Ebola in the U.S.- Page 3
Ebola in the U.S.
#50Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/15/14 at 2:50pm
It is interesting reading these posts from the beginning until now. Regardless of the contempt many of you may have for Rick Perry, this looming catastrophe can be laid at the feet of our government.
Any sensible government would send massive aid to the source of the problem in West Africa to try and stop the spread there. It needs to be an international effort. All sensible governments would stop ALL travel to countries outside that area. Our policy is nothing short of insane. Most people carrying the virus will not show symptoms at an airport.
It is clear from what happened in Texas that none of our hospitals have a clear knowledge of what the protocols are or should be. I doubt the CDC is 100% certain of all the parameters concerning this virus and it's ability to mutate.
The fact that the nurses' association says the protocols keep changing, that every hospital has a different protocol, and that the NBC news photographer got the disease even though he did not knowingly have direct contact with anyone with symptoms must lead one to conclude that no one knows the entire truth about the likelihood of infection.
In light of those facts, the statement by Friedkin of the CDC on Oct 5 that it is fine to let people from West Africa come here is absolutely moronic. Checking temperatures at our airports is beyond silly. Thousands of people with colds and flu travel every day. Our government response has not been about protecting the public, it has been about being politically correct.
#51Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/15/14 at 3:29pm
The problem with your suggestions, of course, is that if we are sending massive amounts of aid to those countries, then there will be many relief workers going to and from the states. That means ALL travel cannot be suspended. There are those that argue that it's much easier to track people's movements through airports than not. I don't know what the answer is, but I don't necessarily think it's insane to not go to DEFCON 1 immediately.
Though why a nurse who was exposed to someone with Ebola would get on a plane and go anywhere is entirely beyond me. The hospital assured us that protocols were followed, which made people believe the virus must be super-human and infect well-protected medical professionals. But now, of course, we know that those medical professionals were not well protected. We know that the CDC didn't send a team immediately, which just seems profoundly stupid. We know that there are about four hospitals that are set up to treat diseases like SARS and Ebola and that the Texas hospital was not one of them.
And we know that everyone's freaking out about one death in this country. Too bad everyone didn't freak the f*ck out 35 years ago when it was gays and drug addicts contracting the gay cancer.
#52Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/15/14 at 4:16pm
We have the means to send unlimited personnel to those countries without using civilian aircraft. Once there it is just a matter of having everyone spend a few weeks in quarantine before returning.
I hope the number of cases are few and the US infection is small and contained but the more we let it spread in Africa the more at risk we all are. But to let people from that area, including Americans, just fill out a questionnaire and fly here is madness.
#53Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/16/14 at 3:34pm
Virtually every expert in the field has said a travel ban is useless. Not only useless but will have a negative impact on the countries that are being hardest hit.
And the science behind Ebola transmission is pretty solid in spite of what the NBC cameraman says. People are not always the most reliable self reporters.
#54Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/16/14 at 3:53pm
Just so that everyone is clear: The travel ban is being floated ONLY to politicize this issue and turn it into the October Surprise that will throw next month's congressional elections to the Republicans.
To repeat: There is absolutely NO reason for the travel ban EXCEPT to humiliate Barack Obama and demoralize Democratic voter and turn the Senate over to the Republicans.
Got it?
All public health experts--EVEN THOSE WHO ARE CRITICAL OF THE PRESIDENT AND THE CDC--all of them agree experts that a travel ban is unnecessary and could indeed be counterproductive.
To repeat: A travel ban will NOT SAVE A SINGLE LIFE.
All it will do is defeat Democratic candidates.
Okay, carry on with your hysteria.
Tag
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/19/05
#55Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/16/14 at 3:56pm
And we know that everyone's freaking out about one death in this country. Too bad everyone didn't freak the f*ck out 35 years ago when it was gays and drug addicts contracting the gay cancer.
I'm sorry but that is such a stupid statement. It has nothing to do with anything.
#56Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/16/14 at 3:59pm
There is not Ebola "outbreak" in the United States. And there won't be.
THIS IS WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE FREAKING OUT ABOUT
#57Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/16/14 at 4:10pm
I'm sorry but that is such a stupid statement. It has nothing to do with anything.
I'm sorry but it's not. It's stupid to call it a stupid statement.
Tag
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/19/05
#58Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/16/14 at 4:13pm^To clarify, I don't think it's stupid that 35 years ago the situation was ignored. Of course not. It just doesn't have anything to do with the current Ebola situation or response.
#59Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/16/14 at 4:37pm
"It would be an understatement to say that the response to the first U.S.-based patient with Ebola has been mismanaged, causing risk to scores of additional people," said Representative Diana DeGette, the top Democrat on the subcommittee holding Thursday's hearing."
Diana DeGette DEMOCRATIC Chief Deputy whip and co-chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus, and Vice Chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus stated the above today as the top Democrat at the hearing.
PJ, she's hardly part of a disinformation campaign by the Republican party.
#60Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/16/14 at 4:42pm
That quote doesn't negate anything PJ said. The initial response WAS inadequate, but that quote doesn't advocate a travel ban.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
Updated On: 10/16/14 at 04:42 PM
#61Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/16/14 at 5:12pm
REPUBLICANS PRESS FOR EBOLA TRAVEL BAN
#FactsMatter...your feelings not so much.
#62Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/16/14 at 5:35pm
Two separate issues: One is the response of the Obama administration, which has been stupid, inept, badly handled and abominably communicated. I think everyone can see that, Republican and Democrat alike.
The second is the suggestion of a travel ban by Republican politicians to make the already frightened public think that because the administration bungled Ebola, congressional Democrats all over the country should be unseated.
The GOP is working very hard to use it as an unexpected October Surprise.
And if you don't think it's working, it is. It's already motivated the conservative base to get out and vote. If Fox News (and CNN, which always plays along in moments like this) can scare everyone just a little bit more, they'll demoralize Democratic voters into staying home and giving the Senate to the GOP.
#63Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/16/14 at 6:09pm
I think the HIV comparison is pretty spot on.
No one paid attention to Ebola when it was ravaging thousands of marginalized people in Africa.
One case comes to the US and the media goes crazy.
It's not hard to draw a parallel.
#64Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/16/14 at 7:52pm
As I hit my head against the wall...my point is that BOTH parties are critical of the initial response. If the Democrats on the eve of an election were strategic, there would be messaging that supported both the POTUS and national party candidates.
It would be irresponsible for Republicans not to leverage this, but it's also irresponsible for Democrats to not contain it.
I know that I've been the brunt of jokes since my initial thread on Ebola a month ago.
It's fascinating that this miserable disease that's devastating Africa suddenly becomes serious on these boards simply because of its domestic political implications.
sabrelady
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/16/03
#65Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/16/14 at 10:56pm
Ebola! Ebola! Ebola!, ecc.
Ahimè, che furia!
Ahimè, che folla!
Uno alla volta, per carità!
Ehi, Ebola! Son qua.
Ebola qua, Ebola là,
Ebola su, Ebola giù.
I been singing this for the last week to kinda deflate the rapidly rising hysteria.
Oh and an FYI Leprosy is a disease that has been around since pre Biblical times. There IS an actual cure for it but because it only hits Africans and Indians nobody but a few religious missions cares enough to distribute the drug ( costs about $300.00 yr). Whut it is to be a Nor American.
FindingNamo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
#66Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/16/14 at 11:20pm
"Too bad everyone didn't freak the f*ck out 35 years ago when it was gays and drug addicts contracting the gay cancer."
I guess if we've learned anything from this it's that if Reagan had been a Democrat the Republicans might have taken action at the dawn of the AIDS epidemic and thousands and thousands of our friends and lovers might still be alive.
Twitter @NamoInExile
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#67Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/17/14 at 3:06am
PJ, Thomas Duncan got here because we don't have a travel ban. A travel ban is in place in something like 33 countries and has been in place in England and France for weeks. According to "experts" it is estimated that in two months about 10,000 people a week will develop Ebola in West Africa. If the incubation period is about three weeks, that means every week there will be 20,000 people who are carrying the virus and not know it. They will not have a fever or symptoms.
How can anyone not see the simple truth that a few will arrive here if there is no travel ban. It is not just Republicans calling for a travel ban. It is simple common sense.
Except for a handful of people, the CDC is just a group of government workers who know about as much about Ebola as you except they are being asked to sing the administrations tune.
I repeat, there is nothing we can do to help the situation in Africa that can not be done with a travel ban in place. This is just carrying political correctness to another level.
#68Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/17/14 at 7:23am
"How can anyone not see the simple truth that a few will arrive here if there is no travel ban."
Umm...maybe because it's not true?
If someone from West Africa has enough money to fly to the United States they most likely have enough money to travel to another country and fly from there.
And again, EVERY EXPERT in the field says a travel ban would be counter productive and would quite possibly make the situation in Africa even worse.
#69Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/17/14 at 9:32am
"Experts"? Until someone has spent a good portion of their life studying and working with infectious disease, I am not going to be listening to them when it comes to something like this.
"Common sense" isn't something that can necessarily be applied to viruses- things that aren't even alive in the first place.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
#70Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/17/14 at 9:38am
I repeat: The ONLY thing a travel ban will do is elect Republicans to Congress.
#71Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/17/14 at 10:08am
"Experts"? Until someone has spent a good portion of their life studying and working with infectious disease, I am not going to be listening to them when it comes to something like this.
How about Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases? He's sometimes been the only intelligent voice in the government since the beginning of the AIDS crisis.
ELISABETH HASSELBECK on Fox and Friends: You know, the top question in everyone's mind is given the fact that we are dealing with the cases as I just described of Ebola, and potential infection moving forward, why not, just as a precaution until we get things under control, seal off the border temporarily?
ANTHONY FAUCI: Well, from a public health standpoint, that really doesn't make any sense. It's understandable how people can figure that that might help, but when you completely seal off and don't let planes in or out of the West African countries involved, then you could paradoxically make things much worse in the sense that you can't get supplies in. You can't get help in. You can't get the kinds of things in there that we need to contain the epidemic. And the best way to protect America is to suppress the epidemic in West Africa. And if we completely isolate them, don't let anything in, don't let anything out, we know from experience with public health that marginalizes them. And you could have civil unrest, the governments could fall, and then you wind up could having spread of the virus spread to other countries in West Africa, which would only compound the problem. So it's understandable, that thought.
Public health should be based on science not fear.
sabrelady
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/16/03
#72Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/17/14 at 10:15am
"Except for a handful of people, the CDC is just a group of government workers who know about as much about Ebola as you except they are being asked to sing the administrations tune. "
OK- thank you- I gave a big laugh when I read this. But fair is fair maybe u wuz referring to the custodial staff at the the CDC?
Or the coffee folks? Cuz the scientists well they really do "know" more than you.
#73Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/17/14 at 10:57am
"Experts"? Until someone has spent a good portion of their life studying and working with infectious disease..."
Umm..those are the people I consider experts. And they all say a travel ban is a bad idea.
I think if Uganda can eliminate an Ebola outbreak without a travel ban the U.S. is more than capable.
Ebola outbreak in Uganda under control, World Health Organization says
#74Ebola in the U.S.
Posted: 10/17/14 at 11:07am
PJ, Thomas Duncan got here because we don't have a travel ban.
You DO know that Thomas Duncan flew here from Belgium, don't you?
Or do you?
