Ebola has reached my son's school!

[MonicaAnne]

You read that CORRECTLY! The school district here in Texas, along with the health department just held a press conference that was aired on our local News Station. One of the Nurses in direct contact with Duncan the patient up in Dallas that died from Ebola boarded a flight knowing she was ill that two of the passengers were children here in our school district (siblings) one of which goes to school with my son! They considered these students to be low risk and are allowing them to return to school tomorrow. IT TOOK THIS NURSE OVER TWO WEEKS TO SHOW SYMPTOMS BEFORE SHE BECAME ILL from treating Duncan in Dallas. But she was planning her wedding so she wanted to get back and forth before she got sicker to get things done knowing damn well she could have infected so many innocent people!! This is insane! They're not making the kids stay out for the 21 day quarantine period simply because the parents pushed enough saying they were low risk & couldn't take that much time off of work basically!!!.... if one of them or other students get sick... there will be lynch mobs after the super intendant of schools and the health department. Fit Has Hit The Shan here in my little town it is insane how many parents are keeping their kids out of school. I don't know what to do! It wont let me post the link to my local news station on here I have not posted 10 posts yet, im sorry.

[mdgirl1977]

this is my fear as a mother living in the DC area!!! my god I'm so sorry. I literally do not know what I would do.

[Koizumiii]

That is terrible! Maybe take your kids for some vacation?

[MonicaAnne]

this is the notice I just received from our superintendent "While the state and local health departments have cleared these students to attend school, their parents have decided to keep their children at home for 21 days from the day that they took the flight.

Even though the two students will not be in class, I want to emphasize that the state and local health departments have determined that they are considered to be at extremely low risk.

It is safe for your students to attend school.

Regular school attendance is essential for students to make the most of their learning, and absences may disrupt a student’s mastery of the materials.

I’ve received some questions about absences and wanted to clarify that our normal attendance policy will be in effecttomorrow.*You can find the policy online in our parent and student handbooks.

We already have plans in place to address communicable diseases. Our health services coordinator regularly reviews those procedures with the nurses and other staff members at each school. Our custodial staff will also be doing additional cleaning and disinfecting in classrooms at the two schools."

Thank God the parents Grew a BRAIN!

[MonicaAnne]

this is the notice I just received from our superintendent "While the state and local health departments have cleared these students to attend school, their parents have decided to keep their children at home for 21 days from the day that they took the flight.

Even though the two students will not be in class, I want to emphasize that the state and local health departments have determined that they are considered to be at extremely low risk.

It is safe for your students to attend school.

Regular school attendance is essential for students to make the most of their learning, and absences may disrupt a student’s mastery of the materials.

I’ve received some questions about absences and wanted to clarify that our normal attendance policy will be in effecttomorrow.*You can find the policy online in our parent and student handbooks.

We already have plans in place to address communicable diseases. Our health services coordinator regularly reviews those procedures with the nurses and other staff members at each school. Our custodial staff will also be doing additional cleaning and disinfecting in classrooms at the two schools."

Thank God the parents Grew a BRAIN!

Oh JOY. I just received an email from the Superintendent of our Schools, they are closing down multiple schools tomorrow for massive decontamination & busses, etc. The CDC has begun reevaluating the risk levels & are no longer Considered low risk the children that he goes to school with. It blows my effing mind!!! He's been in school with these kids for the last two days for 8 hours a day!!!! They're kids they touch and share everything and always put stuff in their mouths! !!

[Austinperroux]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. From what I hear they are considered "low-risk" because they weren't in direct contact with the patient. Also, it'd be pretty difficult for that kid to still have the bodily fluids of the patient on him a day or two after that. Assume that they probably took a shower or something like that and washed the virus away. I'd say the risk is almost 0, especially with the school cleanings. Just keep washing your hands and you'll be fine

[Syrup]

I totally agree that this is horrible and that it would cause me concern. BUT, the nurse DIDN'T have the patient's bodily fluids on her when she flew. There's NO WAY. AND a patient is only contagious when showing symptoms. In fact, they are MOST contagious, as gross as it is, when they are hemorrhaging before death. The family that was caring for Duncan at the beginning stages of his sickness, the nurses that cared for him in the ER, all of the patients in the waiting area when he first went to the hospital AND the second time he went when he was actively v*ing, sweating, feverish, etc. are all fine. It was two of the nurses that were caring for him at the end. So, really, I don't believe that there's ANY risk for your children.

That being said, that nurse should be fired if/when she ever returns to work. She took the hippocratic oath and went against it when she boarded that plane. So foolish and selfish.

[emet-ana]

This must be terrifying. I agree with Syrup though that it seems like it's mostly spread through very direct contact with the vomit, stool or blood of someone who is unwell and particularly with someone who is in the later stages of the illness and bleeding.

When those children were at school (which I agree they definitely should not have been!!!) they weren't experiencing symptoms of Ebola and they didn't have the blood, stool or vomit of the nurse on their hands (she hadn't shown the contagious symptoms by this point) so they shouldn't have had any trace of Ebola on them. It is horrible that the nurse felt it was okay to risk other people's health in such a way.

Are you keeping your kids home now? Are all the local schools shutting down anyway?

[lizziescarlett]

So very scary for you and all the other parents, even though the children are considered low risk and they won't be attending school during the 21 days incubation period I would still keep your children home. If I had kids I would want them close to me during this time for my own peace of mind.

[joeylynn]

I live in the Cleveland area where the 2nd sick nurse spent last weekend planning her wedding. She flew KNOWING she had a fever and the CDC cleared her for that flight. The flight into Cleveland had 10 nurses on it all of whom are on paid leave....additionally 2 schools here have closed and they are disinfecting the airport and replacing carpet and upholstery on the plane on which she flew. I am a firm believe that Ebola is easier to catch than they say simply because we know that Norovirus is not contagious until the person is showing symptom -- it too is not airborne however many many people get sick from it every single year....HUM!

Sorry to hear about your son's school but am happy the parents are keeping the children at home for observation!

[KimberlyP]

I totally agree that this is horrible and that it would cause me concern. BUT, the nurse DIDN'T have the patient's bodily fluids on her when she flew. There's NO WAY. AND a patient is only contagious when showing symptoms. In fact, they are MOST contagious, as gross as it is, when they are hemorrhaging before death. The family that was caring for Duncan at the beginning stages of his sickness, the nurses that cared for him in the ER, all of the patients in the waiting area when he first went to the hospital AND the second time he went when he was actively v*ing, sweating, feverish, etc. are all fine. It was two of the nurses that were caring for him at the end. So, really, I don't believe that there's ANY risk for your children.

That being said, that nurse should be fired if/when she ever returns to work. She took the hippocratic oath and went against it when she boarded that plane. So foolish and selfish.

Unfortunately it looks like she was showing symptoms on the flight. That's why they want to find the 132 passengers and they weren't worried about the Liberian mans flight passengers.

[Syrup]

I heard that today as well, KimberlyP. That nurse is such a moron! Really frustrating!!!! Even so, the previous patient was around HUNDREDS of people when he was actively v*ing with a fever (between his own family, patients and doctors and the hospital, those on the street, etc). NONE of those people have fallen ill. It wasn't until the later stages that people became infected. That being said, I wouldn't want to be around someone with early stage Ebola. These children are SO FAR removed from victim x I still don't think that there's a good chance at all that they are at risk for spreading it to anyone else.

[KimberlyP]

I heard that today as well, KimberlyP. That nurse is such a moron! Really frustrating!!!! Even so, the previous patient was around HUNDREDS of people when he was actively v*ing with a fever (between his own family, patients and doctors and the hospital, those on the street, etc). NONE of those people have fallen ill. It wasn't until the later stages that people became infected. That being said, I wouldn't want to be around someone with early stage Ebola. These children are SO FAR removed from victim x I still don't think that there's a good chance at all that they are at risk for spreading it to anyone else.

Completely agree. And the American man who died in Nigeria was V on his flight to the point he collapsed and nobody caught it on his flight.

[KimberlyP]

She had symptoms for five days before she flew. That's infuriating!

[emet-ana]

I live in the Cleveland area where the 2nd sick nurse spent last weekend planning her wedding. She flew KNOWING she had a fever and the CDC cleared her for that flight. The flight into Cleveland had 10 nurses on it all of whom are on paid leave....additionally 2 schools here have closed and they are disinfecting the airport and replacing carpet and upholstery on the plane on which she flew. I am a firm believe that Ebola is easier to catch than they say simply because we know that Norovirus is not contagious until the person is showing symptom -- it too is not airborne however many many people get sick from it every single year....HUM!

Sorry to hear about your son's school but am happy the parents are keeping the children at home for observation!

The difference is that with Norovirus sufferers often have sudden v*/d* so that it can spread to others easily (i.e. you don't have a warning period of Fever for days before the v*/diarrhoea/bleeding starts) and the quantity of viral particles that you need to take in is very low (about 10-20 viral particles) so hopefully it won't spread around too much but I'm worried about jinxing it by saying that because I guess no-one knows yet!

[mrsjacks]

They are concerned about the fact that she tried on bridal gowns at a shop in Cleveland and now the CDC is trying to track down anyone who was there trying on gowns the entire weekend. Holy crap, this is scary! They say that while the viral load is low, Ebola can still be transmitted via sweat. Did this nurse fever sweat all over wedding dresses that other women put on after she had them on? I just can't believe the level of selfishness. The first nurse who took ill was pretty much holed up in her apartment, taking her temperature twice daily and called the CDC as soon as her temperature spiked.

[MaybeBaby]

FYI she REPORTED her symptoms before she flew... She effing called the CDC and they gave her the green light to fly http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/16/health...ola/index.html

[Leslie735]

Wow, I'm so sorry!!! Even though the risk is SO low, I don't blame you for being worried and upset. I will keep your son and the rest of the school in my prayers. I'm sure everything will be ok!