Dr. Beutler, an American medical doctor and researcher, won the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology in 2011 for his work researching the cellular subsystem of the body’s overall immune system — the part of it that defends the body from infection by other organisms, like Ebola.◼ Christie's Ebola quarantine policy questioned by second Nobel laureate as debate intensifies - NJ.com
He is currently the Director of the Center for the Genetics of Host Defense at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas — the first U.S. city to treat an Ebola patient and also the first to watch one die from the virus. In an exclusive interview with NJ Advance Media, Beutler reviewed Christie’s new policy of mandatory quarantine for all health care workers exposed to Ebola, and declared: “I favor it.”
Unfortunately, while the doctor’s support might provide much-needed credibility for Christie as he threatens to quarantine ever more healthcare workers returning from the Ebola fight in West Africa, it also comes with some chilling words.
“I favor it, because it’s not entirely clear that they can’t transmit the disease,” Beutler said, referring to asymptomatic healthcare workers like Kaci Hickox, a Doctors Without Borders nurse returning from treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone who was quarantined in New Jersey for 65 hours before being transported to her home state of Maine on Monday afternoon.
“It may not be absolutely true that those without symptoms can’t transmit the disease, because we don’t have the numbers to back that up,” said Beutler, “It could be people develop significant viremia [where viruses enter the bloodstream and gain access to the rest of the body], and become able to transmit the disease before they have a fever, even. People may have said that without symptoms you can’t transmit Ebola. I’m not sure about that being 100 percent true. There’s a lot of variation with viruses.”
Professor Peter C. Doherty, an Australian microbiologist, won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1996 for his research on how the body's immune cells protect against viruses, like Ebola. Unlike his fellow Nobel Prize winner, American Dr. Bruce Beutler, Doherty doesn’t agree with Christie’s plan to automatically quarantine all returning healthcare workers exposed to Ebola in West Africa.◼ Ebola-Quarantine Objections Are Frivolous - Andrew C. McCarthy/National Review Online
In an exclusive interview with NJ Advance Media, Doherty said “the evidence-based consensus among the professionals seems to be that this is not necessary” because “people are not infectious early, and anyone who has been in this situation will (as we’ve seen already in Australia) be so aware of the disease that they will report in immediately (if) there is any fever.”
◼ Alarmed by Ebola, Public Isn’t Calmed by ‘Experts Say’ - New York Times
◼ Obama Leaves Maine Without Meeting Defiant Quarantine Nurse - Bridget Johnson/PJ Media
◼ Maine Says Nurse Hickox’s Roommate Had Ebola
Sheila Pinette of the Maine CDC has released information that the roommate of Kaci Hickox, while in West Africa has displayed signs of ebola. Pinette says “The respondents roommate in Africa became infected without knowing how she became infected with Ebola. (Any potential risk to respondent from that incident has passed).” This is one of 35 points Pinette made while filing a verified petition for public health order yesterday with the state.What did arrogant nurse Kaci Hickox know about her roommate’s Ebola, and when did she know it?
