Why New York’s Ebola Case Will Hurt Infected Patients Everywhere

Good take, worth a read.

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Craig Spencer wanted to inspire other doctors to go fight the outbreak in West Africa. Instead, they may be scared away—right when they’re needed most.

October 23, 2014

Just before arriving in the Ebola-torn nation of Guinea, 33-year-old Craig Spencer posted a picture of himself on Facebook smiling in a yellow hazmat suit, face mask, and gloves—his new uniform.

In the caption next to his image, after announcing his mission with Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), he typed a plea: “Please support organizations that are sending support or personnel to West Africa, and help combat one of the worst public health and humanitarian disasters in recent history.”

His brave mission, followed by a devastating diagnosis, complicates an already nightmarish scenario for health-care workers fighting against Ebola: It may be deterring doctors from helping—right when they’re needed most. The news of Spencer’s positive test for the virus, announced Thursday night in New York City, might achieve the exact opposite of his stated goal.

Spencer, whose LinkedIn account lists him as an international emergency-medicine fellow at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, completed his assignment in Guinea on Oct. 12 and landed at JFK International Airport on Oct. 14. Once back in his Harlem apartment, he closely monitored his condition, taking his temperature twice a day. Feeling healthy, he reportedly went on a 3-mile jog, as well as took the L train to Williamsburg to go bowling at a venue known as Gutter. According to health officials in New York, he did not present a fever until Thursday morning, meaning he was not symptomatic on public transit. Four people have been identified as potential contacts, including Spencer’s fiancée, but all are in stable condition.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/10/23/why-new-york-s-ebola-case-will-hurt-infected-patients-everywhere.html#