Monday, October 13, 2014
C.D.C. Will Offer More Ebola Training to Health Care Workers
As a response to the most recent diagnosis of Ebola (one of the nurses of the Dallas Ebola patient), the C.D.C. is taking steps to implement training and protocols for health care workers dealing with the disease. They are pressing to be sure that all health care workers know exactly what steps to take if an outbreak were to occur and a patient would wind up in their hospital, regardless of whether or not the patient would be transferred else where. American's are expecting health care workers to treat infected patients without any medical breaches. I'm glad that they're getting the proper training and equipment in order to handle the disease safely.
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I think it's crucial that all hospitals know how to care for and handle such extreme situations. Although Ebola is not common in the U.S., that does not mean that it won't be, or that hospitals should not be prepared to treat someone with the virus. The virus itself is extremely dangerous, therefore, it needs to be understood by all, especially doctors and nurses. The C.D.C. is doing a great job, working to teach health care workers nationwide how to handle an Ebola patient and having them do practice drills in preparation. I think all health care workers should familiarize themselves with the most protective gear possible, for the best protection possible.
ReplyDeleteIm sorry to say this but I think we seriously need to stop any and all flights to or from Western Africa. I know that's not PC, but that's what we need to do. These two cases of nurses catching Ebola shows that we are, ultimately, no better than the West Africans in containing this disease. We cannot let them come here to America, or we will see numbers of dead very similiar to what we are seeing over there!
ReplyDeleteHow would that be practical though? A nurse in Spain got Ebola as well. If it spreads should we stop all flights to Europe as well? While containment can be useful in preventing the spread of a disease. The suggestion that America should just completely shut off flights doesn't sound feasible as an option. Besides, there are other ways of getting to America and we can't just leave any Americans in that area stranded without a way back.
DeleteI agree with Rachel in that it is important that hospitals are trained and know how to handle patients with Ebola. It seems like the C.D.C is doing everything is can to make that possible. But even taking all the precautions against this disease will not make any less dangerous. Because of this, I think it is extremely important that all hospitals and health care facilities keep working to improve their protocol in case they come into contact with an Ebola patient.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Rachel on this issue. It's very good that we're training more health care workers to be able to deal with this virus as efficiently and expertly as possible. But, in regards to Emmanuel's opinion, I don't think we can go as far as saying we're no better than the West Africans in containing the disease. I looked it up and BBC states that the death toll for the Ebola virus in Africa is over 4,000 compared to our one person. I wouldn't call that as bad as Africa in any way possible. Referring to the article, I think it's interesting they're going to do full scale drills for it. Personally, I think we should also be focusing on helping Africa contain the disease and educate them on how to them to deal with the disease. Unfortunately, it's hard to save the entire world.
ReplyDeleteEbola is becoming a rapid pace problem and needs all hands on deck to tackle the problem. With implementing all the new steps to protect the hospital workers from getting this virus, the CDC is showing its responsibility and willingness to get rid or at least prevent Ebola. Just as we read in the Katrina article, we need to be prepared for the worst. The full scale drills mentioned are prime examples of the hospitals taking charge and getting ready for anything that might come its way. All the new precautions, to me, provide the nation with more security and safety along the lines of the Ebola virus. These things need to be taken care of quickly and effectively. The CDC seems to realize this and is not taking any easy ways out.
ReplyDeleteEbola is causing many Americans to panic. I completely agree that we need to take precautions and that the nurses need to be trained to deal with this dangerous virus. By educating the nurses and making them have the correct safety equipment would make a huge difference and certainly would be safer. However putting on MORE layers of protective equipment does not necessarily mean MORE efficient. I read that there is more risk contracting Ebola with more suffocating layers of clothing because taking it off makes it more difficult and more risk of contamination. I also saw in the news that airports are screening African flights, like at the JFK airport in Newark. I think that's a great idea. However I disagree with Emmanuel's idea on stopping ALL flights from Africa. No one should generalize that all Africa has Ebola, but I do think that any nurse that treated an Ebola patient should not be able to travel.
ReplyDeleteWhile clearly the current threat of Ebola is being over-hyped, I think that a fatality rate of 50% is highly significant. Many want to brush it off, saying there has only been one death in the U.S. In my opinion, that is one too many. There are obvious precautions that we should be taking and are not. For example, maybe banning all flights to and from all of Western Africa is unnecessary, but it is reasonable to stop flights to and from the countries most affected. Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea have the most cases of Ebola and it is only logical to stop flights from these and neighboring nations, such as Guinea-Bissau, southern Senegal, southwestern Mali, and the Ivory Coast.
ReplyDeleteEbola is a very real issue in America right now. It has struck fear into the hearts of many and everyone seems a little paranoid. I am happy that America is getting on top of things and I hope they can stay on top of things. I saw Emmanuel said we should stop all flights to Africa and Marie disagreed with him. I would side with Marie here because you can't just tell people "You can't go to Africa." What if they lost a family member or just want to go home. Cutting off all flights to Africa is not the answer. I do like the direction America is headed in and hopefully we can contain this awful disease
ReplyDeleteI think the CDC is taking the reasonable and much needed response to the two American doctors infected with Ebola. While it is clear that it is currently being sensationalized much more than it should be, Ebola could potentially become a threat if doctors treating Ebola patients continue to get infected. The CDC is doing the right thing by taking steps to both revamp its procedures as well as inform healthcare workers of the proper procedures they should be following when dealing with a potential Ebola patient. Hopefully no more Americans will be infected by Ebola but there is no way to be sure.
ReplyDeleteI like Katie's connection to the Hurricane Katrina organizational issues. Ebola is a dangerous problem if it is not handled correctly. As of now, the only people who are in any real danger of contracting the virus are the nurses. That being said, this issue is still of great importance. The CDC needs to make sure that the hospitals know exactly what is to be done. There cannot be any lack of accountability here with the hospitals. They have a greatly important task at hand and they must rise to the occasion and follow every order given by the CDC to reduce the risk of Ebola growing into a national emergency. It is good to see that this kind of action is being taken. As for international flights, I say that as long as those who fly are being PROPERLY screened for the virus, there is no problem.
ReplyDeleteIt is nice to see how seriously we are taking this biological attack on humanity. While the existing cases of Ebola are heartbreaking, if the Ebola outbreaks spread across the world, the intensity of our situation would magnify at obscene rates. The CDC recognizes the fact that one of the most pressing courses of action to take in a situation like this is to suppress the spread of outbreaks in the future. If this is done, more resources can be allocated towards the people that are currently infected and a resolution will be reached at a much quicker rate. I believe that the CDC is taking the right course of action in this scenario. I have to disagree with one of Emmanuel's arguments earlier saying that flights should be stopped to Western Africa, I feel that biological research will prevail and find an effective way to be in contact with someone that has Ebola and not spread it to said person.
ReplyDeleteIt is not good enough for the CDC to say they are taking steps towards Ebola. The phrase "taking steps" just shouts lack of accountability to me. As the threat in the United States is not incredibly large yet, I think that holding the CDC accountable for educating 1 hospital in smaller states and 2-3 hospitals in larger states is perfectly reasonable. While I do think restricting all flights from affected countries is extreme, if someone wants to get on a flight to the U.S. from one of the countries, they should have to go through an uber intensive screening. Maybe small teams from the CDC could be sent to major airports in the countries Benton mentioned in order to provide such screenings. This issue is nothing to freak out about in the United States. We have the technology to contain the ebola virus. We just need to hold the people in charge accountable for using that technology efficiently and effectively. In addition, I believe an international contingent of highly trained doctors should be sent to the affected countries. This could be implemented by the U.N. or through increased funding to organizations like doctors without borders.
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