Ebola – Closing the Gate after the Cows are Out

Actions taken by the inept leadership of our country, the CDC and local healthcare officials to eradicate the spread of the Ebola virus remind me of the old adage about “closing the gate after the cows are out”.

I live in Northeast Texas approximately 180 miles from Presbyterian Hospital. But at one time in my life I lived about 3 blocks from there. That part of Dallas is literally a mecca of apartments, restaurants, shopping and nightlife. As most Americans I take the Ebola threat seriously. As a Texan, living less than 3 hours from the center of the current controversy, I worry about the effect on friends and family who live much closer. In other words, this just got personal.

Due to a recently injured shoulder I had to have an MRI today. The FIRST thing I was asked when I approached the registration desk (even before they asked for my money) was to reply verbally to and sign an Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Screening. There were two areas each requiring a yes or no answer. It was written as follows.

Ebola Screening for Patient Isolation/Testing are likely to be:

Yes or No   Fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, weakness, fatigue, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain and lack of appetite and in some cases bleeding.

Yes or No   Travel to West Africa (Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone or other countries where EVD transmission has been reported by WHO) within 21 days (3 weeks) of symptom onset.

If both criteria are met, then the patient should be moved to a private room with a bathroom and standard, contact, and droplet precautions followed during further assessment.

Immediately report person under Investigation for Ebola to nursing supervisor and infection prevention

While I had no problem with the “cursory” evaluation, I also saw no benefit. Once again this administration has put a Band-Aid on a bleeding artery and expects us to sleep well at night. And, people still wonder why Texans want to build a fence…