North Texas Patient Tested for Ebola Virus

UNT90 · October 12, 2014

I will consider starting when we have 1 person that is actually infected on US soil.

Well, start considering.

Stupid, Xenophobic Dallas hospital employee.

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/local-news/20141012-health-care-worker-at-presbyterian-hospital-tests-positive-for-ebola.ece

keith · October 12, 2014

You can't get Ebola by touching someone either. Learn about what you're commenting about.

Well then I dare you to touch the sweaty skin of an infected Ebola patient and then rub your eye.

Here you go....

http://m.wsj.com/briefly/BL-263B-2175

KingDL1 · October 12, 2014

I want to know more about the potential to spread via sweat.

Ebola: How It Spreads

HOW DOES EBOLA SPREAD?

Through close contact with a symptomatic person's bodily fluids, such as blood, sweat, vomit, feces, urine, saliva or semen. Those fluids must have an entry point, like a cut or scrape or someone touching the nose, mouth or eyes with contaminated hands, or being splashed. That's why health care workers wear protective gloves and other equipment.

greenminer · October 13, 2014

Thanks King. Already knew that much. Here's some more specifics I found earlier today:

http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-what-we-know-about-how-ebola-spreads-2014-10

EDIT: looks like it is the same source as your ABC News article.

Only when someone is showing symptoms, which can start with vague symptoms including a fever, flu-like body aches and abdominal pain, and then vomiting and diarrhea

....

The World Health Organization says blood, feces and vomit are the most infectious fluids, while the virus is found in saliva mostly once patients are severely ill and the whole live virus has never been culled from sweat.

....

The CDC says bleach and other hospital disinfectants kill Ebola. Dried virus on surfaces survives only for several hours.

...

some snark in here, but another worthy read

You can't get Ebola from someone who is not already sick and showing symptoms. The virus only turns up in people's bodily fluids after a person starts to feel ill, and only then can they spread it to another person. So if you were sitting on a plane next to someone who had Ebola but wasn't yet showing symptoms or infectious, you would not get Ebola.

Edited October 13, 2014 by greenminer

KingDL1 · October 13, 2014

The CDC shows this.

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/transmission/

When an infection does occur in humans, the virus can be spread in several ways to others. Ebola is spread through direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes in, for example, the eyes, nose, or mouth) with

blood or body fluids (including but not limited to urine, saliva, sweat, feces, vomit, breast milk, and semen) of a person who is sick with Ebola

objects (like needles and syringes) that have been contaminated with the virus

infected animals

Ebola is not spread through the air or by water, or in general, by food. However, in Africa, Ebola may be spread as a result of handling bushmeat (wild animals hunted for food) and contact with infected bats. There is no evidence that mosquitos or other insects can transmit Ebola virus. Only mammals (for example, humans, bats, monkeys, and apes) have shown the ability to become infected with and spread Ebola virus.

The Times had an article that said the virus could live up to 24 hours in a dry state. The problem is there is tons we don't really know about this virus. The transmission that has happened among health workers is particularly worrisome. Who would want to count on that, or be that person that finds out say it can last 48 hours in a dry state if the humidity was 60 percent or better and the temp was not above 70 degrees.

I am glad they did not screw around this time cleaning the Nurse's apartment, area around her apartment and her car. Plus they said they would have her dog under observation.

FirefightnRick · October 13, 2014

Second patient is a TCU alumn.

Rick

Coffee and TV · October 13, 2014

KingDL1 · October 13, 2014

Smart

oldguystudent · October 13, 2014

Just to be up front about the matter, when the virus mutates to the point that the Ebola zombie apocalypse takes place, I have no qualms whatsoever about tripping each and every one of you in order to save myself.

KingDL1 · October 13, 2014

Just to be up front about the matter, when the virus mutates to the point that the Ebola zombie apocalypse takes place, I have no qualms whatsoever about tripping each and every one of you in order to save myself.

I been trying to get to the store to buy my Zombie ammo well just in case.

http://www.cabelas.com/category/Zombie-Ammo-Accessories/112218480.uts

keith · October 13, 2014

Second patient is a TCU alumn.
Rick

I thought the incubation period was 21 days until showing symptoms. I believe the first patient was admitted to the hospital on Sunday, Sept. 28 and the nurse started feeling ill and had preliminary tests on Oct 12 that came back positive. So, unless she also treated the same patient on his first visit, then she probably would have contracted the virus the very first day for a 14 day incubation period. If it wasn't until later than the incubation is a lot less than the 21 days we keep hearing about.

Army of Dad · October 13, 2014

I thought the incubation period was 21 days until showing symptoms. I believe the first patient was admitted to the hospital on Sunday, Sept. 28 and the nurse started feeling ill and had preliminary tests on Oct 12 that came back positive. So, unless she also treated the same patient on his first visit, then she probably would have contracted the virus the very first day for a 14 day incubation period. If it wasn't until later than the incubation is a lot less than the 21 days we keep hearing about.

I think it's a 7-21 day window. You may develop an infection before 21 days. 21 days after exposure and you are still asymptomatic and you are clear. Edited October 13, 2014 by Army of Dad

keith · October 13, 2014

I think it's a 7-21 day window. You may develop an infection before 21 days. 21 days after exposure and you are still asymptomatic and you are clear.

Gotcha...that makes more sense.

Cerebus · October 13, 2014

Really with the way this season is going at this point I'm cheering FOR Ebola.

UNT90 · October 13, 2014

That guy looks like a Xenophobe to me.

UNT90 · October 13, 2014

I thought the incubation period was 21 days until showing symptoms. I believe the first patient was admitted to the hospital on Sunday, Sept. 28 and the nurse started feeling ill and had preliminary tests on Oct 12 that came back positive. So, unless she also treated the same patient on his first visit, then she probably would have contracted the virus the very first day for a 14 day incubation period. If it wasn't until later than the incubation is a lot less than the 21 days we keep hearing about.

Any doctor worth his salt will tell you there are very few absolutes in medicine.

Cerebus · October 14, 2014

This should point out how the disease is variably contagious depending on symptoms. 20+ family were in close contact with him when he already was showing serious signs of the disease, and none of them are infected. This is despite the fact that they had absolutely no protections.

However this nurse, who was wearing the full robot greggo hazmat uniform, had to come into extensive contact with his fluids when he was in very late stages and still managed to become infected.

KingDL1 · October 14, 2014

This should point out how the disease is variably contagious depending on symptoms. 20+ family were in close contact with him when he already was showing serious signs of the disease, and none of them are infected. This is despite the fact that they had absolutely no protections.

However this nurse, who was wearing the full robot greggo hazmat uniform, had to come into extensive contact with his fluids when he was in very late stages and still managed to become infected.

The family is not out of the woods yet, they have until at least this coming Sunday or Monday and if you count when the Apartment was finally cleaned you are up to the the following Friday.

I don't believe the health care professionals at Phresby were in full hazmat uniforms at all. But several organizations are calling for full a full hazmat uniform with respirator and treat Ebola as if it were airborne when caring for patients. Just my understanding.

Coffee and TV · October 14, 2014

The Ft Worth doc that contracted it in Africa & beat it gave a blood transfusion to the nurse. #Science

Green P1 · October 15, 2014

:ph34r:

greenminer · October 15, 2014

How soon after infection can tests detect the presence of the virus? I thought this 21 day incubation period was only a matter of how much time before the symptoms manifest themselves.

Edited October 15, 2014 by greenminer

Army of Dad · October 15, 2014

How soon after infection can tests detect the presence of the virus? I thought this 21 day incubation period was only a matter of how much time before the symptoms manifest themselves.

A person infected with Ebola can’t spread the

disease until symptoms appear

The time from exposure to when signs or symptoms of the disease appear

(the incubation period) is 2 to 21 days, but the average time is 8 to 10 days.

Signs of Ebola include fever (higher than 101.5°F) and symptoms like severe

headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, or unexplained

bleeding or bruising. (source: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/pdf/what-need-to-know-ebola.pdf)

Diagnosing Ebola in an person who has been infected for only a few days is difficult, because the early symptoms, such as fever, are nonspecific to Ebola infection and are seen often in patients with more commonly occurring diseases, such as malaria and typhoid fever. (source: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/diagnosis/index.html)

They go onto list specific tests that are available for use. So, only after the onset of symptoms can they test you for Ebola. I said something earlier about a 7-21 day window. Looks like I was wrong, it's 2-21 days.

UNT90 · October 15, 2014

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/ebola-texas-second-health-care-worker-tests-positive-n226161

Stupid, Xenophobic second health care worker.

Add this to the fact that the 1st health care worker's boyfriend is also under observation, and this is getting a bit scary.

The good thing is that these people are self reporting immediately upon becoming symptomatic, and after an initial unbelievably slow response/recognition of the potential problem (they were probably worried about being labeled as xenophobic), the CDC and local authorities now appear to be on the same page and the appropriate things appear to be happening immediately upon recognition of new cases.

I think we all will feel better after we go 4 weeks with no new cases.

Edited October 15, 2014 by UNT90

FirefightnRick · October 15, 2014

I thought that plastic-faced grand stander Clay Jenkins was going to physically shove the head of Presbyterian off the microphone during their 7 o'clock press conference this morning.

Rick

Army of Dad · October 15, 2014

I thought that plastic-faced grand stander Clay Jenkins was going to physically shove the head of Presbyterian off the microphone during their 7 o'clock press conference this morning.
Rick

Partial list of worlds most dangerous places (in no particular order)

1. Between mother bear and her cub

2. Polar ice cap

3. Swimming next to a seal colony

4. Between a politician and a tv camera

5. On a low lying barrier island with a Cat 5 hurricane bearing down