Hellobee Boards

@BlueWolverine: yeah, I get that. I'd be pissed, too. It's a shame they did that to her. It's totally backfiring.

I don't understand what her reasoning is, for not staying at home for 21 days....what could she possibly have going on that is worth the fight? I wonder if her motivation really is that quarantine upon return would be a deterrant for others to go to West Africa to help.

@MrsSCB: I think she's mad at Christie, which is totally fine, that is her right. But she should put her big girl panties on and sue him. Leave everyone else out of it.

I think part of the problem is that you have to have strict rules and force everyone to follow them, otherwise you open yourself up to that one person, who didn't follow the rules, like the nurse that got on a plane. Not everyone has the best judgement, including some nurses and doctors.

@looch: I think the nurses and doctors who have actually treated this disease in West Africa have far better judgment than the rest of us do. They know all the symptoms firsthand. They obviously care very deeply about keeping people safe from the disease, including all of us here in the U.S. I trust them more than I trust hysterical politicians. And yes, Chris Christie is the biggest bully out there, and I have no patience for his antics either...

@looch: Totally, there's a lot of freaking out going on. I just wish politicians could be more responsible (lol, like that will ever happen...) I just feel like they're catering to people's fears at this point, and it's frustrating.

@MrsSCB: I totally hear what you're saying and don't necessarily disagree, but politicians are caught in between a rock and a hard place right now. If they do nothing, the public are pissed that they aren't doing enough to keep them safe. If they do something, the health care providers are pissed. It's a no-win. They need to do what they feel is right to keep the majority of people happy and safe.

I'm in no way concerned about contracting ebola or it reaching any level for cause for concern here, however it's not outside the realm of possibility either, given the number of people we come into contact every day. It wouldn't take much for it to spread and spread quickly. The reason ebola outbreaks in Africa in the past weren't as big of a deal in the past is because they occurred in remote villages with a small population of people who didn't travel outside the village. They were essentially their own quarantine unit. So, yes I think a few ebola cases in America (if not treated appropriately) can be far more damaging then a few ebola cases in a remote village in Africa and that's why people are concerned.

I have a hard time buying the excuse it will deter health care workers. Give me a break! It's 3 weeks (I would presume paid?) in your own home. That's far from unreasonable. They're not quarantining you at Gitmo! Maybe there is a compelling reason why they don't want to have a 3 week vacation at home that I'm missing here. If there is one, I'd love to hear it.

@MrsSCB: Totally agree. The fear mongering and the lies the media has been spewing to everyone have been making people all of a sudden think that the procedures that Doctors Without Borders have used successfully for decades no longer work. If she doesn't have symptoms, she isn't contagious and should be just fine to be outside her home. And so long as she continues to monitor for her 21 days, there isn't anything to freak out about.

@looch: I think you hit the nail on the head when you said the issue is that some people don't follow the rules! I think it's less about the fear that the Doctors Without Borders protocols aren't effective, and more about the fear that not everyone will actually adhere to those protocols. For example, Vinson flying commercially, and now I'm reading that Spence initially lied about his activities in NYC before checks of his CC statements and Metrocard forced him to fess up.

I think it's really unfortunate what Hickox went through with her quarantine and the whole thing was handled very poorly. If she did, in fact, have a fever, she definitely should have been quarantined, but not under the conditions she faced. She has every right be pissed off about that.

I think the very root of the whole issue lies in trust. Do we trust that politicians/the media are telling the truth? Do we trust that people who are told to self-monitor will do it properly and report it properly? Etc, etc.

This might be a dumb question because I don't know enough, but how quickly do symptoms develop? Could someone with no symptoms get on a plane/train to go wherever they're going, start to feel sick while away, and then (because they're not thinking clearly at that point) get on another plane/train when they're already starting to become contagious?

That said... yes, there is way too much fear mongering going on. I did not realize at first that she wrote her initial complaint while she was still cooped up in that tent, even though by then it was clear she doesn't have a fever. No wonder she's mad...

@JoJoGirl: I agree that it was a dumb decision by the CDC to okay her travel given the fever, but I still get the sense that viral load isn't all that high when someone just starts getting symptoms. I mean, Duncan's family cared for him at home for several days while he was quite symptomatic and they didn't contract it.

I think as long as the high-some risk individuals are being directly monitored on a daily basis (per the new CDC guidelines, where someone observes them and takes their temp), that should be sufficient.

@78h2o: Agreed, I feel like that's a thing a lot of people are either forgetting or not really thinking about -- no one, not even Duncan's family, got Ebola -- except the nurses caring for him. Ebola is always most dangerous for healthcare workers because they're all up in there with the bodily fluids.

Also, slight tangent, but I actually think the NYC doctor is an example of Doctors Without Borders' system working as it's supposed to. He self-monitored, taking his own temperature, and, yes, he went out while not symptomatic. But as soon as he exhibited any sign of illness, a very low-grade fever of 100.3, he shut himself off and called for help. That's exactly what's supposed to happen. And again, I do trust that doctors and nurses who have been to West Africa are knowledgable enough to handle that responsibility and also will do it correctly because they're already dedicating so much more than any of us to making sure we stop Ebola.

I haven't read much about this. But taking all other considerations aside. How about just use some common sense? Take the 3 weeks off, take care of yourself and don't potentially infect others. Seems pretty simple to me.

@MrsSCB: It is such a waste of resources, isn't it?

@MrsSCB: a bike ride? really? that does sound like something from the Onion.

Come on, she can't be the only nurse / doctor who came back to the U.S. in the last week. This is turning into a ridiculous media circus.

Not a bike ride!! Save the children!!!!