The Journal of the American Medical Association just released an article discussing how ready the US might be for Ebola.
The article gives a very good recapitulation of what happened in Dallas. It starts with Mr. Duncan's arrival and moves forward to the two nurses, who cared for him who have now contracted Ebola.
Part of the description of the outbreak:
Duncan’s delayed diagnosis triggered a cascade of public health missteps. Emergency medical service (EMS) personnel transported him without appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). The transporting ambulance continued to be used for 48 hours before it was decontaminated. The Dallas County health department issued a communicable disease control order requiring 4 people with whom Duncan had shared an apartment to remain there—even though the apartment had not been decontaminated. The health department explained it had difficulty obtaining a permit to transport the hazardous waste. The residents were later moved to another location. Health officials traced known contacts, identifying 48 individuals, including 5 school-aged children, who were told to remain at home for 21 days. It was only when Pham became infected that surveillance extended to approximately 50 health workers who had cared for Duncan. The diagnosis of Pham and Vinson, following a similar case in Spain, led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reconsider the ability of hospitals to safely treat Ebola patients without advanced training and facilities.
Follow below the writhing shepherd's crook virus for more.
The authors also discuss US preparedness to face other infectious disease episodes in the past as well as the current small outbreak of Ebola here in the US. They go on to write about the topics of quarantine and isolation, entry and exit screening as well as risk reduction. It's not a long article and it's well worth the read.
The full article is here:
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/...
Just FYI, the authors are attorneys doing a presentation and analysis of the Ebola outbreak.