Even I would have been aware of ebola as a possibility if someone said he/she had come from Africa, and with symptoms even remotely like that. And I’m not a medical person. Ebola had been big news since the summer.

There is no excuse.

Because it was the first case of the disease in the US. Ever. Contrary to popular believe, not every front line medical center person in the country is paying close attention to emerging diseases in other countries.

I’ll note that the lady with Marburg was never diagnosed with it, throughout her illness and only found out many years later after she had recovered.

It is true, for the most part. Mostly because the Leftist Regime is what it is, evil. It all flows down hill from there. Everything can be routed back to the Original Source.

You might also ask, if experts sometimes have trouble spotting the signs, why so many people believe that Duncan of course knew Marthalene Williams had ebola, even if her parents didn’t know, the neighbors didn’t know, she did not have any of the classic signs of ebola except a fever, and the clinic to which she was brought told them she had malaria.

Note, also, that, although ebola CAN be difficult to recognize or diagnose (as I wrote: “not always easy to spot”), especially in early stages, and most particularly when the only symptom is a fever, it is not ALWAYS difficult to diagnose. Note also that medical personnel did in fact suspect that Salia might have ebola from his symptoms, because they did a blood test on him. It was the negative blood test that threw them off the trail and delayed his diagnosis.

In contrast, Duncan’s case was a no-brainer on his first visit. The hospital knew: had come from Africa, he had a “sharp” headache, his fever was 103 while being tested, and he had severe (8 on a scale of 1 to 10) abdominal pain. These are classic symptoms of ebola, and he should have been tested. Instead, it was not even considered as a possibility. There was no negative blood test to throw them off because there was not even a blood test given or contemplated.

If Duncan had merely had a fever, the situation would not have been as clearcut. Nor, by the way, did the doctors even for a moment suspect the possible differential diagnosis of malaria. Malaria is a reportable disease in the US, by the way.

Dallas Presbyterian was negligent.

Here in Omaha it is amazing how the news coverage has declined from the first case to the third.

Now back to reporting the weather (constantly), the daily shootings and the Cornhuskers.

This is somewhat of a rant and while both deaths are tragic and regrettable, I feel more annoyed by the 1st one.

Somewhat ironic as this doctor’s family will receive nothing but Tomas Duncan’s family will receive a nice payday in West Africa along with having a Foundation set up in memory of Mr. Duncan and managed by his nephew in the US.

I know some readers think Mr. Duncan was faultless in this tragedy. If the medical professionals that work with Ebola are not that keen on spotting the signs, why would you think a hospital intake person, would be able to spot the symptoms?

“The family of the only patient to die of Ebola in the US has received an undisclosed sum from the hospital that treated him, their lawyer has said. Officials at Texas Health Presbyterian have admitted their mistake when they sent Thomas Eric Duncan home despite his symptoms and travel history.”

“Lawyer Les Weisbrod said the sum was a “very good deal” and would provide for Duncan’s parents and his four children. A foundation in his name will also be set up to fight Ebola in West Africa.”

“The hospital settled with members of Duncan’s family for an undisclosed sum, as the Associated Press reported, and will also create a charitable organization in his name. The Los Angeles Times pointed out that “Texas caps malpractice awards for pain and suffering against a physician at $250,000 and damages against hospitals at $250,000 per hospital.”

So Mr. Duncan’s kids and parents will live lavishly in West Africa while the wife and children of US doctor will have to survive on whatever plans he had made for his family.
Somehow that doesn’t see equitable but then what do I know? In the end it is the taxpayer that gets it in the rump. The $600k medical expense for Mr. Duncan, the $500k payout to his family and the $$ cost to treat the 2 nurses that were infected will be paid by the working ants, not the grasshoppers nor those that lord it over us.
I know this sounds harsh to some of you but it is what I feel. It would have been nice if Mr. Duncan would have just stayed in Africa or if we would have simply closed our borders to those traveling from West Africa.

I don’t know if she is a government prop/mouthpiece or simply just an arrogant loudmouth. One thing I believe is certain is that she was never in close proximity to anyone with the ebola virus in Africa, no matter what anecdotes she spouts off. Thus, she was sure all along that she wouldn’t be testing positive. Also, she couldn’t admit to this because she would lose a lot of the “good person points” that go along with treating ebola victims in Africa.

An newspaper article from a couple days ago was headlined something to the effect of “Ebola-free nurse proves CDC is correct on quarantine” (I’ve already tossed it, so can’t find the exact wording).

The Almighty spared us a disaster, and the CDC takes the credit.

Even in Africa, studies indicate early treatment confers an advantage, although not a huge advantage. This was prior to any ebola patients coming here for treatment.

And no, I don’t think it’s too soon to at least begin to believe that early treatment counts, although of course the “n” for treatment in this country is very very small.

For example, of the people treated in the west, in Spain there were two priests flown there when they were already in dire straits and they died. The nurse, who was treated very early, lived.

In the US, Brantly and Writebol were very sick when they got here for treatment, and Duncan of course had gotten quite ill before he was admitted to the hospital. Duncan was the only patient who died in the US, until Salia (who also experienced a marked delay in diagnosis and treatment). So the death toll in Spain for people treated late was 100%. The death toll in the US for people treated late is 50%. And the death toll in the US and Spain for people treated early (or relatively early) is 0%. I would say the preliminary figures for treatment in the west indicate that early treatment could be very very important.

This is Nancy Writepol’s opinion about early treatment and its importance even in Africa:

When patients came into the isolation unit, they knew there was a great possibility they were coming here to die. And part of the reason why is that patients were coming to us so late. When you get sick, first it feels like you have malaria. You feel like you might have typhoid. And so people stayed at home until they were at the end of the disease. And so we had patients coming to us so sick, and too late, for the supportive care to really be of great benefit to them….

Early detection is the key to survival. And I think that’s why we are seeing more and more patients in Liberia surviving.