Last night an alert was issued from the White House, advising the president had decided to cancel a visit to Rhode Island and New York, in order to continue “monitoring the ongoing government response to the threat posed by the Ebola virus.” Or, as many right-wing propagandists interpreted the news: “to monitor how fast Obama can give us all ‘the Ebola,’ declare martial law, and take our guns.” They even have a t-shirt. When your entire life revolves around irrational fear, a health crisis half a world away is “an epidemic sweeping across the nation.” Thanks, Obama!
Except, of course, THERE IS NO EPIDEMIC in this country. The BREAKING NEWS, NATION ON HIGH ALERT, and PLANELOAD OF PASSENGERS IN PERIL headlines screaming at us 24-hours-a-day aren’t helping much, either. Here are the FACTS: you don’t have ‘the Ebola.’ You’re not going to GET the Ebola virus, unless you fly to Dallas, barge into an isolation unit and french kiss Nina Pham or Amber Vinson (and even then there’s a good chance that if you DID, you STILL wouldn’t get it). Relax.
President Barack Obama delivers a statement to the press after a meeting with cabinet agencies coordinating the government’s Ebola response. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Yes, the president cancelled his scheduled trip to “continue monitoring the U.S. response to Ebola,” which Politico dubbed merely “optics” from an administration concerned about midterm elections (seriously?) and Fox News referred to as “scrambling” to “to ease concerns over the spread of Ebola.” Excuse me — what “spread?” Two health care professionals who came in direct contact to a dying patient have tested positive and are currently in isolation. That’s it.
I know — let’s blame the victims; media reports have largely focused on what these women did “wrong.” Well, for starters, they went to work for a tertiary hospital which sent a Liberian patient home, because PROFITS (even though, technically, it’s a non-profit institution). Thanks, capitalism. It’s not as though when Thomas Eric Duncan initially arrived for treatment, “LIBERIA” might have acted like a large, blinking, neon sign of caution for the resident on duty. By the time Thomas became highly infectious, he returned to a hospital which not only didn’t have CDC protocols in place, they didn’t even have a hazmat suit on site. The staff did the best they could under the circumstances to protect themselves, but yes, a couple of the people caring for a dying man did contract the virus.
If you’re looking for a villain here, my money’s on irresponsible journalists and lawmakers who infect ordinary Americans with irrational fears which, as it turns out, is a lot easier than contracting Ebola. People like Representative Tom Marino (R-PA), who just called for the resignation of CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden, because “This Ebola situation is beginning to spiral beyond control.”
No, it’s not, you imbecilic clown. What’s next, Tom?! Shouting “fire” in a crowded theater? President Obama is NOT offering a “false sense of security to many of our citizens,” he’s offering them the FACTS, without the side-order of paranoia:
Because of the measures that we’ve put in place, as well as our world-class health system and the nature of the Ebola virus itself – which is difficult to transmit – the chance of an Ebola outbreak in the United States is extremely low.
And can we PLEASE stop suggesting that “a temporary travel ban for such individuals who live in or have traveled from certain West African countries” is somehow “reasonable and timely?” You couldn’t be more wrong if you were twins, Congressman Bill Shuster, (R-PA), and Senator John Thune, (R-SD). Again, dealing with facts is always a good idea.
In recent months we’ve had thousands of travelers arriving here from West Africa, and so far only one case of Ebola has been diagnosed in the United States, and that’s the patient in Dallas.
Yes, the Ebola virus might hitch a ride to the states in an airline passenger, but it’s not “airborne,” as some other irresponsible parties have suggested. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, reminds us “it’s very unusual for a virus to change how it’s transmitted.” Take AIDS, for example.
Of all the years we’ve known HIV, and with all the replication and mutation, it has never changed its transmission … [with Ebola] it’s not the paramount issue on my mind because it’s fundamentally unlikely.
In the “fundamentally unlikely” event you find yourself caring for a patient with Ebola, don’t just “wear three or four pair of latex gloves” (like the staff at Texas Presbyterian Hospital was doing when the CDC arrived on site). During the press conference in the Roosevelt Room at the White House yesterday, President Obama also said this:
I know that the American people are concerned about the possibility of an Ebola outbreak, and Ebola is a very serious disease. And the ability of people who are infected who could carry that across borders is something that we have to take extremely seriously. At the same time, it is important for Americans to know the facts.
Fact: you don’t have ‘the Ebola.’ Fact: your odds of becoming infected are slim to none. For example, you can’t get it by sitting next to someone on a plane (unless they’re already displaying symptoms — and even then you’d have to really work at it to get sick). You are TWICE as likely to contract HIV or SARS from someone who has it — and ten times more likely to get the mumps from an infected patient — than you are to get sick from someone who has been exposed to Hepatitis C or ‘the Ebola’ virus.
Fact: half the adults surveyed in a recent poll believe there will be a wide-ranging epidemic of ‘the Ebola’ right here in the United States during the coming year. Not surprisingly, half the country also votes for Republicans. Any questions? Get the facts — the White House Blog is an excellent source of information about the disease, and what we all can do to stay healthy.
You’re welcome.
H/T: White House Blog | Images: Wikimedia Commons / The White House
What the public believes, or does not believe is immaterial. The facts are plainly apparent: our ‘officials’ are un-prepared which has resulted in a spread of the virus.
Yes, if by “spread” you’re referring to the two people who had direct contact with the dying patient from Liberia. Wash your hands. Feel better soon.
Spread to two people is to two people too many. I am sure I won’t get ebola, but that does not make me callous to the suffering these two nurses have had to face because of the inept and feckless actions of the President, Tom Frieden, and the absence of Nicole Lurie (whose job is Preparedness and Repsonse including infectious diseases). The decisions being made and information being given out is all politically calculated first and foremost. Even the new decision to bring on Ron Klain was intended only to protect the president - not the populace.
Bullshit Jeff. If the NRA didn’t get its panties in a bunch over a surgeon general nominee that stated that 30,000 gun death a year pose a health problem, then we would have a Surgeon General to address this issue. This has never been done in the history of the country and republiscums have done it time and again. You’re also ignoring the fact that private hospitals do not have to follow CDC protocols because stupid republican whores will not take the profiteers out of the health care industry which caused two other people to become infected because they didn’t have to follow the ‘big government’ guidelines you fatuous nincompoop.
What difference exactly would a new Surgeon General have made? How would the government’s response to Ebola have been different?
Hard to say — since Republican obstruction of Congress keeps a lot of posts unfilled — over half of our U.S. diplomatic posts are currently empty, too. On the plus side, they did create Senator Elizabeth Warren by dragging their feet.
The people at Texas Health Presbyterian didn’t realize what they were dealing with at first, and by the time they did they realized that the facility — already the region’s largest business and only acute-care hospital — had no way to isolate the patient from hospital staff. Which is why I mentioned that when CDC arrived, they found employees falsely believing multiple pairs of protective gloves might help.
Congratulations on knowing the names of the major players, and correctly using the word “feckless,” even though it was misapplied. Your contribution to the conversation is exactly the problem I addressed in the post — Republicans are using Ebola just like they use everything else — as a political weapon. Chris Stevens family told you people to shut up. The family of James Foley is now asking you morons to STFU.
In every situation that requires America to pull together — since January 20, 2009 — you blowhards are been pulling us apart. Why do you hate freedom?
Well said sir !
Jeff, how in the hell is it the president’s fault that this hospital did not appropriately respond to a virus, one that ANY hospital in the United States should be able to handle without incident? Last I checked being a doctor was not a requirement for being a politician.
USAMRIID has been working with Ebola for some time (if you had read “The Hot Zone” you would know this). We know how to work with highly infectious diseases.
Unfortunately, many private entities, like Dallas’ Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital for example, give short shrift to training. It is not that the information doesn’t exist, it has existed for some time, but unless the government requires it, private entities will do very little.
Thanks to people like Ted Cruz who believe that state right’s trump everything (and that the CDC is a leech on the taxpayers), we have seen spending DECREASE in funding to the people that keep us healthy. Measles kills 450 to 500 people PER YEAR in the United States.
This is like fearing the rabid badger in the next county when there is a man eating tiger in the next room.
When was the last case of Ebola in Dallas before this? Don’t you think the hospital has had a lot more pressing things to focus its education hours on? Education takes nurses away from their patients, and topics have to be prioritized. I’m sure Ebola has risen
in priority, but to expect them to be on top of something that had never happened is expecting a lot.
It doesn’t take an awful lot of education to understand that when a patient comes in showing symptoms and says ‘Hey I’ve just came here from West Africa where I was in contact with Ebola patients” to go “oh, shit” and isolate the person. And the isolation protocol for Ebola is THE SAME as any other infectious disease. So there really wasn’t any need for much additional education needed if the hospital had had competent staff. The only thing this shows is that that hospital was not prepared to handle any type of infectious disease.
There’s a difference between a breakdown in communication and lack of training. The nurse who took the patient’s history documented that fact in his record. The doctor didn’t see it (or didn’t look at the notes, which isn’t surprising. Doctors rarely read nurses’ notes.) And the protocol for handling this virus is not the same as for any other virus. How many infections require full haz-mat suits? Most hospitals don’t even have those on hand.
so are you saying the nurse went and kiss the dyeing man and that’s how they got it yyyyyaaaaa ok
Read for comprehension, sport. You know who didn’t contract Ebola? The fiancée of Thomas Eric Duncan — and she slept in the same bed with the man. Unless you’re planning a visit to West Africa, you should be fine. Ebola deaths through October 12, 2014: 4,493 (including the patient in Dallas). My best advice? Even though it’s a major trading center in the region, avoid Gueckedou.
@Tom, not only did she sleep and care for him, her and her child were confined to the very apartment full of his contaminated stuff for over a week afterwards and still did not contract it. Americans are stupid media sheep.
“Contaminated stuff”?? But wait a minute, i thought you just said that you can only get it by french kissing an Ebola patient or rubbing their blood all over your face? If Ebola is as “non-contagious as you people are saying it is….how the hell could his stuff become contaminated?
Riiiiiight — that’s EXACTLY what that meant.
What a regrettable headline, considering the mortality of infection with the ebola virus, why use the word, dead? It seems that the headline itself is “dead wrong” for several reasons. It is the lethality of the ebola virus, not the likelihood of contracting it that is the central issue. Neither HIV, nor SARS, nor hepatitis C, nor mumps is one-hundredth as lethal as an ebola infection. Treating those already afflicted with and containing the spread of the virus are medical and public health matters, not matters of political persuasion nor one’s proclivity for calling names. Ebola can kill a right-winger as quickly as a dyed-in-the-wool liberal. Once the ebola virus is treated as a political issue, its medical and public health importance is dimmed by rhetoric about irrelevant matters, as this article demonstrates in spades. Rather than providing valid information about a serious public health matter, this article rants and raves, mentions the preposterous notion of breaking into a hospital isolation unit to French kiss either of two people who are there because they are infected with a lethal virus, and refers to the gigantic continent of Africa as if it were a country when, in fact, it is 125% larger than all of North America. The article is what it points a finger at, namely yellow journalism.
A surprisingly cogent and well thought out reply to what is clearly not a “news” report, as much as it is a satirical jab at the nimrods selling fear. The lethality of the virus is something to take seriously, clearly, but as noted elsewhere it’s been with us for quite some time and is only now causing panic because of the irresponsible hysteria of journalists and politicians. If I were either of those, instead of a political commentator and essayist, your denigrating opinion of my words might carry more weight.
For the record, half the people that contract Ebola die from the disease — but those numbers are weighted by the vast numbers who lack the advanced medical care available in this country. I just read that Nina was on Skype with her family as she passes the time in isolation. Take a pill, Gary, and let some of the air out of your inflated ego.
I agree. Both sides of the political spectrum use issues to illustrate points that they don’t illustrate.
Tommy,
Is it REALLY necessary to CAPITALIZE ever OTHER word? Kinda distracting isn’t it? One more question. Why is the nurse and her keepers all wearing hazmat suits 24/7 if I’m more likely to catch HIV or Sars from someone? Do they transport patients in hazmat suits that have the AIDS?
Eric-y,
I’m sorry you were distracted, but the press has been SHOUTING at us for so long, inciting PANIC among usually reasonable people, I got CARRIED AWAY. Once we get these obstructionist Republicans to once again start legislating, and return this country to some semblance of fiscal sanity, perhaps we can once again fully fund the research at CDC which had to be “sequestered.”
Have a nice weekend, m’kay?
Are you allergic to facts Cathy?
Some info missing from this “satirical jab” by Joad.
http://news.yahoo.com/obama-administration-found-nearly-25-percent-chance-ebola-184611722.html
Essentially- along with most Americans, experts see a real risk here, worthy of respectful analysis rather than jabs.
Well, now you’re just being silly. Apparently, this isn’t your first visit to spam the conversation, but I was busy elsewhere. You have my attention, “me again.” Be careful what you wish for, Cathy.
Here’s the deal, your link claiming “President Obama falsely said on September 16 that experts “across our government” agree that America”s Ebola vulnerability was extremely low,” is bunk. Unless, of course, “across our government” means five people from major U.S. Universities and scientific exchange institutes in Europe who published a paper detailing the statistical probability of Ebola reaching the United States.
They were correct — at the rate of replication (without a concerted effort by governments around the world to halt the epidemic at its source), Ebola made it to the United States. It is ALSO TRUE that “the chances of an Ebola outbreak here in the United States are extremely low.” Two healthcare employees, unprepared for the risks associated with Ebola, is not an “outbreak.” Get a grip — your hyperbolic nonsense is EXACTLY what I was talking about.
Go wash your hands, gargle with an antiseptic, and watch a movie. You’re as healthy as a horse — and have the reasoning skills to match, too.
It’s a virus..the flu has been a virus that has been spreading every year and kills 500,000 every year…the only thing big pharma has come up with is another vaccine that makes some even more sick than if they never had it given. With the ebola virus, the logical thing the media and government should be informing people is to strengthen their immune system…maybe because there is no money in it for them with this logical approach when they can make billions off scaring people! Many viruses live and spread easily in under-developed countries because most people have only access to poor nutrition and a low immune system is the result.
Very sad to hear of more medical misfits killing patients. Recently 2 people died and 15 very seriously ill because they received contaminated injections. They ended up with something called: Rhodococus equi which affects horses and other grazing animals. Thank God for advanced nutritional products. Safe non medicine nutrition that, if taken properly mixed with a bit of exercise, can give you better health.
Well Tom, maybe the wife was taking precautions and did not get it because of that. All the world knows is two nurses treating this man got it, so unless you can give me the winning lottery numbers? Then no one knows now do they?
Why do staff in Africa wear protection if it’s not that easy to spread? According to ur logic they don’t have to worry. I got a suggestion, go help out with an Ebola patient without gear and lets see what happens?
Okay, Greg — whatever you say. Not only is his fiancée okay today — so is her child. It’s a virulent virus — I’m going to protect myself if I know what I’m dealing with, but exposure doesn’t automatically mean you’re going to get sick. The point is — fear-mongering the issue only leads to undue panic.
Tom, I would like to know your Credentials as they relate to Microbiology. You make some dangerous statements in this article.
Of course you would (because everyone is tempted to rush past security and kiss an Ebola patient on the mouth — they totally took that seriously). I have a PhD in snark from a major university, after first minoring in “recognizing pointless ad hominem when I see it.” A tried and true debate technique, to ‘delegitimize your opponent,’ is a wasted effort here. I claim nothing more than being an observer of the panem et circenses surrounding this topic. Have fun storming the castle!
Tom, if you put this out there, you should be (IMO) to take criticism without insulting. But oh well. Officials said it would not come to USA. It did. They said only 3rd world health care would have spread. Then Spainish nurse. Then ‘Spain is not USA, we are ready here.’ Then one nurse got it. A fluke. Then a second nurse. At a very good hospital actually as usa hospitals go. The rate of spread is estimated at 1.5 to 2.5 . To mock the likelihood that sooner or later an outbreak will occur may be seen by some as superior to fear mongering, but it’s not based on cold hard logic either. The virility makes the risk versus benefit equation weighted differently (meaning risk and benefit of too much fear versus too much confidence). Can’t you see that point, too? Too much confidence may lead to carelessness, which is going to be deadly. This is why people dislike your tone.
Actually, people love my tone. You can ask around. I take criticism just fine, Cathy — I’m only insulting your inability to process the information you have put forward to bolster your twaddle. It was your link. It doesn’t say what you think it does — which was the point of my reply. There’s a difference between ‘there’s no cause for concern of an outbreak’ and ‘Ebola will never come to the U.S.’ — although I understand you’re having trouble making the distinction. That’s on you, not me. Have a better tomorrow. Bye.
“Officials said it would not come to USA. It did. They said only 3rd world health care would have spread. Then Spainish nurse. Then ‘Spain is not USA, we are ready here.’ Then one nurse got it. A fluke. Then a second nurse. At a very good hospital actually as usa hospitals go.”
Which “Officials said it would not come to the USA”? Certainly not the President nor the CDC.
I’m getting annoyed by this false meme.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2014/oct/12/john-mccain/mccain-we-were-told-thered-be-no-ebola-united-stat/
Exactly. It would be as foolish as a meteorologist saying “there is a zero percent chance of wind on Thursday.” There is, however, hardly any chance at all of an epidemic in this country, because unlike the region where this virus has claimed 4.5K lives, we have advanced medical facilities in every city and most good-sized towns. Running water, too. But that won’t stop Senator McCain and others of his ilk from running to the cameras to repeat this nonsense.
Gosh Tom, you really are dangerous. You have delegitimized yourself and I appreciate that. I think your more sophomoric than snarky. The fear is caused by people’s lack of knowledge about the Ebola virus and you do nothing to educate and that is why you lack credibility. You just like to hear yourself talk. Actually, I find you quite amusing.
LOL — you’re a caution, Tom! The argumentum ad nauseam you’re providing, while entertaining, is pointless. At which point during this exercise was it determined my mockery of political and media personalities required detailing current protocols of the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection personnel? I mean — if you’re really concerned about public education, you would have told readers that CBP employees are now required to wear latex gloves, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and monitor their own body temperature daily, among other new measures put into place.
You also would have reminded readers at If You Only News that “exit screening measures are routinely implemented in the affected West African countries, and U.S. government personnel have worked closely with local authorities to implement these measures. Since the beginning of August, CDC has been working with airlines, airports, ministries of health, and other partners to provide technical assistance for the development of exit screening and travel restrictions in countries with Ebola.”
OR — you could have just found that information for yourself, if you were interested, by following the links that I provided, instead of being a disingenuous jackass who is only interesting in “hearing himself talk.” Fun fact: “Projection is a defense mechanism that involves taking our own unacceptable qualities or feelings and ascribing them to other people.” Did you learn something today, Tom?
You’re welcome.
I live in Liberia where this disease has been ravaging our country for the past nine months now. So far, 2000 people out of our over 4 million population have been lost to the disease because we probably have one of the poorest health systems in the world. The current survival rate is a little over 50% even though WHO is recently saying 30% which I see they are also factoring in the unknowns. But actual everyday reported data suggests otherwise.
With the advanced health system of the U.S.A., I’m quite confident this rate (of survival) would reach 90%. Medicine Without Borders, an NGO working here, mainly keeps patients hydrated and administer antibiotics orally to tackle infections. Unless the deterioration is advanced, IVs are administered. Early treatment kicks this virus’ butt at the most rudimentary level.
Even though this virus caught America off-guard, this virus does not stand a chance over there. Right now our cases are reducing here as we now know our enemy well. Even with our extremely poor health systems, this sucker is now on the run.
Thanks for writing this. I ever knew how horrible media skewed facts, reported half truths, and fear mongered before now. I live near Dallas and wanted to be really informed. I read all through the WHO and CDC website and found a few of the original studies the media cited. Blew my mind. I’d had never before researched that thoroughly to fact check “respectable” media outlets. Turns out we don’t have respectable media outlets in America. They aren’t trying to inform people but freak them out enough to make sure they check back in for ratings.
Bingo! The media is what’s really blowing this out of proportion. America (as a whole) believes everything the media says is true.
Jaysus Freakin Christ. You low IQ knuckledragging Neo Con KOCH suckers need to get a life. You have a better chance of hitting the powerball lotto on back to back weeks than catching Ebola.. Turn down Faux Snewz loosen the belt from your waist and take a deep breath of KOCH polluted air. You weren’t this Hysterical when 30,000 fellow Americans died of AIDS before Ronald Raygun finally started to do something about it. Besides old pRick Perry Gov. of Texas the Rightwing nuts Savior will not let Ebola leave the good State of Texas without at least seeing the Tourist site of the Alamo and the great plains of oil derricks that stretch for miles and miles. I say lets build a wall with a moat full of Alligators around Texas just to be sure Ebola doesn’t leave that Great State.
“Here are the FACTS: you don’t have ‘the Ebola.’ You’re not going to GET the Ebola virus, unless you fly to Dallas, barge into an isolation unit and french kiss Nina Pham or Amber Vinson”
So wait, are you claiming that BOTH Nina Pham and Amber Vinson were french kissing Thomas Duncan?? Kinky. I just hope his poor widow doesnt find out.
It is my understanding that bleeding is a symptom of Ebola. Why, knowing this, do people question protective gear for patient care? Seriously, people. Blood is a bodily fluid that carries the virus. Coming into contact with that blood is a great means of contracting the virus. Then, there is sweat and mucus and saliva that they can come into contact with (assuming they do their jobs and try to keep the patient clean and comfortable) that can also spread the virus. People that are in the vicinity of a victim need not be concerned with those things, but people providing direct care to them or that are cleaning up after them do. It’s quite simple. Don’t have a panic attack because you are in the same country as one of many deadly possibilities. Do not make stupid assumptions like “oh, the president should have stopped this”, like you think that you wouldn’t lose your damned mind if you heard that the president declared a ban on AMERICANS coming home from Africa. A quarantine on an entire continent isn’t really feasible and telling Americans that they aren’t welcome in their own country is an outrage. Obviously, if they are unwell they should try to prevent spreading it, but when you catch something and don’t know until you are already home that you have it, what are you supposed to do? The bad guy in this equation is the disease, not the people contracting it and certainly not a politician.
Great article and your replies to some of the people in the comments section made my day.
I’ve been having similar conversations on Facebook for a couple years or more — and it’s what’s said AFTER I post that I typically find the most entertaining. They always catch my typos for me, too. 😉
Tom, you are the problem. It people like you on both sides that cause our system to be disfunctional. Wouldn’t your time be better spent formulating solutions to the issues that allow each party to obstruct what is seemingly the normal business of government.
You have a form that could be used to bring ideas to dampen the misuse of the political system but you choose to play into the game.
You are just another partisan fool blaming the other guy for the same behavior perpetrated when your gang is in control.
Sorry I missed this, Bert — I’ll do my best to use whatever forum I have to do just that — and those who know me from my political discussions on Facebook will tell you that, although I am decided liberal in my thinking, I don’t really play the party game.
Politics will make some people ‘play to the crowd,’ but I honestly have not seen any Democrat or Independent being as irresponsible on this subject as right-wing politicians and media pundits. If you had examples of how “both sides” have created a dysfunctional mess on this topic, I would think you’d include an example.
All of the hysteria and fear-mongering is coming from the right — because they’ve learned that’s what sells, and that’s what keeps their base motivated. It’s really a shame they are willing to lie, with impunity, about something this potentially serious.