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October 22, 2014
PAGE 3A
^Reporter
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Rock Springs Church just
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NEWS FLASH-Obama is
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Concerning the electric
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ple who are on REA or Ga
Power for their rates, rank:
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I have never read such
hateful vents as the ones I
am reading now. I'm really
disappointed in the people
of Forsyth, rank: 9
NEWS FLASH-Obama is
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I am behind Bilderback on
if a company doesn't per
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GF does need to get off
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night. It's hard to see it sit
ting in the road. And it's a
pretty dog. rank: 5
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Hospital preps Ebola response
just in case the worst happens
Some local residents want stronger response by U.S. government
BY RICHARD DUMAS
AND WILL DAVIS
forsyth@mymcr. net
Monroe
4 s
County
Hospital
employees
say they
will be ready
to treat Ebola patients
should the virus spread
into Middle Georgia.
Kathy Louth, Director of
Quality Management at
MCH, said MCH hospital
officials have been in con
stant contact with the
Atlanta-based Centers for
Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) to
determine how to handle
a possible Ebola crisis
after several cases were
reported in Texas. Louth
said MCH employees
have been reading vol
umes of information post
ed daily on the cdc.gov
website that provide guid
ance and recommenda
tions for healthcare offi
cials.
Louth and Jean Riley,
Director of Respiratory at
MCH, said they had
viewed a Webinar on
Ebola shortly before being
interviewed by the
Reporter on Thursday.
They said such presenta
tions may become regular
viewings because so much
information on the topic is
changing daily.
Riley said one of the
hospital's initial focuses
has been fulfilling the
hospital's personal protec
tive equipment (PPE)
requirements for protec
tive clothing, helmets,
goggles or other items
designed to protect
employees from illness or
injury. Riley said the hos
pital has Hazmat suits
and other protective gear
in stock already to deal
with the issue, but much
of the equipment has not
been used previously.
Once the PPE assessment
is complete, MCH nurses
will be trained on how to
properly use the equip
ment.
Dr. Carol Carlson, MCH
Emergency Room Medical
Director, said if an Ebola
patient reaches MCH, he
probably won't stay at the
hospital for more than a
few hours. Carlson said if
a patient is suspected to
be transmitting the Ebola
virus, MCH would contact
the Monroe County
Health Department
immediately, and an
arrangement
^ . would be
Monroe County made for
HOSpital the CDC to
take the
Caring is our way of life
patient to a
specialty facility such as
Emory University
Hospital in Atlanta,
which is already housing
Amber Joy Vinson, a
Dallas nurse who cared
for deceased Ebola patient
Thomas Eric Duncan.
Emory has already suc
cessfully treated three
Ebola patients since the
summer, including an
anonymous patient who
was released Sunday.
Louth said since there
have been only been a
handful of known cases in
the U.S. thus far, it is not
clear at this point how to
treat an Ebola patient
most successfully. If the
number of Ebola patients
nationwide increases,
CDC health experts
should be able to estab
lish a clearer pattern of
symptoms, causes and
treatment methods within
the next several weeks,
Louth said.
While MCH officials
said they have never
dealt with any pandemic
that is this potentially
life-threatening, Riley
said the most similar
thing she could remember
was working with AIDS
patients in the 1980s.
Riley said the survival
time of patients with the
human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV) that causes
AIDS has ultimately
proven to be much longer
than what was presumed
in the early days of AIDS
research.
Carlson said any patient
with Ebola-like symp
toms, such as fever,
abdominal pain, diarrhea,
severe headache, muscle
pain, vomiting and sore
throat will be questioned
about their recent travel
schedule. According to the
CDC website, symptoms
may appear anywhere
from two to 21 days after
exposure to Ebola, but the
average length of time is
eight to 10 days. She said
it is highly unlikely that
someone would have
Ebola who has not trav
eled themselves to West
Africa or had close contact
with someone who has
traveled to West Africa.
While local health
providers study how to
respond, other Monroe
County residents are
seeking a better response
from the federal govern
ment, including a travel
ban from Ebola infected
countries like those in
West Africa.
Leigh Wiggins of
Bolingbroke said she can't
understand why the gov
ernment isn't being more
cautious with a virus
that kills 50-70 percent of
those infected. The cur
rent protocols obviously
aren't working since an
infected Duncan brought
the virus from Liberia to
Dallas and later died, but
only after infecting at
least two nurses.
"Nobody is using com
mon sense," said Wiggins.
Wiggins, who just moved
to Monroe County from
Virginia with her hus
band and three boys, said
she's called Congressman
Austin Scott's office and
just can't figure out why
Congress isn't listening to
a concerned American
public. She said senate
majority leader Harry
Reid (D-Nevada) is refus
ing to convene the senate
to pass a travel ban from
infected countries until
after the election, Nov. 12.
"If we don't do some
thing and they don't lis
ten to us, we run the risk
of exposing a lot of people
in a lot of different venues
and it will be difficult to
control," said Wiggins.
"We're not prepared for
what could happen. As a
parent of three children,
it's scary."
If others are concerned
that the Ebola outbreak is
an emergency she's
encouraging them to call
Reid's office at (202) 224-
3542 and ask him to con
vene the senate to enact a
travel ban, which is likely
supported by majorities in
Congress.
Meanwhile, back at the
hospital, with flu season
beginning, Louth said the
job of determining
whether an Ebola patient
is being treated at MCH
will be even harder since
many of its symptoms
mirror those of the flu.
MCH officials strongly
suggest persons getting
flu shots. Riley said she
encourages patients to be
cooperative with hospital
employees and make sure
they reveal anything
about their condition that
could be potentially dan
gerous to MCH employees
and other patients.
Anyone with questions
about MCH's treatment of
Ebola should contact
MCH at (478) 994-2521
while questions about the
disease itself should be
deferred to the Monroe
County Health
Department at (478) 992-
5082. MCH strongly sug
gests the public view the
CDC's website, and Louth
said the MCH website
will be updated also as
more information about
Ebola becomes available.
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THECRANDnACON.COM JOHN TESH
The Reporter’s FB page is
not your personal page to
complain and post every
thing! Lay off all ready GF
OR SB whatever you want
to be called. Should be
busy-body, rank: 12
Don't you love it when
someone is on Facebook
bragging about going to
the race in Alabama yet
doesn't pay RENT and still
begs an elderly Grand
mother for money among
other things, rank: 11
Mikey, I want a maid, too!
rank: 7
Time for the old-time Mary
Persons fans to get with
the new times. Traditions
are great, but these kids
deserve to leave their own
traditions! Great job MP!
Keep up the good work!
rank: 7
Did the CDC find out what
the lesbians are eating that
makes them fat? rank: 6
CORRECTIONS
“Hormonal Hostage”
Speaker - Ernest Carlton, MD, Oll/GYN
Tuesday, November 18,2014
6:30pm - 8:30pm
Wesleyan College - Oval Half
4760 Forsyth Road
Macon, GA 31210
For any age, dealing with
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Come and learn how to cope!
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Space is limited
Sue Vaughan Burns was incorrectly identified in the pic
ture of the Mary Persons 60th Reunion of the Class of
1954 in the Oct. 15 edition of The Reporter.
Longtime MP residents George and Dee Waldrep’s last
name was misspelled on Page 3D of the Oct. 8 Reporter
edition. The Reporter regrets the error.