OK, I can’t sit here anymore and not say something. First, let’s get the basics out the way. I am not a medical person. (My wife is a nurse, my mother is a nurse, my neighbor is a nurse, and one of my best friend’s wife is a nurse.)I am a layman surrounded by medical people.
I have watched in horror, much about this Ebola panic. And yes, it is a panic. So, let’s get the facts straight about this disease. There have been a total of two confirm cases of people catching Ebola in this country. Yes, a total of four known people have enter the U.S. with the disease. Do the math.
So, how do we catch it? By coming in contact with bodily fluids of someone who is showing symptoms. WARNING: I am going to describe bodily fluids. Go to the next paragraph if you have a problem here. Bodily fluids are blood, sweat, urine, vomit, spit, semen, vaginal fluids, and fecal matter. Ebola is NOT an airborne disease. Now this is important, being in the same room and them not showing symptoms means you have such a low chance of getting it that does not even matter. The early symptoms are similar to that of someone catching the flu. Remember that for later.
The media is currently obsessed with this. The hysteria is out of control. Let’s dispel some of the stupid rumors going around, shall we? This is not a government bio weapon. Ebola has been around (meaning known) since about 1976. Every few years it flares up in Africa. This year it got worse for a variety of reasons. Most having to do with corruption, uninform population, and a poor health care system.
People are not crossing the borders to give it to Americans as some grand plan of ISIS. This is not going to be the next Black Death. This is not some crazy plan to take your guns and put people in FEMA camps. You can stop saying this and other things right now, you are only showing your ignorance.
Now why did the people in Dallas catch this disease? We have the best healthcare in the world, surly we can stop this in its tracks? Well, the sad fact is that the American Healthcare system is not really set up to deal with a lot of people with highly contagious diseases. We are good at long term care, cancers, and heart problems, but not the infectious diseases. We don’t have the training in every hospital and clinic for this sort of thing. The training and equipment cost lots of money and time. The equipment even has a shelf life. Most hospitals don’t see the need or profit to do this.
Finally, let’s look at the current efforts to keep the disease out of the country. Scanning people for a fever does not and will not work. Ebola has a 21 day incubation period. That means that you could be exposed and caught it and not show symptoms for the next 21 days. Remember I told you to remember the early symptoms and the similarity to the flu? Are you going to quarantine those with the flu? The flu is airborne and much more contagious.
Finally, the idea of stop all flights from the infected area. This also will not work. Since Ebola has a 21 day period, I could from the infected area to a third country and then come here. Easily getting around a flight quarantine. Ask this, are we going to stop people from going there to help and not let them come home? What about those who have samples that need to go to the CDC for study to find a cure? Going to stop them too? Trade with those countries is a big part of daily life. Remember that only a small part of the three countries are infected.
Last thought here. Everybody calm down. Take a few deep breaths. AND GET A GRIP! You have a better chance of catching the flu then Ebola. And the flu kills more people in the United States then Ebola has worldwide. (est. 36,000 vs. 3) You do the math and get some prospective.
