Why did they bring him here ?

[sadie3]

news.sky.com/story/988835/two-dead-after-contracting-mystery-virus

A severely-ill patient from the Middle East is being treated in a London hospital suffering from a mystery respiratory virus that has killed two patients in Saudi Arabia.

The 49-year-old man is in intensive care after being transferred to the UK via air-ambulance from Qatar where he was taken ill a few weeks ago having recently visiting Riyadh.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said the infection is a new type of coronavirus different from any previously found in humans.

perhaps we need to question the UK hospitals readiness then

You can read the official information on the Health Protection Agency's website. But hysteria is so much more fun!

We don't need this virus, but if it is infectious we will get it.

Better to study it and create a vaccine before it gets hold.

And, as he has been transferred from a private hospital, he will be billed by the NHS.

The HPA doesn't say where he's being treated, or why he was in the uk, but Re: UK hospitals' readiness: if anyone can cope, [[http://www.royalfree.org.uk/default.aspx?top_nav_id=5&tab_id=453
the two specialist isolation units]] in the UK can.

Can't believe all these nasty forriners coming here stealing our jobs hospital resources...

Honestly. Ridiculous thread. He flew her on his own money to a private hospital and then had to be transferred to an NHS hospital which is perfectly capable of billing him.

As for the virus - whatever. I'm no doctor can you tell but surely if this was the spark for a zombie apocalypse then someone at the airport, private hospital or NHS hospital would have noticed.

By the way (all you posters who said maybe he's British), did you know that if you've lived abroad for more than 6 MONTHS you are not allowed to get free NHS treatment. No matter that you're British and have paid national insurance all your life. I live abroad and found this out recently when visiting the UK and trying to go to a GP to get an inhaler. I tried to register as a temporary patient but because I was honest and said I live abroad, they wouldn't see me. Though they did say that if I went to A & E they wouldn't be able to turn me away.

I don't get why it was necessary to bring him here.

There are excellently equipped hospitals outside Britain too, and it seems bizarre to me to move internationally a patient with an infectious disease about which much is unknown. A quarantine, not a transfer regime, would be the normal response.

None of the news reports says that UK is involved in research for a vaccine. Presumably the posters who say that it is being researched here work in he escort? Can you explain why it is necessary to move the entire patient for this disease, rather than what I thought was normal (samples of virus, for study in suitable laboratory)?

Nobody 'brought him here'. He brought himself here presumably under the advice of his insurance company for the best treatment.

When he arrived in the country they didn't know it was an infectious disease - only when the found out how serious it was did they move him to the isolation unit in an NHS hospital

Take this link with a massive pinch of salt because the cases aren't confirmed but Denmark are treating 5 people (two seperate families) as though they have it. lets hope that it is just precautionary. It does sound like it is.
Danish paper you'll need to shove it through google translate or similar unless your Danish is good.

Presumably when he was moved to the private British hospital by private British jet his doctors only knew he was very poorly, not that it was a potentially newly emerging disease. It was very right that he was transferred to the best possible care. He seems to be on ECMO which is a very specialised treatment indeed and we don't have that many ECMO beds in the UK ( will look up later)

I'm loving the vast medical knowledge being displayed here.

I bet the actual qualified people who facilitated and assisted in the whole process hadn't thought of most of the things mentioned on here

Is there no clearance for medical transfers then? So anyone with anything who can get here can just rock up?

It does seem imprudent to move patients with emerging infectious diseases round the globe.

(Especially as a quick google shows ECMO is available in both Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and probably a host of places nearer to both than UK).

I dont get why we are bringing anyone into this country with an unknown infectious disease..

If this gentleman is rich enough to have his own private jet he should have enough money to pay for a specialist to treat him in his own country ..

surely you dont travel across borders with unknown contagious diseases..

The report on the BBC says that it isn't highly contagious.

I read Bluestocking's post as very much tongue-in-cheek.

Be careful what you wish for, those of you who feel the patient should not have been allowed into the country. Surely this is one area of life where international cooperation ought to be generous, and a priority?

Reading this thread I was reminded of the pregnant British woman who got swine flu at the height of the outbreak and was flown to Sweden for special treatment not available here.

Oh: are all ECMO beds in Saudi, Qatar and all places nearer to the place where the patient fell ill full?

I hadn't realised that (Sweden took the UK patient because there were no empty ECMO beds at that point in the outbreak).

Oh: are all ECMO beds in Saudi, Qatar and all places nearer to the place where the patient fell ill full?

I have no idea.

beginning of last year the UK had 25 ECMO beds. (wonder if that number has gone up?)

Denmark are reporting that the patients have flu not the new virus :)