By Brandon Wall
“It is with profound sadness and heartfelt disappointment that we must
inform you of the death of Thomas Eric Duncan this morning at 7:51 am,” the
hospital said in a release. “Mr. Duncan succumbed to an insidious disease.”
“He fought courageously in this battle. Our professionals, the doctors and
nurses in the unit, as well as the entire Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital
Dallas community are also grieving his passing. We have offered the family our
support and condolences at this difficult time.”
Duncan arrived in Dallas Sept. 20 from Liberia and fell ill a few days
later. He was sent home after an initial visit to the emergency room, but taken
back to the hospital Sept. 28 and has been kept in isolation ever since.
Others in Dallas could be in danger as officials try to contain the virus
that has ravaged West Africa, killing thousands of people. Officials say 10
people had direct contact with Duncan while he was contagious.
Stay Safe and Alert!!!
Later, Leroy Duncan
Community Representative
HEALTHY COMMUNITIES
How Does the Ebola Virus Spread?
Special Correspondent: J. Easton
Soon after the first diagnosis of Ebola Virus Disease
in the United States, bodily fluids became a socially acceptable and
topic of conversation. University of Chicago Medicine epidemiologist Emily Landon, MD, answered questions about how Ebola is transmitted and how hospitals handle possible patients who arrive.
Q: What are bodily fluids?
A: When it comes to Ebola, contagious bodily fluids include blood, vomit, urine, stool and, to a lesser extent, tears and saliva—all of those, plus semen, where the virus can still be present three months after the patient gets better. That’s not a source that we typically focus on if we find ourselves doing contact tracing for a disease like this, but it could become important to keep in mind.
A: When it comes to Ebola, contagious bodily fluids include blood, vomit, urine, stool and, to a lesser extent, tears and saliva—all of those, plus semen, where the virus can still be present three months after the patient gets better. That’s not a source that we typically focus on if we find ourselves doing contact tracing for a disease like this, but it could become important to keep in mind.
Q: How does the virus move from one person into another?
A: For this virus, you have to get it not just on your intact skin, which can be a pretty effective barrier, but it has to get onto one of your mucous membranes (nose, eyes, mouth, etc.), or a cut. The virus has to get inside your body.
A: For this virus, you have to get it not just on your intact skin, which can be a pretty effective barrier, but it has to get onto one of your mucous membranes (nose, eyes, mouth, etc.), or a cut. The virus has to get inside your body.
Q: How long is the virus contagious?
A: Ebola can’t stay alive outside the body for a long time if it gets dried out or exposed to sunlight. It’s the one of the easiest to kill of all pathogens. If you spray it with rubbing alcohol or a regular disinfectant like Lysol, it will die. Sufficient sunlight will kill it. So that’s the good news.
A: Ebola can’t stay alive outside the body for a long time if it gets dried out or exposed to sunlight. It’s the one of the easiest to kill of all pathogens. If you spray it with rubbing alcohol or a regular disinfectant like Lysol, it will die. Sufficient sunlight will kill it. So that’s the good news.
Q:
But how long does that take, for it to dry out or for sunlight to kill
it? If somebody with Ebola throws up on the street, how long will it
stay moist enough to cause disease?
A: Say somebody vomits in the street. You step on it. A little vomit gets stuck in the treads of your shoes. Sunshine doesn’t go there. You walk home, take your shoes off and set them in a dark moist place. You don’t wash your hands. Or maybe you do, but you move the shoes later and don’t wash your hands. Then you touch your eyes or nose. We all do that habitually without thinking about it. You could get Ebola. It’s very unlikely to happen that way, but it’s possible. Please notice that there were a lot of “ifs” in that scenario.
A: Say somebody vomits in the street. You step on it. A little vomit gets stuck in the treads of your shoes. Sunshine doesn’t go there. You walk home, take your shoes off and set them in a dark moist place. You don’t wash your hands. Or maybe you do, but you move the shoes later and don’t wash your hands. Then you touch your eyes or nose. We all do that habitually without thinking about it. You could get Ebola. It’s very unlikely to happen that way, but it’s possible. Please notice that there were a lot of “ifs” in that scenario.
Q: How much Ebola does it take to make you sick?
A: We don’t really know just yet. It may depend on your immune system.
A: We don’t really know just yet. It may depend on your immune system.
Q: If it’s so hard to get, why is it spreading rapidly in West Africa?
A: This is a war-torn region with limited medical care, profoundly damaged public health and safety systems, a pervasive sense of political mistrust and a culture of frequent personal contact.
A: This is a war-torn region with limited medical care, profoundly damaged public health and safety systems, a pervasive sense of political mistrust and a culture of frequent personal contact.
Q: Should a patient turn up here, how would we handle them?
A: Everyone who comes to UChicago Medicine and has fever or symptoms consistent with Ebola will be asked about travel. If they have both symptoms and travel, they’re placed in the nearest isolation room. We do additional screening to see if the patient really does have risk of Ebola.
A: Everyone who comes to UChicago Medicine and has fever or symptoms consistent with Ebola will be asked about travel. If they have both symptoms and travel, they’re placed in the nearest isolation room. We do additional screening to see if the patient really does have risk of Ebola.
Q: How foolproof is that protective gear?
A: We are working with experienced professional caregivers, who volunteer for this task. We provide extra training, to make those issues top-of-mind. We go over how to put on the gear and how to take it off. People most often make mistakes when they take it off. Sometimes it requires patience and meticulous care to remove contaminated protective gear safely.
A: We are working with experienced professional caregivers, who volunteer for this task. We provide extra training, to make those issues top-of-mind. We go over how to put on the gear and how to take it off. People most often make mistakes when they take it off. Sometimes it requires patience and meticulous care to remove contaminated protective gear safely.
courtesy of Truth Be Told News
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