Cuban doctors proud to risk lives in mission to halt Ebola (held for 21 days when they return)

".......Many Cuban hospitals have fallen into disrepair and Cubans say they have difficulty getting medical appointments or finding medicine.

With 83,000 doctors today, Cuba says it has 7.2 physicians per 1,000 people, one of the highest rates in the world. But with about 25,000 doctors working overseas, that ratio falls to about 4.6, even when counting 5,500 recent medical school graduates, according to Health Minister Roberto Morales.

While Cuba provides doctors and nurses for disaster relief free of charge, it also exchanges them for cash or goods on more routine missions. The island receives an estimated 100,000 barrels of oil per day from Venezuela, where some 30,000 Cuban medical professionals are posted.

Those recruited for the Ebola missions underwent three weeks of training at the Pedro Kouri Tropical Medicine Institute on the outskirts of Havana, where trainers set up a field hospital of tents to simulate conditions in West Africa.

Should any Cuban doctors or nurses contract Ebola in West Africa, they will be treated at a special site for international aid workers until they are cured or die, said Jorge Perez, director of the Pedro Kouri institute.

All of them will be held for at least 21 days of observation at the hospital upon returning to Cuba, the same as any visitor coming to the island from the affected countries.

Despite the risks and inconvenience, Ivan Rodriguez, 50, said his family was supportive and proud.

"I would have felt disappointed and sad if they would have been afraid for me to take this step," Rodriguez said. "Now, there are 15,000 (volunteers). I'm convinced there could be 15,000 more."

Army orders 21-day quarantine for soldiers on Ebola duty "The Army is ordering all soldiers returning from West Africa to undergo a 21-day quarantine at their home station in Vincenza, Italy.

The policy was ordered over the last several days “out of an abundance of caution,” said Pentagon spokesman Col. Steven Warren.

About a dozen soldiers are being monitored in Vincenza. They include U.S. Army Africa Commander Maj. Gen. Darryl Williams and his staff.

“None of these individuals has shown any symptoms of exposure,” Warren said.

Although the Pentagon pushed back against the idea it was a quarantine, the soldiers are not allowed to leave the facility............"

UN Ebola leader: Stop the 'hype and hysteria' "The head of the United Nations Ebola response team is warning against “hype and hysteria” that he said has driven some states to impose quarantines on returning health workers.

"Anything that will dissuade foreign trained personnel from coming here to West Africa and joining us on the frontline to fight the fight would be very, very unfortunate," Anthony Banbury, head of the U.N. Ebola Emergency Response Mission, told Reuters.....

".......The White House on Monday said it will issue national guidelines for returning health workers, which will likely not include quarantines. One of the nation’s top doctors, Dr. Anthony Fauci, criticized the policy on “Meet the Press” on Sunday, calling it “a little bit draconian.”

The head of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, also remains staunchly opposed to the quarantines, his spokesman said Monday.

“Those who develop infections should be supported, not stigmatized," Stéphane Dujarric told reporters.

Hundreds of American health workers are serving and have served in West Africa. Some, like the 40 or so staff members of the global nonprofit Samaritan’s Purse, follow their own guidelines, which are far stricter than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's.

For three weeks after arriving in the U.S., each volunteer from Samaritan’s Purse is told to follow the same three-foot “no touch” rule they had in West Africa. They are told not to use public transportation or visit with family or friends.

Still, vice president Ken Isaacs said he feared that a nationwide quarantine policy would turn into “locking people up in a compound,” which he said would deter Americans from helping to fight Ebola in West Africa.

“The word quarantine sends chills down my spine,” he told The Hill. “We have to find a balance. The disease needs to be fought in West Africa, it needs to be beaten there or it’s going to continue leaking out.”

Nancy Writebol, an American missionary who successfully fought off an Ebola infection, echoed the concerns during an interview with MSNBC on Monday......"

Gee maybe the folks at Samaritan’s Purse know something the CDC doesn’t ???

With Gov. Terry McAuliffe on the job, why should anyone worry?

“....Individuals who could have potentially carried the disease in Virginia, specifically healthcare workers, will only be asked to stay home if they report “breaches in protective protocol.” All others could be told to avoid public transportation, mass gatherings and clinical care, depending on the level of their exposure.

“These restrictions are based on the best scientific evidence about transmission of the virus, and will be tailored to the known risks for each health care worker,” Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D-Va.) wrote in a news release.

All travelers arriving from Ebola-stricken areas will also be asked to self-monitor for 21 days, Virginia’s health commissioner, Marissa Levine, announced Monday. Those who do not comply could face a quarantine order, she said.

“I would not hesitate to issue this order, if necessary, to protect Virginians’ health,” Levine told reporters.

Officials in both Maryland and Virginia said they worked with federal health officials, including those at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to craft the regulations.........”

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/221952-two-more-states-impose-ebola-restrictions

Bring out your dead! The Dark Man cometh! Bring out your dead! The Dark Man cometh! Bring out your......

(hat tip to: fivecatsandadog!)

Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.

The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.

So far the false positive rate is 100%.

At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.

*sigh* Such is life, and death...

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