Ebola: 5 DEADLY Mistakes the CDC is Making

With today’s announcement of the second US healthcare worker diagnosed with EBOLA after caring for an Ebola infected patient in Texas, many Americans are left feeling misinformed, frightened, and some downright angry.

The potential well-being of our nation is in the hands of the CDC and the healthcare establishment.

In recent light of the propensity of errors and the lack of protocol for handling such a grave health crisis this can only leave one wondering …. are we really safe?

Here are 5 mistakes the CDC is making:

1.    The CDC is telling possible Ebola patients to “call a doctor.”

The CDC is reportedly telling passengers returning from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea  to call a doctor if they are not feeling well.

This is wrong in many ways including the fact that their doctor may not be reachable causing the patient to wait or if the doctor is reached they may tell them to visit an emergency room endangering others.

Additionally, the idea of someone not feeling well and carrying the potentially deadly Ebola virus traveling by public means to a hospital, doctor’s office, or emergency clinic is another risk factor of spreading the disease.

2.    The CDC director says any hospital can care for Ebola patients.

“Essentially any hospital in the country can safely take care of Ebola. You don’t need a special hospital to do it,” Dr. Thomas Frieden said Sunday at a press conference.

The reality is that certain hospitals have more training and are better equipped for handling infectious disease.

3.    The CDC didn’t encourage the “buddy system” for doctors and nurses.

The buddy system is implemented by co-workers when dealing with other infectious diseases. A buddy system allows co-workers to assist and oversee the application and removal of protective gear.

The CDC says it is considering implementing such a system.

4.    The CDC didn’t encourage doctors to develop Ebola treatment guidelines.

There have been implications that procedures may have been performed  as last ditch efforts to save the life of the Liberian man that died of Ebola. These efforts may have increased the likelihood of spreading contamination with unknown potential gain.

A guideline for treating Ebola patients must be established.

5.    The CDC put too much trust in protective gear.

The CDC failed to realize that putting on and removing protective gear is often done incorrectly allowing for the spread of Ebola.

“We have to recognize that our safety work tells us that breaches of protocol are the norm, not the exception in health care,” said Dr. Peter Pronovost, senior vice president for patient safety and quality at Johns Hopkins Medicine. “We routinely break precautions.

Nurses’ Union Brings Additional Criticism To Hospital and CDC

And if the questionable actions of the CDC are not enough to get you concerned, the Nurses’ Union is claiming a series of errors and shortcomings in the handling of Duncan, the Ebola patient that died in Texas:

1.    He was not immediately isolated.

2.    The protective gear worn by the nurses left their necks exposed.

3.    At times, hazard material was piling up.

4.    Nurses received no “hands on” training.

5.    The nurses feel unsupported.

Let’s hope The CDC and our healthcare system can act swiftly in correcting the errors that have potentially contributed to two more Americans fighting for their lives due to Ebola.