Should This Ebola Patient Be Treated In London?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ebola-outbreak-british-patient-with-deadly-disease-could-be-treated-in-uk-hospital-9687682.html

[sandyRoe]

Yes. There are facilities here to treat this UK citizen. The USA and Spain have already returned people infected with Ebola to their homeland. Could we do less?

[agchristie]

If we had a case in the UK we would treat. We have the skills and resources to know what to do competently, I don't see why not.

[naomi24]

We will have to treat people suffering from this disease. We haven't a hope of keeping it out of this country.

[agchristie]

Let's hope you are wrong Naomi, but I think you are right, just takes the one...

[sp1814]

Yes.

[anotheoldgit]

How long will it be before we are treating those from other countries, because they haven't the resources to deal with the problem?

[sandyRoe]

If they're here it seems only common sense to treat them as in doing so we're protecting ourselves. I can't see us going out to West Africa looking to treat victims of this dreadful disease. More's the pity.

[agchristie]

^ but the same could apply to a lot of countries. If we start arguing who should be responsible for treating we could have delays and a worse problem...

[agchristie]

That was to AOG

[sp1814]

AOG

"How long will it be before we are treating those from other countries, because they haven't the resources to deal with the problem?"

I think that you might be worrying unnecessarily.

Did we fly those who were suffering from SARS or Swine Flu to the UK, or did the WHO instead organise experts to fly out to affected regions and assist locally?

Don't you think that this is more the more likely solution, in the case of Ebola?

[THECORBYLOON]

He has already claimed the hospitals are full so there would be no room anyway...

[sp1814]

THECORBYLOON

Ah!

Problem solved!!

[anotheoldgit]

THECORBYLOON

/// He has already claimed the hospitals are full so there would be no room anyway... ///

I was referring to the indigenous population, there's always room for visitors.

[sp1814]

AOG

You wrote:

"I was referring to the indigenous population, there's always room for visitors."

What is your definition of 'indigenous'?

[maggiebee]

AOG why are you always so full of doom and gloom? You must be the most negative person on this site!

[jomifl]

why not?

[ChillDoubt]

No, leave them in situ and provide the best care possible in that location/continent.
If you want to minimise the risk, don't import it.

[anotheoldgit]

maggiebee

/// AOG why are you always so full of doom and gloom? You must be the most negative person on this site! ///

Not negative, just realistic, but then I don't fly around in rose tinted specs.

[woofgang]

This person is a british national, entitled to be treated in a british hospital.

[sandyRoe]

In the olden days the time it took to complete a journey acted as a sort of quarantine. An Ebola carrier setting sail from some port on the west African coast would be dead and buried at sea long before the boat docked in the UK. Now a victim could board a plane in the morning and be here at Heathrow infecting innocent indigenous people by the afternoon.
We should ban all air travel until this clears up.