On the heels of yesterday’s troubling news out of Karachi, the largest US nurses’ union is sending open letters to all major US health care provider facilities (through union leadership in each facility) — quite rightly elevating the profile of specific preparedness, for this precise possibility (even if fairly remote).

The US CDC and HHS have very detailed playbooks at the ready, for just this sort of possibility: a person with Sudan variant Ebola makes his or her way into the US, by plane (most likely). . . and is missed, at a screening. When the person gets sick, and likely transmits the virus to others, in a community — who / what / where, and when should come next?

That is a very valid point — over which the union should be able to open discussions with management, in all facilities subject to a collective bargaining agreement. And so, the union is quite right to ask that CDC start a very proactive outreach with management trainings, in advance of a live emergency. It is afterall, the nurses who will literally be putting their lives on the line:

…According to the World Health Organization, as of October 5, 2022, a total of 63 confirmed and probable cases have been reported, including 29 deaths during the current outbreak. Ten health care workers have been infected, and four have died from Ebola virus disease. While no known cases related to this outbreak have been reported in the United States, Ebola virus disease (also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever) is a deadly disease with estimated case-fatality rates ranging from 41 percent to 100 percent, for which no vaccine or treatment is available for the prevention and treatment of Sudan ebolavirus. The fast-growing outbreak of Ebola cases combined with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic poses additional risks to patients and health care workers….

We assume you have a plan in place for the care of patients with Ebola virus in your facilities. Many of these plans will have an impact on the terms and conditions of employment for our members, therefore, please consider this to be our demand to bargain over these issues at your earliest availability….

We truly do not want to seem alarmist, but the high fatality rates seen when there was no vaccine… mean that extreme vigilance is needed. We all should lock arms and support this effort, here — and around the globe. Onward, smiling….

नमस्ते