

21 Days: Steven Hatfill Warns Against Ebola Complacency - jdnier
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/10/21-days/381901/?single_page=true

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malandrew

        Sanjay Gupta, who is a neurosurgeon, did probably the best
        demonstration I've seen on why the CDC protocol failed. He 
        dressed up in the recommended protective equipment and they
        put chocolate syrup on his hands. As an experienced 
        neurosurgeon, how many times he's donned and doffed this 
        gear? He took off his gear, and, yep, there were chocolate 
        splashes all over his skin. 
    

After reading this I went to go watch the video because I've read several
articles on the CDC recommendations and first hand accounts from nurses
returning from Africa explaining the procedure for putting on and removing the
gowns. What Sanjay Gupta did, does not match up with what I've read. There was
no apron and he took everything off at once, including trying to
simultaneously remove both pairs of gloves. You're supposed to wash your hands
(with bleach) then remove the apron first (what was on his chest) and then
carefully remove the outer pair of gloves. These two steps alone should remove
most of the fluids and any transferred skin shedding, such that what is left
is gear with relatively minimal matter that can get through to the body. Then
you do more washing with bleach. Lastly, there were boot coverings or hoods to
protect from bio-hazardous material that are likely to get on those surfaces.

Most of what I read seem totally legit, but I can't reconcile that with
Hatfill praising Sanjay Gupta's demonstration. If I were a nurse or doctor
going into a room with a BSL-4 contagion, I would be far far far more diligent
than what Dr. Sanjay Gupta demonstrated.

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jdnier
From the article: "Hatfill: When the SARS epidemic happened, Singapore came
very close to being wiped out. People don't realize this. And over there, if
you chew gum or spit on the street, they cane you. Singapore had this under
control overnight, and all their contact tracings were confined to their
house, to the point where they would phone you every hour and you'd better
answer the phone or the cops came by to arrest you. And they stopped it. You
saw in the U.S. the journalist went out for pizza, this nurse went on a plane.
Are you out of your mind?"

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jdnier
"What [Dr Hatfill] does know, at a depth that can rival any scientist’s
knowledge, is Ebola."

