I am fine, I am happy, all is well

which is our general phrase for things when they are actually going to hell in a hand basket. For one thing, a doctor's office called me today and wanted to issue me a refund, which was great, but when I gave them my account number, the clerk put it in as a debit rather than a credit, and that didn't change before the end of the work day. So I was on hold with the bank for quite some time to see if I might overdraw my account. A very nice and chatty customer service representative explained that either it would fall off at midnight if the office managed to void it, or if not, and it does overdraw the account, we can dispute both it and the attached fee. Fortunately I am also getting paid tonight or tomorrow morning, so I should be okay if I have to dispute. So while I was freaking out some, I feel a little better.

Meanwhile, a friend of mine was going to go to an appointment tonight and I was going to try to take him, but he cancelled it. On the one hand, that's good, because I could go straight home, as my gas light came on and I only had to drive about a mile or so to get safely home. On the other hand, I was planning to ask to 'borrow' (more like beg) for a roll of toilet paper since mine ran out this morning. Since I didn't go over there, I didn't get it. So I'm like, okay, I have some tissues, I can use them, and just not flush them down the toilet. So imagine my surprise when I did go and yet, despite nothing going down the bowl but a little urine, the thing floods the whole bathroom, and it took me several minutes to plunge it so the water would go down. So now my rug is soaked, I had to mop all that water up, and my evening just isn't going very well. Hence the mantra above.

Ah, First World problems. I really shouldn't whinge about my day when there are so many worse things out there. But writing helps, what can I say? So now I've taken care of everything (and I ate the last of the spaghetti while on hold). I'm going to try to salvage the rest of my time this evening, and hope that tomorrow is a brighter and better day. :)

PS Speaking of worse things, why on earth, if you had treated an Ebola patient and were within the incubation period, would you get on a jetliner? And if I'm reading the timing right, that was from Cleveland to Dallas, after treatment of the man who died in Dallas, so presumably there was a trip from Dallas to Cleveland as well. But the plane trip was the day before the newest diagnosed patient presented with a fever. I just don't get it. If I have a bad cold or the flu, I stay home from the hospital I work in and don't expose my friends. Why would anyone who had dealt with Ebola go flying to another state during the potential incubation time? Aren't these people supposed to be being monitored? I'm sorry to say, but it looks like the hospital had its head up its arse, given the things the nurses are saying and the fact that two people have caught the disease from the initial patient there. And while I realise that only four hospitals in the country have the ultra-isolation rooms and intensive training that are good for Ebola, this was still in a major metropolitan area. What happens when people go to the local hospital in smaller places? I have not been in panic mode at all over Ebola like some (there was a great editorial cartoon by Jack Ohman of The Sacramento Bee I saw where the fat guy with the big gulp drink and cigarette and beer is screaming in panic about Ebola when the deaths from obesity, smoking, and drinking are so high), but I am getting concerned, I must admit.

This makes me very unhappy

Madrid Will Kill Dog of Woman Infected with Ebola

"There is one article in the medical literature that discusses the presence of antibodies to Ebola in dogs. Whether that was an accurate test and whether that was relevant we do not know,” CDC Director Tom Frieden said at a news conference Tuesday.

"We have not identified this as a means of transmission," Frieden added, although scientists do know that Ebola can infect mammals and the virus can spread that way.

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The Spanish mixed-breed dog, Excalibur, will be euthanized in a way to avoid suffering and its body incinerated, the government said. The nursing aid's husband, who is also under quarantine, posted the dog's photo on Facebook and denounced the move.

"I think it's unfair that for a mistake they made they now want to solve it this way," he wrote. "If they are so worried with this issue I think we can find another type of alternative solution, such as quarantining the dog and put him under observation like they did with me. Or should they sacrifice me as well just in case?"

Dog of Ebola-stricken Spanish nurse set to be killed over fears of virus spreading

Both pet and hunting dogs in West Africa have tested positive for the Ebola virus, but none have showed signs of being infected, getting sick or dying from the virus, Michael San Filippo, senior media relations specialist for the American Veterinary Medical Association told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

There are also no documented cases of dogs passing the Ebola virus to people, San Filippo added.

“There is more concern about fruit bats and non-human primates,” including gorillas, chimpanzees and monkeys, he said.

Yes, Ebola is one scary disease. Really scary. But I don't think this is the right thing to do. I agree with the owner, quarantine the dog, but don't just kill it due to some sense of danger that isn't necessarily based on science.

I'm sympathetic to these infected humanitarians, but is this really such a good idea?

Source: Flight leaves for Liberia to evacuate Americans infected with Ebola

The fear began just after news broke Thursday that a long-range business jet with an isolation pod left the United States for Liberia, where it will evacuate two Americans infected with Ebola.

Twitter exploded with questions about the deadly virus, which according to the World Health Organization is believed to have killed hundreds in four West African nations. And with reaction to news that two infected Americans would soon be on their way back to the United States.

"Why are they doing this?" Robin Hunter asked in a post on Twitter.

While U.S. officials have remained mum on the issue, a source told CNN that a medical charter flight left from Cartersville, Georgia, on Thursday evening.

A CNN crew saw the plane depart shortly after 5 p.m. ET. The plane matched the description provided by the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. It was not immediately known when the two Americans -- identified by the source as Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol -- would arrive in the United States, or where the plane would land.

Okay, despite working in a hospital, I am not a clinician or scientist. I don't understand the complete workings of the Ebola virus. But I do have a basic grasp of epidemiolgy and infection control, and Ebola is one really scary virus with dread consequences if it escapes control, Is it worth the risk? Also, several aid agencies are recalling their personnel from these countries, and that brings with it the chance that an infection will be missed until others are exposed. I assume quarantines will be imposed as a precaution, but still...this very well could be the way a terrible regional epidemic spreads to other areas. Yes, precautions can be taken, but no attempts at infection prevention can be considered foolproof, and it only takes one patient zero who slips through the precautions and you have a much bigger epidemic on your hands, in a disease which kills horribly and with a high mortality rate (50%-90%, depending on the strain), with no vaccine, and no assured and efficacious cure.

It amazes me...

that when a disease that is so deadly strikes, there are still people who rush in to contain it and save lives if possible. Ebola is one of the deadliest diseases out there, and one of the scariest that I know of. If it spreads it could be horrific. Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) does a wonderful job caring for people across the world. It's one of my favourite charities. If you're looking to give, you might want to check them out.

Guinea: Mobilising against an unprecedented Ebola epidemic

To date, Guinean health authorities have recorded 122 suspected patients and 78 deaths. Other cases, suspected or diagnosed, were found in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

MSF continues to strengthen its teams on the ground in Guinea. By the end of the week, there will be around 60 international fieldworkers who have experience in working on haemorrhagic fever. The group will be divided between Conakry and the other locations in the south-east of the country.

Among the fieldworkers are doctors, nurses, epidemiologists, water and sanitation experts, as well as anthropologists. In addition, more than 40 tonnes of equipment has been flown into the country to enable MSF teams to curb the spread of the disease.

“MSF has intervened in almost all reported Ebola outbreaks in recent years, but these outbreaks much more geographically contained and involved more remote locations, as opposed to urban areas. The vast geographic spread of the Guinea outbreak is worrisome because it will greatly complicate the tasks of the organisations working to control the epidemic,” said Lugli.

This is the most aggressive and deadly known form of the virus. It kills more than nine out of 10 patients

An MSF page on Ebola

Ebola can be caught from both humans and animals. It is transmitted through close contact with blood, secretions, or other bodily fluids.

Healthcare workers have frequently been infected while treating Ebola patients. This has occurred through close contact without the use of gloves, masks or protective goggles.

In areas of Africa, infection has been documented through the handling of infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found dead or ill in the rainforest.

Burials where mourners have direct contact with the deceased can also transmit the virus, whereas transmission through infected semen can occur up to seven weeks after clinical recovery.

No specific treatment or vaccine is yet available for Ebola