Report: LePage to back off quarantine if Kaci Hickox agrees to blood test

[jpak]

Last edited Thu Oct 30, 2014, 03:08 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: Bangor Daily News

FORT KENT, Maine — The nurse at the center of a quarantine controversy stemming from her work in Ebola-stricken western Africa left her house and hopped on a bicycle to take a ride Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, Gov. Paul LePage told ABC News he would drop the state’s demand that Kaci Hickox agree to a quarantine at her home if she submits to a blood test for the virus.

“This could be resolved today,” the governor told ABC News. “She has been exposed and she’s not cooperative, so force her to take a test. It’s so simple.”

Attorneys for the state visited a superior court this morning seeking a judge’s permission to administer the blood test, LePage said.

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Read more: http://bangordailynews.com/2014/10/30/news/aroostook/nurse-leaves-home-for-bike-ride-thursday-morning/

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The Penguin caves...

yup

[valerief]

1. I thought she ALREADY tested negative. nt

[ebbie15644]

3. She did test negative!

[wordpix]

63. apparently the stoopid gov doesn't know a blood test is how she's tested for Ebola

geez, how do these people get into a leadership position? They're just DUMB

[Fred Sanders]

4. Ebola governor Lepage is begging Kaci Hickox to let him off the hook...as she has no symptoms now

for almost two weeks, she does NOT have ebola..let him swing in the wind for a few more days, I say.


Ebola governor could not get a judge to sign off on his imprisonment order without the science to back it up....idiot.

[Scairp]

42. Exactly

This was put out like she has refused a blood test or something. I feel sorry for the people of Maine, except those who voted for this nincompoop.

[still_one]

6. she did. I suspect they want to do it again to see if something has developed, which most likely it

hasn't, however, the governor is hoping it will defuse the situation

[seabeyond]

14. twice. nt

[magical thyme]

26. twice. he's just trying to save face by claiming she's uncooperative

she already had offered compromises such as staying off public transportation and away from the public, other things, I forget what now...

[Vincardog]

51. Are they going to test every Nurse and MD who treats an ebola patient too? If so Daily? Weekly?

What is the standard?

[JustAnotherGen]

2. I thought you had to have

active symptoms to test positive for ebola?

Wouldn't this be spitting in the wind?

[valerief]

5. I guess not in the breaking wind of politics. nt

[Scairp]

43. Correct

Keeping track of her temperature is a much better monitoring system than a blood test at this point. And she is doing this already. There is nothing more to be done. She has about another week of waiting to see if she got infected over there.

[notrightatall]

7. She should tell them to pound salt.

[bigdarryl]

8. Were the hell is the tea party in all this

They claim there against government intervention in peoples lives well this is blatant intervention. I hear crickets

[valerief]

11. It doesn't involve guns or taxes, so they don't care.

[PSPS]

36. They're OK with this because she was intermingling with "those people."

[valerief]

9. Wouldn't it be funny if one of these Panic Pols got ebola and

no medical person trained for it would help him?

[SoapBox]

15. I think it would be funnier if she did develop symptoms.

She has totally pissed me off with her "I...Know...It...All" attitude.

Arrogant and it's all about "her".

Has she EVER said that she had any concern for anyone else, here in America?

Never...because it's all about her.

[HERVEPA]

16. Yo genius. If she developed symptoms, she would act based on that. She hasn't.

She is a danger to no one.

[Fred Sanders]

27. Hickox is a danger to their fear and a grave danger to the elections that the GOP is relying on fear

to help them win, and that is the freaking simple truth of it.

DUers allied with the teabaggers, and they do not even see that, they are so blinded and so in love with their fear.

[heaven05]

22. You are wrong!

and I'm very glad you're not making any decisions concerning her life. geez

[rexcat]

24. How sad on your part to wish someone to get Ebola...

She is quite knowledgeable about Ebola. As long as she is symptom free there is no need to isolate her from society. The likelihood of her coming down with Ebola is relatively low considering the precautions she took while treating Ebola patients in West Africa. If she does exhibit symptoms she will be the first to get medical help and minimize contact with others.

If you think she should be quarantined what about the people who treated the Ebola cases in Atlanta, New York and elsewhere or the people who returned from Western Africa prior to the quarantine orders. The science does not back up the need to quarantine these people until they become symptomatic. Anyone who has treated Ebola patients would know what to do if they become symptomatic. You give her no credit for her understanding of the disease.

[treestar]

56. Did you say that to valerief above?

[magical thyme]

29. so you think that the people who have risked their lives

using their personal time and training to fight Ebola in Africa in order to protect you from getting it here in the US deserve to get Ebola?

And have an "I...Know...It...All" attitude because they are following CDC and MSF protocol, and actually are trained in epidemiology and infectious diseases, and have years of experience treating infectious diseases? Or because they dare to object, after traveling halfway around the world following a month of grueling work, to being grilled in isolation for nearly 7 hours by threatening, armed men without being told what they've done wrong, not having any of their questions answered, fed all of a granola bar? And then forced to spend 3 days locked in a plastic tent in a parking lot without running water, no shower for how many days at that point?, and dressed in paper scrubs at 60 degrees?

sheesh...sometimes this board gets so freakin' embarrassing. I'd expect to see that at Discussionist or freeperville or conservative cave.

[deurbano]

30. You have an unusual definition of "funny"

[Kali]

33. she knows it "all" because she is trained, educated, and experienced

unlike all the panicked fools that still won't stop smoking, wear seatbelts, or get a flu shot.

[PSPS]

37. You came out from under your bed to type that?

[frylock]

38. you should encase your home in plastic sheeting, just to play it safe

i can't wait till flu season rolls around. the alarmists are going to be shitting their collective pants.

[Jazzgirl]

49. You repeat yourself. Apparently you think

its all about you since she isn't doing what you demand. She knows a helluva more about than you ever will.

[JimDandy]

20. Oh it would be just hi laar ious

to them if they were proven right. And then we could no longer claim all Ebola HCWs were such heros if they started picking and choosing who they were going to treat.

Everyone, liberal or conservative, politicizing this health issue should just stop it.

[TRoN33]

10. Jesus she has already been tested negative.

This is all about pure political motivated by unpopular governor. Oh yes this governor literally violated this nurse's constitutional rights.

[rocktivity]

41. Unfortunately, testing negative only means that if you DO have Ebola

Last edited Thu Oct 30, 2014, 04:16 PM - Edit history (3)

it hasn't multiplied enough in your bloodstream to be detectable -- which is precisely why you're not contagious until you start displaying symptoms. So it's quite possible for things could backfire on Hickox -- and Obama -- really bad if she does test positive within the next 21 days...

Nurse Hickox has only won the battle, not the war -- a war that could leave Christ Christie with the next presidency.


rocktivity

[Pathwalker]

46. Do you mean ANOTHER 21 days? It's already been 7

Why add time?

[rocktivity]

47. Right. From last Friday evening when she was put in the tent, today is Day 6

Though her governor may be counting from when she arrived in Maine this past Monday.

As for her next blood test, she should just take it when she's scheduled to as per the federal guidelines.


rocktivity

[JDDavis]

12. I think the governor should be tested....

to see if he has a brain.

[seabeyond]

13. exposed, not cooperating. she has already taken two, firstly, and force? arent you the tough one.

i got karaoke, no article. has anyone asked her for blood?

[Thinkingabout]

17. It sure isn't a winning situation for the governor, I doubt Christie checked on Kaci's background

but perhaps they would have made different decisions. Who has the most to loose if she gets eboli, she does.

[Gothmog]

18. Maine would lose the lawsuit and so is backing down

[LynneSin]

19. I hope she sticks to her gun and the voters stick it to LePage

This guy is a joke that got elected with less than 40% of the vote last time. I love that it's a 3-way race up there but the 3rd party candidate is killing it for Maine voters and they could be stuck with this asshole for another 4 years.

I hope with the race this close that the voters go with the one candidate that can beat LePage and that is democrat Mike Michaud.

[Warren Stupidity]

21. Its too late. She rode her bike outdoors in Maine. Quarantine Maine

RIGHT FUCKING NOW!

[Blue_Adept]

34. Let me go there first

If it's going to be quarantined for 3 weeks, I'd like to partake in that vacation and get there first before it's closed off.

[cosmicone]

23. The ignorance here is astounding and amusing

The test for ebola is an antibody test. The body takes a couple of weeks to form antibodies so a negative test doesn't rule out ebola. The test generally becomes positive towards the end of the incubation period so it is only useful to eliminate ebola from someone who was exposed a couple of weeks earlier and is now showing symptoms such as fever.

The earlier test of Kaci Hickox is useless -- it only says she didn't have antibodies to ebola at THAT time.

Since it has now been over 2 weeks since her last exposure, a test done now is going to be more meaningful.

(This is similar to an HIV test where a negative test initially doesn't mean one doesn't have HIV and it may take as much as 2 weeks before a PCR tests positive as as long as 3 months for an antibody (ELISA) test turns positive.)

[rexcat]

25. Of course they should be testing...

for IgM antibodies. One won't see IgG antibodies early in the disease process. If there is a test for Ebola-RNA that would be the preferred method, similar to HIV-RNA and Hepatitis C-RNA testing. One would see the RNA tests go positive before one would see a rise in antibody titers.

[Fred Sanders]

28. Holy crap, you are talking science, detailed science that requires years of education to obtain, why

are you confusing the fearbola lovers with science?

RNA, antibodies, viral loads.....what a shit disturber you are...all the fear lovers want is FEAR.

[cosmicone]

44. The current test is an IgM test

PCR is not available because the virus has not been fully sequenced yet to be able to make effective probes.

[mercuryblues]

32. she

has willingly been tested twice. both negative. I highly doubt the gov'ner needs to get a court order for her to do so again. This is nothing more than political brinkmanship, a way to look tough to voters. Thanks to the media's hair on fire reporting uninformed citizens are outraged and in fear of catching the Ebola.

In Strong, Maine (ironic name for this town) They put a teacher on leave for 21 days just because she was in Dallas at the same time Duncan was in the hospital. This is who the politicians are catering to with this mandatory quarantine shit.

[cosmicone]

45. It doesn't matter how many time she has been tested negative

if the tests were done before the window period.

[mercuryblues]

48. uhm

did you not read the rest of my post? She is obviously not opposed to having blood tests. Having had them 2x already. Lepage is making it sound like she is unwilling to do that. His "compromise" is allowing her to do exactly what she has been doing and hundreds of other medical personnel have been doing for months - self monitoring.

[cosmicone]

50. Her self monitoring doesn't include blood tests

She is only checking her temperature and symptoms if any.

She should stay home and do that. There is no need to go out in public.

[mercuryblues]

52. And

she is having blood tests done.

This is nothing but political. Christy governed for the fear based community. Hundreds of medical people have come back and self monitored. Why should she be any different? Because the governors decided to make an example out of her for political reasons.

At this point, with the media frenzy whipped up over her she would have to stay inside, for HER own safety. Even replies in my local news site are giving out her personal info, amid posts like "I hope she gets Ebola and dies", "if she gets Ebola can we put her down"

[cosmicone]

53. You're reacting emotionally and ideologically

Self-monitoring (checking temperature twice a day) by a person who stays isolated for 21 days is the scientific protocol.

A lab test may or MAY NOT be positive until symptoms develop -- by that time it is too late to prevent spread.

I wouldn't have a problem if nurse Hickox agreed to stay home and not mix with people. She is not agreeing to do that and is going out and about. If she is in the supermarket and spikes a temperature, she is shedding virus at that time and even one virion (virus particle) is infectious if it comes in contact with a mucus membrane or a small breach in the skin surface.

It has nothing to do with "fear mongering" or Christie or Le Page.

Would you have her baby-sit your kids at the moment?

[mercuryblues]

54. oh

are you of the If she sneezes there will be an outbreak crowd? Despite sneezing not being a symptom.

It is not protocol that medical personnel who have come back to isolate themselves for 21 days. It is protocol to self monitor.

Yes I would let her babysit. Duncan lived with others before he went back to the hospital. They did not contact Ebola. Some people are self quarantining, because their neighbors and towns people have threatened them or fear of their neighbors reactions. The same thing is happening to Kaci H.

[cosmicone]

57. There is nothing one can say to people who insist on not knowing science

She may be asymptomatic now, but if she is infected, she can have diarrhea and/or start vomiting without warning and those are extremely infectious. I would not let her babysit my children at the moment for that reason because there may not be a warning before symptoms develop and because it is a fulminant infection, the rise of symptoms is very rapid once the virus replicates from critical mass.

This is why she should not be out and about amongst people for 21 days.

[KMOD]

59. "she can have diarrhea and/or start vomiting without warning"

No. Before Ebola gets to that stage she would be extremely fatigued, have aches that make her feel like she was run over by a truck, most likely have a headache, and would most likely be in bed, not out and about vomiting.

[cosmicone]

61. That is not the presentation in every case. n/t

[mercuryblues]

62. according

to the science expert. You are negative for Ebola one minute, the next you have blowout diarrhea and projectile vomiting.

For the " insist on not knowing science" and "reacting emotionally and ideologically". I will tell you this...

Until you are showing symptoms of Ebola, you are not contagious.

The 1st symptoms resemble the onset of the flu. Aches and pains, fever. This is when you start to become contagious. As the viral load increases in the body, the more infectious you become. So on a scale of 1 to 10 when you start showing symptoms 0f Ebola, you are a 1. This increases as the viral load increases, so do your symptoms. By the time you are near death your contagiousness is 10.

This was kind of proven with Duncan, wasn't it? He was living with several other people as he developed the 1st symptoms he went to the ER. He was seen and sent home. None of those people contracted Ebola. He was even exhibiting symptoms. He got sent home where he was living with other people. His symptom got worse, he went back to the hospital. In the meantime, the people he was staying with, were quarantined. In that apartment for a day or so longer. Still they did not contract Ebola.

You know who contracted Ebola from him? Two nurses of the 78 or so people that cared for him until he died. From what has been reported, the supplies needed for infection control protocol were very limited. One nurse reported her fever and was treated. No one she came into contact with has contracted Ebola. Nurse 2 flew to Ohio. Same thing. In both cases the people have been self monitoring, no cases reported.

I believe that the risk of contracting Ebola through a sneeze is negligible. A person who has Ebola would have to sneeze in your face. Sneezing is NOT a symptom of Ebola. When was the last time you walked up to someone and let them sneeze in your face? This nurse is checking for the 1st symptoms; 2x a day for temperature. She is aware that flu like symptoms are an indicator, so is also vigilant about those. She is having blood tests done. She is not contagious until symptoms appear. For LePage to make a condition of her not being quarantined that she agrees to blood tests is political. She has been doing that all along.

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/faq-ebola/en/

[wordpix]

65. "not out and about vomiting" lolololol

Personally, I always get a smashing headache first before I go out and about vomiting. And the most out and about I get is to my nearby toilet.

[Thor_MN]

55. Project much?

"You're reacting emotionally and ideologically"

"Would you have her baby-sit your kids at the moment?"

Wow, there's a rational, well thought out argument..

[FlaGranny]

58. Very shortsighted.

Just imagine that every nurse, health care worker and doctor coming in contact with a patient was put on a 21-day isolation. Hundreds of them would now be in isolation in several cities (even the entire state of Texas, according to that Maine town) and there would be no infectious disease people around to help out in any epidemic of any kind. Why pick on this one nurse and not every nurse and doctor in the country who has treated an Ebola patient? Very shortly, with every scare, the entire country would be in the same state as the African countries with not enough medical facilities and doctors to treat patients and thus aggravating the spread of disease.

[wordpix]

64. how about the 50 or so health workers who are home from Africa?

Like Kaci, they don't have symptoms but they're walking among us. Should they be quarantined, too? The friends/family of Duncan, the AFrican man who died here of Ebola, didn't get the disease. Apparently it's not easy to get unless you're handling the body fluids of someone who's symptomatic---and he was. Kaci's not.

[Ineeda]

31. I just loved how they were

saying that she refused to comply with the "VOLUNTARY" quarantine order, and further steps would be taken if she continued to refuse compliance. Hardly sounded 'voluntary' to me. Fear-mongering assholes. And good for Kaci, to stand up to them.

[sinkingfeeling]

35. She's already had two and both came back negative.

[yellowcanine]

39. Twice. LePage is pulling a Christie.

Christie insisted he let her go as soon as she was "symptom free." The truth was that she only had an elevated temperature early on by a remote sensor gun which was not confirmed by an oral thermometer reading, which was 98. So it was deceptive for Christie to blather on about how she was released as soon as she was symptom free.

[rocktivity]

40. And what happens if Hickcox DOES become contaigous within the next 21 days?

The Penguin becomes Chris Christie's 2016 running mate, that's what.


rocktivity

[KMOD]

60. It's looking more and more likely that that won't happen.

I believe she only as 10 days or so left.

Ebola Governor Christie is going to look foolish and exposed for playing politics of fear.