A doctor named Alan Jamison put himself in self-quarantine in his Tennessee home. While there are no reports that he has Ebola, he treated Ebola patients in Liberia…
He did this Monday—meaning that this entire week, while the United States debated whether bringing Ebola patients to a hospital adjacent to the CDC was a good idea or not, it may have already here all along..
CNN is reporting on the doctor.. and also the fact that he has exhibited no signs of the disease yet..
Worth reading: Jamison has no symptoms at this point.
CNN says,
He plans to be in isolation for 21 days, which is the incubation period for the disease or the time between infection and onset of symptoms.
"My last encounter with a patient who had Ebola was on July 19," he said. "I contacted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on my arrival … and informed them I had been in West Africa and my history."
The father of three said his daughter picked him up from the airport and dropped him at home, where he’s quarantined himself and has had no contact with anyone since.
Good thing the CDC knows about this..
But I have a few questions…
How many other doctors, or people, are doing the same thing as Dr. Jamison? Should the CDC be more keenly aware, and are they even aware of everyone that may be doing this self-isolation treatment? Should Dr. Jamison being transferred to the CDC location where these other two patients—who definitely have Ebola—are going to be housed ..?
But potentially even more troubling in my mind.. it’s a nice gesture to self-quarantine, but what about the plane he rode with others to get back to the United States?
There is one factor also worth considering—I did not know this until now. Ebola is only contagious after the 21-day incubation period.. That would make for a great sequel to 28 DAYS LATER, but it also creates a far greater chance for developed nations to prevent this disease ..
And let’s face it: The death toll is rough. 90% of those who contact Ebola die.. But a few hundred (conservative estimate, sure) of a few million people isn’t a lot.. Even in third world nations, where disease is abundant, Ebola is still hard to catch under the right circumstances.
The problem is the amount of distrust of governments in the African nations where the disease is hitting, and the refusals to be isolated and also, quite often, the fears of modern medicine..