So a few months ago the country was enthralled with the idea of a few patients, infected with the Ebola virus, coming to the United States. Up until this point, we had been safe from Ebola due to the fact that bats can’t fly over the Atlantic. Some people were completely indifferent, while others had seen Outbreak one too many times. Most were a healthy mix, somewhere in between, but what bothered me the most was both the lack of education and the poor information that was spreading more virulently than the virus could ever hope to.
First, I want to stress that I am a nurse, not a virologist, and hopefully throughout my post you will see that I am not pretending to be one. I have a Bachelor’s in Nursing and am currently a graduate student. I have worked extensively with Infectious Disease Specialists. I have been exposed to almost every infectious disease known to the modern world. I have taken courses in Biology, Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology, Pathophysiology, Advanced Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, and an assortment of others. However, I am not and will not pretend to be an expert, just an experienced professional. When it comes to an epidemic of any sort, my first focus is on the patient, protecting and healing them, my second focus is on protecting the community. I don’t care about which strain does what, or what we can do with in lab. As a nurse, I concern myself with the current patient and future possible patients. I feel the first thing we should examine is Ebola itself. It is foreign to the US, both literally and figuratively. What it does to people and how it harmonizes with nature are both things that most westerners have little concept of. It is a virus, not a bacteria. This means that it is not its own organism. It is actually much smaller and basic than you can imagine. It is nothing more than a few pieces of DNA/RNA and some proteins. No cell wall, no cytoplasm, no metabolic functions. This is both their advantage and their downfall. Viruses require a host. For this example I will use the HIV virus. HIV gets into the human body and invades the host’s white blood cells, T4 cells to be exact but I won’t get that involved. The proteins help get the virus into the cell and those few small sequences of DNA/RNA write themselves into the host DNA/RNA. Now instead of the white blood cell attacking invaders, it is nothing more than an HIV factory. All of its metabolic functions are redirected at producing more of the virus, which pours out of the white blood cell like a sieve until eventually the host cell dies. This is why HIV infected patients have poor immune systems. The virus re-writes the DNA of the host cells. This is not something we can stop. New viruses are pouring out of the white blood cells at a rate of millions a day. We cannot filter them out. We cannot “kill” a little chunk of DNA and we don’t know enough about the human genome to correct the DNA sequences. This is why a lot of viral infections like HIV, Herpes, and Hepatitis are life long infections. HIV invades the white blood cells, Herpes invade the nerve roots, and Hepatitis invades the liver.
Now that we have a better grasp of viruses, we will focus on Ebola a bit more. In tropical Africa, Ebola naturally lives in bats. It is nice to the bats and doesn’t cause them many issues. It is rumored that there are many viruses humans carry our entire lives and have no idea because they show zero symptoms. Therefore, they have never been studied. If this sounds crazy, just remember that it was in recent years the we discovered there was a virus behind cervical cancer. A virus that men can carry and spread without ever knowing they have it. Where the problem arises is that in tropical Africa, people like to eat bats. Sometimes they get infected with Ebola and it spreads. This process is called Zoonosis and can be true of bacteria or viruses. Racoons carry Rabies, Armadillos carry Leprosy, Birds carry the Flu, Bats carry Ebola.
When I said Westerners don’t really understand Ebola, the primary aspect that I am talking about is the patient. We don’t ever see what Ebola does. Our media is too censored, we hear how many died, and see people in haz-mat suits. Speaking of suits, we’ve all seen the pictures. Rubber gloves are adequate for AIDS and hepatitis, a simple mask (N95) stops Tuberculosis, but this requires space suits, just keep that in mind when you think its no big deal. So here is what happens when you catch Ebola, I figure you’re getting bored with reading right about now, so I’ll spice it up. First the virus gets into your system, I’ll elaborate on that later. Then, it hangs out for a few days, even up to 21, growing, multiplying at a rate of millions a day, and guess what, you’re infectious. Now at this point it would pretty much require a straight blood to blood interaction so the only real threat here is for IV drug users who share needles. Just like with the flu or hand foot and mouth disease, you can be spreading it to others before you show a symptom*(apparently not many see the *, so please read the elaboration at the bottom). Remember, nurse mind set, protect the community. At first it’s not bad, little nausea, some sweating, diarrhea, much like a stomach bug. But then the virus really starts to build up in your liver and adrenal glands, after it has saturated your blood cells, the lining of your vessel, your skin, and bones. Hepatocellular necrosis occurs, which is fancy term for your liver starts to decompose.Your liver is what regulates blood clotting. This causes your blood either clot up and turn to jelly in your veins, stay liquid and bleed profusely, or a combo of both. The adrenal glands then do the same, causing your blood pressure to drop. This requires lots of IV fluids to keep your circulating volume up. At the same time inflammatory cytokines are released which causes vascular leakage. Cells don’t do a good job of holding things together so it all becomes a bloody goop. Anywhere in your body that blood vessels are shallow, like your nose, ears, gums, throat, GI tract, urethra, vagina, rectum, all start oozing fluids and bleeding because the tissues that normally keep it contained are disintegrating. So now you bleed from every orifice, including your eyeballs. Every time someone or something touches you, your tissue gets damaged which further the cycle, so a shot in the arm can turn into a massive blood blister. Those who survive are left with massive scarring. Since the adrenals cannot keep your blood pressure up, and you are losing blood and fluids, we have to put IV fluids in to keep you out of hypovolemic shock. This in turn reduces your blood concentration, lowering your oxygen carrying capacity, which causes your heart to race. So you lay in bed, oozing fluids from everywhere, all while feeling like you just ran a marathon, with bloody diarrhea, oh and did I mention pain? Lots and lots of pain, but you can’t have any pain medicine because your liver and kidneys have failed. This why it pains me when I see this outbreak ONLY has a 50% death rate, when in Africa it is up to 90%…ONLY 50%. That is literally worse than cancer, and people are blowing it off. Imagine if cancer was infectious, and you lived in a country with zero cancer, and someone thought it would be a good idea to fly a few people in. I think there would be a different attitude.
The biggest part of the discussion is how Ebola is spread. I will say two things on the topic, no, it is not airborne, and yes, basic hygiene plays a HUGE factor. But while on the topic of whether it is or is not airborne, the definition of an airborne contagion is one that can freely float in the air, survive lengths of time, and infect someone else. VERY few things fit in this category, most have been eradicated, Small Pox, Tuberculosis, Measles. Things that are also NOT airborne, are the flu and the cold. For the flu, you have to come into direct contact with the patients body fluids. How then, do you explain why people catch it and have no idea how. Well for one, people can spread it before they show symptoms, just like Ebola, and one other HUGE factor…droplets….let that word really sink in. The virus may not be airborne, but the droplets are. I’m going to digress for a second and get back to HIV and Hepatitis, while I let droplets dwell in your mind. Everyone knows that HIV and Hepatitis are spread by blood contact, and sexual fluids, I don’t mean a drop of blood on the skin, or even a mucous membrane, it has to get INSIDE of you. This is why only gloves are required. HIV and Hepatitis are not found in urine, stool (Some forms of hepatitis are, but you have to eat the stool to get infected) saliva, sweat, tears, or mucous. This is where some viruses are different. The flu gets into your mucous and other secretions, Ebola tends to stay in the blood, but remember, every one of your bodily fluids are full of blood now. So a person with the flu sneezes, and now millions of little droplets (remember those guys?) shoot out of their nose at nearly mach 1, all across the room, same for a cough, all it takes is a little microscopic droplet to land in your eye, nose, mouth, or the unlikely scenario of an open wound, and you’ve now been infected, because you came in CONTACT with their bodily fluids. I see the word contact thrown around a lot, but most people think of mass amounts of contact with blood, but what they don’t realize is that contact also includes microscopic mucous and saliva droplets, each one chock full of Ebola. Bacteria can survive for long periods of time without a host because they are their own organism. They can feed on just about anything and be happy. Viruses lifespan without a host is much shorter. Their goal is to infect, replicate, and spread, if they cant replicate, they die. Measles only lives 2 hours. But Ebola, depending on what data you look at, can survive for several days.
So with all this information, lets have some role play, so that you can see exactly what this means, to a nurse, in the real world. Imagine it as a cheesy PSA or lifetime movie. You go to see your doctor because its that time of year, you need some blood drawn and refills of your blood pressure med. You sit patiently in the waiting room, thumbing a magazine while your 2-year-old plays with her toys. Like all two year olds, she touches everything, and everything goes in her mouth, toys, pens, her own fingers. She is a 22 lb drool factory and you love her to pieces. You see the doctor, get your goodies, and go home. A week later your angel starts vomiting blood and within 3 days she dies because her heart raced so fast it finally gave up while trying to maintain a blood pressure. Her eyes are blood red and demonic, her skin falls off in sheets. What you don’t know is that 3 days before your visit, someone thought they had the flu. It is October you see and they sneezed while thumbing through that very same magazine you thumbed through. The same thumb you grabbed her pacifier out of your purse with in the waiting room. The people caring for Ebola patients wear space suits, and burn the bodies, yet it still spreads. Here in America, we have much better protocols, and much better hygiene. So if it spreads, it will be contained much better. Still, it spreads prior to symptoms and survives will outside the body, just like the flu. Despite vaccines and good hand washing, thousands still get the flu every year. But while the flu kills 1-2% of its victims, Ebola kills 50% on a good day, and spreads the same way. So please, do not write it off as hype. It is a real thing and it is here.
The case in Dallas has been confirmed. The patient had contact with five children and adolescents prior to admission. Those five kids attend four of the largest schools in Dallas. One sneeze and we could already have thousands of people, who don’t know it yet, infected.
Thank you for reading. Please feel free to comment.
Symptoms* I have had a lot of comments in regards to this. I picked my words carefully, but I never imagined getting thousands of views an hour, or my article getting picked apart, but I will try to elaborate now. I said spread, the virus, I did not say you were contagious. What I meant by this, was the summation of two concepts. To fully explain everything I could write a book, but this is meant to be short and sweet. The first concept is that of a fomite. We have established that the virus can survive for an unspecified amount of time outside the host, and we have established that sneezing/coughing is a perfectly logical method of transmission. So if patient A is infectious/contagious, they sneeze on patient B, but then patient B goes home and picks up their sisters 1 6 month old, who rubs his face, and licks all over your shoulder, he could very well have just orally consumed large quantities of the virus, therefore become patient C. Patient B never got sick, the virus never entered their system, yet they are responsible for spreading the virus to someone else. This is why the 5 exposed kids are so important, there may only be a 2% chance or whatever that they’ll get sick, but if they went to school, and each rubbed up against 500 kids in the hallways, you now have 2500 exposed kids, 50 of which will statistically become infected, 25 of which will probably die. No I do not have a source for the 2%, that is just an EXAMPLE number used to represent the relatively low likelihood of contracting the virus if exposed, granted the R0 factor of R2 is correct. Remember, heal the patient, PROTECT the community. The second concept of this is defining “symptom”. Lets assume it means anything other than your baseline condition. That means the first signs of being contagious, are also the more mild symptoms, sneezy, achy, nausea, flu-like symptoms. So who is going to wake up, feel a little under the weather, and think, crap, I have Ebola, better get quarantined, no, THAT’S how you start fear mongering and mass panic. Again, flu season is upon us, the initial stages of Ebola are like the flu, and its human nature to be in denial, so many people, if infected, would hope its just the flu and wait it out, they are not showing symptoms indicative of Ebola, but they ARE symptomatic of something, and therefore, by the CDC definition, would be contagious. Its also normal procedure for people to be symptomatic BEFORE seeking medical care, so technically, everyone will be contagious, BEFORE knowing they have Ebola. But like I said before, I omitted this lengthy explanation because I didn’t feel it was necessary for the point of the article.
ADDENDUM: Sadly, I feel the need to point out that the title of this blog is “Ebola, A Nurse’s Perspective”, not “A Nurse’s Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse”, or “How to Become an Ebola Expert in 15 minutes”. It could just as well be “Hamburgers, A Chef’s Perspective” and no one would be hounding me over grammar, a misplaced comma, or wanting citations as to why I say it should be on the grill 5 minutes per side of 7 minutes per side. The point is those things are irrelevant to the goal of the article, this is MY perspective (a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.) I don’t have to prove anything, the point of my article is to take what the uneducated (in a medical sense) journalists say, what the talking heads on TV say, and then let you know what the people say who are on the front lines. That’s like discrediting your grandads account of what happened when he stormed Normandy beach, because its not what your history teacher told you. Have I experienced Ebola first hand? Nope, have I experienced a WHOLE lot of other things that the majority of the population has not? You bet your ass I have, and I felt the need to take the time to hopefully help other people out a little. So please keep that in mind, I’m not perfect, but my experiences are my experiences, and I wanted to share them with you, to let you inside the head of a nurse for a minute.
dtolar 
Thank you for this article.
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A good attempt to clarify but riddled with misleading statements surely to be misinterpreted. P.S. – virus names should not be capitalized.
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Only a pompous ass like yourself would belittle what was read here. You must be one of those douche bags who think our government is doing a better job, right?
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I don’t intend to sound snarky, but what are the “misleading statements” to which you refer? That would be useful information.
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I have heard that colloidal silver helps. also, gotu kola. What are your thoughts on that??
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Thank you for this information. This is so much more than anything we have heard on the news. What can we do in the community to help stop this outbreak? Will hand washing and rigorous disinfection procedures help slow the spread?
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well written
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Yikes. A lot of angry feedback. I’d love to get into their psyche. I thought your article was thought provoking.
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Some people prefer the angry critical response in general, but I suspect in this case it’s a measure of the fear/panic people are allowing themselves to experience. Anger, disparagement, criticism, are great defense mechanisms against fear. Of course, such responses don’t do anything to help solve the problem. It take courage to put oneself out there. And maybe a bit of fear to get one started.
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I am SO grateful for people like yourself who care enough about the uneducated populous (at least in the area of health care) to share this important information. It makes me more conscious of my own behaviors. Too many times have I gone to work or some other public place knowing I was symptomatic. How selfish. Thanks again.
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Thank you so much .cause its more then I knew about it,before I read it.I didn’t even know where it came from now I know.
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This “perspective”of yours is based on absolute ignorance of how Ebola is transmitted, please do some research before publishing articles of this sort. As a nurse you should know better than spread unsubstantiated claims. You are misinformed and better speak to a real expert before writing such bs again please.
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You claim that they have got Ebola all wrong, but don’t back your own statement with credentials. My question to you would be what makes her wrong and why?
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Right, because the experts have been spot on so far…That is sarcasm if you didn’t recognize it!
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Kudos to this article. Allow me to share some inputs —
For one not to get infected , be sure not to allow the virus to enter your body . —- Boost your immune system- nutritious food , enough rest and sleep , stay vigilant and be informed . Avoid being panicky . Panic adds to stress and clouds the mind . Stress weakens the immune system too. . Improve Hygiene . Observe some manners and be mindful of others Eg. When coughing/ Sneezing ?cover your mouth . Observe frequent proper hand wash even if being branded as OC ( Obsessive Compulsive ) just for the Ebola Year . Take caution with people with cough and colds but do not be too obvious you dreaded them . keep your cool . …
When i was a nursing trainee and assigned at the infectious diseases ward , everytime i come home, i utilized several initiatives so as to observe safety for everyone staying at the house. .
Initiatives :
1.) Before entering my home , i wash my face, neck , arms , skin areas exposed with stand by anti bacterial soap and garden hose to rinse .
2.) I remind myself to enter the back door , passing the dirty kitchen and change my working clothes to house clothes My used hospital clothes are immediately soak with disinfectant soap .Then i do a final hand wash like as if i am about to enter the operating room. .
3.) i do not let my working shoes get inside the house , i have my colorful house slippers waiting at the doorstep. Of course, my working shoes are left outside ,
Of course, diffrent strokes for different folks. The point is– each person/ family must have the initiative for their own safety measures and prevention and ride the change with fun and humor at it. Afterall laughter is therapeutic and possibly keeps ebola away 🙂 God bless everyone and pray .
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Thank you.
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So much of what this nurse has shared with the public is truly just common sense. She is educated and informed. She has shared her educated opinion with us in a manner that we can understand. Unfortunately, our government doesn’t do that for us. I understand that panic is a real concern but I also believe that to downplay a potentially global epidemic is equal to just plain murder. I believe that most people would choose to be educated and informed truthfully. Imagine just being told that you have cancer but that we haven’t figured out yet exactly what treatment we need to go forward with. We will confer and will see you in a month. One month later…we’re sorry but you’re cancer has spread and is untreatable. This is exactly how I think the Ebola is being handled by the “people in charge”. If the cancer patients treatment was addressed immediately and truthfully, the fear is still present but just knowing that the doc is on top things brings some comfort. Our “people in charge” are not on top of things and are not being truthful. We are not a stupid people. We want to know the truth. We want to be informed. The unknown is much scarier then the truth. I am so sick of the politics I could puke. What has happened to by the people, of the people, for the people? We have control of nothing. Why can’t “the people in charge” share with the American public what this nurse has shared. Who cares if all of her t’s are not crossed. She has given us more information, scary or not, than “the people in charge” have. Thank you for that Miss Nurse…Mr. Nurse.
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Thanks for help educate to some degree and your views on Ebola while the media scares others with their tactics generally offering no info or prevention in the matter. we must make awareness I believe and that is where it starts. Just the other day I caught myself wiping off my handle on cart at grocery store with wipes provided thinking I need to take all preventatives and yes I agree hygiene and being clean is definitely a good measure but i am now more cautious about public places more so than ever these days.
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Thank you for writing this. I don’t know how anyone can criticize it — it’s the clearest, direct, most commonsensical thing about Ebola I’ve read all week. God bless.
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Thank you so much for taking the time to give us your perspective. An educated society can protect itself. Ignorance is dangerous. The inability to hear another’s point of view is beyond ignorant, it is infantile. Not unlike the child throwing a tantrum because they can’t have their way.
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I have been having this same thought process; I am also a nurse. I have been searching for information regarding how long it lives on surfaces and what it’s susceptibility is outside it’s host regarding disinfection techniques. The lack of availability of an actual scientific profile of the basic things we know regarding other viruses leads simultaneously to fear mongering and complacency so thank you for trying to pull together all the incomplete information in a practical manner. Also, it seems that we are missing something about its transmission if like you mention other “contact precaution” conditions such as C.Diff and MRSA (which I know aren’t viruses) can be protected against via gown and gloves while Ebola requires full negative pressure hazmat suits. Also, where are the numbers regarding the percentage of people who actually contract Ebola when exposed? I agree that it’s both false to inflate or minimize the risk in the United States based on incomplete information, if the numbers and scientific profiles are available then we need them widely published, if they are not we need to get on the ASAP. The one thing we do know is that just because it’s not rampant here in the United States at this very moment doesn’t make the tragedy and horror of the virus any less for Africa, the individuals who have contracted it or been exposed to it. Would you mind posting links to the viral information you found? I’ve been searching everywhere for the info of how long it lives on surfaces which you state is a couple days? Did you find anything regarding effective disinfection measures of surfaces and/or human skin? Thanks!
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I learned a tremendous amount of information from your nurses perspective and your training and experience, so thank you very much for sharing with the uninformed such as myself. I have one important question, can your pets become infected ( we have a poodle puppy almost 11 months old ) and if so, can they spread the virus to humans ?? THNX for taking the time in advance if you can shed some light my way concerning this also uninformed information !!!
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West African: I don’t know why you felt the need to criticize this nurse for trying to educate the public. I assure you she is educated and is not spreading “bs”. Fear doesn’t help solve the problem. Ignorance may be bliss….but in this case may be a death sentence. Thank you for sharing this article and attempting to increase awareness concerning this public health nightmare. Kudos!
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“There’s something out there waiting for us… and it ain’t no man. We’re all gonna die.”
–“Billy” in Commando (1985)
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WELL, WELL, WELL said. Ebola has been around / in the NEWS since at least the 80s, and has been at our doors several time, and still we are ‘assisting tolerating its ‘accidental’ entry into our USofA and Europe due a to a lack of sound logic (travel rules, quarantines and immediate action in the case of a country/ regional outbreak of such events.
With your permission I would like to send this on to the WHO. Again WELL, WELL, WELL said
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I see this as a great opportunity for the drug manufacturers to develop a vaccine and sell it to the populace at a huge profit to the stockholders.
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I just watched a video about beta glucan and making sure the immune system is prepared for something like this. If any of you are interested in a well researched beta glucan product, you should look here – https://realandnourishing.buyygy.com/90forLifeStore/en/rvb300-beta-1-3-d-glucan-resveratrol-mix
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Uuuuuuummmm, bats have still not flown over the Atlantic….Jesus and you are supposedly technically trained and working on people in a hospital.
?
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Really? Sarcasm you jagaloon
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Not knowing if bats have flown over the atlantic makes her unqualified to take care of patients in a hospital? I think this letter was very well written, and informative, and makes her more than qualified as a Registered Nurse, in fact, more educated than most. Get a life douche canoe.
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The infected doctor should never have been brought back to the U.S. for treatment, but instead, should have been brought to Guantanemo or another off shore location. similar to what has been done in the past i.e. leprosy colonies, TB, etc. Never. First, and last mistake here!! I also do not think that cutting the CDC funding has anything to do with this error. Blame game.
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Thank you for this. Ignore the negativity. Some people are terrified of this and show their fear through criticism. Others are so close minded that they read the article as if proof reading a book versus reading it for its purpose. Oops, I already made a mistake in punctuation. Make way for hateful comments. Point is, thank you for taking the time to explain all of this to the community. I currently have a two year degree and am working on getting my bachelors degree in Nursing as well. Your article gave me new perspective on the spread of Ebola.
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well said. At least now i know a little more than i did yesterday about the deadly Virus. I hoe it never gets to my country and something is created in the labs to help to fight this deadly disease that seems to want to take over. Then again God said in his word that plagues and diseases in the Last Days will happen and …. they will bring upon us sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy so…..I can just keep faith that man will try to find a cure and if not a cure something that will help to revive the people with the Ebola. Informative article …I have copied and will print and distribute to my students so that they become aware of this Ebola. Thanks again Nurse
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Thank you for writing this. I have some thoughts on a conspiracy theory as to why this might have happened. If you are interested in my original thoughts on this. read it here: http://primereport.wordpress.com/2014/10/17/my-ebola-vaccine-conspiracy-theory/
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From one nurse to another, thank u for writing this. We (nurses) are exposed to everything (I was exposed to HIV and Hep C)..thankfully all blood tests came back negative. The medical people on the front line of caring for these patients are to be commended, not bashed. God Bless you.
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I was glad to read more on ebola. At least this nurse is trying to help the public to stay safe and well… More than anyone else is doing….Thanks.
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Thank you. Excellent perspective, well written.
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Thank you for the well thought out & well intentioned information. I appreciate that you’ve taken the time to explain this in such a way that a layman could understand. Thank you also for the work you do. God bless you and your coworkers. Be safe and keep up the good work
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Thank you for writing this.
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Thanks.
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I just wanted to thank you for writing this, since it sounds like you’re getting a lot of criticism. To those criticizing: There is a lot of information about ebola online. About what to do to prepare. About alternatives for fighting it. This is one perspective. Read more and educate yourself – you are the only one who can protect yourself and your family. Stop expecting everyone else to save you.
To the author: Thank you for covering a couple of things that most news organizations aren’t discussing – first, the concept of “airborne” and how droplets may be spread. And the second issue, which I haven’t seen anyone mention, of how someone may spread the illness without actually becoming sick – if the microscopic fluids are on you and someone else picks it up that way.
It’s unfortunate that we have to worry about “panic” by speaking the truth. And the only reason we have to worry about panic is because most people are incapable of being able to take care of themselves. We are expecting to be cared for should we get sick with this or anything else, and most people are in a doctor’s office in a second with the slightest sniffle, these days. This article is yet another reminder to me, to keep myself and my family out of doctor’s offices and hospitals, and to prepare ourselves should the best choice be to self-quarantine.
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Thank you kindly for your article on Ebola. I never knew the source was from bats or the destruction it causes in the human body. Thanks for clarifying how Ebola spreads. It seems so unreal that patients are being flown around the country with the possibility of spreading more germs. Why are we sending military personnel to Africa to expose themselves to the germ? This sounds like a battle that has no end. May God help all of us.
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Thank you for posting this information. I follow the news, read articles on Facebook about Ebola and this one by far is the most informative. I had no idea how serious the symptoms were once someone starts showing them. This article was very thought provoking and has made me reconsider some of my daily routine. As for those who correct any grammar or nitpick or correct your nursing information, ignore them. They obviously have nothing better to do than to do those things and should focus on the big picture of trying to help stop this possible epidemic. Thank you again for posting this great information.
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Nurses like this are beautiful people
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Thank you for sharing your very detailed and intuitive perspective.
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I appreciate your article. It included much more informative information than I have heard or read thus far.
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Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective regarding a critical issue for our time. Well said and thank you for using plain English and facts.
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I am also a healthcare professional with direct patient contact. I have over 20 years experience and I agree with the majority of this article. I too have been exposed to MRSA, acinetobacter, c-diff, TB, Hep-C, shingles, HIV ( yes, that IS capitalized “concerned”, you ignoramus), etc. etc. I have NEVER thought to refuse to care for a patient based on his diagnosis…until now. This virus scares me, and rightfully so! Think about it people: 50% mortality rate!! You may as well flip a coin. Contrary to what the media is leading you to believe, most hospitals are NOT prepared to deal with a hemorrhagic virus like Ebola. Your standard “contact precautions” does not take projectile (contagious) vomiting and diarrhea into account.
So to those of you who are commenting that this nurse is giving “misleading information” and instilling fear where there is none: GET REAL! Educate yourselves before making your stupid comments.
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To Realist: Right there with you, girl.
The writer took the time to write a clear and descriptive article of how ANY transmissible disease can spread. Great article to clarify the terms and how a thoughtful response should look.
For those screaming Political coverup! Fear mongering!, i invite you to educate yourself – We healthcare providers have been responding to a laundry list of bad crap that can kill you for decades. This article and the ensuing discussion is the first nongovernmental, unbiased information that I have seen. In all sincerity, I say – Shut Up and listen to what we’re telling you.
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Thank you for an informative and readable article. It puts things into perspective. I hope you keep informing us.
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Thank you for this information. .a lot of ppl need to read this bcuz our wonderful gov’t like always sweep things under the rug and make things look like its just a minor issue.. this Ebola(yes i capitalized it) is dangerous and shouldn’t be taken lightly..thank you for helping us who dont criticizes grammer when the bigger picture is the f’n disease😀😁😁
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Dear Nurse: Thank you so much for this explicit information. We need the truth that our governments and media will not give us. Knowledge sets us free, no panic necessary. Jutta Fulford
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Thank you for the wake up call. It is time to stop worrying about being politically correct and start thinking how this thing could play out if we fail to stop this horror. No advanced society could withstand an ebola epidemic.. If it comes to that, we could find ourselves looking like Europe in the aftermath of the black death and take centuries to recover.
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Reblogged this on Sara Sally Davis and commented:
This is the best explanation of Ebola transmission I’ve read. It’s not sensationalistic, not fear-mongering at all. It is something we need to think about.
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I’m with you. I’ve been an HIV nurse since 1996. I don’t think we should be afraid of these diseases or stgmatize those who have them, but we should certainly be respectful of the diseases and follow appropriate protocols to protect ourselves, and our communities. We need to stay calm and level headed.
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Great article, very informative, and well written. I work in Family Practice, so, I appreciate any information from a reliable source, such as yourself.
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