(10-23-2014 11:25 PM)PlainTiger Wrote: We are all lucky this virus isn't more contagious. It does not seem like we could prevent the spread of it.
The response would be different if it were more contagious. The response is tempered by what is medically necessary, which is "just go to the hospital if your temp gets above X". That's really what makes medical sense with what we know of this disease. The Public Policy response should be stronger due to the irrational fear of this disease, the fact that it seems to have < 50% survival rate, and the unreasonable expectation that everything be sanitized following the path of a patient.
That's why it's prudent, but not medically necessary, to self-quarantine for 3 weeks when you're in a group that's at all likely to contract the disease - and that includes family, doctors, nurses, and people that handle and dispose of the bodies (noting this is particularly a problem in Africa due to local custom).
Thus, to UConn-SMU's point below, which I largely agree with, if for slightly different reasons. The cost of running around behind everyone in Hazmat suits with bleach bottles is prohibitive, and the guidelines should reflect that. It should also be something that's made clear to those in Doctors Without Borders and local medical staff.
Likewise, as a public policy matter, I think it's also important to understand that those people that are at risk are mostly people that are voluntarily putting their own lives at risk to serve a greater cause and the public policy guidelines will dictate things that then impose a further cost to them. They may have vacations that they have to cancel, salary, etc, that I think should be compensated in order to ensure compliance. I'd wager that's a lot cheaper than the alternative, by a long shot.
(10-23-2014 11:45 PM)UConn-SMU Wrote: Just because there is no mandatory quarantine doesn't mean it wouldn't be a wise thing to do. He was bowling with friends just a few hours before his temperature went to 103.
The nurse that flew from Cleveland to Dallas with a temp of 99.5 didn't violate any rules either. But that wasn't a smart thing to do. She could have sneezed during that flight.
People are just determined to do what they want to do, regardless of the consequences to others.
