Spanish nurses resign, refuse to work with Ebola patients

Ebola Outbreak

Spanish nurse, protesterA protester holds her nurse identification card during a demonstration in support of Spanish nurse Teresa Romero infected with the deadly Ebola virus in Madrid on October 11, 2014. Spanish healthcare workers and unions complain of a long list of failings in the case of a nurse who contracted Ebola while treating two elderly missionaries who died from the virus. AFP PHOTO / CURTO DE LA TORRE

More than a dozen people in Spain are being monitored at a hospital in Madrid for signs of Ebola. This is the same hospital where an infected nurse Teresa Romero is receiving treatment. Officials say the 44-year old nurse’s condition is improving.
CCTV America’s Roee Ruttenberg reports.

Hospital officials are still monitoring 16 people who were in contact with nurse Romero. This has provided relief to some, but has left others uneasy.

Nurse Romero is patient zero in Spain’s Ebola panic. Doctors at Madrid’s Carlos III hospital have been trying to save her life since she contracted the virus. Her husband, while Ebola free, is in isolation in a room exactly one floor below.

Their home has now been empty for days. Still, special Spanish teams were sent in overnight to “decontaminate” the couple’s garage and cars.

Nurses like Romero have said it’s too early to relax about the possibility of contracting the virus. Many have resigned or refused to deal with potential Ebola cases. Others are simply angry that nurses like Romero were exposed to the virus in the first place.

Spanish nurses have been among the loudest critics of the government’s handling of the situation. They’re backed by unions, who blame budget cuts and poor training.

On Saturday, the government’s new “special committee” for dealing with Spain’s Ebola scare convened for the first time. This occurred nearly a week after Romero’s infection was confirmed.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s said the committee had two main priotities:

  1. Look over the health of Teresa Romero, the only person officially known to have the virus.
  2. Find others who may have contracted the virus and investigate how that may have occurred.

The committee is headed not by the health minister, but by Rajoy’s number two: Deputy Prime Minister of Spain Soraya Saenz de Santamaria.

“The task is to coordinate the means and resources, to establish maximum transparency for the Spanish society and to coordinate [the work] with the international community,” Santamaria told La Vanguardia newspaper.

However, the government’s response might be too late. On Saturday, Romero’s younger brother told a Spanish publication the family is considering legal action against authorities.

Teresa Romero:

Teresa Romero

Spanish nurse & Ebola patient, Teresa Romero with her dog

Nurse Romero is patient zero in Spain’s Ebola panic. Doctors at a Madrid hospital have been trying to save her life since she contracted the virus. Her husband, while Ebola free, is in isolation in a room exactly one floor below.

Their home has now been empty for days. Still, special Spanish teams were sent in overnight to “decontaminate” the couple’s garage and cars.

CCTV America spoke to Dr. Ford Vox  for a deeper look into efforts to combat Ebola around the world. Vox is a specialist in physical medicine and writes about Ebola.

This report was compiled with additional information from BBC World News and RIA Novosti.