"We have a trouble with C," she sounded uneasy.
"Well ...?" I know C well; she is around 40 of age and is doing well after kidney transplant a few years back.
"She has herpes zoster over her shoulder; she visited her family doctor, who asked her to come back and seek our advise on treatment," Shirley continued. (For those not working in our field, herpes zoster is a viral infection that comes as multiple vesicles over a localized area of the skin.)
"That's easy. I shall see her." I see no problem there.
"But, the problem is, our infection control team would not allow us to see her in the clinic or in the ward - because she has an infectious disease. Otherwise she may spread the infection to other patients. If she ever appears in the clinic, the infection control team would need to trace the contact from each and everyone." My nurse immediately recognized I didn't realize the problem.
"Alas ..." Now I knew where she was getting at. Of course I remained puzzled because there are thousands of people out there with zoster or tuberculosis or influenze or what not.
After a moment of silence, I said, "Our wards are moving to the new block and some are empty. Thank goodness. I shall see her there."
"That's great! I shall ring her up." My nurse sounded relieved.
"But, following the argument of our infection control people," after considering the matter for a further while, I murmured, "How could C settle the payment in the shroff office, or get her medicine from our pharmacy? She will contact other people at those places." In fact, by the same logic, C should not come to the hospital by any public transport.
"That's not a problem," Shirley tried to reassure me, "They said that it would be safe if our patient wear a mask!"
"Jove, how could a face mask prevent the shedding of virus from vesicles over the shoulder?" I said to myself.
Maybe the strain of herpes virus is different outside the solar system.
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