tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4624586630299165335.post2813396680295188893..comments2024-03-14T09:50:44.315+00:00Comments on Psychological comments: Spanish Nurse Ebola “should not have happened”Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09320614837348759094noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4624586630299165335.post-21474979798453475242014-10-09T13:57:41.664+01:002014-10-09T13:57:41.664+01:00The notion that all the contacts of an individual ...The notion that all the contacts of an individual can be identified, even for a single day, is preposterous.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4624586630299165335.post-24347191273161471182014-10-08T18:17:16.918+01:002014-10-08T18:17:16.918+01:00The theory is that the exponential increase in the...The theory is that the exponential increase in the virus occurs in the spleen and other internal organs, so it should be difficult to spread the virus at that stage, while at the same time the person would be pretty ill. I am with Yogi Berra on whether this works with any degree of specificity.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09320614837348759094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4624586630299165335.post-61449749311033165132014-10-08T17:00:40.072+01:002014-10-08T17:00:40.072+01:00> "It’s important to remember that people ...> "It’s important to remember that people with Ebola don’t become infectious until they start showing symptoms, so monitoring of contacts of an Ebola-infected patient for fever is usually considered sufficient, with them being isolated only at the first hint of illness"<br /><br />This quip brings Yogi Berra's bons mots to mind -- "In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is."<br /><br /><i>People with Ebola becoming infectious only when they start showing symptoms</i> implies a binary virus, with Infectiouness set to Off, then switching to On as mild fever begins. Has this hypothesis been tested, or is it more properly classified as a Wish?<br /><br />"Mild fever" and "hints of illness" don't seem like very clearly-defined cutpoints for first-responders and primary care providers to use. Separately or together -- used for screening or diagnosis -- what is the sensitivity and the specificity of this tool? <br /><br />The answers matter, since this seems to be the proposed entrance to the health care system's response.<br /><br />Mild fever and/or hints of illness<br /> * No -> no further action, except possibly continuing monitoring (unclear to me).<br /> * Yes -> Ebola-specific PCR or immunoassay diagnostic. And/or quarantine until test results are returned (unclear to me), and/or initiation of contact tracing (unclear to me).<br /><br />Has this SOP been employed in the past for any other highly contagious and highly lethal diseases?<br /><br />Successfully?AMacnoreply@blogger.com