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Fear Mongering Reaches an All-Time High After Texas Nurse Contracts Ebola

By Liz Gunn || Am I the only one who is not really concerned about contracting Ebola? Am I short sighted for thinking that the chances of me contracting Ebola are about the same as me contracting any other rare but potentially fatal disease? I certainly don’t mean to make light…

liz gunn

By Liz Gunn || Am I the only one who is not really concerned about contracting Ebola? Am I short sighted for thinking that the chances of me contracting Ebola are about the same as me contracting any other rare but potentially fatal disease? I certainly don’t mean to make light of a disease that has taken the lives of so many and continues to spread rapidly in West Africa, but in the Unites States I’m just not buying into all the fear mongering. Not yet, anyway.

The media is doing laps around this story. “Ebola is here!” “Ebola will kill you!” “Run for your lives!” This is the eleventh post on FITS just this month referencing the disease, so apparently it’s top of mind for all of us here.

Ebola is only contracted by direct contact of bodily fluids, through an entry point like nose, mouth, eyes or open wounds. Unless you work in the medical field and have a patient who is infected and that patient is showing signs and you do not practice proper protocol, then your chance of contracting this disease is seemingly very low.

The reason the outbreak in West Africa is continuing to grow is that West African medical facilities do not have the resources to follow proper guidelines of isolation and precaution. We are talking about very poor, third world countries with extremely limited access to even basic medical supplies.

Some treatment centers don’t have running water. Needles are often reused. Protective gloves and clothing are not always available to medical staff. Of course they are not going to be able to contain this disease with these practices in place. Our founding editor doesn’t have much more faith in our country’s ability to isolate the disease, but I disagree.

Another sad but disgusting fact is that the transmitability of the disease does not end when a patient dies. Proper disposal, burial or cremation of the bodies of victims is another essential component in stopping the spread of Ebola.

In addition to the loss of nearly 5,000 lives and counting, this disease is financially crippling to these countries that are already so impoverished. Economist believe that this aspect of the overall crisis could take more lives than the disease itself.

The good news? There is a vaccine on the fast track to approval, developed by GlaxoSmithKline with the help of the world’s leading health agencies. Phase one of the clinical trials (both in the US and in West Africa) commenced last month. If successful, phase two is slated to begin in early 2015.

After seeing the way things are continuing to play out oversees, fear for some is understandable. But for most of us, it’s probably unnecessary. I can’t say that I blame healthcare workers in the state of Texas for being a little bit frightened and a lot cautious, but outside of that profession – I think the rest of us should take a deep breath for right now.

Liz Gunn is a wife, mom, travel enthusiast, food snob, daydreamer and lifelong Gamecock fan. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, she lives in Columbia, S.C. with her husband and daughter.

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177 comments

Sounds like another October 14, 2014 at 12:06 pm

write up by the status quo

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????????? October 14, 2014 at 12:31 pm

I think you mean about the status quo…but okay.

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a face in the crowd October 14, 2014 at 12:09 pm

Of course, people ignoring instructions do not help contain it.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/14/health/ebola-nbc-snyderman-apology/

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Grassfire Action Alert October 14, 2014 at 2:49 pm

“Researchers from Boston have calculated which countries are most at risk for imported cases of Ebola by the end of October. Shockingly the United States is number two behind Ghana!”

“According to the report, researchers arrived at the disturbing projections after looking at “air travel and commuting patterns originating in the affected region.”

While it may not be possible to completely remove the risk of what has been described as the “worst Ebola outbreak the world has ever seen,” stopping all flights directly from or with connecting passengers from Ebola-ravaged regions like Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia is a common sense approach that must be implemented.”

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CorruptionInColumbia October 14, 2014 at 2:51 pm

The fact that this was not done weeks ago tells me that our government intends for this stuff to get here and spread. NObody is so Goddamned stupid that this wouldn’t have already been done unless intentional.

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Pile on October 14, 2014 at 5:00 pm

Well Obama did say he was going to transform America. Is he going warp speed now that he only has 2 years left?

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CorruptionInColumbia October 14, 2014 at 6:57 pm

…and doing a damn good job of it, he is!

Thomas October 14, 2014 at 12:21 pm

Afraid to die an unprovided death is a common theme of the Saints. Last Thursday, the cured Doctor gave his blood to the infected nurse. This will be the fourth person cured of Ebola. Their blood types match, O+. His blood has antibodies that destroy the virus. Fear our government’s response if anything. They could usher in a cashless society, targeted martial law, sheltering in place, and forced vaccinations to name a few.

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????????? October 14, 2014 at 12:29 pm

I read that – about the blood transfusion. That’s fascinating, actually.

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euwe max October 14, 2014 at 1:33 pm

I thought he offered it to the first victim too – what happened there?

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SC Political Digest October 14, 2014 at 12:21 pm

It’s funny how pampered, insulated yuppies, mock dying innocent people, who risk their lives – after the people you worship disregarded the seriousness of this deadly disease.

You whine and cry over your meaningless little Junior League “causes” but this woman’s life is a joke to you. Real classsy…

PS: I saw you doing the Ice Bucket Challenge. Wonder why you are not guilty of FEAR MONGERING over ALS…???…hypocrite…

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????????? October 14, 2014 at 12:27 pm

I didn’t mock anyone —as a matter of fact you’re the one mocking me. Junior League? Pampered? Insulated Yuppie? You should spend more time on your own blog and less time here.

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easterndumbfuckistan October 14, 2014 at 12:34 pm

Comment of the week!

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Medicaid October 14, 2014 at 12:28 pm

Wow! BigT calling someone a hypocrit.

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Medicaid October 14, 2014 at 12:31 pm

*Hypocrite

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socialist inc. October 14, 2014 at 12:35 pm

Great comment.Obama and the government know we are up shit creek with this virus and it is airborne.Those that work with her said she followed all protocols and still got it.

Obama and the Democrats destroyed the health care system, our foreign policy and stature in the world, the economy, the sanctity of marriage and now by not closing our borders will infect America with Ebola.

Fits will cover for em and blame Haley.

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SCBlueWoman October 14, 2014 at 1:14 pm

She touched a glove to her head as she was removing the PPE. It’s documented that she did not follow protocol and ended up sick. The virus is NOT airborne. Bless your heart.

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????????? October 14, 2014 at 1:19 pm

thank you – finally, someone with some sense.

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euwe max October 14, 2014 at 1:31 pm

someone with some sense
——–
Her handle says it all!

BatWings October 14, 2014 at 2:08 pm

If only she were blue, literally.

CorruptionInColumbia October 14, 2014 at 2:31 pm
CorruptionInColumbia October 14, 2014 at 1:52 pm

“Ebola is only contracted by direct contact of bodily fluids, through an entry point like nose, mouth, eyes or open wounds. Unless you work in the medical field and have a patient who is infected and that patient is showing signs and you do not practice proper protocol, then your chance of contracting this disease is seemingly very low.”

So, given this excerpt from your column here, what was the nature of the open wound on Ms Pham’s head?

CorruptionInColumbia October 14, 2014 at 2:37 pm

Anyone?

Tricky disease, not Nikki October 14, 2014 at 2:47 pm

For God’s sake they are worrying that she gave it to her dog! The risk is that people can move about before they realize that they have become infected. Example: I now have a fever and am vomiting, and recently visited South Africa. The challenge is 1) do I recognize this and isolate myself?
2) how to I avoid all human contact and still get myself into a medical facility?

The very people who should not be getting Ebola are healthcare workers in the US and now they are.

SCBlueWoman October 14, 2014 at 2:58 pm

According to medical professionals, “Ebola is killed with hospital-grade disinfectants (such as household bleach). Ebola on dried on surfaces such as doorknobs and countertops can survive for several hours; however, virus in body fluids (such as blood) can survive up to several days at room temperature.” If the nurse contaminated herself when removing PPE, she could easily have touched that spot then her eyes, nose, etc. It isn’t a stretch.

CorruptionInColumbia October 14, 2014 at 3:31 pm

Aye, and thank you for answering! That this stuff can survive for “several hours” on surfaces tells me that it has the potential to spread like a flu virus. That means it is NOT as difficult to catch as CDC and other government paid liars want us to believe. Shopping centers, grocery stores, malls, and the like could easily see this stuff spread by contact with doors, shopping carts, keypads on ATM/debit card systems, and the like, just like the flu.

SCBlueWoman October 14, 2014 at 3:43 pm

The flu is airborne and kills thousands each year in the USA, yet many don’t get the flu shot and aren’t afraid. There is no reason to rationally believe that Ebola will spread through the populace. Fear and loathing in the US of A.

Drs. Do Little October 14, 2014 at 4:39 pm

So now we are comparing the flu to Ebola? You really are a nitwit of epic proportion.

SCBlueWoman October 14, 2014 at 4:45 pm

I was responding to someone who compared Ebola to the flu, ye nitwit of epic proportion.

CorruptionInColumbia October 14, 2014 at 4:42 pm

While the flu does kill thousands in the US each year, the vast majority survive its ravages. Right now, “50-70%” is being quoted as the death rate for Ebola. Funny, a week or two ago, I was reading more like “90%” and now that has changed. Anyway, if it spreads even half as much as the flu, whether airborne or not, it has the potential to do a whole lot more damage and claim many more lives than the flu.

easterndumbfuckistan October 14, 2014 at 4:49 pm

Like all statistics there are multiple valid ways to calculate them. Let me know what you want to show and in a few hours I can give your valid, true numbers to back it it. This explains some of the discrepancy.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jvchamary/2014/10/13/ebola-travel/

lou October 14, 2014 at 7:38 pm

CDC – CENTERS for DENIAL and CONFUSION…

easterndumbfuckistan October 14, 2014 at 10:55 pm

The CDC is handling this badly, there is no doubt about that; however for the most part they have the science right. Ebola is not a successful virus, it’s fairly difficult to become infected, and a modern medical system should be able to take care of it.

Soft Sigh from Hell October 14, 2014 at 7:31 pm

“Funny, a week or two ago, I was reading more like “90%” and now that has changed.”

I’ve read elsewhere in news that the 50-90% difference was related to separate ebola “strains.”

Barack Obola October 14, 2014 at 5:20 pm

Don’t be asking her tough questions, silly. She will tell you to take a Xanax and down it with a bottle of Scotch.

bless you BI October 14, 2014 at 2:04 pm

Huh? Did she have an open wound in the area she touched?
You liberals and your brothels started AIDS and now you deviant perverts want Ebola to spread.

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RogueElephant October 14, 2014 at 2:43 pm

Don’t worry. Within 24 hrs. it will affect everyone and then it will be Bush’s fault. That should fix it. LOL

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????????? October 14, 2014 at 12:37 pm

haha – way to edit your post in hopes of eventually making a point that sticks! You can’t catch ALS, you idiot. How is the ice bucket challenge fear mongering? It’s an awareness campaign.

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SC Political Digest October 14, 2014 at 4:41 pm

Just be glad I responded. It makes you about 10 times more relevant regarding a subject that (like so many) is sung in unison by the leftwingers.

Obama poo-pooed Ebola like you’re trying to do, and it bit him. So now all the liberals are trying to cover another colossal screw up by him. Same thing he did w/ ISIS. He thinks ignoring real problems is wise, while he takes on imaginary boogey-men like Climate Change and discrimination against leftwing special interests, like homosexuals and black folk.

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????????? October 14, 2014 at 8:38 pm

I’m sorry, but in no way does a comment from you make anything more relevant. Who are you again?

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easterndumbfuckistan October 14, 2014 at 11:14 pm

He’s South Carolina Double Penetration and Sex digest. SCPSD

SC Political Digest October 15, 2014 at 12:40 pm

You liberals WORST NIGHTMARE. LMAO…

john dozier October 14, 2014 at 12:30 pm

Cartoon shows an “obvious” being belabored.

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President Alfred E. Obola October 14, 2014 at 12:31 pm

Pretty ignorant to be so flip about something like this. Liz, like many other misinformed fools, seem to think an ebola patient has to spit in your mouth to communicate it. This simply isn’t true.

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????????? October 14, 2014 at 12:33 pm

My information on how the disease is transmitted came directly from the AMA — please tell me how else it’s contracted—something I left out.

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easterndumbfuckistan October 14, 2014 at 12:40 pm

You didn’t know the AMA/CDC/CIA/FBI/DEA/HHS/SLED/DHEC/DSS/BLM/FFA/FBLA/4H are all in on the bringing Ebola here to kill us all?

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????????? October 14, 2014 at 12:43 pm

we’re all gonna diiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeee!!!!

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E Norma Scok October 14, 2014 at 1:05 pm

Eventually, yes. And chances are you probably won’t even see it coming.

Bible Thumper October 14, 2014 at 4:07 pm

All because of Obamacare!

euwe max October 14, 2014 at 1:32 pm

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

All we ask October 14, 2014 at 5:27 pm

People want the grown up version of the truth instead of continued lies and obfuscation. Presently, we are dealing with diseases that are not common in the US. The EV-D68 polio-like enterovirus is widespread in Central America. So far in the US since the arrival of the illegal children from this region, there have been 538 documented cases in 43 states and DC. Five of those ill US children have died thus far.
If your child had been one of them, I am sure you would be inclined to think your government had failed to protect you and your loved ones. Simple precautions, national security, common sense, the rule of law….

kangaroo October 14, 2014 at 7:35 pm

But when criminals are running the country, such quaint concepts such as rule- of- law are sooooo yesterday!

????????? October 14, 2014 at 12:34 pm

And I think the word you’re looking for is flippant.

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President Alfred E. Obola October 14, 2014 at 12:38 pm

I think the word I was looking for is, who gives a shit what you think about ebola?

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????????? October 14, 2014 at 12:38 pm

You do. You read the whole article and even left a comment.

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Darn Young-uns October 14, 2014 at 12:47 pm

You’re not getting your information from accurate and knowledgeable sources. When the vaccine comes out, if it works, I predict it people and/or their insurance companies will have to pay $1000.00 a pop. Whats that saying? …. “Never let a good crisis go to waste.”

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????????? October 14, 2014 at 12:51 pm

Sounds like you aren’t getting any information at all – just prognosticating. I highly doubt that to be true, since GSK is producing 10,000 of them to be sent to West Africa – not a single person in West Africa could afford that. And it will be administered freely to healthcare workers.

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Darn Young-uns October 14, 2014 at 12:52 pm

pffft!

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Smirks October 14, 2014 at 4:25 pm

Don’t underestimate the health care industry’s lust for money. Just because they practically give it away in a third world country doesn’t mean they can’t jack the price up and gouge your wallet in the good ol’ free market of the USA.

In before “not a true free market” bullshit.

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George October 14, 2014 at 1:38 pm

Tens of Millions of Americans will line up the first day a vaccine is offered.

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E Norma Scok October 14, 2014 at 1:02 pm

Is the fear mongering with Ebola any higher than you with SC’s (and America’s) economy?

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E Norma Scok October 14, 2014 at 1:03 pm

Sorry..FITs with the economy

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????????? October 14, 2014 at 1:05 pm

I’d have to say both are at an all-time high.

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euwe max October 14, 2014 at 1:29 pm

I wonder how much ISIS would pay for an EBOLA corpse?

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Jackie Chiles October 14, 2014 at 2:12 pm

Seems like maybe we could drop some on them for free of charge as a gesture of good will.

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willblogformoney October 14, 2014 at 2:15 pm

Why dont you contract. It. I’ll be happy to pay the freight.

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euwe max October 14, 2014 at 1:34 pm

Am I the only one who is not really concerned about contracting Ebola?
———-

It helps not to live in Dallas or Liberia. :)

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Original Good Old Boy October 14, 2014 at 1:41 pm

When a number of microbiologists and specialists in infectious diseases say it has the *potential* to be an epidemic that spreads across the world, I think the better protocol is to be overcautious, rather than taking the CDC’s theme of “nothing to worry about here.” Odds are slim that we have another black plague on our hands, but why risk it by being cavalier about its true potential?

First, we heard it wouldn’t spread to the US. Well, they were wrong about that.

Then we heard that, if it spread to the US, our top rate health care would nip it in the bud. Well, they were wrong about that too.

What else are they wrong about?

I don’t think we need to panic by any means, but I am not reassured at all by the CDC’s comments, let alone by pieces like this that simply regurgitate their talking points. The only KNOWN way to stop this is through quarantine and isolation — yet, here we are, not taking any reasonable steps to restrict visas and non-essential travel from the three most affected countries.

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2 October 14, 2014 at 1:50 pm

Texas Ebola Hospital Cafeteria Becomes Ghost Town ……….. DALLAS, Texas — The cafeteria, where employees and patients at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital normally take a meal break, is looking more like a ghost town since the outbreak of Ebola. A cafeteria worker said their business had taken a major hit in the wake of Nina Pham’s becoming symptomatic after treating Thomas Eric Duncan while he was ill at this hospital. http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-Texas/2014/10/14/Texas-Ebola-Hospital-Cafeteria-Becomes-Ghost-Town

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????????? October 14, 2014 at 1:59 pm

I don’t disagree with you about restricting non-essential travel. Seems like the common sense thing to do. They are employing quarantine and isolation, though. But if people don’t follow the rules (like the nurse, like the reporter) then it doesn’t work.

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Jackie Chiles October 14, 2014 at 2:10 pm

They are not employing quarantine and isolation for everyone. Just for some people who admit to being around ebola. For the 150 people a day flying in from Liberia, they are given pamphlets that if they experience ebola symptoms, to call a doctor. Literally that’s the precaution the CDC has taken.

Again, the honesty system is the only thing between you and a guy with ebola vomiting all over the hospital waiting room floor.

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Jackie Chiles October 14, 2014 at 1:51 pm

The author of this article clearly doesn’t understand exponential growth.

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Central America Next? October 14, 2014 at 1:54 pm

The coming winter vacation season is raising worries about the potential for Ebola cases in Caribbean and Central American countries, the top U.S. military commander in South America says, noting that smaller countries may be less equipped to deal with the problem.

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Jackie Chiles October 14, 2014 at 1:55 pm

Durr…LOL only like 5000 people have died thus far, so who cares? (author of this article about Spanish Flu circa 1917)

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????????? October 14, 2014 at 1:57 pm

only one of which occurred in the US. Only one has died here. Only one has contracted it here. Let’s all FREAK THE F OUT!

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CorruptionInColumbia October 14, 2014 at 1:58 pm

There’s always the “first one”. Whether you are talking about deaths from flu, traffic accidents, a serial murderer, or what have you.

Jackie Chiles October 14, 2014 at 2:03 pm

LOL, exactly. People are acting like the person that caught the virus was wearing protective garb from head to toe and still caught the virus or something.

Yes but October 14, 2014 at 2:41 pm

The nurse was – in the US

Rut Roh October 14, 2014 at 2:47 pm

So was her boyfriend, who has apparently been quarantined with Ebola like symptoms.

Bible Thumper October 14, 2014 at 4:02 pm

“apparently been quarantined with Ebola like symptoms”
No symptoms, just observation.

SCBlueWoman October 14, 2014 at 4:15 pm

I can only find the BF story on the extreme right pages. Just saying.

Original Good Old Boy October 14, 2014 at 2:04 pm

Rather, let’s get real about its potential threat and do the only known thing to stop it — quarantine and isolation. We should have cancelled visas and restricted non-essential travel from the three most affected countries back in August. From the US’s perspective there is no rational reason to allow this to continue.

Jackie Chiles October 14, 2014 at 2:06 pm

Exactly. South Africa has done this and guess how many cases it has?

Bible Thumper October 14, 2014 at 3:59 pm

33,000 US automobile deaths per year. Only known way to stop it. Ban automobiles.

Original Good Old Boy October 15, 2014 at 2:32 am

Cute attempt at an analogy, but there is clearly a huge downside to banning automobiles. The pros of autos outweigh the cons. Regarding Ebola, what possible benefit does the US get from allowing Liberians to freely travel here so ok gas they have a visa and don’t have a fever? The downside is obvious.

Tazmaniac October 15, 2014 at 7:25 am

Today is a new day. I’m not wearing a foil hat, but I do think the best outcome would come from strong, defensive, measures right away from the beginning. Dallas is a large city with presumably good quality hospitals. What would happen if that guy had gone to Lubbock or Abilene?

http://www.breitbart.com/system/wire/ap_ab3cd5a9b32c450aa5a13e1a4a14c60e

Mentally Sick Humans Suck October 14, 2014 at 4:42 pm

So you have no empathy for those who lose their lives like this. What a sad human. Only a sick sociopath would say what you just did.

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Axe October 14, 2014 at 1:58 pm

We are not being told the truth about this. Generals do not get involved unless things are already out of control

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Be My Lab Rat October 14, 2014 at 2:04 pm

Africa is flying into europe as we speak… the world is a giant PC mess. Its not just us, we are following the EU.. Our liberal agenda in america is a copy of the EU.

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easterndumbfuckistan October 14, 2014 at 3:48 pm

1 to 10000th power is still 1. Until we have more than 1 case at a time exponential growth isn’t going to happen.

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Oops! December 15, 2014 at 9:34 am

How stupid does your comment look now?

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Jackie Chiles October 14, 2014 at 1:53 pm

The reason people are panicking is they see a CDC director who claims the only way to stop Ebola from coming to the US is to allow 150 people a day to fly to the US from ebola ravaged areas with the only checks being the honesty system and a temperature check that only tells you if the person is presently exhibiting ebola symptoms, not whether they have ebola.

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CorruptionInColumbia October 14, 2014 at 1:59 pm

THANK YOU, JACKIE!!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!

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CorruptionInColumbia October 14, 2014 at 1:56 pm

“Ebola is only contracted by direct contact of bodily fluids, through an entry point like nose, mouth, eyes or open wounds. Unless you work in the medical field and have a patient who is infected and that patient is showing signs and you do not practice proper protocol, then your chance of contracting this disease is seemingly very low.”

So, if the worker at McDonald’s (or wherever) working for slightly above minimum wage to survive comes in sick because they cannot afford to miss a shift of work or perhaps they are being intensely pressured to show up by a supervisor, and sneezes into your happy meal, do we not have the makings of a problem?

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????????? October 14, 2014 at 2:03 pm

when someone outside the healthcare industry contracts Ebola – I may start to freak out. I never said we should just ignore it – I just don’t think it’s an imminent threat to anyone outside the state of Texas right now, specifically those in contact with the disease (healthcare workers). Not saying that won’t change.

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CorruptionInColumbia October 14, 2014 at 2:04 pm

OK, I’ll give you points on that one. Just remember, the flu epidemics usually start in one or two places and then spread.

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Jackie Chiles October 14, 2014 at 2:05 pm

You do realize that healthcare workers go home at night and have families right? They don’t live at the hospital.

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????????? October 14, 2014 at 2:06 pm

WHAT?!?!?!?

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Ben Cartwright October 14, 2014 at 2:11 pm

Jesse Jackson told Obama to do nothing before the mid-terms and this why Ebola is spreading.

Jackie Chiles October 14, 2014 at 2:14 pm

False. Ebola is spreading because of the GOTP in Texas cut critical ebola hospital treatment funding which Rick Perry signed off on and the hospital was a Presbyterian hospital which means they probably tried to pray ebola away, and also the House Republicans tried to stop Obamacare and Texas didn’t expand Medicaid and the dumb Republicans in Texas passed anti-abortion laws and that’s why Ebola is spreading there.

Bible Thumper October 14, 2014 at 3:44 pm

Presbyterians aren’t allowed to pray without the supervision of an ordained degree holding pastor and it is in bad taste to pray for a miracle. They don’t want parishioners keeping score.

You can pray for strength and comfort during an illness, and a medical cure, but not a miraculous cure. Failure might embarrass the minister.

See IBD A-12 10-14 October 14, 2014 at 7:46 pm

I love it when you are being facetious!

“The CDC’s budget today is 25% bigger than it was in 2008 and 188% bigger than 2000.” “The NIH budget has been flat for the past few years, but at a level that is more than double what it was 14 years ago.”

“Plus, spending at both these agencies has actually been higher than President Obama himself proposed.” (By $1 billion )

These agencies are “desperate to point the finger of blame somewhere other than their own incompetence.”

Here is where some of their fat went instead of an Ebola vaccine:

-researching diseases among male sex workers in Peru
-why chimps throw feces
-sexual attraction among fruit flies
-swanky visitor center in Atlanta when they already had one
-advice to Hollywood on medical plots

guest October 14, 2014 at 2:18 pm

I actually think attending an Occupy Wall Street rally with those filthy pigs that call themselves Democrats is more dangerous than Ebola.

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CorruptionInColumbia October 14, 2014 at 2:03 pm

“The reason the outbreak in West Africa is continuing to grow is that West African medical facilities do not have the resources to follow proper guidelines of isolation and precaution. We are talking about very poor, third world countries with extremely limited access to even basic medical supplies.”

Ah, good old American exceptionalism! Nothing could happen to us because we are America, right? We have a grip on it now (sort of) with a case here, one over there, and another somewhere else that we can treat with the expenditure of hundreds of thousands (maybe million$) per case and even then a worker caught this “difficult to catch” disease. What happens when you have dozens, hundreds, or thousands, of such cases? What then?

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????????? October 14, 2014 at 2:05 pm

I’m sorry – but American hospitals ARE in fact exceptional when compared to those in West Africa. It’s not a theory or a feeling – it’s a fact. If you want to freak out and build an underground shelter for no reason – go ahead. I’m not going to. Not now.

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Jackie Chiles October 14, 2014 at 2:07 pm

Naive blind faith in the hospital system won’t save you from Ebola. Ask any med mal attorney and you’ll see that our “exceptional” hospitals are often anything but.

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????????? October 14, 2014 at 2:10 pm

My husband is a med-mal atty – so I know all too well how bad things can be. Still light years ahead of West Freaking Africa! We don’t reuse needles. I’m pretty darn sure about that one.

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Jackie Chiles October 14, 2014 at 3:21 pm

If I had to bet, not many of the ebola patients being treated caught ebola from the hospital.

????????? October 15, 2014 at 9:00 am

I’m willing to bet that’s how ALL of the US health care workers in West Africa got it – treating Ebola patients in a 3rd world hospital with little to no protection. As for the citizens of WA, you’re probably right.

I C The Naive Blind October 14, 2014 at 2:17 pm

Amen.

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Betsy McCaughey/IBD October 14, 2014 at 4:15 pm

“There is no room for error” explained Anja Wolz, a Doctors without Borders nurse. “We use a buddy system” (for putting on and taking off protective gear.). “One mistake can lead to infection.”
The Spanish nurses aide in Madrid,…’inadvertently touched the (Ebola patient’s) cheek with her gloved hand while removing her “space suit”.’
Professor Peter Piot, who discovered the Ebola virus in 1976, “The smallest mistake can be fatal.”
US Hospitals are ridden with mistakes.
“Common Infections like C. Diff. And Staph rage through hospitals because doctors and nurses sometimes forget basic protocol….”
They also lack proper equipment. CDC recommends face masks but “healthcare workers should be wearing respirators….”
Exhaustion and emotional fatigue also cited as reasons for mistakes.
Also lack of staff: “It takes 20 full-time medical staff to care for one Ebola patient.”

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She has the creds October 14, 2014 at 4:20 pm

Betsy McCaughey is chairman of Reduce Infection Deaths and senior fellow at the London Center for Policy Research.

CorruptionInColumbia October 14, 2014 at 4:21 pm

But, “it’s so difficult to catch”. How can this be?

ggggg@tyryyt.com October 14, 2014 at 2:14 pm

You don’t know how to build an underground shelter. And American Hospitals might be exceptional when compared to 3rd world countries whose hospitals are in huts, they have a history of not being so ‘exceptional’ among advanced nations. Why are they always being sued for medical malpractice? Why do they leave surgical tools behind – in a person’s cavity? That’s exceptional, alright!

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????????? October 14, 2014 at 2:19 pm

Ben, you need to take a deep breath and maybe a Xanax. And for the record I could totally build an underground shelter. You clearly don’t know me.

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Huh? October 14, 2014 at 2:39 pm

Who the hell is Ben or did you just ip track a guy and out him? Just curious?

????????? October 14, 2014 at 2:48 pm

on my screen it said Ben Crawford…or something like that. Now it says some other name. Odd.

House October 14, 2014 at 2:53 pm

whatever, thanks for answering. Hot topic this one is.

CorruptionInColumbia October 14, 2014 at 2:53 pm

I have had days where one person’s name will pop up under numerous comments and I will reply to that person, only to find the names under the comments have changed, later on. The last time I recall that, CNSYD (sp?) was the name that kept showing at first, but many of the comments were not his.

Who Is Ben October 14, 2014 at 4:30 pm

glitch in the system. have seen that happen on other websites using Disqus. likely just during heavy Disqus traffic flow across the entire net.

????????? October 14, 2014 at 2:50 pm

Ben Cartwright. I think if you comment under one name and then go commenting under others, it shows up as the first name momentarily…

the more you know. I get a real kick out of people talking to themselves when I see that happen.

Jackie Chiles October 14, 2014 at 3:23 pm

It does happen a lot. Trolls love trolling I guess.

The Colonel October 15, 2014 at 6:57 am

Might want to check the “Ebola count” for that “exceptional hospital” this morning.

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????????? October 15, 2014 at 8:56 am

“Officials have said they don’t know how the first health worker, a nurse, became infected. But the second case pointed to lapses beyond how one individual may have donned and removed personal protective garb.”

Like I said – people have to FOLLOW rules in order for them to be effective. I don’t want to judge – but damn if I wouldn’t be in a hazmat suit if I was a Dallas healthcare worker…but that’s just me.

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CorruptionInColumbia October 15, 2014 at 12:43 pm

“But it’s so hard to catch. It’s not a successful virus.” That’s what CDC and others in government keep telling us, anyway.

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BS Detector October 14, 2014 at 2:19 pm

Are you kidding me?????? We have a tsunami of 100,000 illegal aliens per month storming our borders and 5,000 per month flying from Africa, including all of the Ebola “hot zones”, with no restrictions or health checks what so ever.

So, WHO is the “third world” country?

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????????? October 14, 2014 at 2:21 pm

okay, and maybe also have a drink with that Xanax.

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Bible Thumper October 14, 2014 at 3:33 pm

When we here about outbreaks in Mexico or Guatemala, then start worrying.

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Jonny Logic October 14, 2014 at 2:33 pm

I am much more scared of the likes of Boehner, McConnell, Grahmn, McCain, Haley, and Grand Tango then I will ever be by ISIS or Ebola. Or ISIS infected with Ebola.

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CorruptionInColumbia October 14, 2014 at 3:06 pm

The aforementioned and Ebola are a source of concern if not out and out worry. ISIS, I don’t worry about. I keep a remedy for them close at hand.

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Tazmaniac October 14, 2014 at 3:16 pm

ISIS hasn’t had a real Army shoot back at them yet, let alone go to village and have all the residents shooting ARs and .30-06s back at them. I doubt ISIS could pass through Wateree and still be capable.

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CorruptionInColumbia October 14, 2014 at 3:17 pm

RIGHT!!!!!

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Jack October 14, 2014 at 2:42 pm

Lets talk real numbers. World wide, there have been 4000 to 5000 Ebola deaths. Thus far in the US there has been one victim of the Ebola virus. Last year the influenza virus killed 34,000 Americans. This year the CDC expects a comparable number. World wide it is estimated 3 to 5 million people will contract influenza this year and of that number 250,000 to 500,000 will die.
Your odds of dying of complication from influenza is many times higher than your odds of dying from Ebola. Where is the comparable influenza panic? Why are we not quarantining countries and states were influenza crops up? I guess this disease is not exotic enough, to capture the attention of the political class. You can’t blame black people or President Obama for the spread of influenza, so lets just ignore it.

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guest October 14, 2014 at 2:51 pm

Why can’t we? LIberals are filthy and perverted. How do you think AIDS spread so fast in this country? Unsafe gay sex specifically in homosexual brothels.

OWS rallies? Drug infested, disease carrying American haters that shower once a month and leave their dirty needles and condoms in our street.

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Soft Sigh from Hell October 14, 2014 at 7:39 pm

Republican rest-room romancers and toilet-trysters like Sen. Craig probably spread their fair share.

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Soft Sigh from Hell October 14, 2014 at 7:39 pm

Republican rest-room romancers and toilet-trysters like Sen. Craig probably spread their fair share.

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RogueElephant October 14, 2014 at 2:55 pm

Playing the race card on a disease. WOW That’s low. Wondered how long it would take. Obummer wants Ebola in the US to add to the misery he has brought on our country for the last six years. The free market has gotten US way to “uppity”. Why else hasn’t he quarantined West Africa?

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????????? October 14, 2014 at 2:56 pm

Well for starters, there is a flu vaccine. People who work in hospitals and doctors offices are required to get it unless they have an egg allergy or can’t get vaccinated for religious reasons. Everyone else is strongly encouraged to get it. Also, the flu fatality rate is less than 1% whereas Ebola is avg 50%. (25-70 depending on circumstances)

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Tom October 14, 2014 at 4:46 pm

Ah, if it were only that simple. The truth is we have to create a new vaccine almost every year to deal with mutations. A flu strain could easily mutate in a way that we could not produce a vaccine quickly enough. The odds of your dying from a mutated influenza strain are still far greater than your odds of dying from Ebola.

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rachcarson October 14, 2014 at 4:33 pm

How many poor Africans die from MALARIA every year? A disease virtually eliminated by DDT…but at least the Sequoia Club can crow about banning it…

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Soft Sigh from Hell October 14, 2014 at 7:37 pm

Since when did conservatives care about poor Africans?

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? October 14, 2014 at 9:37 pm

George W. Bush, most recently…but then again you’ve got me! Was he really a conservative or a Fabian Socialist?

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Soft Sigh from Hell October 14, 2014 at 7:37 pm

Since when did conservatives care about poor Africans?

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E Norma Scok October 14, 2014 at 6:04 pm

Ignore it, like say heart disease, which kills about 1 in 4 Americans and is generally preventable?

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betru October 14, 2014 at 10:20 pm

So I can catch heart disease and die by respiratory droplets?

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Drs. Do Little October 14, 2014 at 2:44 pm

Ebola is an RNA virus, which means every time it copies itself, it makes one or two mutations. Many of those mutations mean nothing, but some of them might be able to change the way the virus behaves inside the human body. Not to be taken lightly.

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Rut Roh October 14, 2014 at 2:45 pm

Just read that the boyfriend of the nurse has been quarantined with ebola like symptoms.

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CorruptionInColumbia October 14, 2014 at 2:47 pm

But, but, it is so hard to catch! The CDC tells us so.

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Say it ain't so October 14, 2014 at 2:50 pm

Surely, she is a nurse and would have known that she was contagious, exhibiting symptoms and all that she must have been. No way she would have knowingly exposed her boyfriend and her dog. No, no way.

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Rut Roh October 14, 2014 at 2:56 pm

If a government official or the MSM are moving their mouth and words are coming out, you should question it.

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CorruptionInColumbia October 14, 2014 at 2:57 pm

EXACTLY!!!!!!

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Chishiki October 14, 2014 at 11:25 pm

Sixty Days To Beat Ebola, United Nations Warns

If the deadly outbreak cannot be reined in by Christmas then the UN says there is no plan in place and it could be overwhelmed. Sixty Days To Beat Ebola, United Nations Warns

If the deadly outbreak cannot be reined in by Christmas then the UN says there is no plan in place and it could be overwhelmed.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) earlier said there could be 10,000 new cases of ebola per week within two months.

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Bible Thumper October 14, 2014 at 3:26 pm Reply
Nölff October 14, 2014 at 3:11 pm

Just in time for the new season of The Walking Dead.

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CorruptionInColumbia October 14, 2014 at 3:17 pm

S5 E1, was awesome, was it not?

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Nölff October 14, 2014 at 4:45 pm

Sure was!

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Paladin October 14, 2014 at 7:46 pm

I hope Rick gets to make good on his promise to Garrett sometime this season.

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Fear Propaganda October 14, 2014 at 3:14 pm

They are worried about getting Beheaded at the Grocery Store. Simple People.

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Smirks October 14, 2014 at 4:18 pm

I heard the U.S. Government mutated ebola so that it would also act as a computer virus too. Now it can infect computers and transmit itself across the internet, infecting all other devices it comes into contact with. Not only that, but the device can infect you, whether through the keyboard, mouse, smartphone screen, etc. It can even become airborne through WiFi and cell tower signals, TV and radio broadcasts, etc.

The only way to stop it is to wear copious amounts of aluminum foil around your head and go completely off the grid. Make sure to burn all of your electronic devices, too.

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Rut Roh October 14, 2014 at 4:35 pm

Massachusetts patient who traveled to Liberia showing possible Ebola symptoms.

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Tazmaniac October 14, 2014 at 4:39 pm

That doesn’t work without a link for this crowd. If you really want to impress them use MSNBC, HuffPo, or Mother Jones. If one of those sites say Lena Dunham was raped by a unicorn it would be the Gospel.

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9" October 14, 2014 at 5:14 pm

Thanks for providing a reasoned,sane post on Ebola,Liz Gunn.The only bad thing about this is,I’ve lost respect for the intelligence of nearly all ‘the regulars’ on this blog.I’m not sure I want to read/comment,again.

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Who knew October 14, 2014 at 10:31 pm

Seriously. No idea the weirdo nuts that commented here were all conspiracy theorists. Oh wait -yeah I did. But not in this sense.

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ReElect Nikki October 14, 2014 at 5:25 pm

While no one has died in SC from Ebola.

Someone did die last week from the flu.

Yet,many people won’t get a flu shot for various reasons.Likely the same would hold true if an Ebola vaccination is developed.

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TontoBubbaGoldstein October 14, 2014 at 8:15 pm

PRO TIP:
If the government makes a big deal out of something (global warming, swine flu, heterosexual AIDS transmission, ISIS etc)… it’s not.
If they downplay something…be very afraid…

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TontoBubbaGoldstein October 14, 2014 at 8:29 pm

Let’s all head down to Hap’s Texaco and have a beer or twelve.

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obey October 14, 2014 at 10:18 pm

Barry promised e bola wouldn’t come to America so you are all just hateful fear-mongers.

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Obama Gonna Pay My Rents October 15, 2014 at 8:37 am

Barry promised a lot of stuffs that nebber came true.

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Chishiki October 14, 2014 at 11:13 pm

Funny how the experts in virology (thousands of them) … those who actually do know what they are talking about, easily refute the ignorance and immaturity regurgitated by those who say there is nothing to be concerned about.

“To know that you do not know is the best.
To think you know when you do not is a disease.
Recognizing this disease as a disease is to be free of it.”
? Lao Tzu

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Rut Roh October 15, 2014 at 8:10 am

2nd Dallas healthcare worker tests positive for Obola.

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nitrat October 15, 2014 at 8:45 am

Because RED, REPUBLICAN Texas believes it’s above all the rules and training that the CDC has offered?

Kind of like Texas didn’t see the need to regulate where fertilizer plants are located and little towns like West, Texas explode because of no rules.

But, by God, when they create a mess and people die or their property is at risk due to their hubris, they scream and jump up and down for the evil federal government to save them from themselves.

Where’s Gov. Oops? On that European trip?

And, we have no US Surgeon General because the National Rifle Association, lobby for gun manufacturers, is TERRIFIED a US Surgeon General might compile numbers of people killed by guns in this country…because, you know, FACTS are so dangerous.

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Rut Roh October 15, 2014 at 9:23 am

Right, it’s a republican issue. LOL!

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Rocky Panics October 15, 2014 at 10:56 am

We need to start helping Texas. First – let’s stop all crude oil shipments from Nigeria to the US. It’s only a matter of time before infected oil gets to our shores. All Liberian flag ships should be stopped from coming to our ports. We should also close the border with Canada because they’ll let anyone in. All trade with Europe must stop until we know that Europe is taking adequate precautions or until all the infected people in Africa die. FInally. we need to stop importing coaco powder, because it’s made from beans harvested in Africa.

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Original Good Old Boy October 15, 2014 at 11:46 am

Haha. How funny of you. Non sequitur much?
Let me ask you a serious question. From the US’s perspective, what is the downside to suspending Visas and restricting non-essential travel from Liberia, Sierre Leone, and Guinea?
I’ll hang up and listen.

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Rocky October 15, 2014 at 12:31 pm

Let’s say I’m Liberian, and going to school in Europe. I have a Visa – haven’t been to Liberia in a year. Now I cant travel?

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CorruptionInColumbia October 15, 2014 at 12:55 pm

Tough.

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Rocky October 15, 2014 at 12:35 pm

The other issue, it doesn’t stop the spread. What happens when it goes to yet another country and then that person comes here after going through Europe. Then we add another country. What if there are say in six months 500 cases in Europe – do we suspend travel to Europe? (Bet the BMW plant in upstate will love that). I agree you can try and restrict travel from those three countries, but this will spread beyond those three countries.

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