Man misdiagnosed with Ebola goes blind after being sprayed with disinfectants

[Emily]

Sounds like this poor man has had chronic health problems for years that mimic ebola.

http://www.liberianobserver.com/news/%E2%80%98ebola-survivor%E2%80%99-goes-blind

?Ebola Survivor? Goes Blind
Wed, 09/24/2014 - 23:29 admin
-Wants Government, Others Intervene
By:
Marcus N. Malayea in Gbarnga Bong County
Fifty-six-year-old Washington Sumowah said he has lost his sight and sense of smell after being discharged from the Ebola treatment unit (ETU) within the compound of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Monrovia.

Mr. Sumowah was taken to the ETU on September 2, when he was suspected of suffering from the hemorrhagic fever and was discharged on September 6.

..

He narrated that at the ETU, he was profusely sprayed with a chemical he identified as chlorine, something he alleged might have been the cause of him losing his sight and sense of smell...

 

[Dani]

Re: Man misdiagnosed with Ebola goes blind after being sprayed with disinfectants

Sounds like this poor man has had chronic health problems for years that mimic ebola.

http://www.liberianobserver.com/news/%E2%80%98ebola-survivor%E2%80%99-goes-blind

Perhaps ulcerative colitis?
This is related to the secondary toll Ebola has taken in West Africa- many have died from other causes due to the collapse of the health care systems there, often due to entirely preventable conditions. I don't know if there is a way to assess that other than to guesstimate based on population figures once this is all over.

 

[Amish Country]

Re: Man misdiagnosed with Ebola goes blind after being sprayed with disinfectants

I was warned repeatedly. while I was working in a dairy, not to smell the iodine used to disinfect udders. That it would pertinently destroy my scene of smell.

 

[Emily]

Re: Man misdiagnosed with Ebola goes blind after being sprayed with disinfectants

Thanks for the warning, Amish. I don't find the smell of iodine unpleasant, but too much of anything can be harmful.

Chicken plant workers say chemicals sprayed on carcasses making them sick

A USDA inspector suffered health problems, too. Our water department had a chlorine accident near my house and I can personally testify that even that can be very caustic. Fortunately I was able to retreat inside until the air cleared.

Especially with ill patients, caution is needed with all chemical exposures (Allergic rhinitis is right at the top of the list):

Overview of Neuro-ophthalmologic and Cranial Nerve Disorders