EBOLA VIRUS CONTINUES TO INFECT- WE NEED ACTION, NOT WORDS


THE KUHNS REPORT

LAS VEGAS

Hello America. and how is the world treating you?

The Ebola fiasco is still happening and as I stated in earlier blogs some of the people supposedly in charge still don't get it.

I also mentioned previously that there should be "ONLY" one center to accept and treat Ebola patients but because of political correctness the health officials turn a blind eye. For example, I mentioned in an earlier blog that I had occasion in the early 1950's to spend time at the Leper Colony in the Hawaiian Islands. The entire Island was dedicated to housing and treating Leper patients. The medical staff was trained, were constantly on site,  and had specific protocols and policy set up to treat the Leprosy and none of the Lepers were in contact with the general population off the Island. I would have to say that the isolation and the treatment given the Leper community was well organized and controlled. The disease was well contained.

As I proposed, specialized treatment units and location are ideal. That should be the watch word.
With the resources  the United States has it would be no problem to set up ONE location and ONE facility where all possible Ebola infected people are treated and cared for by a group of trained staff. From day one of the Ebola matter I have always maintained that the  federal government and its health authorities should mandate and require any/and all Ebola patients be sent to a highly specialized "containment" center. Money spent for the protection of Americans should come first, rather than giving BILLIONS of dollars to foreign countries who take our money and spit in our face.

It has been reported that "new" data  suggests that even "tiny droplets" of a patients body fluids can contain the fatal virus. And, I emphasize the word "new." So, believe me when I say that one careless nurse, doctor and/or health care worker can pick up some secretions and/or body fluids and spread the disease.

Again, I say that allowing each and every hospital in America to accept possible Ebola patients is a losing battle. Why? Because each and every hospital's emergency room is clearly NOT prepared to isolate , contain and take infection control precautions. Hell, at the present time there are hundreds of thousands of people that contract illness and disease while spending time in a hospital. In many cases a  patient comes out of the  hospital with a disease that  is worse that the ailment they went to the hospital for originally. Infection control in hospitals in the United States at the present time is dismal. Many patients become gravely ill, some die. A hospital-acquired infection is called "nosocomial" and the biggest offender causing a nosocomial hospital-acquired infection is "lack of hand washing." It's hard to believe but the truth is the truth. Doctors,  nurses, technicians and support staff frequently touch patients before  washing their hands, thereby transferring a virus and/or disease on to an unsuspecting patient. And now, these health officials tell Americans that they have everything  regarding Ebola under control? Hell ! If they cannot even wash their hands before treating a patient, what makes you think that they will not take short cuts and break policy and protocol with the fatal Ebola?

Case in point: One of the nurses, (26- year-old, Nina Pham) who treated infected patient Duncan at Texas Presbyterian contracted the  Ebola virus and then she came in contact with others at the hospital. There were also at least 70 other hospital staffers who were involved in  Thomas Eric Duncan's care. I would think these people warrant watching and monitored. Nurse Pham must have violated or ignored protocol in some way if she came down worth the virus. She contracted the virus and according to the talking heads that claim to know everything about Ebola say that policy and/or protocol HAD to be broken in order for Pham to contract Ebola. I believe it is "unacceptable" to have a health care worker contract the disease. You can't have it both ways, people. There is no such thing as being "only half pregnant." It's an  "either -or" situation. Pham either broke protocol or she didn't. My view is that if she followed policy and protocol she would NOT have contracted Ebola. The conclusion being: She contracted Ebola so she MUST have broken protocol and/or policy. Lets face it - - If you go to bed at night and there's NO snow on the ground and you wake up the next morning and there IS snow on the ground , one can conclude that indeed, it did snow during the night.  But the sad part of this case is Dr. Frieden initially indicated the nurse broke protocol in some way, shape or form BUT after a group of nurses complained about his statement saying he's blaming the nurse--Dr. Frieden., the head of the CDC back-peddled, and softened his remarks and apologized to the world and the nurse. Wow! What's that tell you folks. Here we are dealing with one of the most  deadly diseases in the entire world but to be politically correct and to sooth over hard feeling of a specific group it appears Dr. Frieden bends with the wind and is willing to change views in a heartbeat. Does that give one confidence in the governments edicts? I think not.

I see one of the failures in policy/protocol as  allowing these health care workers  who work with isolated Ebola patients to"self-monitor" themselves. As it stands, it appears health officials have been relying on an "honor" system . They expect health care workers to report any potential exposure and watch themselves for symptoms. I see that clearly as a dangerous move. Any health care worker may be afraid to report any symptoms and/or knowingly fail to report symptoms. I would offer the following: Have any and all  health care workers involved in Ebola treatment monitored by a team of experts. The government health officials  should not leave these workers the option to monitor themselves.

Folks, small hospitals across the country are not equipped to handle Ebola patients. They never will be. I have no doubt that nurses and health care workers in every position is  "frightened, afraid" because of the training they never received or the inadequate training they may have received.

I suggest that the  people  in charge like, Dr. Tom Frieden, head of the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention and state Health officials throughout the country are a "day late and a dollar short." Now, and only now, they are  screaming and yelling that they "will" set up training, policy and protocols. They intend to ramp up training NOW? Where were they when Ebola reared it's ugly head years ago? Ignorance is bliss, isn't it? I say Ebola training protocols should have be set up and in place years ago. I think people have been sleeping at the switch.

Mark my words, these health officials who are now telling Americans there is nothing to worry about will argue against treating any and all Ebola infected patients at ONE location, ONE facility. I will further predict these same health officials will say it's dangerous and high-risk to "transfer" the patient because it has potential to expose more people to the virus. To me, that's a lame argument. The Ebola patient would have to be transported in any event, whether from a residence, business, off the street, etc., by health care workers wearing the protective gear that was used to transport the first doctor who was brought back to the United States for treatment. So transferring the patient directly to one specific Ebola facility at one specific location for  isolation, containment and treatment would not be as dangerous as  allowing an Ebola patient to  "try" to be treated at some small hospital emergency room in some small town or city where the risks of an error would be enormous.

As I write this I understand that Dr. Tom Frieden, head of the CDC again went to the media and said something like: "We have to rethink how we handle Ebola." " Even a single case of Ebola is unacceptable." No kidding!

Here's a few suggestion(s) for the health officials that would rather talk, than act.

1.  Look at  the type of protective gear being used to  handle an Ebola patient.
2. Minimize the number of  heath care workers caring for an Ebola patient.
3. Have one specific team work with the Ebola patient.
4. Have members of that team trained with  specific policy and protocol to be followed by the numbers, checked off a clip board, not unlike a (flight check for pilots) as they gear up and progress through each phase of treatment and carried out to removing the protective gear.
5. And, most of all, transfer any/and all Ebola infected patients to ONE LOCATION, ONE FACILITY where all data, medical records and treatment can be closely monitored and controlled, preventing possible exposure to the general population outside the facility.

Note:  The one facility, one location for isolation and treatment might be: a particular military base that has been closed for years. It could be set up with the most sophisticated equipment and staffed with  the trained medical personnel most able to treat and care for Ebola patients. I would think this would  put  the military base to good use. The patients. would be centralized, contained and would avoid exposure to the general population of Americans. There also would be no opportunity for the Ebola infected people to ignore quarantine  rules and regulations.  They could be housed on the base as thousands of military men and women have been before the base closure.

A secondary suggestion could be  that Ebola patients be transferred to a ship for care and treatment. Keep in mind the United States has a number of medical ships already operating around the world and it would be easy enough to treat Ebola patients on a ship. Remember many of the ships in the United States fleet house 3,000, even 4000 or more individuals and since we already know how to equip a ship for medical treatments, one could be specific for Ebola patients. Again, One location, one facility.

6.Conduct frequent and periodic checks on any/and all health care workers and personnel working in the Ebola facility and around infected Ebola patients.

There clearly is many other suggestions that could and should be put in place to protect all Americans from the deadly Ebola but the ones mentioned herein is a start.

Finally, here's a scary though people. I predict that it will only be a matter of time, in the near future, before an illegal alien crosses our Southern Border carrying this deadly virus. And if I were a betting man I would put money down that the illegal will co-mingle with people in the community and pass the disease on to others before it is detected. By then -- the spread of this killer disease will be much more difficult to trace. That is what is happening right now in West Africa. People in those countries and their relatives are infected and they fail to report it. The result is now over 4000 deaths  and climbing, as of this date. I would estimate that within 9 months to a year the death toll in West Africa will reach at least 10,000. per month You can bet that the same will occur here because of our porous borders if Congress does not address the problem.

I  predict this scenario will happen because of our weak-headed lawmakers in Washington who are still playing games with securing our borders. Christ, they don't even want to suspend flights into the country or place visa bans on these West Africa countries (which would be a great first step). So wishing and hoping this lame Congress will  get some back bone, step up and "secure" our borders to " prevent the spread of Ebola" is just that - -wishful thinking. It's been reported by West Africa officials and officials in the United States that the Ebola epidemic in West Africa is clearly  "out of control." What does Congress not understand about "out of control?" You would think our lawmakers in Congress would learn by experience and from the past but they continue to ignore the warning signs and allow the lethal Ebola virus to gain a foothold in America. First, it was ONE patient, that ONE turned into TWO, TWO turned into THREE and so on, --- and it's going to get worse and the numbers are going to multiply if lawmakers continue on this irresponsible path.

I suggested that the first patient should not have been brought back to the USA, I said that he should have been treated in West Africa. Others like Donald Trump said the same thing. But  the dumb bunnies in Washington put a rubber stamp on bringing the Ebola patients back to America. Look at the result. The stock market has crashed and burned. In fact it fell by hundreds of points three and four days in a row. Airline stocks fell. People are afraid to fly. And, I predict that when the Ebola numbers continue to rise the lawmakers and  these same health officials that have been preaching the word will say they didn't see it coming and something unexpected caused the virus to "get out of control" in America. They will be playing the blame game and pointing fingers. - And, that's my opinion. Make your own decision. You decide.

Bradley W. Kuhns, Ph.D., O.M.D.
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Dr. Kuhns can be reached by email at:
bradleykuhns@gmail.com