Most U.S. Nurses Feel Unprepared to Treat Ebola

WASHINGTON – At least three out of every four nurses in the United States feel unprepared to adequately treat patients with Ebola, according to a survey released on Monday.

The survey, taken from a sample of 2,000 nurses belonging to National Nurses United, the largest association of professionals in the sector in the United States, found that 85 percent of respondents said their hospitals have not provided them with sufficient information to identify and interact with patients showing Ebola symptoms.

The first case of someone being infected inside the United States was a 26-year-old nurse, Nina Pham, who attended Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person diagnosed with Ebola and who died last Wednesday.

According to the study, 75 percent of nurses said their hospitals have not informed them about the existence of any specific policy dealing with the admission of patients infected with the virus.

At the same time, 36 percent said there are not enough impermeable hazmat suits of the kind required for medical personnel who come in contact with Ebola patients.

After her infection was confirmed this Sunday, nurse Pham continues in isolation and is "clinically stable," the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Thomas Frieden, told a press conference.

Frieden said the United States should "rethink" the way it handles the control of Ebola inside the country, since Pham's infection is "unacceptable."

German Student Wounded at Police Checkpoint in Southern Mexico

MEXICO CITY – A German citizen was wounded in a shooting at a police checkpoint in Guerrero, a state in southern Mexico, following an operation targeting kidnappers in the area, officials said Monday.

The officers who fired at the vehicle carrying the German when it refused to stop at the checkpoint were arrested and an investigation is being conducted, the Guerrero Attorney General’s Office said.

Guerrero has been in the public spotlight since Sept. 26, when six people were killed, 25 wounded and 43 others disappeared in the city of Iguala in incidents apparently involving municipal police officers and members of an organized crime group.

A special tactical team launched an operation Sunday on a highway near Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero, that left an officer wounded, officials said, adding that the kidnappers got away.

The officer died a short time later at a hospital, the AG’s office said.

Police set up checkpoints and ordered an SUV to stop, but the driver disobeyed the order.

“Based on the fact that a sound similar to a blast was heard immediately after that, some of the officers in question discharged their firearms, wounding one of the passengers,” the AG’s office said.

The unidentified student was treated at a private hospital and later transported to a Mexico City hospital in stable condition.

The officers involved in the shooting were arrested and their firearms seized so ballistics tests can be conducted, the AG’s office said.

Between 15 and 20 officers were involved in the incident, Guerrero Deputy Attorney General Victor Leon Maldonado said.

Investigators are taking statements from the officers to determine whether there is “criminal responsibility,” the deputy AG said.

About three or four shots were fired at the vehicle, which was carrying a group of students from Acapulco to Mexico City, Maldonado said.

Investigators are trying to determine if the officers followed the proper protocols for dealing with vehicles at checkpoints, Maldonado said.

The Monterrey Institute of Technology said in a Twitter post that the wounded student is enrolled in one of its programs and is in stable condition.

North Korea ( Was there a Military Coup) ??

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited a residential district and a science academy, state media reported early on Tuesday, ending a lengthy absence from public view that had fueled speculation over his health and grip on power in the secretive country.

The report of Kim's appearances could not be independently verified by Reuters, and pictures were not immediately available. North Korean state TV had not yet begun its daily broadcast early on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old Kim had not appeared in public since attending a concert with his wife on Sept. 3, missing an important political anniversary on Friday as well as a recent session of the country's parliament.

Rugby player loses it during big final

Community Activist Murdered (on air ) in Northwest Mexico

MEXICO CITY – A community activist was murdered by gunmen while broadcasting a radio show in Mazatlan, a port city in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa, media reports said Sunday.

Atilano Roman was murdered on Saturday while he was on the air.

The gunmen shot the community activist, who was transported to a hospital and died while being treated by doctors.

Roman led the protests by residents displaced by the Picachos dam project, which was inaugurated by former President Felipe Calderon’s administration in 2012.

The protesters blocked roads in Mazatlan’s tourist district.

The Sinaloa Attorney General’s Office has opened an investigation and is trying to determine who was behind the killing.

Breach in Safety Protocols Led to Health Care Worker’s Infection with Ebola

WASHINGTON – The health care worker who attended the first patient diagnosed with Ebola in the United States has now been confirmed to have contracted the disease, a situation attributed by U.S. health authorities to a breach in safety protocols despite the fact that the woman was wearing protective gear.

The test for Ebola infection performed by the Texas Health Service on the woman came back positive as did a second test carried out by the Centers for Disease Control, or CDC, thus confirming the diagnosis.

“We’re deeply concerned about this new development. I think the fact that we don’t know of a breach in protocol is concerning because clearly there was a breach in protocol,” said Dr. Thomas Frieden, the head of the Centers for Disease Control, in an interview with “Face the Nation” on CBS.

This is the first confirmed case of transmission of the disease within the United States.

Despite the safety protocols that must be followed by those people who come in contact with Ebola victims “even a single breach can result in contamination,” Frieden said, adding that the worker had been in “prolonged contact” with another Ebola patient who later died.

The family of the patient, who is in stable condition, has asked for privacy and, therefore, her identity will not be revealed.

According to CNN, citing an anonymous source close to the case, the worker is a Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital nurse who was assigned to care for Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, who died last Wednesday.

The nurse attended to Duncan during his second visit to the hospital. The victim had been admitted to the hospital on an urgent basis on Sept. 25 with symptoms of Ebola but was sent home after being prescribed antibiotics.

Duncan, originally from Liberia, returned to the medical center in an ambulance on Sept. 28, when he was admitted and diagnosed with Ebola.

Dr. Dan Varga, the chief clinical officer with the Texas Health Resources department, told a press conference on Sunday that during the time the nurse cared for Duncan, she was wearing a protection suit consisting of a gown, gloves and a facemask, all of which are required by the CDC for people who come in contact with Ebola victims.

The worker reported that she had a low fever on Friday night and was isolated immediately thereafter.

All the workers at the Dallas hospital who were involved in Duncan’s care are being monitored to detect “potential cases” of Ebola among them as quickly as possible, Varga said.

THE MAIN STREAM

3 hours 55 minutes ago by Associated Press

Texas monitoring dozens for possible Ebola

DALLAS (AP) - Health officials in Texas are monitoring some 50 people who may have had close contact with a health care worker who contracted the Ebola virus from a Liberian man who died last week in a Dallas hospital.

The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday that a breach of protocol led to the worker becoming infected while treating Thomas Eric Duncan.

Officials have not been able to pinpoint what went wrong.

(Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)