Posted on 08/07/2014 2:05:46 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Renowned neurosurgeon and possible 2016 presidential hopeful, Dr. Benjamin Carson criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Monday for bringing two Ebola infected missionaries to the U.S. for treatment, citing the highly contagious and deadly nature of the disease.
"Why would we bring that into our country? Why would we expose ourselves when we already know that there are problems that can occur and have occurred," said Carson, who is a former director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University and Hospital, in an interview with Newsmax TV.
"Ebola is a terrifying disease. If you don't treat it, close to 90 percent of the people will die," said Carson.
Two missionaries, Dr. Ken Brantly, 33, who works with Samaritan's Purse and Nancy Writebol, 59, an aid worker with SIM, are both being treated at a special unit set up at Emory University Hospital in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, after being infected with the deadly virus while working in Liberia. They were both flown to the U.S. in the last few days after receiving doses of a trial serum call ZMapp and are now reportedly improving.
Dr. Carson, however, does not believe it was a wise move to treat them stateside.
"I'm a little concerned that we're bringing it back here. I think we have the ability to treat it in other places," said Carson.
"The reason I would be concerned about bringing it back here is because it is transmitted primarily through bodily fluids. And it can actually survive outside of the host, outside of the body for several days at least. Which means that, let's say a container or urine or vomit or whatever for whatever reason, gets disseminated into the public, you got a big problem," he noted.
"Why do we even risk such a thing when we can send experts elsewhere? We can send a plane equipped to handle this somewhere to land. We can create parts of a hospital somewhere. We have lots of options," explained Carson.
When asked if he thought it was a mistake for the CDC and Emory University Hospital to bring the missionaries back to the U.S. for treatment, Carson said: "I certainly would treat it where it is and then once we have cured the individuals, bring them back with open arms."
"It is a highly contagious disease and all it requires is infractions in some procedures and all of a sudden you got more spread, and that's what I am afraid of," said Carson.
Perhaps they should have been taken to the Hospital Ship?
This Dr. works in boston and talks to other infectious disease dr’s about it. Didn’t think it was necesary or smart.
I read that before he left Africa, the Doctor received a blood transfusion from a boy who survived Ebola.
If that's the case, that makes them carriers of the antibody.
I think the docs at Emory are doing this to burnish their prestige in the infectious disease community. Write a paper, go on the lecture circuit.
People in Africa have survived Ebola and they don’t cause further outbreaks. HOWEVER, when recovering, there can be virus particles in the body - for example, men infected with Ebola virus should not have sex for 3 months or until tests show that semen is free of the virus.
Two links:
Simple and Useful Information: Ebola Virus (briefly mentions convalescence - most references don’t)
http://microbiotics.com.ng/simple-and-useful-information-ebola-virus/
Ebola Virus Hemorrhagic Fever (Semen reference)
http://phpa.dhmh.maryland.gov/IDEHASharedDocuments/EBOLA.pdf
Aren’t they already the treatment doctors for the nearby CDC employees, isn’t that why the isolation clinic was created at Emory?
You will note that the head of the CDC and Emory are not risking anything in doing this. If it go “unexpectedly” awry, they will just slough it off and go on their merry way. They will not be held accountable in any way, either professionally or civilly .... the poor schnucks that get the disease and die will suffer the consequences of their actions. Name one Administration department head or secretary that has been held responsible (other than the VA head but not the VA Hospital Directors)?
First and foremost practice of life threatening infection control is containment.
Just like the left insisted that AIDS was not (should not be) only a “gay disease”.
I have to think that this is going to spread much further and faster than we have been led to believe.
I guess it is science to them and they see it all as doable, without going to super complicated and expensive ends like keeping ships off the shore and having family people working and living like isolated hermits away from American life and their children and spouses.
It might be that research labs and such, couldn’t find employees that want to live like that.
I find it hard to believe that we can’t handle running a specialized isolation room in 2014 America, after all, that is all part of the science of medicine and disease, why would we keep assuming that it is over our heads and modern capabilities?
I’m a survivalist and that is the eternal question about the big one (whatever the big one is that month), will it or won’t it.
Is the public at risk of contracting measles or chicken pox or whooping cough or polio from those of us Neanderthals who suffered from these diseases before vaccines were developed?
( The answer is no.)
Because this virus is like no other.
The first rule of infectious disease is to isolate it, not introduce it to a new population.
They forgot the first rule.
I admire Dr. Carson, and he’s entitled to be wrong once in a while like the rest of humanity.
As the head of the CDC said today, it’s inevitable that a hot case of ebola will eventually reach the US, given the prevalence of international travel.
Studying, treating, healing, learning, and developing treatment as a result of Dr.Brantly and Mrs. Writebol’s cases is a significant advantage and could save us from future epidemics.
Ping...
What population did “they” introduce it to?
Then they should have been upfront about. Yes, we are taking a risk, but the motive for the risk warrants the risk. That would of course require them to be honest for a change. Something they have forgotten. Honesty. And even in the best circumstances, these disease can get out of quarantine. Just read the Hot Zone to learn motives of people who left the Hot Zone after they were potentially exposed.
Here, take a whiff ? Does that smell like grape juice to you ?
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