Ebola

[cmailliard]

The virus doesn't scare me. The panic of the lemmings does.

In third world countries, the people are used to with poor utilities, limited power, poor distribution, so most households are more prepared for long term emergency.

Can you imagine if the govt declares martial law, closes public schools here like in Liberia? Those groceries shelves will be empty and social order will be in breaking point within days.

I am with you. Fear of the unknown is driving people nuts. Ebola has been around for close to a half century. Yes, Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers are scary things but fear is not the answer to it. Respiratory Droplet Protection is required for VHF's but it is very difficult to spread via aerosol. Direct contact with body fluids and contact with used medical equipment (needle stick exposure) are the primary sources of transmission.

The biggest problem with Ebola is the large differential diagnosis associated with the the signs and symptoms. In the early stages it looks a lot like other diseases, including Malaria. Because Malaria is so rampant in Africa it is the default treatment. They just give those with signs and symptoms antibiotics and call it good. Well those antibiotics will not work with Ebola so the patient continues to get worse and continue live/work in close proximity to others in very unsanitary conditions. The disease spreads quickly because of initial misdiagnosis.

This Doc and Nurse are Americans, we have the capability to keep them extremely isolated and keep the community safe. We bring them home and take care of our own.

[Delfuego]

We bring them home and take care of our own.

No many countries would be willing to do this.

[hollohas]

We bring them home and take care of our own.

No, we most certainly do not. We say we do, but we rarely back it up. Many Americans during the recent history have gotten into trouble in foreign lands and the American government does NOTHING to help them. American missionaries get locked up for having bibles, we leave them to rot. American soldiers take wrong turns, get locked up and we leave them to rot. American children get kidnapped and taken to other countries and we don't go get them. American people die from terrible diseases everyday and the government doesn't do anything to help (not saying they should) and many times even creates red tape that makes it harder for them to get help.

So why spend the money and effort this time to bring these two people home when they are surely going to die??? Something is different this time. This goes against CDC protocol and I for one don't believe our government does ANYTHING for the good of the people. This just doesn't fit the .gov's SOP.

Do I think the gov is doing something evil? No. But they are up to something. Maybe they just wanted training in American facilities with American experts...who knows. But it is absolutely outside the ordinary reaction our government is known for.

[MED]

No, we most certainly do not. We say we do, but we rarely back it up. Many Americans during the recent history have gotten into trouble in foreign lands and the American government does NOTHING to help them. American missionaries get locked up for having bibles, we leave them to rot. American soldiers take wrong turns, get locked up and we leave them to rot. American children get kidnapped and taken to other countries and we don't go get them. American people die from terrible diseases everyday and the government doesn't do anything to help (not saying they should) and many times even creates red tape that makes it harder for them to get help.

So why spend the money and effort this time to bring these two people home when they are surely going to die??? Something is different this time. This goes against CDC protocol and I for one don't believe our government does ANYTHING for the good of the people. This just doesn't fit the .gov's SOP.

Do I think the gov is doing something evil? No. But they are up to something. Maybe they just wanted training in American facilities with American experts...who knows. But it is absolutely outside the ordinary reaction our government is known for.

My co-worker was in Cobo a couple of weeks ago when Hurricane Odile hit. All the foreign nationals were being attended by their governments except the US. Basically, US citizens were SOL. Alaska airlines came in and evacuated a lot of people (free of charge), and a lot of them were evacuated by the Mexican government. The US government, especially under the Obama administration, doesn't give a shit about the citizens. However, we will send troops to Africa during an ebola epidemic; even through I know our government's priorities, I was still shocked when he got back and told us about the experience.