 |
| Reverend Miguel Pajares. May he rest in peace. |
Early this morning, while I was listening to Korean News, they announced that a 75 year old priest had died in a hospital in Madrid. He had tested positive for Ebola virus. Rev. Miguel Pajares had been in Liberia until he was evacuated home to Spain. When he became ill, he was housed in a specialized isolation unit of King Carlos III Hospital in Madrid. Although it had been planned to administer Z-Mapp, the experimental treatment for Ebola, the hospital has not yet said whether the reverend received it before his death or not. Reverend Pajares died early this morning of respiratory failure, the result of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. His remains have been cremated as a strategy in order to contain the virus.
We send condolences to the family of Reverend Pajares.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28754899
http://online.wsj.com/articles/missionary-doctor-infected-with-ebola-dies-in-madrid-1407835487
4 comments:
I have wondered how many people he infected after he was contagious and before he could be isolated.
Linda,
I don't think anyone can know this yet. Thus far, I know only that he was evacuated from Africa, as were many others acting in a missionary capacity, who were not ill upon leaving. A percentage of them will become ill on returning home. The world has been put on notice that anyone who has been in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea or even neighboring nation states, could develop Ebola. They should be isolating these patients until a negative test for Ebola is done.
I, too, have wondered how many he unknowingly infected. Isolating people who come from these countries or who have possibly been in contact with any possible carriers should be isolated. Typhoid Mary was isolated for life in a hospital for infectious diseases because she refused to cooperate and not go back to cooking for restaurants or have her pancreas removed. I don't think enforced isolation is out of the question. After all, the person would received medical care, the best in the world if Ebola was found.
Removal of Typhoid Mary's pancreas would not have prevented infection of others anymore than removal of her gallbladder would have. Pancreas removal would have killed her. Sadly, two weeks of Bactrim would have eradicated the infection and not prolonged the carrier state as do many other antibiotics.
Make no mistake, forced isolation is within legal boundaries in this country and within others and will be done if/when necessary.
Post a Comment