I am so angry that we have been subjected to this! What's your opinion?
Edited to add: We did send her home until she can tell us if she has it or not.
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
Did I over react? You tell me.
So yesterday I freaked out - totally a bit. Our receptionist here at the office has been sitting coughing and wheezing for the last two weeks. Last week on Wednesday she went to the clinic where her medical aid prescribes her to go - Wednesday afternoon she sat drinking a pack of medicine. On Thursday it was a busy and short day and I never took any notice. Yesterday morning she sits here coughing her lungs out - so I ask her if she is not any better after all the medicine. She replies that no, she is not, but that she is only going this Wednesday to get her x-rays taken to confirm that she has tuberculosis (TB). I quietly freaked out inside myself! WTF! I have small children. My business partner has a 3 week old grandson. Our retired partner that has an office here is 89 years old. TB can be passed on like nothing and transferred on to someone else by you even if you are not sick. Why does she not tell us? Or stay at home? Did the doctor not educate her or am I over reacting? She is not actually on TB medicine yet - just normal cold and flu stuff.
I am so angry that we have been subjected to this! What's your opinion?
Edited to add: We did send her home until she can tell us if she has it or not.
I am so angry that we have been subjected to this! What's your opinion?
Edited to add: We did send her home until she can tell us if she has it or not.
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You did not over react. This is ridicioulos of her part. She had a responsibility to tell you all. This is highly contagious. Send her home.
ReplyDeleteNo you did not freak out. At all.
ReplyDeleteTB is highly contagious and is passed through the air. So she is putting everybody at risk.
She needs to stay off work until confirmation of her disease and meds have kicked in.
TB is certainly VERY serious. I had a scare with Kaylin when she was little but her tests came back negative. The teachers I insist on keeping her at home until I got the results.
ReplyDeleteIts VERY contagious!!!
I would send her home!
ReplyDeleteMy ex had a colleague who died of TB - noone knew but the company paid for the entire dept to be tested.
Send her home for the rest of the week - even if its not TB she cant spread her germs around the office!
Totally understandable - but what we need to remember is that TB is EVERYWHERE in this country - out of control, unmedicated, those who receive meds often default on taking them, so they become multi-drig resitant. The short answer: VACCINATE! In a country like ours there is NO JUSTIFICATIOHN for delaying or skikpping your child's vaccinations for diseases that are still among us, like TB and polio.
ReplyDeleteSigh.
Rant over. All you hippies can attack me now...
Margot, I agree - I vaccinate against EVERYTHING. Ok, I did not do chickenpox as I think it's not serious, but will do when they go to big school.
ReplyDeleteYikes!! I'd send her home too and be upset that she was there w/o thinking of others' health.
ReplyDeleteOh no she didn't!!! I mean, I know people need to work but that's what sick days are for...so you don't infect the entire community!!!
ReplyDeleteWow, is she not informed? That is bizarre, and no you did not overreact at all.
ReplyDeleteFrankly,TB or not, it absolutely annoys the SH*T out of me when people come to work obviously ill and spread their wealth. They often think they are being stoic or heroic but its just blooming inconsiderate!
Shame man, what a nasty scare.
Ignorance!!! geesh, did her doc not warn her to stay quarantined?
ReplyDeleteI too would have be furious! TB is nothing you want to take lightly!
ReplyDeleteAhm Sharon, I am afraid our labour laws do not allow that - we would be in deep crap.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYikes - I agree with you and everyone else that commented, she should not have come to work if she thought she might have TB. Hopefully she doesn't and the rest of you did not get exposed!
ReplyDeleteYou did not over-react at all - I would have been as mad as can be if I was in your situation. She can cause a lot of harm to those around her and I hope she realises that now.
ReplyDeleteI would also have been very upset if I was in your shoes, and would probably have been shouting at her.
ReplyDeleteWow - I don't think I would have just overreacted inside my head...I think I would have told her to go home and not come back until she knew for sure!! Loudly! Wow. Just wow.
ReplyDeleteI would freak out!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWill be keeping you all in my prayers for safety and her for healing and wisdom.
ReplyDeleteI would have flipped! How can people purposely put others at risk and live with themselves!?
ReplyDeleteNo you didn't over react! I would be livid!
ReplyDeleteI'd freak out too. That said I have to tell you that our domestic coughed up a storm for months before I convinced her to go to the clinic and she had TB too. None of us picked it up thankfully.
ReplyDeleteYou did not overreact! I would be furious!
ReplyDeleteSjo... Dit is 'n tuwwe een.
ReplyDelete1. Ek verstaan die dilemma omdat dit so aansteeklik is
2. Ek dink 'n mens moet meer liefde betoon. Wat moet die arme girl doen? Dis nie haar skuld nie. Dalk moet 'n mens net meer uitvind hoe om die siekte te beprek in so 'n confined spasie sodat julle nie ook siek word nie.
Ek stem saam, girl. TB is orals, almal het dit, die wonder is dat ons nie almal siek is nie. My man werk elke dag in 'n hospitaal en bring seer-sekerlik TB-kieme huis toe, en ons het 'n twee-week oue baba. Die dat ek se - doen julle inspuitings, mensse!
ReplyDeleteI would also have been upset! I hate it when people come to work sick - TB, flu or whatever. Firstly they take longer to get better and secondly they can spread it around. It is very selfish not selfless like they think.
ReplyDeleteYou did not overreact...I would have freaked out too. She could have come to you and told you they suspect TB. Why wait until confronted?
ReplyDeleteerrr almost everyone in south africa has TB in their lungs already, because of the high prevalence here, you only fall ill with turberculosis if your immune system is compromised for example HIV, I wouldnt freak out if I were you. I am in constant contact with coughing people who live in squatter camps etc so probably are carrying around TB but I dont get sick coz I'm healthy. Relax, its not so bad.....
ReplyDeleteJeepers... I hope she's now taking meds and off work if she does have TB!
ReplyDeleteI actually feel sorry for her. If it is TB, then she will have to start on quadruple therapy. Do you know how awful you feel on this? Seriously, its as bad as chemo. She will probably need a LOT of sick days off once the quadruple therapy has started, and this may be why she was at work now, until it is confirmed as TB or not.
ReplyDeleteIf you and your family are up to datw with your vaccinations, then the risk to you is minimal - especially if you do not have an aquired immune deficiency disease (AIDS or HIV)