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Ebola - all or nothing?

Re: Ebola - all or nothing?

seeing how most of the public and the press have the attention have the attention span of a two year old with ADHD, ebola is old news. even though hundreds of people are still being monitored in the US and the press has struck a deal with the CDC not to report cases monitored until they turn up positive results. on to the next big crisis ...
 
Re: Ebola - all or nothing?

huskyfan said:
seeing how most of the public and the press have the attention have the attention span of a two year old with ADHD, ebola is old news. even though hundreds of people are still being monitored in the US and the press has struck a deal with the CDC not to report cases monitored until they turn up positive results. on to the next big crisis ...
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Heh. :)
 
Re: Ebola - all or nothing?

I read on the CNN website that it's possible to provide very accurate remote readings of temperatures and other data (by neutrals) of people potentially exposed to Ebola. I guess it would be similar to the electronic bracelets worn by people on bail. Assuming the technology is reliable, with accurate readings , and appropriate very quick follow up by health officials, I have lost some of my enthusiasm for mandatory quarantines.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/06/opinion/marty-ebola-quarantine/index.html?iref=allsearch
 
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Re: Ebola - all or nothing?

Now that my passion has somewhat subsided...I'd like to put in a plug for the Elizabeth R. Griffin Research Foundation, which exists because a dear family friend* of ours died from a macaque B Virus infection that "wasn't supposed to be transmitted that way" at the Yerkes Primate Research Center in Atlanta. It was known that the macaques carried the virus, but the workers were told that it could only be transmitted by direct blood contact (sound familiar?). Proper use of PPE would have easily prevented her death - it is just so senseless that people should die from viral infections that are known to be deadly when there are simple, readily available steps we can take to prevent them. The foundation works worldwide to educate researchers and clinicians on proper biosafety procedures and equipment, and they have been working directly with many of the organizations who are providing ebola care in Africa and other countries.

*Beth was one of my sister's best friends, and Beth's mother officiated my sister's and my weddings. The foundation's director was my 7th grade social studies teacher and also remains a good family friend.
 
Re: Ebola - all or nothing?

LynahFan said:
Now that my passion has somewhat subsided...I'd like to put in a plug for the Elizabeth R. Griffin Research Foundation, which exists because a dear family friend* of ours died from a macaque B Virus infection that "wasn't supposed to be transmitted that way" at the Yerkes Primate Research Center in Atlanta. It was known that the macaques carried the virus, but the workers were told that it could only be transmitted by direct blood contact (sound familiar?). Proper use of PPE would have easily prevented her death - it is just so senseless that people should die from viral infections that are known to be deadly when there are simple, readily available steps we can take to prevent them. The foundation works worldwide to educate researchers and clinicians on proper biosafety procedures and equipment, and they have been working directly with many of the organizations who are providing ebola care in Africa and other countries.

*Beth was one of my sister's best friends, and Beth's mother officiated my sister's and my weddings. The foundation's director was my 7th grade social studies teacher and also remains a good family friend.
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I'm sorry for your loss. I'm old enough to remember the panic in certain sectors about AIDS. The Ray brothers were burned out of their home in Florida. And Ryan White was hounded unmercifully. And politics almost immediately took center stage in the fight against the disease. There's a scene in the film version of And The Band Played On where San Francisco bath owners absolutely refuse to close, out of some sense of solidarity or something. And their refusal is enthusiastically supported by "the community" despite the fact that the baths seemed to be ground zero for spreading the virus. The PR effort to convince people that monogamous heterosexuals were as likely to contract the disease as hyper active gays may have served some purpose. But it wasn't true. And was almost entirely politics, designed to free up research funds and alter public opinion for an illness whose primary victims (in addition to hemohilliacs) were gays and drug addicts.

I'm seeing a little of that same panic with Ebola. And some of our colleagues have been very quick to ascribe fear and loathing as the primary motive for those of us wishing to err on the side of caution. There have been a lot of silly things said and done in recent weeks because of Ebola. It's a big country. But I've been troubled by the apparent attitude of some workers returning from the hot zones of being less than candid about their exposure. Dr. Spencer dissembled. Rode the subway, bowled, ate in a restaurant then became symptomatic. Apart from his irresponsibility, we should be grateful that none of the people he may have selfishly exposed have become infected. This bug (like AIDS) is evidently tough to catch. But that doesn't excuse his lack of candor.

What I would hope is that politics be kept out of it and scientists should call the shots over what is an is not appropriate here. I believe we have the infrastructure to strangle this baby in the bath water. I'm not particularly worried about a pandemic. However, neither do I want innocent people to suffer through a bout of this illness because of hubris by some health care types.
 
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Re: Ebola - all or nothing?

FreshFish said:
Aha, so even you admit that the quarantines have worked! and because they have worked so well, they are no longer needed!
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No, actually not being quarantined has worked just fine. Kaci isn't quarantined, despite the best efforts of Paul LePage and Chris Christie. And no one in NYC is quarantined.

Old Pio said:
What I would hope is that politics be kept out of it and scientists should call the shots over what is an is not appropriate here.
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That's what they're trying to do, if Chris Christie and Paul LePage would just stay out of it and leave it to the experts.
 
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