to be a little bit nervous about the Ebola patient coming to UK?

[Frontier]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-28919831

Obviously he needs to come home and I'm sure all the right isolation procedures are being followed. I really hope he makes a full and speedy recovery and I am in awe of the people who will be caring for him but.....

I agree that there's something quite heartbreaking about the repatriation of western cases to high spec hospital wards with advanced care and quarantine facilities, close medical attention by multiple highly qualified doctors, and what is presumably a higher chance of survival. Not wrong, to be clear, especially since it seems most of the cases who've come back to western countries have been aid workers, without whom the situation in africa would be even worse, but heartbreaking all the same. Just when I think about the terror families in villages suffering the outbreak must be going through.

That said, if it was me, I'd be very grateful to my government for bringing me home to be treated.

I'm not concerned at all about catching it though, or about it being a big problem here in general.

Yy it is heart-breaking and when one looks at The Bigger Picture quite morally dubious (much as I support this repatriation).

We should all be much more mindful of how lucky we are to not be dealing with terrible infectious diseases in our life times: no Black Death, no small pox, no polio epidemics, no malaria.

Yes, a significant flu pandemic is a distinct possibility, but frankly I don't have the nervous energy to be worrying about it normally (although professionally I have had dealings with forward planning).

I am glad to hear on the news that this individual does not appear to be critically ill at this point.

I can't see any point in worrying; I'll be honest, a flu pandemic along the lines of Spanish flu is my personal nightmare. But, realistically I know there is nothing I can do about it, beyond sensible precautions like annual flu shots, so I shove it to the back of my mind; that way it only breaks through in nightmares. And I can wake up from those, unlike the poor people in enforced quarantine in slums :(

I'm not worried at all about this incident.

YABU

Having seen some of the isolation units I am not worried that these isolated cases can be contained in the uK.

I saw the way I was dealt with when I had suspected swine flu (I didn't, it was pneumonia) and at the same time I saw the more serious isolation units on the same hospital ward.

The only people at any sort of risk would be those dealing with the patient first hand.

This doesn't worry me. The undiagnosed sick person, who hasn't thought to mention that they're recently returned from a country with significant risk of exposure? That worries me. Mind you, I'm more worried about being hit by a car next time I cross the road.

I think it's a credit to our healthcare services that they are willing and able to give this patient care and a chance to life that he (presumably - hence repatriation) may not be able to receive overseas.

It is a risk, but as many have said it is a calculated one which presents far fewer complications than an infected passenger walking off an airplane into a heavily populated town or city surrounded by people who may be even more vulnerable or at risk.

My bigger concern is actually what happens if there are more British patients, the royal free only has two beds so by definition they are already at 50% capacity.

The CDC in the States have a much lower level of recommended protection for ebola than the Royal Free are going to be using, which I find interesting. So perhaps if we did take in more cases they could be handled safely at the lower level isolation units? (Guessing)

If a special facility is built in a hospital to deal with contagious diseases, with all the appropriate care and precautions ready set up, then it would be pretty shocking if it were left idle when it could be put to good use treating people like the poor chap currently suffering.

I hope very much he makes a good recovery, - it must be dreadfully worrying for his family. Surely made worse if people speculate about his right as a Uk citizen to use a UK health service facility, which he is totally entitled to do. The nature of his disease is irrelevant.

yabu

Yes YABU. He's not being flown in on Easy Jet.

Don't panic. Unless of course you plan on exchanging bodily fluids with him. That wouldn't be the vast idea. Otherwise i daresay you'll be pretty safe.

*best

Oh, I suspect that all sorts of unsavoury bugs get flown in by EasyJet on a regular basis

Interesting about the DCD practices being different from how this patient is going to be looked after.
I suspect because 'Ebola' is such a scary word (and we have NO experience of widespread, lethal infections) an element of overkill will be deployed to a. reassurance, b. give him optimal care and c. get to use equipment and thereby train staff on stuff that is very rarely used otherwise.

I was concerned until I realised it spreads through bodily fluids.

Its spread exactly like norovirus or other sickness bugs which are really hard to catch, not.

I'm not sure why people compare them to bloodborne diseases like hep or HIV.

I'm sure anyone that's ever looked after someone with norovirus that once you've got someone shitting and being sick every 5 mins it becomes pretty hard to contain with 'just' good hygiene.

Compare Ebola to HIV/hep that should read.

Airborne transmission 'suspected', not proven. Hence all the precautions.

It is not comparable with HIV or Norovirus wrt transmission.

Destructive myths about Ebola - Huffington Post

So a bit of contradictory information out there - always unsettling.

I didn't say airborne, it is transmitted through vomit and poo, vomiting and diarrhoea being a symptom of Ebola.

I think aint meant WRT being spread in vomit and diarrhoea; I can see what she means, we have noro in the house atm, and we've all got it, despite me being painstakingly scrupulous about hygiene. I got it from DD2 when she vomited and some of it sprayed in my eye.

Oh yes, I get that.
I don't think that Ebola is quite as virulent as Noro which can cause symptomatic illness from one virus (just as well, really).

D+V in any context is horrible and of course aids transmission.
Even in the outbreak area most affected people are healthcare workers or direct family members who presumably have done hands-on nursing without the benefits of gloves and masks. Or even clean water for hand washing.

People here were worried about our doctors coming back here to the US. They did fine, and so did we.

I understand pacific, I read how contagious noro is after our whole house had it, you don't even get lasting immunity from it. I just think if Ebola was over here, itd be hard staying on top of hygiene if you're just an ordinary person looking after a very sick family member. Boil washing every last sheet/towel/clothing, bleaching everything that's been sicked on or pooed on.