Discussion for article #228417
I was surprise to see many of the panicky, ill-informed comments by Republican leaders about Ebola downplayed by the media this morning.
Unlike the early years of this century, the ignorant jingoism that once fueled arm chair political and media war bravado now, with Ebola, illuminates the shocking cowardice and social irresponsibility of these pampered elitists.
“…Our health care infrastructure in the United States is well-equipped to stop Ebola in its tracks…”
Of that I have no doubt – the United States is exceptionally well-prepared.
But we’re talking Texas, where they think birth control is an abortifacient.
He’s lying. The USA is not equipped for this. Those of us who work in healthe have no training whatsoever to deal with Ebola. We’ve been trained as to how to respond to HIV/AIDS, terrorist attacks, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes…but not Ebola. Ebola, like terrorist, was always over there. Now, like terrorist, Ebola is over here!
To be honest, I’m more fearful of the fact that it is Rick Perry’s Texas that is handling this than Ebola itself!
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““Our health care infrastructure in the United States is well-equipped to stop Ebola in its tracks,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious diseases chief at the National Institutes of Health.”
Ebola does not care how good our health care systems are. It does not care that the heads of the CDC and NIH are bragging about our health care abilities. The heads of the CDC and NIH and the spokesman/spokeswoman in the White House can brag about how good our health care systems and protocols are but if the protocols are not followed…what then? Clearly the health care professionals in Dallas dropped the ball…badly. This could have happened anywhere at any hospital in America. And this gives me pause. It’s as if those who need to be aware don’t know what is happening in West Africa. Do they not pay attention to the news? I don’t mean to sound paranoid but the Dallas case will not be the only case of Ebola in America. We need to be far more vigilant. The protocols at the border entry ports and airports need to ramp up. I returned from Europe in early August when the epidemic was well under way in Liberia and I saw no concern whatever about this disease.
Fifty, I spent over 40 years in health care… we are not prepared for this epidemic nearly as well as NIH and CDC would have you believe. If we were the hospital in Dallas would not have dropped the ball as badly as they did. And we would not have seen the apt. manager washing down his parking lot,… where the patient vomited while on his way to the hospital,… with a garden hose. And we would not have seen a lady onlooker in sandals standing in the puddles next to where this guy was washing away the vomit. Neither of these people were in protective gear and both were exposed to large amounts of virus. Both could easily now spread the virus about if they are not followed closely by authorities who understand the risks these people took.
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There is only so much money for non-defense spending. If there were more interest in public health and well being in this country perhaps some of the warnings against long distance dispersal could have been acted on before a case showed up in Texas. The disease and containment was well known in theory. Turning that theory into practice would have cost a lot of money that most likely was judged to be more effectively spent on already existing health problems. So we ended up in spot fire mode, and the health care industries will start watching for cases. Any political advantage from the situation will be deployed as it always is. I see it as more of an economic problem than political.
Guns of butter. Take your pick.
Why not? I’ve read a few articles and op-eds by Virologists and they all say the same thing with regards to stopping this outbreak: containment is key.
No. I do not think the US is well-equipped to stop Ebola. If we were, the Hospital in Texas would have immediately isolated Mr. Duncan.
I always appreciate hearing from you, darrtown.
Actually, I had originally included the line in my comment, “They’ve already botched it once,” but I decided to go for the higher impact of slamming only the Republicans in Texas : - )
In theory we have a great health care system. But Ebola doesn’t care about theory. If we had it together we wouldn’t see images of an apt. manager hosing down his parking lot where the Ebola patient barfed. In a perfect world it would not have taken a week to move those family members out and disinfect the apt where the Ebola patient stayed. They should never have been treated the way they were…confined to that apt for several days w/o any attempt at helping them.
This is a case in point. Where should our spending priorities be? Is the health and well being of our population less important to politicians than getting reelected?
Late reply. Said politicians are too busy getting reelected to be in session right now. And even if they were in session, they would be hog tied with GOP obstruction. I think we agree that a working government would have allocated the necessary resources to prepare a better response. For my part, I must say the Republicans consider a nonfunctional government to be the heart of their governing plan. When they are in power they destroy effective agencies and generate huge deficits. When the other guys are in power the R’s crybaby about the deficit and keep the D’s from funding needed program.
War howsomeever is always exempt from budgetary concerns.
Regards.