OK, I think it needs to be said that we look out for Americans where ever they are in the world and we certainly should help those that got sick while trying to help others.
But it also needs to be said that we ARE AMERICA and have the ability to Airlift Entire military bases to remote corners of the earth. We have the ability to construct a Hospital in Iraq overnight and we have Hospital ships in the Navy.
It is foolish to bring a dangerous disease for which we have very little immunity that can be treated in better isolation.
I think the likelihood of an outbreak here in the US is infintesimaly small but why take the risk at all? Because if there is an outbreak – You know the CDC will throw up there hands and say – We never could have predicted that this would happen.
I think that the real issue here is that there are Doctors in the CDC who would really love to study the disease but don’t want to have to live in a third world country to do it. And they are putting Americans at risk for their benefit.
It comes down to money. Developing an effective vaccine should be a high priority along with making sure it is available to everyone who needs it until the virus is wiped out.
@Martens – I guess you put me in my place. It takes a real Medical wizard to understand that keeping infected people away from a general population unaccustomed to the infection is a good policy.
And I will continue to offer my thoughts to those who are interested. Those who aren’t interested in reading my posts are more than welcome to skip over them.
I am also very aware of the screwups that have occured at the CDC over the years and able to predict problems in the future since they never seem to learn from their mistakes.
And finally – I still see no Reason that we couldn’t take the hospital to the sick and not the sick to the hospital when there is a very Real (though minute) risk that this horrible virus could escape the hospital.
I understand the desire to study the virus itself in local laboratories under the tightest of restrictions but not subjecting other patients in the hospital to this risk.
Staff is running rampant in hospitals because they can’t control it. What makes you think they will be any better with a virus?
All we need to do is tell the lamestream media about a potent virus and they turn into Chicken Little all over again. They keep their Chicken Little suits right beside their desks so they are always ready.
Ebola is the current leprosy.
Can anyone remember the last two or three ‘disastrous epidemics’ we had that was touted by the lamestream media? What happened?
As Breen so aptly put it, the epidemic is all in the mind of the lamestream media.
@I Play One – I understand there are some political considerations but I think a leader could couch the narrative like this.
1) These are American Citizens and we help Americans when they get into trouble.2) They need first class medical care that isn’t currently available in Africa3) We are faced with a choice – Help them in Africa which means spending money to export the necessary facilities to the epicenter or Help them here which means importing a poorly understood and extremely dangerous virus.
I think the question would be a no-brainer given the expenses of flying these people home on a specially modified C130 which couldn’t have been cheap.
@Jim Guess – I agree that the Media keeps hoping they will have the scoop on a Captain Tripps (See Stephen King’s the Stand) so they amp up any contagion that infects more then 5 people.
I’m not so concerned about an Epidemic but if one of my loved ones was in a hospital where they planned to treat the infected I would have serious reservations about keeping them there. It doesn’t take an epidemic for your friend or loved one to die from an infection to which they were unaccustomed.
The Spaniards and Later the Colonists killed off Native Americans with Chicken pox and Small pox because they had no herd immunity to the disease.
Again – Why take the risk at all. They can be treated in Africa if we create the right facilities.
The “secret” serum was developed here in the states using LIVE Ebola virus, in tobacco plants, to get the antibodies growing, and that research is over a decade ongoing. NO cases of Ebola have occurred here because the labs were doing that work. That’s typical, and even the “lost” vial of virus CDC found, wasn’t actually a danger to anyone, as even though misplaced, it was identified and contained as “hazardous”.
The real issue is that Americans panic about ANYTHING anymore! BTW, Malaria kills hundreds of thousands every year, still, around the world, and is found here in the U.S., and is indeed becoming an INCREASING problem, not going away. Yet, with all the exposure, like also Lyme and other diseases with serious consequences, Americans might face, it is the “front page news” that gets them going, even if that news is in reality only worthy of third page, or Section B, coverage in the news. Sensationalism is the danger, and trigger, yes, just like cover for our reaction to 9/11, and invading Iraq, that had nothing to do with the event.
@martens – I’m not suggesting we don’t help the sick but as a global traveler who knows how fast a cold can travel I suggest we don’t help Ebola travel. Keep it localized. I won’t blindly trust the cdc to make the right decisions. Maybe you do but I think taking an unnecessary risk warrants scrutiny.
“You really have no knowledge of medicine or science, do you? Until you do get a more realistic understanding of them, you would do well to restrain giving your advice on such subjects.”I saw multiple problems with Mephisto’s post, but you didn’t actually address any of them with this response. You did eventually respond with more substance. I credit Mephisto with being willing to lay his thought process out. He makes some good points in the conversation, though I don’t agree with most of them.I’ve noticed you have a tendency to dismiss people because they lack credentials. I think it’s easy enough to find people with credentials who support all sorts of ridiculous ideas. I always try to deal with the merit of the claim, not the person who makes the claim.
Mephistopheles almost 10 years ago
OK, I think it needs to be said that we look out for Americans where ever they are in the world and we certainly should help those that got sick while trying to help others.
But it also needs to be said that we ARE AMERICA and have the ability to Airlift Entire military bases to remote corners of the earth. We have the ability to construct a Hospital in Iraq overnight and we have Hospital ships in the Navy.
It is foolish to bring a dangerous disease for which we have very little immunity that can be treated in better isolation.
I think the likelihood of an outbreak here in the US is infintesimaly small but why take the risk at all? Because if there is an outbreak – You know the CDC will throw up there hands and say – We never could have predicted that this would happen.
I think that the real issue here is that there are Doctors in the CDC who would really love to study the disease but don’t want to have to live in a third world country to do it. And they are putting Americans at risk for their benefit.
Theodore E. Lind Premium Member almost 10 years ago
It comes down to money. Developing an effective vaccine should be a high priority along with making sure it is available to everyone who needs it until the virus is wiped out.
jimguess almost 10 years ago
Well said.
Mephistopheles almost 10 years ago
@Martens – I guess you put me in my place. It takes a real Medical wizard to understand that keeping infected people away from a general population unaccustomed to the infection is a good policy.
And I will continue to offer my thoughts to those who are interested. Those who aren’t interested in reading my posts are more than welcome to skip over them.
I am also very aware of the screwups that have occured at the CDC over the years and able to predict problems in the future since they never seem to learn from their mistakes.
And finally – I still see no Reason that we couldn’t take the hospital to the sick and not the sick to the hospital when there is a very Real (though minute) risk that this horrible virus could escape the hospital.
I understand the desire to study the virus itself in local laboratories under the tightest of restrictions but not subjecting other patients in the hospital to this risk.
Staff is running rampant in hospitals because they can’t control it. What makes you think they will be any better with a virus?
jimguess almost 10 years ago
All we need to do is tell the lamestream media about a potent virus and they turn into Chicken Little all over again. They keep their Chicken Little suits right beside their desks so they are always ready.
Ebola is the current leprosy.
Can anyone remember the last two or three ‘disastrous epidemics’ we had that was touted by the lamestream media? What happened?
As Breen so aptly put it, the epidemic is all in the mind of the lamestream media.
Mephistopheles almost 10 years ago
@I Play One – I understand there are some political considerations but I think a leader could couch the narrative like this.
1) These are American Citizens and we help Americans when they get into trouble.2) They need first class medical care that isn’t currently available in Africa3) We are faced with a choice – Help them in Africa which means spending money to export the necessary facilities to the epicenter or Help them here which means importing a poorly understood and extremely dangerous virus.
I think the question would be a no-brainer given the expenses of flying these people home on a specially modified C130 which couldn’t have been cheap.
Mephistopheles almost 10 years ago
@Jim Guess – I agree that the Media keeps hoping they will have the scoop on a Captain Tripps (See Stephen King’s the Stand) so they amp up any contagion that infects more then 5 people.
I’m not so concerned about an Epidemic but if one of my loved ones was in a hospital where they planned to treat the infected I would have serious reservations about keeping them there. It doesn’t take an epidemic for your friend or loved one to die from an infection to which they were unaccustomed.
The Spaniards and Later the Colonists killed off Native Americans with Chicken pox and Small pox because they had no herd immunity to the disease.
Again – Why take the risk at all. They can be treated in Africa if we create the right facilities.
Dtroutma almost 10 years ago
The “secret” serum was developed here in the states using LIVE Ebola virus, in tobacco plants, to get the antibodies growing, and that research is over a decade ongoing. NO cases of Ebola have occurred here because the labs were doing that work. That’s typical, and even the “lost” vial of virus CDC found, wasn’t actually a danger to anyone, as even though misplaced, it was identified and contained as “hazardous”.
The real issue is that Americans panic about ANYTHING anymore! BTW, Malaria kills hundreds of thousands every year, still, around the world, and is found here in the U.S., and is indeed becoming an INCREASING problem, not going away. Yet, with all the exposure, like also Lyme and other diseases with serious consequences, Americans might face, it is the “front page news” that gets them going, even if that news is in reality only worthy of third page, or Section B, coverage in the news. Sensationalism is the danger, and trigger, yes, just like cover for our reaction to 9/11, and invading Iraq, that had nothing to do with the event.
Mephistopheles almost 10 years ago
@martens – I’m not suggesting we don’t help the sick but as a global traveler who knows how fast a cold can travel I suggest we don’t help Ebola travel. Keep it localized. I won’t blindly trust the cdc to make the right decisions. Maybe you do but I think taking an unnecessary risk warrants scrutiny.
DoctorUmmmNo almost 10 years ago
“You really have no knowledge of medicine or science, do you? Until you do get a more realistic understanding of them, you would do well to restrain giving your advice on such subjects.”I saw multiple problems with Mephisto’s post, but you didn’t actually address any of them with this response. You did eventually respond with more substance. I credit Mephisto with being willing to lay his thought process out. He makes some good points in the conversation, though I don’t agree with most of them.I’ve noticed you have a tendency to dismiss people because they lack credentials. I think it’s easy enough to find people with credentials who support all sorts of ridiculous ideas. I always try to deal with the merit of the claim, not the person who makes the claim.