Quarantine health care workers who care for ebola patients for 21 days after exposure?

[uppityperson]

I am not asking if they should self monitor as that is a totally different thing, only should they be quarantined, whether voluntary or mandatory.

Should health care workers who care for ebola patients be quarantined for 21 days after exposure?

14 votes, 1 pass | Time left: Unlimited
	Yes
	3 (21%)
	No
	11 (79%)
	1 DU member did not wish to select any of the options provided.
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[FLPanhandle]

1. Only someone scared by Fox News would vote yes.

[seabeyond]

2. we would run out of medical staff, fast. what thinkin person can see the logistics to fruition.

and that is only the very basic issue with it. so many other problems with it.

would have to be ems, cops, janitors also.

[BillZBubb]

3. No.

They should, however, be asked to volunteer to be monitored for three weeks. Should they elect not to do that, they should be instructed on how to self monitor and told of things they should not be doing for a while to prevent risk to others.

[etherealtruth]

4. Not just no, but emphatically NO!

Definitely self monitor and report .... but for Pete's sake how or why would anyone take care of someone with ebola if they would be deprived of their rights for doing so ....?

[SheilaT]

5. Too bad you don't have a category

that says: Jesus Fucking Christ NO!

[KMOD]

6. +1 n/t

[etherealtruth]

7. Mayor Bill Deblasio just held an excellent press conference re ebola

(I watched on CNN)

Everyone should see/ hear his very informed presser .... those voting "yes" have a potential to better inform themselves on ebola and also make themselves more aware of the ethics associated with quarantine.

Deblasio's presser illustrates what each and every responsible politician should be saying and doing.

[TorchTheWitch]

8. neither

They should be monitored. They can take their own temps daily (or twice daily - however it's done) and report in with their digits but should be staying away from crowds, any kind of public trans, etc. until the most average period of infection is passed (that 8-10 days when pretty much all of the people we know of have begun to show symptoms. I don't think it's necessary for a full 21 days to be on general quasi-quarantine, and they should be paid for that time off. I think these workers need time to unwind for their own sakes anyway with the devastation they've seen up close and personal coupled with their long hours when they did the work.

i don't know that a full quarantine is necessary, and I find it a little nuts to be doing it somewhere other than their own home, however, they should be able to make the choice in where. If they do end up being infected themselves their homes are gone through including all their personal belongings with a lot of things thrown away due to the disinfection of their homes. I'd be horrified that every square inch of all my most personal things were being seen by strangers and having a lot of my things thrown out. Who has the money to replace all that, and can those things even be replaced? Have strangers go through my underwear drawer, my personal papers, etc. freaks me out so much I'd far rather do a quasi-quarantine somewhere other than my home. And I'd definitely want to if I shared my home with anyone else.

The problem with self-monitoring is what we've already seen. In just Dr. Spencer's case, every business he went to had to be disinfected just to appease customers and who knows how many people he came into contact with have to self-monitor, and they could absolutely lose their jobs over reactionary businesses and/or co-workers not wanting to be around them. And then there the unnecessary fear of having to be told you may have come in contact with an infected Ebola person and have to self-monitor for 3 weeks. Personally, I have enough emotional problems because of finances right now that should something like this land on my head I'd probably curl up in the fetal position in a fugue state.

Wouldn't it have been a hell of a lot more fair if Dr. Spencer while self-monitoring for possible symptoms was being monitored to make sure that he wasn't out in crowded places where unknown numbers of people that ended up having to self-monitor and also deal with the fear of ending up infected themselves however low the risk or possibly losing their jobs, etc. couldn't have happened? However much you personally think there is nothing at all to be afraid of if it were you being told by the CDC that you came into contact (not even direct contact) with someone that ended up being infected you'd more than likely suffer if not from stigmatizing by your boss, your family, your friends, your co-workers, etc. while there would still be the "devil" inside you wondering "what if?" That's just how humans are including you... we ALL have that little part of us that wonders the worst.

Why should these Ebola caregivers think of a quasi-quarantine as jail when they can look at it as a little vacation to emotionally and mentally and even physically unwind from the emotional/mental/physical strain they've just been through? Why can't they think of it as R&R just like our military personal is required to do at the end of tours or periodically during tours? The military recognizes the strain put on the personnel because of what they have to do and so provides mandatory time off for that purpose. Maybe we should have a special facility for these people to go to for their Ebola caregiver R&R.

The CDC is already having to spend too much time, and too much money having to track and monitor all the people that came into contact with those people who had contact with people when they became symptomatic, disinfecting their homes, etc. If Ebola caregivers just do say a two week R&R at a special facility when they arrive back here no one else will have to go through being monitored should those people be infected and deal with the emotional/mental/financial burden nor would the CDC have to waste the time and money having to track these people nor would business need to worry about any toll on their business having had an infected person in their business and go through disinfection and loss of customers.

Really, why would caregivers balk at paid mandatory R&R and not have to worry that if they become infected that their homes will be disinfected by strangers seeing their most personal things and have to suffer with a lot of their things being destroyed or their pets put into quarantine or possibly having infected their wife/husband/kids/lover/family, or anyone or even cause those people to worry about having been infected?

[scarystuffyo]

9. yes

[uppityperson]

14. All the hospital staff at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas needed to be quarantined?

All the hospital staff who took care of Mr Duncan, nurses, doctors, er staff, housekeeping, laboratory techs, radiology techs, iv tech, laundry people should have been quarantined for 21 days?

[scarystuffyo]

18. If it was direct contact with Mr Duncan , most of what you listed wasn't

[FLPanhandle]

19. How many of those in direct contact with Mr Duncan infect?

Oh, that's right...ZERO!

Even though they all continued to live their lives, spend time with their partners, and tend to other patients.

Those are the facts, alas, facts don't matter when the public is easily panicked.

[uppityperson]

20. nurses, doctors, er staff, housekeeping, laboratory techs, radiology techs, iv tech, laundry people

Which of those did not have direct contact?

Nurses : direct contact with patient
Doctors :direct contact with patient
ER staff :direct contact with patient
Housekeeping/Laundry : direct contact with viral laden linens and garbage
Lab techs : direct contact with his viral laden blood
Radiology techs : direct contact with patient
IV Tech : direct contact with patient

[scarystuffyo]

22. Are you sure you are thinking of me?

I never insulted you

[uppityperson]

23. oops, sorry, not you. my apologies, getting mixed up here. Will edit it out. No, we just disagree

but not nastily.

Which of those did not have direct contact?

Nurses : direct contact with patient
Doctors :direct contact with patient
ER staff :direct contact with patient
Housekeeping/Laundry : direct contact with viral laden linens and garbage
Lab techs : direct contact with his viral laden blood
Radiology techs : direct contact with patient
IV Tech : direct contact with patient

[scarystuffyo]

26. No big deal

well I would think that the regular house keepers didn't suit up and go into the room

The sheets and bio hazards were wrapped up securely and disposed by trained people

If it wasn't then it seems strange to tell house keepers to suit up and go clean infectious material in the room

The Lab tecs had the samples brought to them so I don't think they suited up and drew blood from Mr Duncan

The Radiology staff probably didn't have direct contact as in positioning him

They worked from a distance as most machines like that have separate rooms where they are turned on
so the staff isn't exposed to it every time.

[Logical]

27. LOL, and your poof is what? The two nurses who passed it to NO ONE??? nt

[Pathwalker]

10. Why not quarantine everyone who's so scared of being exposed?

Then, they will be safe from fear, but not the flu.

[CTyankee]

11. Doesn't it depend on whether they were exposed to VERY sick ebola patients?

As I understand it, the virus was at a very strong, concentrated stage when those in contact with the patient got exposed. That would seem to make a crucial difference in what we mean by "exposure to the virus."

I once got exposed to a person who caught a virus on a plane going over to northern Italy...I was on a tour and a few days after he arrived we were at dinner. I was seated next to him and he got suddenly quite sick and vomited. He covered his mouth with his napkin and pushed back in his chair. I am sure the viral particles in the air were thick with the virus at that particular point. Many of us on that trip were sick also and could really only treat the symptoms. It wasn't too pleasant...

[Vinca]

12. I'm not a doctor, so I don't want to suggest treatment. Politicians take note.

[LeftInTX]

13. What about the 70 HCWs in Dallas who were quarantined?

I object to the way Kaci is being been treated.

However, I didn't hear much about the nurses who were quarantined after working with Duncan. They were treated much better than Kaci. They got to stay in their homes, they were allowed to walk their dogs, they couldn't take public transportation etc. and with the exception of the cruise mess, I didn't hear much about them.

[Yo_Mama]

15. Depending on context, yes.

I would classify any worker having treated patients over in the most affected countries as needing quarantine.

In other contexts, it depends. If the contact was uncontrolled/not properly controlled, they should at least be removed from patient care. If they have to be removed from patient care, they should be offered a setting away from family/roommates.

The evidence is that the HCW treating Ebola patients in the highly equipped/highly trained settings are not at risk, so I wouldn't quarantine them.

[uppityperson]

17. why only those who treated people in Liberia, Siera Leone, Guiinea?

[AngryAmish]

16. Other: They should all go bowling.

[Logical]

28. Yes, if not feeling sick and have no fever, I agree. nt

[Generic Other]

21. Another era's answer

Mary Mallon (aka Typhoid Mary) was the most infamous patient at North Brother Island where she spent nearly three decades of her life. Despite being healthy, she was a carrier of the typhoid virus – and is believed to have been responsible for 43 infections and three deaths. From 1901-1907, she cooked for a number of families spreading Typhoid throughout N.Y. In 1907 she was quarantined, but was released in 1910 under the condition that she never again work as a cook. In 1915, an outbreak of typhoid fever was traced to a hospital cook: "Mrs. Brown." This turned out to be Mary Mallon cooking under an assumed name. She was immediately sent back to North Brother Island, where she was forced to remain for the rest of her life.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2094823/North-Brother-Island-Eerie-pictures-abandoned-New-York-leper-colony.html#ixzz1l9Bc2cVm

In this case, she was also asked to voluntarily curtail her activities. This is a very tough question to answer. Aren't they being quarantined in Africa? I thought I read that nurses weren't allowed to leave the facilities.

[Marrah_G]

24. Very different case and disease.

[Generic Other]

30. The quarantine facilites housed all sorts

Very creepy looking place.

[uppityperson]

25. Different disease, mode of transfer, situation.

"Aren't they being quarantined in Africa? I thought I read that nurses weren't allowed to leave the facilities."

What do you mean? The health care providers there are working, not restricted to being alone in quarantine.

[Generic Other]

31. I thought I read they were not being allowed to leave some hospitals

I recall reading this on DU. Perhaps I was wrong. At the time, I thought it must be hard on the medical staff to be prevented from leaving the hospitals.

[Logical]

29. Oh FFS. nt

[Generic Other]

32. "Oh FFS" yourself

Nice to see a civil and insightful comment from you rather than your usual lack of substance.

[Logical]

33. Sorry, sometimes I am just lazy. nt