How easy is it to "self quarantine" if you think you may have been exposed to Ebola?

2014-10-17T10:33:30-04:00

So I'm flipping through military news and see that a Marine who flew with Ebola Nurse 2 has voluntarily quarantined himself for 21 days to ensure he doesn't show signs of the disease. A school that a relative child attends has sent out notice that there may have been contact from the Marine to the child to give parents a heads up that they are monitoring the situation.

So....just how easy would it be to quarantine yourself? This guy is a reservist, but what if he were active duty? Would the clinic give you a quarters slip for 3 weeks? I'm wondering now if any of our Active Duty hospitals have protocols in place for a potential exposure. If I go down to Fort Belvoir and say I flew with a known Ebola patient and sat next to them on the plane, what would they do?

The Chief of Staff for Public Affairs in the Marine's area praised him by saying that he did the right thing in identifying himself and then choosing to self quarantine. If this is the "right thing" to do, there should be hundreds of people from all over doing the same.

What would you do?

http://www.armytimes.com/article/20141016/NEWS/310160054/Marine-under-voluntary-Ebola-quarantine

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 17 at 2014 10:45 AM

2014-10-17T10:45:04-04:00

1SG Chris Brown, I was wondering the same thing. Each and every time I read this on CNN or seen it on the news I was like, "really self quarantine? Is that even a real thing?" I don't believe he needs to be quarantined, I think he should monitor himself for signs and if any of the symptoms arise, then he should report to a hospital. 21 days is a long time to be away from work, civilian or military. Honestly, many of us have probably sat next to someone or been in the vicinity of someone with a communicable disease or airborne disease and never once thought about it. I believe the media makes everything so much worse than what it is in reality. I'm not saying Ebola isn't serious, but the media are putting the people in a frenzy.

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 17 at 2014 11:40 AM

2014-10-17T11:40:13-04:00

Well, SFC Private RallyPoint Member and 1SG Chris Brown, I think that depends. There was a healthcare worker (doctor ?) who returned from Africa a month or two ago and quarantined himself, took his temperature, watched for symptoms, etc., for 21 days. I think that is the right thing to do if you think you may have been exposed to Ebola.

The question really is the definition of "exposed." In the general vicinity of someone with Ebola - at least according to the CDC - does not equal exposed (for transmission purposes). The word is that you have to come into contact with the body fluids of an infected and symptomatic Ebola patient to be at risk for infection yourself. If the Marine was in that position, or possibly in that position, then good on him.

I wonder if the CDC will revise its guidance regarding transmission of Ebola if more Americans (in the U.S.) get infected.

Response by MSG Brad Sand made Oct 17 at 2014 12:03 PM

2014-10-17T12:03:21-04:00

You mean self quarantine like DR Nancy Snyderman? This is doctor, who was in the hot-zone, had contact with a known Ebola vicitim and went for care out at a local Maryland resturant...of course she waited in the car while her crew...who had the same exposure...went in for the food.

We have football players and entertainers losing their livelihood for saying or tweeting the wrong words, what is being done to a doctor who is breaking quarantine and risking peoples lives...oh that is right nothing because this Nation has lost its collective mind.

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Oct 17 at 2014 12:58 PM

2014-10-17T12:58:07-04:00

Apparently too difficult for celebrity news correspondant doctors. But they do always say (my mother-in-law is proof) that doctors and nurses make the worst patients.

Response by SFC Robert Bailey made Oct 17 at 2014 1:55 PM

2014-10-17T13:55:40-04:00

What are we going to do with all of the military personnel that are going in or already there supporting in a "hot zone"? Will they be quarantined before being reunited with family after the deployment? What if one of the troops receives a Red Cross message and has to leave rapidly?

Response by SSG V. Michelle Woods made Oct 17 at 2014 2:33 PM

2014-10-17T14:33:21-04:00

I'll be in direct support of Operation United Assistance. I read the answer to this question in the unclassified guidance released to those deploying however even though it's unclassified, I'd have to double check before I could put it out there publicly.

I will say this, think about how well our DoD health care system is and that sums up the brilliant plan they have in place.

Response by Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 22 at 2014 12:55 PM

2014-10-22T12:55:35-04:00

Piece of cake.