still acceptable. I really feel MSF PPE with all skin covered, is a better idea. IMO Tom Frieden is wrong. Is this decision based on economics and their belief that if we start with Tyvek now, in the future it will be economically unfeasible due to numbers? I can't imagine why else they would allow caregivers in those rooms without their skin covered with impermeable fabrics.

I heard him say that he believes too complicated of a PPE is a risk because they're harder to remove. That doesn't seem to be the sentiment among people who work for the MSF, who cover up and employ spotters to help them dress and undress.

 

[Dani]

Re: Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

Dani, was that remark irony pointing out that nothing but a true BSL-4 facility can offer BSL-4 safety? I just want to be sure there is not truly 'non-designated BSL-4' status.

Yes. There are no covert BSL-4 hospitals hiding out there. Of course, if there were, would we know?

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

FluTrackers.com retweeted
Richard Besser @DrRichardBesser ? 22m 22 minutes ago
@DrFriedenCDC: Going forward @CDCgov will deploy expert teams in hours to help any hospital dealing w/ #Ebola patient.

FluTrackers.com @FluTrackers ? 21m 21 minutes ago
CDC is establishing a special #Ebola Response Team to respond to any cases in US. http://www.onlinevideoservice.com/cl...DC/?mount=CDC3 ?

http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?p=551720#post551720

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

I heard him say that he believes too complicated of a PPE is a risk because they're harder to remove. ........

Is that his assumption about the IQ of HCWs?????

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[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

Yes. There are no covert BSL-4 hospitals hiding out there. Of course, if there were, would we know?

Just curious - is Air Force 1 capable of being a BSL-4 enclosure??? Hmmm.

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[Dani]

Re: Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

Is that his assumption about the IQ of HCWs?????

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Dunno. It does have that kind of tone to it, doesn't it? When I heard him say that, I thought perhaps Ebola care is just best left to the people who do it all the time, like at Emory or Nebraska. The problem with that is, it's not disseminating skills that could help with the next big outbreak, be it Ebola or something else.

 

[Dani]

Re: Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

Just curious - is Air Force 1 capable of being a BSL-4 enclosure??? Hmmm.

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I am so not going there.......

 

[AnnaLisa]

Re: Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

West Africa got into trouble when all their facilities were contaminated. I think that having treatment centers is almost an admission that it will get bad enough here that it could render all of our hospitals unappealing for the population. It's probably better to have several hospitals in each state that are for Ebola patients, leaving the others for non-Ebola medical issues.

 

[Dani]

Re: Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

This seems like a good idea: Traveling Expert Ebola Team Set up by CDC for New Cases

Although, I know a team from the CDC mobilized to go to Texas even before Mr. Duncan's case was formally announced. I wonder which parts of this new group they were missing at that time? These people seem quite clinically oriented, so perhaps the team before was less so.

 

[AnnaLisa]

Re: Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

CNN reported that the 4 Ebola Centers have a total of 19 beds, but only 11 are expected to be functional. Apparently Omaha can't use most of its capacity. It seems to me that 11 beds is going to be a smidgeon short of what we need in the coming year? 19 isn't exactly adequate either.

 

[Dani]

Re: Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

CNN reported that the 4 Ebola Centers have a total of 19 beds, but only 11 are expected to be functional. Apparently Omaha can't use most of its capacity. It seems to me that 11 beds is going to be a smidgeon short of what we need in the coming year? 19 isn't exactly adequate either.

It doesn't seem like enough, especially if there is a cluster. Do you know why UNO can't use all its beds? Is it staffing? I believe Harborview in Seattle is offering to build a unit, too.

Definitely other hospitals are going to have to step up to the plate, but after the beating Texas Presbyterian has taken this week, it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't.

 

[AlaskaDenise]

Re: Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

.....11 beds is going to be a smidgeon short of what we need ....

Where is the study showing exactly what constitutes a "smidgeon" - is that a WHO, CDC, or DHSS term???

Since posters at FT are desirous of precise numbers, I think we need to nail down that term.



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[Dani]

Re: Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

Where is the study showing exactly what constitutes a "smidgeon" - is that a WHO, CDC, or DHSS term???

Since posters at FT are desirous of precise numbers, I think we need to nail down that term.



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"Smidgeon" is more than "a tick" and less than "a little bit", of course. My mom literally did cook that way, and a whole lot better than I do!

Like idiot, moron and imbecile- they used to have a clinical meaning corresponding to an actual IQ level. My great-great-great uncle was described as an idiot in the 1860 census, but only "insane" in 1870. I think he was just a smidgeon crazy.

 

[curiosity]

Re: Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

"Smidgeon" is more than "a tick" and less than "a little bit", of course. My mom literally did cook that way, and a whole lot better than I do!

Like idiot, moron and imbecile- they used to have a clinical meaning corresponding to an actual IQ level. My great-great-great uncle was described as an idiot in the 1860 census, but only "insane" in 1870. I think he was just a smidgeon crazy.

That's hilarious!

 

[AnnaLisa]

Re: Discussion: Is the CDC doing a good job controlling the Ebola outbreak?

I thought smidgeon would make people smile and it had that aura of understatement that is in vogue right now with the powers that be.