So Thomas Duncan was sent home from the hospital after his temperature reading was 103?

[Cali_Democrat]

Anyone still think his race and lack of insurance had nothing to do with the hospital trying to get him out of there as fast as possible?

My earlier post on this:

Was Thomas Duncan Initially Turned Away From The Hospital Because He's Black And Uninsured?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025627980

News today:

Ebola patient's temperature spiked to 103 degrees

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014914853

Rachel Maddow Has Some Very Tough Questions About Texas Ebola Patient's Death

Rachel Maddow began Wednesday night's show with some very pointed questions on whether or not the United States could have done more to help save Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan.

Duncan, the first person who was diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S., died on Wednesday in Dallas.

Maddow first wondered why other Ebola patients had received blood transfusions from Ebola survivors as part of their treatment, but Duncan did not. This raised some serious questions for Maddow, who wondered "how well we have performed" as a country to control this virus.

"Is it possible that he [Duncan] didn't get as high a standard of treatment as the other patients have gotten in this country?" she asked.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/09/rachel-maddow-demands-ans_n_5958134.html

[Warpy]

1. I said this from the beginning and got jumped on here

by people who apparently didn't remember that pRick Perry didn't expand Medicaid in Texas and has been fighting the ACA tooth and nail, keeping hospitals burdened with patients who have no way to pay for their treatment.

I was uninsured for nearly 3 decades and it worked like magic to keep me out of the hospital no matter how high my temperature had spiked.

Having Mr. Duncan arrive in Texas, home of the ignorant, uncaring and short sighted government of GOP oilmen, was almost guaranteed to be a perfect storm of stinginess leading to negligence and exposing many more people to a disease that kills rapidly and horribly.

[snappyturtle]

41. I think Mr. Duncan's treatment has more to do with the "system" than

anything. I got sent home with an inappropriate diagnosis and "treatment" last New Year's Day. The system sucks. I sufferred three more days and had to beg, yes, beg, with insurance, to get to see a specialist. Training sucks. The ER was most concerned in getting my 'vitals' like my address and religious preferences and use of street drugs rather than my condition. I can see how Mr.Duncan fell through the cracks so to speak.

[Warpy]

42. Back in Boston, I used to attract a gaggle of med students whenever I had to go in

because I was so "interesting." One of them actually figured it out. Here in NM I have a rheumatologist I can get in to see within a few days for acute problems.

[nashville_brook]

2. seriously, not a counter-example

but, i was kicked out of a hospital with a temp of 103 and severe back pain (turned out to be a bone infection) and i actually had perfectly fine insurance. my sense is that they didn't know what was wrong with me, and therefore i presented a problem.

it was truly bizarre.

I think he actually was kicked out b/c he didn't have insurance…and also, there's other reasons (that I don't understand) why people who do have insurance and are very sick are turned away.

[KitSileya]

5. The other reasons are called for-profit health "care."

Because their first motive is to suck as much money as possible out of the business, the hospitals are under-staffed. Even with health insurance, over-worked nurses and doctors are more likely to make mistakes when it comes to your care. That's just common sense. The health care personnel are there to provide care, and that is what they want to do, but that is not the primary task for which they are hired. This cross purpose invites a lot of mistakes, I think.

While at university, I worked in housekeeping at the regional hospital here in Norway. I cleaned hospital rooms, did the dishes, cleaned bed pans etc. It absolutely baffled me to hear my nurse friend in the US describe how not only did she have to buy her own scrubs - but that she took them home to clean them in her own laundry machine! That would be an unthinkable SOP in Norway, where all scrubs, t-shirts, and even hijabs are provided by the hospital, tossed in the laundry each day, and washed on site. That is the only way you can guarantee they are washed in water at least 180 degrees - necessary to kill tubercular bacteria, for example.

While American health care may be the best money can buy, they have made tons of cost-cutting measures that endanger people's lives. If profit were taken out of the health care industry, not everyone would get the optimal care, that is impossible, but I am darn sure the employees and the patients would be a lot better off.

[Dorian Gray]

77. I actually think

that they are cocky and think: Flu or viral infection. Go home.

Well, it was a viral infection.

One that killed him.

[seabeyond]

3. what person is kept in the hospital with temp of 103, not suspecting ebola? my boys would have a

high fever. they would be checked out, told to do a aleve/tylonal cocktail, keep cooled off, sleep, liquids and stay in touch.

seriously. do people get hospitalized with a fever of 103, when thought it is a flu?

[bigwillq]

8. This is how it is around my way also (nt)

[gollygee]

20. I've never heard of that either

I've always heard 104 as the temp at which it's more serious, but I get bronchitis each year, and routinely get over 103 - usually around 103.3 - when I get it. I've never had a doctor get particularly concerned.

[seabeyond]

24. and i have not had a fever since i was 12. only the boys. not hubby or anyone i am close to.

so, going off my experience, i am really lacking in knowledge here.

good to hear from two that kinda have experienced it the same as i.

[840high]

70. My daughter just got

over an upper respiratory infection - ran 103 - not hospitalized.

[Mariana]

28. If they thought it was flu

why did they give him antibiotics?

[seabeyond]

32. i read in one where they stated specifically, the extended diagnosis, that would have a antibiotic.

i am not medical and the termonology did not stick in my head. regardless. we all pretty much know the medical field over proscribes antibiotics. both cause a lot of times it could be viral or bacterial so they just punt and do an antibiotic, and cause patients demand something.

and a lot of us are educated enough to know about over prescribing antibiotics and we challenge the need. i know i did with my kids illness, often and consistently.

[cali]

29. except the totality of his symptoms indicated something seriously wrong

and why did they prescribe antibiotics if they thought it was the flu?

Fever in an adult usually isn't usually dangerous unless it registers 103 degrees F (39.4 degrees C) or higher. If it is accompanied by any of the following symptoms, it may indicate a serious or life-threatening illness. Seek immediate medical attention if your symptoms include:

Pain or tenderness in the abdomen.
Nausea or vomiting.
Severe headache.
Stiff neck that resists movement.
Light hurts eyes.
Convulsions or seizures.
Difficulty breathing.
Strange behavior, altered speech.
Mental status changes, confusion, difficulty waking, extreme sleepiness.
Rash (particularly if it looks like small bleeding spots under the skin).

snip

http://www.emergencycareforyou.org/EmergencyManual/WhatToDoInMedicalEmergency/Default.aspx?id=242

[seabeyond]

33. post above i answered about antibiototics. and still, does not say hospitalize, but seek medical

attention. he did.

what i have read is with a high fever, 7 days, then hospitalize. again. not medical. someone in the field want to tell me otherwise, i listen.

[cali]

35. I've read different things- like high fever for 2 days.

in any case, this is fucking absurd. He went in and told them he'd just come from Liberia AND he had symptoms that matched those described for Ebola.

massive stupid clusterfuck.

Malpractice.

[pnwmom]

46. A fever that high in a man in his forties is much more serious, and unusual,

than a fever in one of your boys.

[DocMac]

51. Bingo! nt

[Dorian Gray]

78. Yes

doctors are less concerned when children run high fevers. My daughter runs 104 at least once a year with some terrible life draining illness. I haven't had a fever that high since I had pneumonia years and years ago.

[laundry_queen]

80. Yeah, my oldest has that tendency

She's 17 now. She's always had high fevers, even with mild illnesses. Her usual temp with any illness is around 104. Her highest was when she had H1N1 (she was 12) - it went to 104.6 WITH tylenol and I called the healthcare hotline in my province, because we were told NOT to take any H1N1 patients to local hospitals unless they were struggling to breathe (there was a decent size outbreak in our community right at the very beginning of the pandemic). They told me to rotate the Tylenol with advil and that managed to bring it down to 103.5. They seemed unconcerned with how high her fever was because she was young.

Anyway, her high fevers always freak me out. Her eyes look like zombie eyes when her temp gets that high. My other kids don't get high fevers like that. I think it's weird that my oldest does because I don't get fevers at all unless I'm deathly ill.

[840high]

72. Not to my knowledge.

[Laffy Kat]

4. In an ADULT a 103 degree temp. is a huge deal.

That temp in itself should be enough to admit. You see that kind of fever with sepsis. I just can't understand why they would discharge such a sick patient.

[seabeyond]

7. i googled adult fever 103. if over 103 and last 7 days, should be hospitalized.

i am not in the medical field. i would like to know the answer on the basic question.

[Niceguy1]

59. it was probably

The lack of insurance and his skin color. I have seen it happen in California. ..and I bet texas is worse.

[Ms. Toad]

64. Only if it is longstanding.

I've had temperatures that high recently (in my 50s) - and my doctor was not worried as long as I could bring it down with aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen.

(Combined with other things, as it was in this case, it is cause for alarm - but a fever spike to 103 alone is not normally cause for an admission.)

[bigwillq]

6. I knew quite a few adults and children

who were sent home with a fever of 103. Guess what? All white.

[DocMac]

52. What is "quite a few"?

Are you a witness or gathering data?

[bigwillq]

73. 3 or 4 friends

who have said in the past that they or their children went to the ER with temps 103 or so and were sent home after check up.

[uppityperson]

9. Yet for the deputy, the reaction to having stomach pain...

http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/local/collin-county/2014/10/09/wife-of-dallas-deputy-says-frisco-ebola-scare-an-overreaction/16994107/

Family of deputy: Ebola scare 'blown out of proportion'

(clip)

Michael Monnig, a sergeant with the Dallas County Sheriff's Office, had gone there for help with stomach pain. But, he also told the staff that he'd been involved in the case of Dallas' first Ebola patient.

The sergeant's wife, Lisa Monnig, described what happened next as she was on the phone with him. His exacts words were, 'I'm at CareNow, and all hell's about to break loose,' and I said, 'Why?' And he said, 'I hear helicopters overhead,'" Lisa Monnig said. "They freaked. I think they totally freaked out."
(clip)

It was said that someone had shown up to the clinic who had been in direct contact with Duncan. The clinic said the patient had been to Africa. Soon came word that the patient was actually Monnig, who had not had any direct contact with Duncan and had not been to Africa.

(clip)
"I understand that there's procedures and protocol that needs to be followed," she said. "I just think with all the media attention, it's just been blown out of proportion."
(clip)

Sgt. Monnig was released from the hospital Thursday night. His wife said he has an upper respiratory virus. Monnig's family is asking for privacy until a news conference they have scheduled Friday morning. The CareNow clinic in Frisco will reopen Friday....

[uppityperson]

66. He did not have contact with the virus, with infectious body fluids. So rather than checking him

out like anyone else in Dallas who had stomach ache, tiredness, no fever, it was the over reaction. It makes me wonder how much of a media cya thing was going on, to prove that theye were taking it seriously even though they did not take a Liberian with a high fever and many symptoms of ebola seriously.

[uppityperson]

10. 101.7. Hazmat suits, isolation, lab tests, clinic lockdown. No, not Mr Duncan

http://www.myfoxcarolinas.com/story/26756378/sheriffs-deputy-talks-about-ebola-scare

[LisaL]

11. Deputy told them he was in contact with Ebola virus.

Mr. Duncan didn't.
If that deputy showed up with the same symptoms, but didn't mention Ebola, do you seriously think he would get hazmat suits, isolation, etc?

[uppityperson]

12. MrDuncan said he had just come from Liberia. Over reaction vs under reaction. nt

[seabeyond]

14. true. with never having ebola in the u.s. IF duncan said he was helping ebola victims, and prior

to flying to the u.s. carried a stricken woman in an ebola ward, turned away, brought her home and watched her die....

there would have been the APPROPRIATE reaction.

[uppityperson]

16. IF he'd have known all of that, it would have been very much better.

[seabeyond]

18. he knew. i know there are people claiming he did not. i do not buy it for a moment.

we will have to just disagree on that point.

[LisaL]

19. I think that at the very least he had to suspect it.

Considering the woman he was helping died.
Even if he didn't know she had Ebola, he could have told his doctors he came from Liberia where he helped a woman who died some hours later.

[seabeyond]

23. from what another in liberia says, he helped more than one victim of ebola. he helped...

he was that kind of man. they were in a large city, not a village. he was educated. i think, and i can understand, he really did not want to have ebola and allowed the misdiagnosis, .... hoping that is all it was.

anyway. that one is past. everyone learned from duncans experience. as they are in spain, with the nurses experience. and it is said, it is in their deaths....

[uppityperson]

22. All I have to go on is what has been published about what he knew. I find it incredible that people

do not understand infectious diseases, do not believe how it is passed on. I find it incredible that people trying to help and educate were distrusted to the point of murdering them. I also know that not every sick person even in the areas where there is lots of ebola have ebola.

[LeftInTX]

21. See reponse 13

I've got the Dallas County Health Department algorithm on my hard drive. Per the algorithm, they should have suspected Ebola on Mr. Duncan. It's based merely on his travel and symptoms.

Algorithm can be found on this page - Dallas County

[seabeyond]

25. everyone acknowledges that. a misstake was made. no one had ebola at that time, in u.s.

busy er, flu season, no ebola in u.s.

yes....

liberia should have done it. it did not. they get to own that.

telling them you helped victims of ebola oh say... 9 days prior would have left a greater impression on the registering nurse taking down info. or really helpful to the doctor looking him over.

[uppityperson]

27. Why, IF he knew, would he not tell them?

[seabeyond]

30. i think a couple reasons.

a all of it guessing, but with human nature, it works for me. firstly, not wanting to admit. both cause irresponsible and the guilt of bring it to family, but also self denying. who the fuck would want that. because he had signed a paper saying he was not with ebola victims. if he had put yes. he would not have come to the country.

if you have a chance of getting disease, would rather u.s. hospital.

they said liberia. so they can be comforted providing the clue. yet... really, ... you are fine, and infection, take anti biotic, i could see him jumping on that with hope.

the mind is very powerful, when faced with those choices, and outcomes.

all guessing. but i can see it.

the soon to be wife said... i told her liberia TWICE.

like that was suppose to be the connection the medical people needed.

hey... ebola, would have been more clear.

[uppityperson]

34. So he came to the USA to get better medical care if he got ebola, yet didn't tell them he might?

After reading more of his history, I can see why he did not know that pregnant woman died of ebola and hence did not know he was directly exposed. If he had come here for better treatment, why would he block his chances of getting it?

This makes no sense to me. What does make sense is not knowing he'd been in direct contact, since he was told she did not have ebola. There are lots of other diseases and health conditions, even in ebola stricken countries.

[seabeyond]

37. and from what i read, i disagree. we interpret the info differently. what did his son do

two days later?

called cdc and said... EBOLA. (not even two days later. late night hospital visit, a whole day being sick, the next morning the son called.)

[uppityperson]

39. His son, who lived in the USA, with much more information available to him.

We will disagree. Oh well. At least we won't engage in that most fun of du sports, random insults.

[pnwmom]

47. Exactly. If he had come here for better health care, of course he would have told them about

the Ebola exposure.

I believe the family. He came here because of his partner and son and either didn't know about the cause of death of the woman or was in denial. But he didn't consciously lie about it. The hospital staff failed to ask the follow up question after he mentioned the travel from Liberia.

He was in pain and was spiking a fever -- probably wasn't thinking clearly.

Their fault, not his.

[LisaL]

49. He was asked if had been around anyone sick.

His response was no.
At the very least he knew he was around a sick woman who died.

[pnwmom]

50. I didn't see that. But at this point I trust very little the hospital says.

First they said he never told them about Liberia. Then they said only the nurse knew. Then they blamed it on the computer system. Then they acknowledged that both the nurses and doctors knew.

First they said his fever was only 101 -- not high enough to admit him. Now it turns out (from a review of records) that it actually got to 103 -- while he was there -- and that was flagged in his records.

So if the hospital said he never told them about being around someone who was sick, maybe it's true, maybe it isn't. That hospital has lost credibility with me.

[morningfog]

43. Duncan said he had been in Liberia! C'mon.

YOU, who have been all of the Ebola threads cannot seriously be suggesting this is an actual distinction.

[LeftInTX]

13. Dallas County Algorithm

Sorry no link. From PDF on my hard drive.

They should have asked him if he had been to an EVD-affected area.

If he stated he did not have contact with ebola, with a fever > 101.5 F they should have followed the protocol.

I bolded the thrombocytopenia stuff because if they were looking at appendicitis, then I think they would have checked for this. (I believe it is a platelet count).

Excepts from algorithm

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD): Screening Questionnaire (Updated 8/27/14 –
DALLAS COUNTY HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Epidemiology and Acute Communicable Disease Control Division

1. Has the patient been in an EVD-affected area within 21 days before onset of symptoms (currently Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Lagos, Nigeria)?
If the answer to Question 1 is YES, go to Question 2.


2. Has the patient done any of the following in the 21 days before onset of symptoms:
• Had direct contact with known or suspected EVD patients? (I'm assuming that Mr. Duncan stated he did not have contact with Ebola)
If all of the answers to Question 2 are NO, skip Question 3 and go to Question 4.

3. Does the patient have ANY of the following symptoms: fever (subjective OR ≥101.5°F), muscle pain,
stomach pain, diarrhea or vomiting, headache, or unexplained bleeding or bruising?

4. Does the patient have a subjective fever or documented fever (≥101.5°F)? [for patients who have
traveled to an affected area but report no known exposure to EVD]
If the answer to Question 4 is YES:
• Immediately place the patient in a private room with contact and droplet precautions (if not already in one) while clinical evaluation is in progress and until cleared by the hospital infection preventionist.

• Notify your hospital infection preventionist and DCHHS immediately (214-819-2004 or 877-605-2660)

NO KNOWN EXPOSURE
• Persons who had residence in (or travel to) an EVD outbreak-affected area in the last 21 days WITHOUT high- or low-risk exposures FEVER ≥101.5°F (38.6°C) AND
• Compatible symptoms: severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting,
diarrhea, abdominal pain, or unexplained hemorrhage AND
• Unknown or abnormal blood work including: thrombocytopenia
<150,000 cells/µL AND/OR elevated hepatic transaminases
• AND no alternate diagnosis
EVD SUSPECTED – TESTING INDICATED
Immediately report/consult DCHHS at 214-819-2004 or 877-605-2660.

Sorry if hard to follow. This is copied from a flow sheet. Flow sheet is easy to follow.

[LisaL]

17. Yes, it would appear that they didn't follow the protocol.

It's hard to understand why, since the hospital repeatedly changed its story on whether Duncan's doctors knew he was from Liberia.

[LeftInTX]

26. I agree

Maybe this sounds a bit racist of me, but if I was working there and noticed his accent, it would have gotten my attention. Would they not ask specifically what part of Africa he was from?

[nc4bo]

15. Money trumps race, the fact that he was black sealed the deal.

Too many times I've seen green muddy the color issue.....most will do anything for that green.

Being uninsured while black doomed Mr Duncan to death and endangered his family and many others.

Why don't we all have access to healthcare again?

[nc4bo]

55. So what's the story NOW

1st - hospital says he didn't mention Liberia.
2nd - hospital says he might have mentioned it but the record got "lost".
3rd - hospital says he did indeed mention Libera.
4th? Duncan lied?

Sooooooo - what's the final verdict?

Sorry, I can't keep up anymore.

[nc4bo]

58. At this point, I really actually don't believe any one person's or hospital's story.

Too much to lose............

He's dead, body incinerated. Can't ask him squat. Family members praying they don't have it. Hypochondriac police officers.

Lots of poor people with no or inadequte insurance and lots of people who think they are immune to poor people's diseases.

What can I say, I'm a cynic on this one.

[LeftyMom]

31. My mom presented to the ER with a 103 degree fever, lethargy, fluid retention and chest pain.

They told her she had the flu and sent her home. The next morning she took a cab to a different ER because she was too woozy to drive, and they admitted her because she was on the brink of death with endocarditis- a bacterial infection of the heart, lining and valves. She was in the hospital for nearly four months, but she survived. Her doctors were genuinely surprised.

That was the second time she's nearly died of "probably just the flu, you can go home." The other time turned out to be a pulmonary embolism.

[markpkessinger]

38. She's lucky to have survived a pulmonary embolism, too . . .

. . . I lost a grandmother to a pulmonary embolism when she was only 52. And last year, an acquaintance -- a 35-year-old man who seemed to be a picture of health -- died of the same thing. Glad to hear your mother survived both episodes!

[LeftyMom]

40. Fortunately she went to another ER that time too.

She'd gone to the large teaching hospital here and received very poor, dismissive care. Then she had to travel and when she was feeling even worse she went to a very small rural hospital in the area where she was visiting. They found the problem, were amazed that the other hospital had missed it, and took excellent care of her. Saved her life. Actually they went well above and beyond in caring for her- they sent her blood off to the Mayo Clinic for testing to try to find a cause for her clots, because they suspected a hereditary problem.

[notadmblnd]

36. I think there is someone in this thread who was arguing with me the other day- that would still say

That he got treatment and that his race and the fact he had no insurance has nothing to do with the outcome of his case. And despite all that has been said, would still demand evidence of the assertion that race an lack of ins was the reason that Duncan received substandard treatment on his initial visit. I wish they were around to answer to your question, but I'm not gonna hold my breath waiting for them to chime in on it now.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5641122

[Dreamer Tatum]

60. Right here. Same answer.

Malpractice at worst.

Am I supposed to be swayed by a high temperature? Can you show me the hospital protocol for admissions with high temperature?

Is your argument that "he had a HIGH FEVER and they DIDN'T ADMIT HIM. RACIST!" If so, please show me disparate treatment.

Malpractice at worst, which is actually suitworthy.

[notadmblnd]

61. Good for you!

have a nice weekend.

[Dreamer Tatum]

62. So it's racism or nothing?

Can't be malpractice. Has to be racism. Because...racism.

OK.

[pansypoo53219]

44. and treating anti-biotics like tictacs.

[star14]

45. I been to hospital very sick and sent home.

I can't say they were being prejudice, I think more typical.

[kestrel91316]

48. Happy to do a CT scan, but can't bother to read and think about his travel history??

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

63. Are hospitals "happy to do scans"

on poor black people who can't pay?

Did they do a scan? If they did, I'm not sure I believe that he was sent home due to racism or poverty.

I believe the doctor made a mistake. A huge mistake. And it is all being blamed on "computer-something-or-other."

But in plain English, the doctor didn't review the patient's chart.

Nurses chart and chart and chart, but it's all electronic, now. Doctors are still supposed to read the damn thing! I have RNs in the family, and they are all furious about this.

[Ms. Toad]

67. Yes - they did a CT scan.

From that perspective, I am having a hard time accepting the no insurance/black allegations. Even with insurance, CT scans often require pre-approval - suggesting they are relatively costly.

But definitely malpractice.

[Dreamer Tatum]

65. You mean the hospital performed a CT scan on an uninsured black man?

Why would those racists do that? I thought a bottle of antibiotics was crammed down his throat and he was tossed out on his ass.

Gee, maybe they provided a level of care, after all, and simply screwed up.

[kestrel91316]

69. I don't care how many fancy tests they did to COVER THEIR ASSES.

Failure to read the patient's history/ignoring the patient's history is gross malpractice.

[Dreamer Tatum]

75. Oh, so they DID do tests. Boy, the narrative is changing.

First they threw a bottle of pills at him and told him to get lost.

Now they performed tests, but to cover their asses.

Is there ANYTHING more pathetic than making things up as you go?

[kestrel91316]

76. I'm not making things up, dearie. I'm quite sure that I read that he got a CT scan on the first

visit right here, or at an article linked here.

Since I don't recall the source cited here on DU, I can't go back to see it if was dodgy.

But don't you DARE say I'm making it up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ETA:

Here you go. WaPo article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/us-ebola-victims-medical-records-reported-contradictory/2014/10/10/3e8d2bf8-50ac-11e4-aa5e-7153e466a02d_story.html

"The Associated Press reported that when Duncan first appeared in the emergency room of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital late on Sept. 25, his fever spiked to 103 degrees. According to medical records the news service said were provided by his family, he also complained to hospital staff of abdominal pain so severe he ranked it an eight on a scale of one-to-10. Dizziness, headache and decreased urination were also noted on his chart. When a CT scan ruled out appendicitis and stroke, Duncan was prescribed antibiotics and Tylenol and released, according to the report."

~~~~~~~~~

I'm not sure which is worse: the idea that he was glanced at, HIS HISTORY IGNORED, and then sent home with antibiotics - or that he got some expensive tests that required no further thought on the physicians part, HIS HISTORY IGNORED, and then sent home with antibiotics. Neither is acceptable. The latter smacks of CYA medicine.

[LisaL]

81. I am not following your post.

What is it exactly do you think they were trying to cover up the first time he showed in the ER?
He had symptoms similar to numerous other diseases and these doctors never saw a case of Ebola before.

[840high]

71. ...^ that

[X_Digger]

83. Kinda pisses in the cheerios of those with a certain narrative, doesn't it? n/t

[Live and Learn]

74. I have been suspicious myself but

my own experience with a very well known HMO hasn't been much better. nt

[REP]

79. My white, insured, middle-class mother is dead due to ER malpractice

Do I think he was treated inappropriately because of his race? No.

Many ERs are full of staff who are overworked, underqualified or lack experience (residents, interns ... students, in other words), burn outs, etc. Present with vague symptoms without a doctor calling in first to let them know you're coming and you're rolling the dice. Or even without vague symptoms.

I've had to physically fight off a resident from administering a drug that is fatal to me (and noted on my chart). As I said, my mother was sent home with clear and emergent symptoms and she died. White and lots of first-class insurance. Women though; it's dangerous to show up at the ER as a woman unless you're in labor.

[KMOD]

82. Hey all, Í'm a newbie here

I don't have the privilege of starting my own thread, but I have some thoughts on this topic I'd like to share. If you like what I have to say, please feel free to copy it and start a new thread.

I just want to send major Kudos to Louise Troh's daughter. Her name and age have differed in media accounts, it seems she's anywhere from a 13 year old to a 20 something year old with medical experience. She's been referred to as Jallah, so I'll refer to her as the same.

Jallah is the one who found Thomas Duncan in critical condition. She visited him at the request of her mother who was working.

Jallah has medical experience. Perhaps a nurse assistant.

Upon finding Thomas Eric Duncan in such rough shape, Jallah took his blood pressure and temperature.

Alarmed at the findings, Jallah called paramedics and warned them of his travel and told them take precautions, (masks, protective gear)

The paramedics took Jallah's advice seriously and instructed the hospital to prepare for a potential Ebola victim.

Jallah bagged up Thomas Eric Duncan's towels and bedding, she bleached his mattress, she bleached the bathroom and then took a bath with bleach herself.

Jallah quarantined herself back at her home. She would/will not let her diaper-aged wearing children touch her, and she takes her temperature daily.

Jallah was never officially quarantined.

Jallah is the person who deserves the most kudos for stopping the spread of this virus.

Like with most crimes, health scares, terrorist scares, etc., Citizens usually play a big role in solving and/or preventing.

So, again, big Kudos for Jallah!

[seabeyond]

84. i have not read this. all very interesting and inspiring if accurate. if a mother and nurse,

then that would suggest at the very least, upper teens, lower twenties. anyway. interesting. explained the bagged stuff. and using the bleach is what would have protected the others quarantined in that apartment.

welcome to du.

[LisaL]

85. It was reported that she is 35.

[KMOD]

86. Lisa

The reporting of her age has been all over the board.

[KMOD]

87. Yes, very inspiring

She most likely saved many lives.

Thank you for the welcome.

[pnwmom]

88. I strongly agree -- she's a hero in this horrible tragedy.

Welcome to DU, KMOD!

[KMOD]

90. Thank you, pnwmom

I have been lurking for awhile and I find your posts to be sensible, balanced, intelligent and fair.

[pnwmom]

91. Well, thank you!

There are lots of good people here. Glad you've decided to join us!

[uppityperson]

89. Do you have any articles, any links, about her actions? I found a letter to the editor in Dallas

paper, but not much on Youngor Jallah besides she took his temperature and called 911, telling them he may have had ebola. I am glad for her, wish her the best. And is she still at home, how is she and her family doing being out of work and school? Thank you for this information and welcome to DU.

[KMOD]

92. Thank you, uppityperson

Here is just a random quick sample

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/2014/10/02/add51488-4a5f-11e4-891d-713f052086a0_story.html

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/ebola-patient-thomas-eric-duncans-family-frets-about-hugs-kisses-n217041

http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/26701192/ebola-patients-stepdaughter-says-she-called-911

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-ebola-quarantine-20141004-story.html#page=1

I'm certain I could find more, and I'm positive I can back up everything I stated.

I have been following this story since the beginning, and I have not bookmarked everything.

I'm ready to retire for the night, but if you find anything questionable I will find you a link.

You are also one of my favorite DU people.

[uppityperson]

93. Thank you, I appreciate your taking time to do this. I'll go read and catch you tomorrow, soon to be

here also. And thank you.

I wish the best for all involved and need to donate more to MSF again for all their good work.

Edited to add, that WAPost article is very good. Thank you.

[KMOD]

94. Just one more before I retire

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/relatives-dallas-ebola-patient-await-apartment-cleaning-cabin-fever-sets-article-1.1962244