Woman with rash upgraded to good. Mystery illness still undiagnosed.

Southwest Florida News Press ^ | Oct. 24, 2002 update: 12:48 a.m. EDT | Sharon Turco

[FairOpinion]

Woman with rash, who sparked hospital lockdown due to smallpox concerns, upgraded to good.

A North Fort Myers woman brought to Cape Coral Hospital Tuesday afternoon with an infectious disease was upgraded to good condition Wednesday, but hospital and health officials said they still haven

[FairOpinion]

I am glad she is improving and they think it's most likely not smallpox. But I will be happier, when they actually rule out smallpox definitely, which they haven't done yet, article specifically says smallpox very low probability, but has not been ruled out. This makes me wonder, because initially they said that the test results for smallpox will be back in 24 hrs, which was yesterday afternoon. And if it takes this long to diagnose or completely rule out smallpox, waiting until they have a definite diagnosis of someone before starting vaccinations doesn't seem like a very good idea, if they want to save lives. Though, and likely this is a false alarm -- in my opinion, this just underlines to importance to vaccinate against smallpox NOW, and not wait, until we actually get attacked.

[SouthernFreebird]

I'm confused.... they don't know what she has, yet they say she's not a health risk to others... how do you determine that without a diagnosis?

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

Typical doublespeak

I'm confused.... they don't know what she has, yet they say she's not a health risk to others... how do you determine that without a diagnosis?

What they probably really mean is "We have no idea if she is infected with a deadly disease we are unable to identify, it doesn't look like the descriptions of SP my grandfather used to give, all we can do is hope like he!! we didn't screw up big time..."

[jgrubbs]

didn't anthrax start in FL?

[FairOpinion]

SouthernFreebird: "I'm confused.... they don't know what she has, yet they say she's not a health risk to others... how do you determine that without a diagnosis?"
----

My point exactly. I think they HOPE it's not smallpox, because they HOPE we haven't been attacked and think/know that smallpox has been eradicated from the world. And this is not a very good basis on declaring that there is no threat. Obviously, as they said, they don't have sufficient MEDICAL information to definitely rule out smallpox. Not only they don't know what this is, but they couldn't definitely rule out what is isn't -- not very reassuring in general.

[A CA Guy]

By the way, how long did it take the left to blame this rash on George W. Bush?

[Minnesoootan]

Has the head surgeon had his arm cut off by a helicopter rotor yet?

[boris]

A nurse here in L.A. told me a "code gray" (at least locally) means "combative patient". She said that the "code" codes are different by region.

I forgot to ask her what would be the equivalent code for something like smallpox...

--Boris

[AnAmericanMother]

Well, you have to remember that there are very few doctors living who have ever seen a case of smallpox. Reading about it in the books, even seeing photographs, is not the same as seeing it for yourself.

On a lighter note, I had never seen a case of chickenpox when I noticed what looked like mosquito bites on my 3 year old's back as she was pedaling her tricycle around the deck with no shirt on. Took a closer look, and they looked "infected" - little crusty white bumps. Got out my "Babies' Medical Guide" and read it over. Chicken pox? Septic prickly heat? Impetigo? Gee . . . not sure! Called my pediatrician . . . who has the neatest office designed to prevent cross-infection, individual examining rooms with outside doors and a signal light to show the room is occupied . . . and as he walked in the room I asked timidly, "Is this chicken pox?" "At one hundred yards!" he replied with a grin. (I pointed out he had seen a lot more cases than I!) It was a mild case and oatmeal baths took care of any discomfort, the only reminder is where she had a pock right on her eyelid and lost two lashes to the scar . . . she's 14 now and the adjoining lashes have closed the gap.

[SouthernFreebird]

Well as long as they tell us we're safe.....sigh

[SunnyUsa]

LOL!!!

[alley cat]

I forgot to ask her what would be the equivalent code for something like smallpox...

"Code polka dots?"

[Hila]

No vaccination against smallpox, until the public has understood and read all the related dangers. The Wall Street Journal published on front page Tuesday, the tremendous risks - and who can guarantee that there will be a need and that the vaccination would work? No one.

[Attillathehon]

No vaccination against smallpox, until the public has understood and read all the related dangers. The Wall Street Journal published on front page Tuesday, the tremendous risks - and who can guarantee that there will be a need and that the vaccination would work? No one.

BS! I was vaccinated against smallpox as a child and it was a routine procedure back then. The only concern at the time was that the vaccination left a nasty scar. As for it's effectiveness - well, smallpox was wiped off the face of the earth because of this vaccine. It works. It will saves thousands of lives and unimagineable suffering. If there is an outbreak, I will be the first in line for a booster.

[Ditto]

The only concern at the time was that the vaccination left a nasty scar.

Not true. It had a pretty high insidence as vaccines go of serious complications, including death.

[AnAmericanMother]

There is always a risk with vaccination - but the risk is small compared with the horror of a smallpox outbreak. People look at (for example) the relatively small percentage of consequences (not definitively connected) from MMR immunizations, and forget the deaths and blindness from "red measles", the sterility from mumps, and the poor little deaf and blind and retarded babies infected in utero with German measles. And those diseases are minor with very low death and injury rates compared to smallpox.

I am Irish and Highland Scot by descent, and the Celtic people seem to be particularly susceptible not only to smallpox but to complications, especially blindness. If you read the Irish histories, the number of people blinded by smallpox is incredible - never mind the huge numbers horribly disfigured for life and those who did not survive. Turlough O'Carolan the famous (well at least if you're Irish) harper and composer was blinded by smallpox, many an Irishman or woman took to the road with harp or voice or begging cup. I don't want that for my kids. And my daughter had a VERY bad reaction to her second MMR, we filled her full of Tylenol and were sponging her down every five minutes, and she still had a temperature of 106. So I know the risks, and they are acceptable to me. What's more, "herd immunity" will protect even those who can't be vaccinated by limiting their potential exposure.

I've been vaccinated multiple times - as an infant, and continually up into my teenage years because my family travelled in some pretty weird places and the Immigration Service required that we be re-immunized every time we went somewhere like Haiti . . . nothing ever happened to me and I never knew anyone who had a bad reaction to the vaccination (other than the truly gross sore on the vaccination site when it "takes." But that's why they make bandages.) I do know several people who had a reaction to the oral polio vaccine, and lots of folks whose babies ran a high fever after MMR.

[Shermy]

Ping.

[Goldwater Girl]

If the progress of the rash has been arrested- they can rule out smallpox without any test results. My guess is they are hoping tests will tell them what it is- but they may never know. Adult chicken pox is serious- and since we no longer isolate cases, she might have been infected anywhere.
I, too, have been immunized against smallpox many times- since I was an ER nurse. I have never known or heard of a serious reaction among any of the thousands of us who were immunized routinely.
The risk is too great to gamble with my life, and the lives of others. I will be in the line, too- and have my family- especially my 8 grandchildren with me.

[Goldwater Girl]

If we are subjected to a smallpox bioterrorism attack- 30% of those infected will die. That is 300,000 per million, compared to 1 death per million from the vaccine.

The risk is negligible, compared to the alternative.

As members of the general public- you will not even be offered vaccination until the risk of attack has been established- but first responders need to be immunized NOW- so they can care for the victims without succumbing themselves.

I sincerely hope neither of you live in a large urban center, ride the subway or bus, or come in regular contact with large numbers of strangers. Infection occurs BEFORE symptoms are apparent. The virus lives on inanimate objects like door handles or money, and can be passed through air handlers. Without immunization, you will be among the first casualities - after you have infected many others.

This devastating disease is the greatest threat we could possibly face- but it has been extinct for so long, we have lost the fear of it. I hope we never have to face it again, and you will never have to weigh the risks to you and your loved ones.

[AnAmericanMother]

Well, I'm glad somebody else understands the risk ratio we're dealing with here.

Perhaps because I'm a student of history I have a little more awareness of the horrors of smallpox. Also, my grandmother was a bacteriologist at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta back in the teens when smallpox was still a potential threat. Most folks can't imagine (a) how terrifying a smallpox epidemic was, and (b) how bad this disease is for the individual who gets it. L.M. Montgomery (yes the "Anne of Green Gables" author) wrote a short story about a smallpox epidemic. Scared the h@!! out of me. I think the title is "In Her Selfless Mood."