Aaron Carroll highly recommends getting a flu shot: Pediatrician Russell Saunders recounts his attempts at convincing parents to pay closer attention to the flu than to Ebola: Though at present flu activity is low in the United States, it’s only a matter of time before people start coming down with it in greater numbers. (This is as … Continue reading Ebola Panic, Flu Complacency
Alex Rogers flags the fear-mongering ad seen above, which tries to make political hay out of the Ebola crisis by blaming the lack of preparedness on budget cuts supported by Republicans: Erica Payne, the producer of the ad and president of the Agenda Project Action Fund, blamed the Ebola crisis wholly on the Republican Party. “I think … Continue reading Ebola Politics On The Left
Thomas Eric Duncan, the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the US, succumbed to the virus yesterday, as the Centers for Disease Control announced that five key airports would begin screening passengers arriving from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone for signs of illness. Amanda Taub outlines the new screening protocols: According to the CDC, over 94 percent of travelers … Continue reading Will “Tightening The Borders” Keep Ebola Out?
Spanish Ebola nurse 'followed all protocols' and has 'no idea' how she contracted virus http://t.co/kzyKWVc3Jq pic.twitter.com/qKlwYxHm2y — The Independent (@Independent) October 8, 2014 Barbie Latza Nadeau remarks on how Spain bungled the case of Teresa Romero Ramos, the nurse who contracted Ebola, noting that “now Europe is grappling with its worst fear—the threat of an Ebola outbreak. … Continue reading How Not To Handle An Ebola Patient
With cases in Texas and Spain raising alarms about potential Ebola outbreaks in the US and Europe, it’s worth remembering, as the above chart illustrates, how slowly the virus spreads relative to other contagious diseases, and therefore how unlikely a major outbreak is in a developed country with proper sanitation and extensive healthcare infrastructure. It’s also worth remembering that the … Continue reading Fighting Ebola On Multiple Fronts
And right-wing radio takes paranoia to new depths: Boer Deng, a sane person, praises US officials for preempting panic: As of now at least, hysteria has not gripped the local public en masse. It can be tricky to convey gravity but avoid undue alarm in a health situation, but [Jack] Herrmann [of the National Association of County … Continue reading Ebola Gets Partisan
Allahpundit considers Liberia’s plans to prosecute Thomas Eric Duncan: Should Duncan be prosecuted? Ace worries that if you throw jail time into the mix, Liberians who fear they might have Ebola will panic and become more determined to conceal their symptoms, putting the people around them at risk. I can understand that as a matter … Continue reading The Crime Of Ebola Transmission
Clint Hinote finds it “striking… how similar this struggle [against Ebola] is to counterinsurgency operations”: Counterinsurgencies are long-term struggles. Systemic problems usually drive the creation of the insurgency in the first place, and until these underlying issues are addressed, the insurgency will simmer, sometimes mutating and reappearing later. The best counterinsurgency efforts address the root causes … Continue reading The War On Ebola
Abby Phillip covers how health officials are “tracing” those who’ve been in contact with America’s first Ebola patient, who has been identified as Thomas Eric Duncan: “We are working from a list of about 100 potential or possible contacts and will soon have an official contact tracing number that will be lower,” Texas Department of State Health Services … Continue reading Ebola Makes It To America, Ctd
#Ebola cannot be spread through air, water, or food in the U.S.Learn more and get the facts: http://t.co/Cn45X01hMf pic.twitter.com/8owDJhPEcp — White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) October 1, 2014 Sara Stern-Nezer and Aliza Monroe-Wise insist that “even if you were on that September 19th flight from Liberia to Dallas and shook the hand of America’s ‘patient zero,’ your … Continue reading Ebola Makes It To America, Ctd
