As Spanish Ebola patient’s health deteriorates, two doctors who treated her are under observation

The Washington Post ^ | October 9, 2014 | Abby Ohlheiser and Abby Phillip

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The health of Ebola-stricken Spanish nurse Teresa Romero Ramos worsened on Thursday, and two doctors who treated her were admitted to a hospital for observation.

"Her clinical situation has deteriorated but I can't give any more information due to the express wishes of the patient," said Yolanda Fuentes of the Carlos III Hospital in Madrid, according to Reuters.

The BBC reported that Ramos "was being helped with her breathing in hospital."

Ramos, who became the first case of Ebola transmission outside of Africa, has been hospitalized since Sunday. Tests confirmed Monday that the sanitary technician had contracted Ebola, but Ramos said she only learned of her diagnosis from a media report -- though she sensed something was wrong when doctors stopped entering her hospital room.

It remains unclear exactly how she became infected while treating a priest who had contracted the virus in West Africa, though Ramos acknowledged this week that she may have made a mistake when removing her protective suit.

One of the doctors who treated her, Juan Manuel Parra, said in a statement posted to the El Pais Web site that the sleeves on the protective suit he wore while working with Ramos were too short.

[Rockitz]

Like I said in an earlier post, I'm a bit of an expert on aerosols. I've actually published in the field.

Salient quote in abstract: "The OPC indicated a preponderance of particles less than 1 μ..."

http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/jam.1997.10.105

The Size Distribution of Droplets in the Exhaled Breath of Healthy Human Subjects

RAO S. PAPINENI and FRANK S. ROSENTHAL. Journal of Aerosol Medicine. Summer 1997, 10(2): 105-116. doi:10.1089/jam.1997.10.105.

Published in Volume: 10 Issue 2: January 30, 2009

ABSTRACT

Droplets carried in exhaled breath may carry microorganisms capable of transmitting disease over both short and long distances. The size distribution of such droplets will influence the type of organisms that may be carried as well as strategies for controlling airborne infection. The aim of this study was to characterize the size distribution of droplets exhaled by healthy individuals. Exhaled droplets from human subjects performing four respiratory actions (mouth breathing, nose breathing, coughing, talking) were measured by both an optical particle counter (OPC) and an analytical transmission electron microscope (AEM). The OPC indicated a preponderance of particles less than 1 μ, although larger particles were also found. Measurements with the AEM confirmed the existence of larger sized droplets in the exhaled breath. In general, coughing produced the largest droplet concentrations and nose breathing the least, although considerable intersubject variability was observed.

[Rockitz]

Coughs and sneezes produce 99.999% "sprays" where even those ~1 micron particles will settle within a minute.

Try 12 hours from 5 feet.....

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/aerosols/pdfs/aerosol_101.pdf

See slide 12.

Better get a better filter than N95.

I hope your gross misinformation doesn't cost anyone their life.