241 replies to this topic

[FiveNotions]

Well, like Carleeta says ... we've just got to be watchful and careful ...

I'm feeling especially so ... because as I've said, there's a large West African community in my apt. building, and in the DC area as a whole ... and more Liberians and Sierra Leonians are headed to my own building next week and the weeks after ... also, almost the entire nursing/CNA staff at my friend's nursing home is from West Africa ... Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia and Sierra Leone ... all those ladies have also told me that they're bringing as many of their relatives here as fast as they can get them US travel visas and airplane tickets ... apparently Brussels Airlines is their main way out of Liberia, from Monrovia to Brussels and any other European city to which the airline flies, then change planes and on to the US ... just like the man in Texas ... he flew from Brussels on United, into Dulles ...then transferred planes and went to Texas ...

[FiveNotions]

doesn't inspire confidence in the preparedness of our hospitals and health system...
 
Delay in Dallas Ebola Cleanup as Workers Balk at Task
NYT, 10/2/2014
http://www.nytimes.c...n-contacts.html

[FiveNotions]

NBC News Freelancer in Africa Diagnosed with Ebola
http://www.nbcnews.c...d-ebola-n217271

[FiveNotions]

and who's going to tell the truth, when all they want is to get out of those countries and away from the disease, to where there's western medicine? I'm sure that's exactly what my neighbor's sons and bldg. van driver's relatives would do / are going to do / have done ....

Ebola patient's leaving Liberia was 'unpardonable,' its President says
http://www.cnn.com/2...a-us/index.html

FTA: Duncan wrote on a pre-flight questionnaire [in Monrovia airport] obtained by the Associated Press that he had not cared for an Ebola patient or touched the body of anyone who had died in an area affected by the disease.. .

"He lied on his form," said Binyah Kesselly, chairman of the Liberia Airport Authority, in announcing the looming prosecution. "If he had answered truthfully, he would have been sent to secondary screening immediately and not allowed to leave."

[Carleeta]

Oh, this is all just the tip of the iceberg. Individuals are trying to get to hospitals nationwide to be tested, although tests will be rejected unless they have flu like symptoms, fever, diarrhea, and vomiting....

[Carleeta]

and who's going to tell the truth, when all they want is to get out of those countries and away from the disease, to where there's western medicine? I'm sure that's exactly what my neighbor's sons and bldg. van driver's relatives would do / are going to do / have done ....Ebola patient's leaving Liberia was 'unpardonable,' its President sayshttp://www.cnn.com/2...a-us/index.htmlFTA: Duncan wrote on a pre-flight questionnaire [in Monrovia airport] obtained by the Associated Press that he had not cared for an Ebola patient or touched the body of anyone who had died in an area affected by the disease.. ."He lied on his form," said Binyah Kesselly, chairman of the Liberia Airport Authority, in announcing the looming prosecution. "If he had answered truthfully, he would have been sent to secondary screening immediately and not allowed to leave."

Definitely agree your neighbors want their families here (their families want to be here) and our medicine. Only thing is we don't have a cure available right now. All we do have is the proper testing and the fastest testing. No testing will be done unless they have symptoms and they have been close to an individual with ebola (which they need to state).

[Carleeta]

FiveNotions. ..the airlines are now going to try and stop all US flights to and from Africa. Their reasons were because the CDC is telling them they need certain equipment (for workers to wear and supplies need to kill antigens) an this is impossible to do. It's about time! Hopefully these flights will be stopped!

[FiveNotions]

Amen to that, Carleeta..... first good, sensible news I've heard on this issue to date!

[FiveNotions]

Sanitizing crew turned away at Ebola patient’s residence in Dallas
Q13 Fox, 10/3/2014
http://q13fox.com/20...ence-in-dallas/

FTA: As concerns grow over how many people he may have exposed to the deadly virus, a plan to sanitize the apartment was delayed late Thursday.

Brad Smith of the Cleaning Guys, which was hired to sanitize the apartment, said his company does not have the proper permits to transport hazardous waste on Texas highways. The company specializes in hazmat and biohazard cleaning services.

Smith said authorities sent his crew away late Thursday before they entered the apartment and told them to come back with proper permits. It’s unclear how long that will take.
----------------------

[FiveNotions]

Well, could be my home city now has it's first case ... this hospital is 1/4 mile from where I live ... it's one of the hospitals where my Medicaid clinic sends their patients who need hospitalization / tests ...

Person With Possible Ebola Symptoms Hospitalized in D.C.
October 3, 2014 11:42 AM
http://washington.cb...ebola-symptoms/

A person with possible Ebola symptoms has been hospitalized in D.C. out of “an abundance of caution.”

The patient, who traveled to the U.S. from Nigeria, has been hospitalized at Howard University Hospital in Washington.

“We can confirm that a patient ​has been admitted to Howard University Hospital in stable condition, following travel to Nigeria and presenting with symptoms that could be associated with Ebola,” hospital spokesperson Kerry-Ann Hamilton said in a statement Friday.

[Carleeta]

Well, could be my home city now has it's first case ... this hospital is 1/4 mile from where I live ... it's one of the hospitals where my Medicaid clinic sends their patients who need hospitalization / tests ...Person With Possible Ebola Symptoms Hospitalized in D.C.October 3, 2014 11:42 AMhttp://washington.cb...ebola-symptoms/A person with possible Ebola symptoms has been hospitalized in D.C. out of “an abundance of caution.”The patient, who traveled to the U.S. from Nigeria, has been hospitalized at Howard University Hospital in Washington.“We can confirm that a patient ​has been admitted to Howard University Hospital in stable condition, following travel to Nigeria and presenting with symptoms that could be associated with Ebola,” hospital spokesperson Kerry-Ann Hamilton said in a statement Friday.

. This is too close to home. Just remember to keep an eye out. It still isn't that easy to catch.

[FiveNotions]

Will do what I can do, Carleeta ... but Howard U, which is one of the "HBCUs" (historically black colleges and universities) in the US, has a significant percentage of their student body as foreign students, primarily from West Africa ... esp., Liberia, because of it's historic connection with the US, as well as Sierra Leone, Guinea, Ghana and Nigeria. Some of those students live in apartments in my building. Current "rumors" from other neighbors in the bldg. are that this "ebola suspect" is a Nigerian student studying at HU, and that he/she also arrived at Dulles Airport, outside of DC.

And, of course, as I've said, almost 100% of the nurses/CNAs at my friend's nursing home (in fact, most of the DC area nursing homes, and many of the hospitals) are from West Africa. With a few imported from the Philippines.

-------------------
This Wash Post article is really not good ... describes in detail the extent of the outside contact that the family of the Dallas ebola patient had after he was symptomatic ... visibly/noticeably ill ... just a couple of things mentioned ... his daughter went to Walmart to buy a blanket for him, she and a couple other family members (children, I think it said) followed the ambulance in their vehicle as it took him to the hospital the second time, they sat in the waiting room for hours, and the daughter brought the blanket she'd bought him with her to the ER ... another article I can't find now said that at least one of the children, even after the family had been told to say inside for 21 days, went to school for a day or two ... that's when they put cops outside the apartment ...

http://www.washingto...86a0_story.html

[FiveNotions]

4:30 pm today White House public briefing on ebola ... they're now calling it a "pandemic" according to NBC News

Watch Live: White House Officials Hold Briefing on Ebola Pandemic
http://www.nbcnews.c...g-ebola-n217881

[Carleeta]

FiveNotions, I understand your fear, and rightfully so. I would be just as concerned as you. Me, actually I would be frantic. What else you can do is keep plenty of clorax, clorax wipes, and hand sanitizer (get the one with aloe).

Truthfully, as much as this is hard to catch, we all need to be careful and mindful.

[FiveNotions]

Carleeta, I'm not afraid ... I'm pissed off. Big difference. And, thanks to your good advice, I'm also vigilant, learning how to be more so, and am stocking up on the "supplies" I may need ... frankly, moving back to rural northern NYS is sounding rather appealing right now ...
 
Too bad our Prez couldn't be bothered to be in DC, in the White House, and in attendance at the ebola briefing that's going on right now ... he's in Indiana ...
--------------------------------------
#2 here in DC ... Adventist Hospital
2 Possible Ebola Patients Hospitalized in D.C. Area
http://washington.cb...ebola-symptoms/
------------------------------
Hazmat Team Plastic Wraps Car Used by Ebola Patient
WEAU, 10/3/2014
http://www.weau.com/...21.html?ref=221

[Carleeta]

Carleeta, I'm not afraid ... I'm pissed off. Big difference. And, thanks to your good advice, I'm also vigilant, learning how to be more so, and am stocking up on the "supplies" I may need ... frankly, moving back to rural northern NYS is sounding rather appealing right now ... Too bad our Prez couldn't be bothered to be in DC, in the White House, and in attendance at the ebola briefing that's going on right now ... he's in Indiana ...--------------------------------------#2 here in DC ... Adventist Hospital2 Possible Ebola Patients Hospitalized in D.C. Areahttp://washington.cb...ebola-symptoms/. . .officials from Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Maryland released a statement about a patient “presented with flu-like symptoms and a travel history that matches criteria for possible Ebola.”------------------------------Hazmat Team Plastic Wraps Car Used by Ebola PatientWEAU, 10/3/2014http://www.weau.com/...21.html?ref=221

Oh..ok you are angry...sorry I took it differently than intended. Yes anger is exactly what has most individuals geared up....

[Carleeta]

Just watching them clean out the apartment where the ebola patient stayed while in Dallas. My heart goes out to his girlfriend and her family. ..CNN had her on the phone yesterday and she was awaiting food and disposal of materials in her home. The CDC has started to get the ball rolling and get her and others in the home the help she needs...I was wondering what was taking t hem so long...hmmmmm

[FiveNotions]

Flight from Brussels makes emergency landing at Newark due to sick passenger
PIX 11, 10/4/2014
http://pix11.com/201...=email&msg=fail
United Airlines flight 998 from Brussels made an emergency landing at Newark Airport due to a sick passenger, a spokesperson for the airline said.
--------------------------
CDC remove 2 from Newark flight after possible Ebola scare
WABC News, New York, 10/4/2014
http://7online.com/h...flight-/336774/
---------------

[FiveNotions]

First confirmed case of ebola in Spain ... nurse who cared for the Spanish priest who contracted it in Africa and was flown home for treatment. (He died shortly thereafter.)
 
The link is to the Bing translation of the article....
http://www.microsoft...515_352524.html

[FiveNotions]

CNN Reporter ‘Shocked and Horrified’ at Lack of Ebola Screening on Return from Liberia
http://pjmedia.com/t...n-from-liberia/

FTA: . . . CNN’s Elizabeth Cohen went to Liberia in September to report on the outbreak there, and returned to the U.S. last week. What she says about her return should have everyone concerned.

Cohen says “I expected that they were going to take my temperature. They’re going to ask me lots of questions. They didn’t. I said ‘I’m a journalist. I was covering Ebola.

“The gentleman who was helping me, the officer, he started to hand my passport back. Instead, he said, ‘I got an e-mail about passengers like you. Hold on.’ He conferred with someone. In the end he said ‘You need to watch yourself for signs of Ebola.’”

“As if that [wasn't] bad enough, Robin, I was traveling with two colleagues. They weren’t told anything. They said they were journalists. We were all shocked and horrified at the lack of [screening].”

[Carleeta]

CNN Reporter ‘Shocked and Horrified’ at Lack of Ebola Screening on Return from Liberiahttp://pjmedia.com/t...n-from-liberia/FTA: . . . CNN’s Elizabeth Cohen went to Liberia in September to report on the outbreak there, and returned to the U.S. last week. What she says about her return should have everyone concerned.Cohen says “I expected that they were going to take my temperature. They’re going to ask me lots of questions. They didn’t. I said ‘I’m a journalist. I was covering Ebola.“The gentleman who was helping me, the officer, he started to hand my passport back. Instead, he said, ‘I got an e-mail about passengers like you. Hold on.’ He conferred with someone. In the end he said ‘You need to watch yourself for signs of Ebola.’”“As if that [wasn't] bad enough, Robin, I was traveling with two colleagues. They weren’t told anything. They said they were journalists. We were all shocked and horrified at the lack of [screening].”

Totally amazing, how the screening is 'supposed to be done' yet many are reporting they were not screened at all...'Who didn't get the memo.' Hmmmmmm

[FiveNotions]

Carleeta, it's exactly what my Liberian neighbor told me about his son's travel from Monrovia to Dulles Airport ... the young man told his dad that he was not checked at Roberts Airport in Monrovia before getting on the plane, was not checked de-planning in Brussels, was not checked getting on his United Airlines flight in Brussels to come to Dulles, and was not checked at Dulles.

There are no checks happening at any of the US airports ... next week the 2 other young men from Monrovia will also arrive here at Dulles, and come to live in my building.

According to the CNA's at my friend's nursing home, the entire West African community here in the US is frantically getting travel visas for their relatives over there to come here. So far, none of the US consulates have restricted visa issuance, and they are not asking for medical clearance certificates. It's still quite easy to get out of West Africa and to Europe ... from Europe, pick up a flight to one of our US major international airports.

No checks anywhere, on any aspect of the travel or the persons traveling. And, as one of the CNAs said to me, if they are sick, and we can get them here before the symptoms happen, then they'll have free US medical care.

What's even more concerning is that a very high percentage of the West Africans in the US work in health care ... CNAs, HNAs, orderlies, etc. They bring over an infected family member who lives with them, they contract it and they take it right into the hospitals and nursing homes and spread it around.

[Carleeta]

FiveNotions, this is exactly what will happen, many from WA will definitely try and come here, especially to avoid getting ebola, or to get here after exposure to get medical help in the US. Unfortunately, there is no vaccine passed yet, and what they feel may work cannot be made overnight. It takes a very long time to make this trial drug. As of right now there are only 4 or 5 hospitals equipped to actually handle and specialize in this area.

You are not in a good place right now with these two individuals on their way here in two weeks, with the possibility of them living in close proximity. It's must truly anger you, the more you hear their families are almost on their way here.

[FiveNotions]

What angers me Carleeta is that our government (the prez) is still refusing to restrict flights, and, better yet, refusing to instruct US consulates/embassies in those countries to stop issuing visas to the US ... (of any kind, tourist, business, student, skilled worker, corporate transfer, etc).
 
Oh, here's another "little gem" ... chatting with that neighbor who's other 2 sons will soon be here. I asked him point blank how he was able to get them travel visas so rapidly, given that the waiting period, according the US embassy website in Monrovia, is allegedly up to 7 weeks. His response (and, I gotta give him credit for even telling me this much) was that the embassy hires Liberians as staff to process visas, and do lots of other clerical work....etc... essentially, they take bribes for rapid processing ... he said people wanting visas pay "an additional fee directly to the staff member" ... I asked him if this was turned over to the Embassy, and he just smiled and shook his head "no."

[Carleeta]

True our government is refusing to stop these flights. The aviation dept. stated right on CNN they could not follow the CDC guidelines to clean the planes, luggage, individuals who handle luggage, and etc., because it's almost financially impossible. She explained these planes are like cities themselves. I don't know what to think about how the government is responding to the aviation requests.

Your neighbor is giving you more info than you asked for. Yes US embassies employee the countries citizens along with our top embassy members (who may or may not be present at any given time). He's giving you most likely the truth, which proves, anyone, anywhere has their price. This is sad. If they find this to be true, then and maybe then flights will be stopped. Still awaiting to hear if the effected patient in Texas lied on his form. I'm hoping for his recovery, although we need to know if he lied. If they find he did, maybe then they will cracking down on the flights.

[FiveNotions]

Yes, he did lie, Carleeta ... I saw a photo of his form in one of the European newspapers that I read ... I'll see if I can find the link and will post it.

 

As for embassy/consulate corruption in the visa and permanent residence process, I used to do corporate immigration work, and knew a lot of consular officers from around the world ... buy 'em a drink and dinner, you'll learn a lot of interesting stuff. No, we never outright "bribed," but we sure did "wine and dine" ... and the folks we "wined and dined" were not the big shots, we focused on the lower level underpaid staff who knew exactly what was going on, and how the system worked. It always helps to have "friends in low places" .... sickening, isn't it   

[Carleeta]

Yes, please send me the link. I must have missed this on the news....

True, the underpaid would be the ones looking for a bit more of anything, or a swap here and there...makes sense. ..

[TryinginFL]

This is all so sad - and so sickening!  I feel that it is only a matter of time until this appears all over the world.  Given the "bribing" practices and lying on questionnaires, how could it not be so?  And then there's our "prez"  -  the chances of this becoming an epidemic here are very "remote"... ARRRRGGGG

[FiveNotions]

Having trouble finding that image, will track it down, just need a bit of time ...

In the meantime, here's the Oct. 2 NYT article confirming that he lied ...that's why Liberia plans to "prosecute him" (huh? he's here, he's dying ... what are we gonna' do, extradite his corpse?)

Ebola Patient in Dallas Lied on Screening Form, Liberian Airport Official Says
http://www.nytimes.c...-screening.html

[FiveNotions]

Here's a partial image .. click on the small image to enlarge it ...
http://www.usatoday....ening/16591753/

And, here's the key part of the form ... showing he checked "no" to all the critical questions ... really hard to read clearly ... but still legible ...

http://sports.yahoo....-021200826.html
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As of today, 4 airlines (including United Airlines) are still flying out of Monrovia, landing in Brussels ... the heart of Europe/the EU ... And, there are countless connecting flights from Brussels to other locations in Europe, and to other countries ...

http://airportguide...._departures.php