Nurses Reject 'Scapegoat' Accusations After CDC Head Blames 'Protocol Breach' for Dallas Nurse Infection of Ebola
Nurses and other healthcare experts have rejected the accusation by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Thomas Frieden that a "protocol breach" led to the infection of a Dallas nurse from Ebola, arguing that there should be no "scapegoats" made during a troubling situation like this.
"You don't scapegoat and blame when you have a disease outbreak," said Bonnie Castillo, a registered nurse and a disaster relief expert at National Nurses United, according to Reuters on Monday. "We have a system failure. That is what we have to correct."
Frieden had suggested on Sunday that the nurse, who contacted the deadly disease at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital after treating Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan, had made an error.
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"At some point there was a breach in protocol," Frieden said at a news conference. "That breach in protocol resulted in this infection. This tells us there is a need to enhance training and to make sure protocols are followed."
He then "cited four steps being taken by the CDC: ensuring the woman is cared for safely; identifying her contacts; treating all healthcare workers who cared for Duncan as having potentially been exposed; and reviewing procedures used to protect healthcare workers who treat Ebola patients."
Duncan, the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola while in the U.S., died last week in Texas. The virus has so far claimed over 4,000 lives throughout the West African countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, and there are fears it could spread abroad as well.
Healthcare and infection control experts in the U.S. have reportedly said that hospital staff need to be coached through the proper stages of treating Ebola patients, however, responding to Frieden's comments.
They have also questioned the assertion that any U.S. hospitals should be prepared to treat Ebola patients, and suggested that select hospitals need to be designated in each region as Ebola-facilities.
Castillo noted a lack of organization and said that hospitals often "post something on a bulletin board referring workers and nurses to the CDC guidelines. That is not how you drill and practice and become expert."
Dr. Gavin Macgregor-Skinner, an expert on public health preparedness at Pennsylvania State University, also spoke out against blaming the infected nurse for the incident.
"I think that is just wrong," said Macgregor-Skinner, who has helped the Nigerian government train healthcare workers in proper Ebola outbreak response.
"We haven't provided them with a national training program. We haven't provided them with the necessary experts that have actually worked in hospitals with Ebola," he added about American nurses.
The Dallas nurse, who has not yet been named due to a request from her parents, apparently first notified the hospital on Friday night that she had a low-grade fever. She was then isolated and tested for the disease, with results showing that she has been infected.
Five major U.S. airports have meanwhile started examining passengers for Ebola from the affected West African countries by taking their temperatures and asking them questions. The airports include O'Hare in Chicago, JFK and Newark in the New York area, Washington's Dulles, and Atlanta's airport.
