This is quite true RP. At the current time most of the public focus is on Ebola; though there are other very dangerous viruses, for practical purposes being ignored. As an aside, this nurse in Maine appears to be a real piece of work. She should consider herself lucky that she was permitted home quarantine. There are mechanisms to force her to stay home or that could have held her in the original quarantine. These even existed prior to the Patriot Act, Etc. This nurse is also putting herself at potential risk of vigilante justice from the surrounding community, should they be so inclined. It seems arrogance and laissez-faire are the order of the day and might be our biggest threats...

 

Dr. Herman Sullivan Neurology

How in the world can a modern-trained physician/healthcare worker misinterpret a period of quarantine as nothing more than a rational public health measure, under these circumstances?

The public is not being served well by feeding them this pablum: let us not quarantine because we may inconvenience someone or make them feel bad about themselves.

If a health care professional is motivated enough to travel to the endemic area and serve in that capacity, they should be motivated enough to help prevent the spread of the infection beyond the current borders.

Officials of the CDC are more interested in massaging self-esteem, in a time when serious actions and measures need be taken to prevent a spread of the Ebola infection in the US.

There is nothing more simplistic than containment and prevention.

Extracting verbal commitments is an irrational and poorly planned method of containment.

There is also conceit on the part of Nurse Hickox to consider suing because she was inconvenienced.
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Randa Sperling Clinical Nurse Specialist

I fail to understand what is so difficult about being quarantined after coming back from caring for Ebola patients. After all, as health care workers we essentially promise to do nothing harmful to others including potentially infecting them with a deadly disease. I wouldn't want to possibly transmit it to my worst enemy, much less my family and friends......or strangers!

 

A local hospital staff finally received their Ebola instruction the other day, this included the PPE. Upon learning the details I was dismayed to say the least, though not surprised. I think this whole deal could be summed up with a famous line from Forrest Gump...

 

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That nurse denying quarantine is just, mentally gone or something.

Hell, consider it a 30 day vacation. I'm sure you could even get pay if the govt is telling you stay at home. Which leads to the real reason why:

The only thing I can think of is that she wants attention and her 15m of fame.

 

I think she was a contract worker, so she may very well not be getting paid now.

But in this case I'm going to side with her. The CDC/TSA is not quarantining every traveler from west Africa...that would only happen if they had symptoms.

Since the risk is very very low or nonexistent for an asymptomatic person, I'm fine with letting her loose unless and until she displays any symptoms. Presumably she would have enough professional knowledge to recognize symptopms at once, isolate herself, and get the right help at that point.

 

COMMENTARY: Ebola virus transmission via contact and aerosol ? a new paradigm | CIDRAP

 

WHO reports intense Ebola activity in large part of Sierra Leone | CIDRAP