Nurse refuses quarantine, State seeks to force her isolation

[jmdrake]

She was basically put in prison for going to Africa to help with Ebola patients.



How would you feel if you were forced to spend 3 days in a tent with no flushing toilet or running water for simply re-entering the U.S. with no disease?

http://www.policestateusa.com/2014/k...ox-quarantine/

Here's a free market idea. Put billboards up of everyone who doesn't self quarantine and let everyone else voluntarily quarantine themselves.

[erowe1]

Here's a free market idea. Put billboards up of everyone who doesn't self quarantine and let everyone else voluntarily quarantine themselves.

I agree. And hire someone to watch her and follow her around with a bullhorn shouting to everyone that she has ebola.

The solution has to be something executed through wholly voluntary means. But even without the state doing what it's done, she'd still be facing something that would make her regret her decision not to self-quarantine.

[JK/SEA]

there is only one solution.........release the Flying Monkey's.....

[Brian4Liberty]

Seriously?? You're comparing colds and the flu with pandemics?? Where do you get your definition of "pandemic"? The government wants you to believe the risk of a pandemic is millions of deaths like the plagues of the 18th and 19th Century. Pure propaganda for their agenda.

Yes, the flu can be "pandemic". Pandemic simply means something that spreads though-out a nation, a continent or globally. The Spanish Flu was pandemic. "Epidemic" is more localized. The death rate is a separate metric, and has no bearing upon whether something is classified as epidemic or pandemic.

Yes, when the government-media complex uses the word, they may infer worst case scenarios, but that doesn't change the definition of the word.

In the case of Ebola, if it did become pandemic, it would result in a very high number of deaths. That is the specific effect of Ebola.

[osan]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/29/health...html?hpt=hp_t1

"And on Tuesday, state health commissioner Mary Mayhew said, "If an individual who came in direct contact with Ebola patients has returned to Maine and is not willing to avoid public contact and stay in their home voluntarily during the period they are at some risk, we will take additional measures and pursue appropriate authority to ensure they make no public contact."

I fully support the state in forcefully placing this nurse under quarantine. This may be heresy at RPF, but personal liberty does have limits.

Well, yes, but it also turns on the degree to which we may say a person may be infected. The health commissioner's statement could use better qualifying terms as it is a bit vague. What is "direct contact", for example?

If, as Ms. Deborah posted, she was tested, showed negative, and the test is a reliable assessor of risk, then why would the "state" strong-arm her? I heard the nurse's statements - very whingey I admit. If she is in fact a potential threat, I can agree with quarantine, but that raises the question of why she, or anyone else for that matter, was allowed to return to the States in the first place? If you are safe, welcome home. If not, you should never have left, so sorry. If you want to play Ma Teresa, by all means do so. Do not, however, expect to be allowed back in until it can be shown you pose no danger to others. We really do not need Ebola Mary walking the streets, especially not until such time as a reliable cure for this bug is found.

[Brian4Liberty]

I get that quarantine is not a new thing, but how does one determine exposure, or the level of exposure to the point that someone's personal liberty is limited?

Usually it is voluntary. It usually only becomes court-ordered when someone adamantly defies quarantine, and/or infects others. The court-order is where due process comes into play.

Determining exposure is sometimes difficult. Doctors and nurses should know if they have been near a contagious patient. Other people should also know if they have been in close contact with a sick person. In some cases, people may not know, until they are informed. They might occur when medical workers are tracing contacts.

[osan]

Sounds like an [illegal] alien abduction.

Touched that up a bit fer'y.

[donnay]

She took an oath; "To do no harm." Any responsible person would self-quarantine. I am against government forced quarantine.

[Brian4Liberty]

Whooping cough: most children who came down with it were vaccinated. It's also been documented that AIDS is a man-made virus brought to you by the pharmaceutical company, Merck.

We are going on tangent, lots of threads on whooping cough. Suffice it to say, whooping cough is bacterial, and the vaccine is not as effective as a viral vaccine. It doesn't last very long. The new version of whooping cough vaccine also makes people asymptomatic carriers for a longer time if they catch it.

I don't buy the hypothesis that AIDS is man-made. That would be for a different thread though.

[Anti Federalist]

Maine Judge Rejects Ebola Quarantine for Nurse Kaci Hickox

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebo...hickox-n238326

A judge in Maine ruled Friday that Kaci Hickox, the nurse who treated Ebola patients and is defying a state-imposed quarantine, can come and go as she pleases, as long as she is monitored for symptoms and lets health officials know where she’s going.

The same judge issued a temporary order on Thursday night ordering Hickox to stay at least three feet away from other people and to stay away from crowds and public transportation.

But the judge, Charles C. LaVerdiere of state court, lifted those parts of the order on Friday. He found that authorities in Maine had not proved that further restricting Hickox’s movement was necessary to protect the public from infection.

The judge said Hickox must submit to what health officials call direct active monitoring — having her temperature taken and being checked for symptoms at least once a day. But he stresses that she has no symptoms and is therefore not infectious.

Hickox, who returned from West Africa a week ago, has maintained that authorities in Maine violated her rights by demanding that she stay at home for 21 days. She took a defiant bike ride on Thursday, and Gov. Paul LePage said she was testing his patience.

The nurse spent last weekend in an isolation tent near the airport in Newark, New Jersey. She objected to the conditions and had a public spat with Gov. Chris Christie, who dared her to sue him.

The judge in Maine gave her a gentle rebuke in his ruling.

“The court is fully aware that people are acting out of fear and that this fear is not entirely rational,” he wrote. “However, whether that fear is rational or not, it is present and it is real.

“Respondent’s actions at this point, as a health care professional, need to demonstrate her full understanding of human nature and the real fear that exist. She should guide herself accordingly.”

[Deborah K]

“The court is fully aware that people are acting out of fear and that this fear is not entirely rational,” he wrote. “However, whether that fear is rational or not, it is present and it is real.

“Respondent’s actions at this point, as a health care professional, need to demonstrate her full understanding of human nature and the real fear that exist. She should guide herself accordingly.”

Does this mean we have nothing to fear but fear itself?

[JK/SEA]

Does this mean we have nothing to fear but fear itself?

yes, followed by a rousing rendition of God Bless America....preferably Kate Smith..

[donnay]

yes, followed by a rousing rendition of God Bless America....preferably Kate Smith..

Followed by; I'm Proud to be an American by Lee Greenwood.

[Occam's Banana]

there is only one solution.........release the Flying Monkey's.....

Too late - all our Flying Monkeys have been deployed to Iraq & Afghanistan.
So we're gonna have to increase federal spending for more Flying Monkeys ...

[JK/SEA]

Too late - all our Flying Monkeys have been deployed to Iraq & Afghanistan.
So we're gonna have to increase federal spending for more Flying Monkeys ...

i already wrote and sent my 3 page letter...

[aGameOfThrones]

she should stay....

[JK/SEA]

i dunno...i think a beer summit with his Majesty would quell any fears...

[Occam's Banana]

i already wrote and sent my 3 page letter...

Ima start a petition at whitehouse.gov ...

[Anti Federalist]

Ok, so if we are out of flying monkeys...

Release...

[Anti Federalist]

Or...

[JK/SEA]

Ok, so if we are out of flying monkeys...

Release...

i think he was banned a few years ago...

we do however have ...

THE BUNCHIE.... still here somewhere...

[parocks]

It's much simpler than that.

#7) Kaci Hickox works for the CDC. The CDC does not want State Quarantines. The CDC wants to be in charge.

This is not a theory. Obama is against State Quarantines. The CDC is against State Quarantines.

The CDC wants more money. More power. More employees. The CDC wants to grow.

[Dr.3D]

It's much simpler than that.

#7) Kaci Hickox works for the CDC. The CDC does not want State Quarantines. The CDC wants to be in charge.

This is not a theory. Obama is against State Quarantines. The CDC is against State Quarantines.

The CDC wants more money. More power. More employees. The CDC wants to grow.

But the truth isn't nearly as fun as using our imaginations and coming up with something less diabolical.

[parocks]

But the truth isn't nearly as fun as using our imaginations and coming up with something less diabolical.

It's very interesting. What the new normal is is as awful as what the wild speculations are.

It's either ridiculous to claim that Special Agent Hickox is CDC, or the fact that she's CDC is unremarkable.

When the truth is simply that she's doing exactly what her resume says she does, and we don't like that one bit and want it to stop.

[DevilsAdvocate]

Think about this logically. If a disease has no cure, the ONLY way to stop it is to stop it's transmission. If it is transmitted through bodily contact, then the ONLY way to stop it is to limit bodily contact of infected individuals with uninfected individuals. In other words, a quarantine.

The only argument you can make here is that the disease isn't contagious enough to spread easily between individuals in close contact, but the evidence isn't really bearing this out. There are a very few things that the federal government should be doing, and protecting the nation against a killer virus is one of them.

[jkob]

You're a disgusting person if you don't self quarantine, I don't understand how a healthcare worker especially one that has been to west Africa and seen this disease up close is so callous to potentially put other people at risk. I know I would not want her caring for me nor would I want to employ a person like that. It's only 3 weeks so don't act like it's a death sentence, watch some Netflix or chill out for a bit.

[Cleaner44]

She took an oath; "To do no harm." Any responsible person would self-quarantine. I am against government forced quarantine.

This. With rights comes responsibilities.

[specsaregood]

./

[Valli6]

This came out in court yesterday.

Sheila Pinette of the Maine CDC has released information that the roommate of Kaci Hickox, while in West Africa has displayed signs of ebola.

Pinette says “The respondents roommate in Africa became infected without knowing how she became infected with Ebola. (Any potential risk to respondent from that incident has passed).”

This is one of 35 points Pinette made while filing a verified petition for public health order yesterday with the state. Kaci Hickox was issued temporary court order. The document says Hickox must submit to active monitoring, coordinate her travel with public health authorities, not use commercial or public transportation, not go to any public places or workplaces unless to receive necessary health care, and she must maintain a 3-foot distance from other people and not leave Fort Kent without consulting public health authorities.
http://wagmtv.com/state-of-maine-doc...veloped-ebola/

[Anti Federalist]

From a vet in Washington state.

The present Ebola crisis in the world is frightening. I have submitted the following letter to the editor of the Lewiston Morning Tribune:

https://www.facebook.com/david.ruste...16956388349523

Editor, Lewiston Morning Tribune:

If I wish to import a horse into the United States from Liberia or any African country other than Morocco, the horse needs to undergo a 60 day quarantine period at a USDA approved quarantine facility prior to mingling with the general population of horses in this country. Africa has a disease called African Horse Sickness that does not exist in the US; this is the way we have kept it out of this country. African Horse Sickness does not cause disease in people, only horses; our government has determined that it would be devastating to the US horse industry if it were to come here.

The United States (and virtually all other countries) require a myriad of tests and often quarantine prior to bringing in a foreign animal.

I can’t legally cross state lines in the United States with a horse or cow without a health certificate signed by a USDA accredited veterinarian stating that the animal has been inspected and found free of infectious disease. In most cases blood tests are also required. In fact I can’t legally cross the Snake River and ride my horse in Idaho without a health certificate and a negative blood test for Equine Infectious Anemia.

I’m not complaining; the United States of America, the States of Idaho and Washington as well as the other 48 states take the health of our livestock very seriously, and we have a very good record at keeping foreign animal diseases out of our country. I am happy to do my part to maintain biosecurity in our animal population.

If I am a resident of Liberia incubating Ebola, to enter the United States all I need to do is present a valid visa, and lie when asked if I have been exposed to Ebola. Within hours (no quarantine required) I can be walking the streets of any city in the United States.

I feel very fortunate to live in a country that values our animals so highly.

David A. Rustebakke, DVM