• Amber Vinson, Nurse Who Survived Ebola, Gets New Engagement Ring to Replace Contaminated One

    Amber Vinson has endured a tough few months. Back in late September, she was one of a team of nurses in Texas who took care of Thomas Eric Duncan, the first confirmed Ebola patient in the U.S. Vinson quickly became known as the second nurse from the hospital to become infected with the virus, in part because the staff had not been properly trained to care for Ebola patients. She also was hit with tons of backlash after she had been cleared to fly home to Cleveland to plan her wedding, but then the CDC tried to say she should never have been on a plane. It was not until recently that Vinson was able to give a real interview, telling her side after weeks of negativity being thrown at her from complete strangers. Basically, what was supposed to be a happy time in her life has been turned upside down. As it turns out, after her apartment was turned upside down by the CDC during decontamination, even her engagement ring from fiance Derrek Markray had been destroyed. "I took off all my jewelry, thinking that my jewelry would be safer at home than in the hospital, and when the decontamination team came in, everything that was on the surface was swiped into a bin for incineration. My jewelry box being on my nightstand was one of those things that got destroyed," explained Vinson in a recent interview. What came next for the nurse was pretty amazing, as Zales reached out to her after hearing that her ring had been destroyed and offered her a replacement for free.

  • Dr. Martin Salia Dies of Adavanced Ebola Symptoms Despite Testing Negative for Virus Last Week

    Sadly, Nebraska Medical Center has confirmed that Dr. Martin Salia has died after a fast-moving battle against the Ebola virus. The surgeon had been treating patients at several facilities in Sierra Leone when he became ill himself. As early as Nov. 6, Salia had tested negative for the deadly virus, but by Saturday, Nov. 15, he was transferred to Nebraska in deteriorating condition. A press conference surrounding Salia's case was scheduled to take place earlier this morning. In the meantime, Nebraska has confirmed that it had treated Salia with a blood plasma transfusion and Zmapp therapy that has worked on several other patients. The surgeon had reportedly arrived at the facility Saturday already showing signs of kidney and respiratory failure, neither of which he was able to rebound from.

  • 18K Nurses in California to Strike Over Lack of Ebola Preparedness Training

    Ever since two Texas nurses tested positive for the Ebola virus after caring for Thomas Eric Duncan, our attention has been sharply focused on making sure that health care providers have the necessary training to safely treat future patients. Several facilities across the country have gone to great lengths in an attempt to force administrators to make sure the proper training is offered and, in some cases, nurses who feel unprepared have voted to strike. In northern California, there are 18,000 nurses in 21 hospitals and 65 clinics owned by Kaiser Permanente who are planning a two-day strike beginning Tuesday, Nov. 11. According to Charles Idelson, a spokesman for National Nurses United, the union's contract with nonprofit Kaiser expired in August and was extended until October.

  • Amber Vinson, 2nd Dallas Nurse Stricken with Ebola, Slams CDC's Criticism

    Amber Vinson was the second nurse who cared for Thomas Eric Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital to become infected with the Ebola virus. She raised eyebrows for taking a flight from Dallas to Ohio, and then back again a few days later while supposedly having a low-grade fever. Vinson was finally declared Ebola-free and released from the hospital last week, and while she asked for her privacy, I think many expected to hear from her because the CDC momentarily let her be its fall girl. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had said Vinson should never have flown and that it would have been against its guidelines. But it neglected to mention how nervous the whole situation had actually made her because the nurses who cared for Duncan were never trained until the moment they had to suit up to actively care for him. Vinson told Matt Lauer in an interview this morning on "Today": "The first time that I put on the protective equipment, I was heading in to take care of the patient. We didn't have excessive training where we could don and doff, put on and take off the protective equipment, till we got a level of being comfortable with it. I didn't have that, and I think that's very important for hospitals across the nation, big and small. Once Nina came down with it, my contact at the health department called me and gave me a list of things to look out for, symptoms to look out for and numbers to call if I showed any symptoms. I never had a number to call the CDC directly. I would always call my contact at the health department. And then when I was in Ohio, and I was scheduled to leave, because I was so afraid of what could potentially happen, I did ask them, 'Is there anything that you guys can do to send for me? Do I need to leave earlier?' Because you know, I was worried." Lauer quickly reminded her of how the CDC allowed her to be painted as careless and foolish ,and it was obviously still a sore spot for Vinson, as she explained: "It made me feel terrible, because that's not me. I'm not careless. I'm not reckless. I'm an ICU nurse. I embrace protocol, guidelines and structure. Because in my day-to-day nursing, it is a matter of life and death. And I respect that fact. I would never go outside of guidelines or boundaries or something directly from the CDC telling me that I can't go, I can't fly."

  • Amber Vinson Released from Hospital after Being Declared Ebola-Free, Retains Attorney

    Today is no doubt one of the happiest of Amber Vinson's life, as she was discharged from Emory Hospital in Atlanta earlier today after being declared healthy. Vinson was the second Texas nurse infected with the Ebola virus after caring for Thomas Eric Duncan, who died from the illness Oct. 9. She eventually was transferred out of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in favor of Atlanta's Emory facility, one that had previously treated Ebola patients, and it is the excellent care she received there that eventually nursed her back to health.

  • Dr. Craig Spencer Returned to NYC 10 Days Ago from Africa, Rushed to Bellevue Hospital with Ebola Symptoms

    It was inevitable, right? I am talking about a potential case of the Ebola virus popping up in the Big Apple. On Thursday afternoon, Oct. 23, Dr. Craig Spencer was rushed from his Harlem home with a police escort en route to Bellevue Hospital. Spencer returned from Africa about 10 days ago after spending time in Guinea treating Ebola patients. He is now suffering from a 103-degree fever and nausea.

  • Nancy Snyderman Out Of Quarantine But Not Returning To NBC Post Until November As Network Hopes Backlash Will Subside

    There has been a lot of speculation in the last ten days over whether or not Dr. Nancy Snyderman would be returning to her post as chief medical editor on NBC after violating her voluntary Ebola quarantine. Snyderman and her crew spent weeks in Liberia covering the virus when one of the cameramen traveling with them became ill. His diagnosis on October 1 sent the entire crew back to the states where they were supposedly going to quarantine themselves for 21 days. Instead several of them were spotted picking up take out food in New Jersey. After weeks of backlash NBC has decided not to fire Snyderman just yet.

  • Dallas Hospital Made Mistakes in Treating Ebola Patients for Days Before CDC Changed Guidelines

    Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas may be one of the best facilities in the country, but when it comes to treating Ebola patients, it now admits it dropped the ball, with deadly consequences. The facility's chief clinical officer Daniel Varga admitted in a Capitol Hill hearing that some of the precautions taken by hospital staff, such as wearing more layers of gear than the CDC, directed actually put the staff at risk.

  • Experts Say a Travel Ban Won't Stop Ebola from Spreading

    It seems like the CDC is rewriting its protocol and rules regarding the Ebola virus on a daily basis. In the last week, we have learned that a hospital praised for its skilled care was not given the proper tools to treat those infected with Ebola and travel restrictions seem to change constantly. Even nurses such as Amber Vinson, who was confirmed to have touched base with the CDC before hopping a plane from Dallas to Ohio and back again, was misdirected in proper procedures. All of the conflicting ideas and confusion has caused many to think a travel ban might be the obvious way to go, but expert sources disagree, saying a ban will not stop Ebola from spreading.

  • Landlord Refuses To Rent To African Student Amara Bangura Over Ebola Fears

    This was bound to happen sooner or later- a college student from Sierra Leone was turned down for housing by a potential landlord out of an abundance of caution due to Ebola fears. Amara Bangura recently arrived in the U.K. region of Norwich from West Africa ready to continue his studies. He was obviously in need of housing and was almost instantly turned down by two potential landlords that took a look at his passport. One potential landlord sent Bangura a letter explaining their decision to rent to someone else.

  • NBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman Reportedly Breaking Voluntary Ebola Quarantine Last Week Led CDC to Issue Mandatory Action for Her News Team

    While Dr. Nancy Snyderman's reports on the Ebola virus have become a regular part of "NBC News's" daily coverage on the epidemic, it seems she has had a hard time following her own advice. Snyderman and her news team spent several days reporting live from Liberia, and when one of the cameramen in her entourage was diagnosed with Ebola, they all returned to the States. While Snyderman has been phoning in her NBC reports due to a voluntary quarantine, the doctor has not exactly stayed indoors.

  • NBC Crew Under Mandatory Ebola Quarantine After Violating Original Voluntary Agreement With CDC

    An NBC News crew has found itself in a bit of trouble this weekend. The network's chief medical correspondent, Nancy Snyderman and her crew that was stationed in Liberia covering Ebola had agreed to quarantine themselves after a cameraman working beside them tested positive for the disease. They returned to New Jersey about a week ago and was supposed to spend 21-days under a voluntary quarantine but apparently at least one crew member violated the agreement that was made with the CDC. On Friday the entire crew was smacked with a mandatory quarantine.
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