Ebola: Seems to me that bringing people infected and dying of the Ebola virus into this country is a question of National Security. Homeland security should have been doing their job.

halman Loc: Foothills of Colorado

Seems to me that bringing people infected and dying of the Ebola virus into this country is a question of National Security. Homeland security should have been doing their job. IMHO
Is there a hidden agenda lurking somewhere?
h2

Nikonos II

halman wrote:

Seems to me that bringing people infected and dying of the Ebola virus into this country is a question of National Security. Homeland security should have been doing their job. IMHO
Is there a hidden agenda lurking somewhere?
h2

Would not be too worried. This is the best chance for these people to survive and we do infection control way better than they can in Africa.

viscountdriver Loc: East Kent UK

Ebola can only be spread by contact with bodily fluids.In West Afica where, I'm afraid, hygeine is not as it is in the US or UK.If we are careful it should not spread though incominmg air passengers shoul;d be watched.

halman Loc: Foothills of Colorado

Nikonos II wrote:

Would not be too worried. This is the best chance for these people to survive and we do infection control way better than they can in Africa.

I think that that is a given. My point is that there are many ways not addressed by the protocol. For instance... an accident involving the ambulance and another vehicle on the way to the hospital from the airport.
These folks could have had pallative care in place. Probably would have been better than moving them anyway as their vascular systems are quite fragile.

jkoar Loc: The Gunks, NY

My understanding is that ebola requires physical contact to be transmitted. I think people transported here for treatment would have to be segregated. I hope homeland security is on this. Let's hope weapons research is not a hidden agenda.

halman Loc: Foothills of Colorado

jkoar wrote:

My understanding is that ebola requires physical contact to be transmitted. I think people transported here for treatment would have to be segregated. I hope homeland security is on this. Let's hope weapons research is not a hidden agenda.

:thumbup:

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

viscountdriver wrote:

Ebola can only be spread by contact with bodily fluids.In West Afica where, I'm afraid, hygeine is not as it is in the US or UK.If we are careful it should not spread though incominmg air passengers shoul;d be watched.

Is it so unlikely that Ebola could be used as a suicide bomb? My son is an ICE attorney, and has seen multiple cases of Middle Eastern men pretending to be Hispanic and crossing our Southern border illegally. Lately these people have been welcomed in and quickly dispersed into our population nationwide WITHOUT any health screening. The incubation period of this disease is up to 21 days and it is 50% lethal.

UXOEOD

halman wrote:

Seems to me that bringing people infected and dying of the Ebola virus into this country is a question of National Security. Homeland security should have been doing their job. IMHO
Is there a hidden agenda lurking somewhere?
h2

If we, the US have some magical methods that permit our medical system to better handle this extremely frightening and contagious virus, then wouldn't it be wiser, safer, more humanitarian, and efficient to export our system to Africa than import the Ebola here?

Let the CDC, and Emory Hospital pack up their whole kit bag, and go to Africa. There the could treat the disease, train the medical care providers, and save hopefully many, instead of potentially saving 2. All this without exposing the US, and telling Africa and its population our two victims are so much more important tnan their dying masses.

davefales Loc: Virginia

CatMarley wrote:

Is it so unlikely that Ebola could be used as a suicide bomb? My son is an ICE attorney, and has seen multiple cases of Middle Eastern men pretending to be Hispanic and crossing our Southern border illegally. Lately these people have been welcomed in and quickly dispersed into our population nationwide WITHOUT any health screening. The incubation period of this disease is up to 21 days and it is 50% lethal.

Cat - great observation. I think you just made some people's heads explode. I wonder if we will ever hear if the illegal with drug-resistant TB infected anyone he interacted with during the four months he was in the general population after refusing treatment.

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

UXOEOD wrote:

If we, the US have some magical methods that permi... (show quote)

So we abandon our own citizens after they risked their lives trying to care for people in Africa? Meanwhile we are welcoming unknown numbers of foreigners illegally entering our country with an unknown number of tropical diseases carried among them. I hope someone remembers your sentiments when you become ill overseas, but takes pity, and does not leave you there to die.

UXOEOD

viscountdriver wrote:

Ebola can only be spread by contact with bodily fluids.In West Afica where, I'm afraid, hygeine is not as it is in the US or UK.If we are careful it should not spread though incominmg air passengers shoul;d be watched.

If the fact, that today the medical community beleives contact with bodily fluids is required to spread this disease comforts you, please explain how the AIDS virus, which needs intimate contact, became a world wide epidemic? Isolation, containment, and preventing the physical spread of disease will only work if practiced, effectively and completely. Quarantine the area. This method has previously allowed each outbreak of Ebola to burn itself out. May sound cold, but at least we know it works. Importing it to this continent did not work with HIV, and is a potential nightmare with Ebola.

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

UXOEOD wrote:

If the fact, that today the medical community bele... (show quote)

These two people are being treated in specially engineered environments and represent no danger to anyone. However, there is a very high probability of someone carrying the virus entering this country unsuspected. With thousands entering illegally and undetected every day, this country is in extreme danger of infection, but not via Emory University!

Nikonos II

jkoar wrote:

My understanding is that ebola requires physical contact to be transmitted. I think people transported here for treatment would have to be segregated. I hope homeland security is on this. Let's hope weapons research is not a hidden agenda.

The U.S. destroyed biological stockpiles and stopped all offensive biological weapons research in the 1970's. Believe it or not - started under Nixon. They figured we don't need it and anyway we don't keep things secret very well so any technology would get out to potential adversaries. Interpreting "defensive research" can be problematic, but this looks like a natural outbreak and CDC does not do BW research.

halman Loc: Foothills of Colorado

UXOEOD wrote:

If we, the US have some magical methods that permi... (show quote)

Right on! Weigh the risks... We're dealing with a virus... you can pick it up from a contaminated surface. You can't see it. How do you think that it's spreading now? These clowns decided to bring this doc and nurse home for emotional reasons. The head of the CDC is not answering questins asked of him. He skirts the issue.
People make mistakes and accidents happen. How was it that these two became infected? They were aware of the aseptic protocols that were in place. They still became ill.
h2

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

UXOEOD wrote:

If we, the US have some magical methods that permit our medical system to better handle this extremely frightening and contagious virus, then wouldn't it be wiser, safer, more humanitarian, and efficient to export our system to Africa than import the Ebola here?

It is not magical methods. It is special and VERY expensive engineering: an isolation chamber with air filtration, decontamination and pressurization to prevent exchange with the outside, and attendants in hazmat suits. Unfortunately, several thousand such hi tech units are not exportable to rural Africa.

Instead of worrying about the virus contained in this very safe environment, worry about it sneaking over the Rio Grande!