Monday, October 13, 2014

Why the Second US Ebola Infection Was Most Certainly Faulty Gear or a Breach in Protocol

I did not catch Eloba this weekend.

I am very sure of this because no one that I was around this weekend was carrying the virus. There is no magical way to catcht Ebola. You have to be near someone that has the virus and somehow come in contact with the virus contaminated material from the person that has the virus.

The protocol for dealing with someone who is known to carry the virus is to be completely covered in protective gear so that you can't get the virus. If someone is completely covered that person can be near an Ebola patient and the chances of that person catching Ebola is the same as mine was this weekend. Not going to happen. In other words, neither of us would be directly exposed to the virus.

The only way someone near an Ebola patient can catch the virus is if they are not wearing protective gear, through faulty protective gear or taking off protective gear in an improper manner. This is how the nurse in Dallas became infected. In other words, she wasn't completely protected from coming in contact with the virus--unless there is some magical way to catch it.

If suddenly there are a number of people across Dallas that did not have any contact with an Ebola patient but who become infected with Ebola, then that would be an indication that Ebola has mutated in some fashion and perhaps become airborne. That would be a major concern, but that is not the case at present. At present, those developing Ebola are in direct contact with those infected with the virus.

It is really quite stunning, therefore, that Rand Paul, a doctor, is suggesting otherwise. He said on the Glen Beck show:
It’s an incredibly transmissible disease that everyone is downplaying, saying it’s hard to catch. Well, we have physicians and health workers who are catching it who are completely gloved down and taking every precaution and they’re still getting it. So, yes, I’m very concerned about this.
By the manner Rand frames his point, he is really saying that it wasn't a case of faulty gear or protocol,that there is some other magical way to catch Ebola. This is quite frankly over the top and proves once again that nutty ideas travel much and can infect much easier than Ebola can.

-RW

1 comment:

  1. There's always the possibility that the protective gear and/or protocol for its use was not adequate for the mode of transmission of the pathogen. The large incidence of transmission to health professionals definitely suggests that this is not a one-off case of somebody being careless (fully knowing the danger... we're talking about somebody with training and knowledge here).

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