2nd nurse with Ebola called CDC before boarding flight

[philosslayer]

Source: CBS News

In the case of Amber Vinson, the Dallas nurse who flew commercially as she was becoming ill with Ebola, one health official said "somebody dropped the ball."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that Vinson called the agency several times before flying, saying that she had a fever with a temperature of 99.5 degrees. But because her fever wasn't 100.4 degrees or higher, she didn't officially fall into the group of "high risk" and was allowed to fly.



Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ebola-nurse-called-cdc-several-times/

---

I have supported the CDC Director until this point, but it now appears as if the CDC is making some crucial errors. Mr. Frieden is letting the country and the President down.

[liberal N proud]

1. Incompetence all around!

[Windy]

4. Or Vinson could have failed to mention that she treated an ebola patient.....

I can't believe the CDC would say "sure get on that plane" if she told them she had a fever AND had treated Duncan

[Shemp Howard]

8. But the CDC should have known that.

Something is wrong here.

Vinson at least had the presence of mind to call the CDC in the first place. So I can't believe that she would not mention Duncan, and only say "Hi, I have a slight fever. Can I still fly?"

Besides that, the CDC must have a list of people who treated Duncan. Didn't anyone cross-check the phone call with that list?

[laborinvain]

23. What's wrong is your lack of information

Vinson was already in contact with the CDC. The CDC was "monitoring" all the people who treated Duncan. So she called because she already had a relationship with the CDC and was under instructions not to travel under certain conditions.

The condition was 100 degrees F. She had 99.5. So some moron, gave her the green light.

This is all in several stories including one on the front page of the NYT right now.

If people would just STFU until they actually knew what they were talking about, the internet, including this site, might actually be readable.

So thanks for making the internet unreadable.

[Aerows]

24. "monitoring"

and pontificating as though it was gospel truth seems to be CDC protocol. This situation has been botched from the beginning.

[ZombieHorde]

29. This isn't Real Housewives of New Jersey.

We don't need to be dramatic for ratings.

[Skittles]

37. trolling is hard work

yes indeed

[Shemp Howard]

36. Hey laborinvain

I was specifically responding to post #4, and not making a general statement.

If you still disagree with me, please try to make your objection helpful, and avoid the insults. The world is unpleasant enough as it is.

[Lochloosa]

11. And she would call the CDC and not tell them that.

Would you call them with a temp of 99?

[LisaL]

28. Exactly.

CDC could care less about people with low grade fever.
Apparently they don't care if people they are supposed to be monitoring have fever either.
How could they let this woman to fly?
Now people are not going to work and children are not going to school, simply because they flew on the same plane.

[LisaL]

21. Why would she call CDC about low grade fever if she failed to mention she treated

an Ebola patient?
Would you call CDC about your low grade fever?
Obviously CDC knew she treated an Ebola patient.

[quadrature]

6. is there at transcript of their conversation posted ...

somewhere online?

[SoapBox]

27. THAT would be something that I would love to hear...

Something seems wrong with her story.

I've some questions...

She called the CDC after she had already traveled to Cleveland...when exactly did she start feeling badly?

She supposedly called the CDC several times (repeatedly)...who did she speak with? Did she ask for a supervisor or someone higher up? Exactly how many calls and when?

She was given the ok to travel...did she repeatedly tell them that she had cared for Duncan?

There is plenty of blame to go around.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

45. Blame the worker. Where have I seen that before?

Keep going. Tell me more of your thoughts on the matter.

[Psephos]

12. Which, if true, is an utter failure of the CDC.

Providing accurate information during an epidemic is the reason they exist. If they have uninformed or incompetent phone clerks, they've abdicated their core responsibility.

[LisaL]

22. Sure is.

Now imagine an incredible inconvenience for people who flew with her on that plane (even if they don't catch the disease).
There are reports of children having to stay home for 21 days, simply because they were on the same plane as this nurse.
All because CDC couldn't tell her not to fly.
It's mind boggling how incompetent CDC has been.

[Aerows]

25. I read that they told

Younger Jallah (daughter in law of Eric Duncan) that she could go back to work as a health aide 10 days into quarantine. She declined, and is still under voluntary quarantine.

Thank goodness for her bravery.

[perdita9]

3. Administration at that Dallas Hospital Must be Terrible

I can't believe this nurse was this clueless. With everything going on at the CDC right now, it's not surprising she could get official attention with a last minute phone call.

She should face charges for her idiocy.

[blackspade]

15. Explain please.

Why should she be charged when she did due diligence?

[Fumesucker]

17. Because Obama

This is getting wearying, the CDC fucks up big time and a substantial portion of DU will blame anything or anyone down to the littlest of people to avoid the CDC taking the rap because it might reflect badly on Obama.

[blackspade]

18. That is a problem then.

This is not Obama's 'fault' but a systemic failure.
That DUers can't make that differentiation is ridiculous.

Resorting to victim blaming does Obama a great dis-service.

[Fumesucker]

20. I couldn't agree more

I'm impressed with the individual health care workers for the most part, I think they are trying their best while hampered and hindered by management that sometimes seems actively malevolent.

Also on the victim blaming, agree there too.

[eilen]

46. Wasn't everyone saying that this is not a huge deal, just use your universal contact precautions

and all will be well. We have a higher risk of getting influenza. Stop fear mongering already. Well, I'd like the CDC head to do personal care with ebola patients with his yellow paper gown, blue nitrile gloves and facemask/eye shield and change in the the little antechamber (when there is one) encountering overflowing garbage cans full of ebola ridden discarded PPE.

[Aerows]

26. At present

The CDC has repeatedly failed the US population in this crisis.

[ZombieHorde]

30. She should be punished by the US government

for following the advice of the US government? Hmm...

[LovingA2andMI]

34. "She should face charges for her idiocy."

Why? Because Amber Vinson is African-American? Inquiring minds would like to know?

[Sparhawk60]

38. Becouse

Becouse she listened and trusted the CDC to give her sound advice. Silly woman.


/sarcam

[AngryOldDem]

41. Huh?

She did the prudent thing. And you want her to face charges?

The blame for this confusion lies squarely with the CDC.

[vi5]

5. Clearly this was not the CDC's fault.

Someone else must be responsible for the CDC telling her that.

[hopemountain]

9. ha!

now they are making excuses that medical professionals have never had to deal with a contagion such as this! what? did they not go to medical school and receive training as medical & cdc professionals? what part of COMMUNICABLE do they not comprehend? freaks!

[eilen]

47. I have taken care of TB patients, Influenza patients, HepC and HIV,

fevers of unknown origin, MRSA, CDiff, VRE-- all bugs that are communicable. Does that mean I must be a prisoner because of my job? There are no call rooms for nurses to bunk in at night after their shifts. Some of us even like to take some time off and visit our family out of town when we can actually get our vacation time.

Maybe the CDC and our hospitals need to get their shit together and put in place actual protocols that work. Some of our bedside nurses get 8 patient assignments.

[perdita9]

50. The CDC issues recommendations and rules

They do not come to your hospital to wipe your nose for you. They expect the hospitals to act professionally.

Supposedly Dallas Presbyterian has Infectious Disease doctors on staff. Why not hold them responsible for this mess? They're the ones on site.

[vi5]

54. Someone from the CDC told her she could fly.

Explain to me again how that is not the CDC's fault?

The CDC has also stated that they assumed the hospitals would follow protocal. Clearly that assumption was wrong.

The hospital was clearly in the wrong. But people trying to absolve the CDC of their poor handling of this crisis so far and the poor assumptions that they've made is just idiotic as well.

[asiliveandbreathe]

7. So much blame and blaming to go around

I do hope all who have done their best to serve the public during this ebola crisis make a full recovery - with that said

Did you know if little johnnie or jannie, in college, imbibe too much and do that horrible bowl duty, or worse don't make it to the bowl - did you know that janitorial services, when called to clean up wear hasmat gear? This just happened on a college campus - little johnnie made it to the shower and there he vomited...

[BlueStreak]

10. That's it. No more travel from Texas to America until they implement Medicare expansion

[walkingman]

52. You're in for a long wait.

As a Texan I am embarrassed for my state and the way we have handled this situation. The problem should never have gotten this far and the hospital and their staff are responsible, IMO. I am not really worried how nice I am treated in a hospital - just do your job to the best of your ability.

[AngryOldDem]

13. What is the standard piece of advice if you think you have the flu. or a bad cold?

STAY HOME.

Don't you think the CDC -- the supposed experts on communicable disease -- would have said something similar about Ebola?

Now they're backtracking and blaming her for taking them at their word.

There are no words for this degree of incompetence/negligence/stupidity.

[blackspade]

16. And therein lies one of the problems in the US

Illness is not treated as a legit reason to stay home from work.
At most jobs no work=no pay and often a firing.
Many work places run staff levels so low that there is no coverage for sick workers.

We have a basic societal problem here that is on stark display.

[suffragette]

19. + 1,000

[ZombieHorde]

32. +largenumber

[LovingA2andMI]

35. Agreed....

In the U.S. of A. the "so-called" greatest country in the World, the word on the streets is go to work, sick as a Dog -- make everyone else sick as a result - stay home the next day as only by having your boss sent you home, you are "truly" sick.

[AngryOldDem]

40. Point taken, but the nurse was visiting family.

And asked the CDC specifically if it was OK to travel. CDC, had it shown any kind of due diligence, should have told her no -- not until it was conclusive she was not positive for the virus.

But I agree -- sick days in the U.S. are like vacation days. Nice concept. I have taken maybe three sick days since I've been at my present job (four years). And it's a stressful job, at that. And whenever someone in the office does call in, the speculation runs wild that the person isn't really, truly sick.

Twisted system.

[blackspade]

42. Some are lucky to even have sick days.

Most workers do not.

[eilen]

48. A temp of 99.0 is not clinically signficant. Even when exposed to influenza.

Most want other symptoms along with it like nausesa/vomiting to agree that you are sick and should stay home. Yesterday, a patient on my first rounds had a temp of 99.1 and I didn't even blink. My MD call-fors don't start until 100.1 for some Drs 101 for most. The ID team doesn't even want me to draw blood cultures until the temp is over 100.

[Blue State Bandit]

14. It be nice if we had a Surgeon General.

I'm just sayin'.

[Historic NY]

31. Frieden's doing a heck of a job...

its time to replace him if he isn't competent.

[ZombieHorde]

33. I thought the CDC was a little more on the ball than this.

This level of incompetence is at comedic levels. I hope this story is overblown, or something.

[hopemountain]

51. cdc does have communicable disease protocols

and reommendations which local healthd departments do "recommend" to but cannot force private hospitals and private doctors to follow them.

[sendero]

39. This illustrates my point from the start..

... everyone is telling us that ebola is "hard to contract" and "not airborne" and etc. They tell us that simple protocols prevent the transmission of the disease.

Well guess what: now there are many openly admitting that the airborne thingie might not be exactly technically correct. And furthermore many many health care workers who were ostensibly following these protocols (after all no one wants to die of ebola, right?) still became infected.

And guess what else: even if you truly understand the transmission modes of the virus, getting everyone to not do stupid things is a near-impossible task.

"Someone" at the CDC apparently dropped the ball but I hold some blame for the nurse herself WHO SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER than to get on a plane with a fever after being exposed to ebola.

Idiocy all around, that is why the virus is dangerous.

[usmc03]

43. Yep

Right there. She should have known better.

Yes, the CDC dropped the ball. Yes, she showed due diligence in calling them beforehand. But by calling the CDC several times, clearly she had doubts and decided not to err on the side of caution.

This isn't a 'she called, so her ass is covered' thing. Her decision whether or not to travel is the only one that matters.

[Sunlei]

44. hard to believe a trained Nurse would risk her family & the public

She had just watched Mr. Duncan die a horrible death. A fellow care giver was sick & her fellow care givers were whistle blowing about poor hospital protocols.

Self monitoring even by health care 'professionals' doesn't work.

[cosmicone]

49. Obama should fire Frieden immediately.

Get someone in his place who has a clue or two.