After a second nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital is diagnosed with the deadly Ebola virus, one must question how safe we really are against this virus. Already 9 of the 16 infected physicians in a group known as Doctors without Borders have died from the disease. Plus, 2 nurses wearing state-of-the-art biohazard gear have now contracted it in Texas. In a press conference by the CDC, they mentioned that the first nurse made a simple mistake. Though the statement was said in passing and meant to shrug off a major issue, the fact remains-ANY mistake, even simple, while wearing full protective gear and coming in contact with an actively infected Ebola patient may potentially kill you.
What if someone is not wearing any protective clothing and comes into contact with an Ebola patient? How likely will they be to contract the disease? Obviously it may not be that difficult as evidenced by NBC’s cameraman Ashoka Mukpo’s acquisition of the virus. Plus, I wonder how safe it really is to transport Ebola patients into our country? Are we placing American healthcare workers in harm’s way? In addition, don’t forget about the 4000 soldiers we are sending to West Africa. How adequate is their training in deadly viral pathogens?
To make matters worse, The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that West Africa could face up to 10,000 new cases of Ebola per week in the next 2 months. As a physician, I can tell you that we are unprepared to deal with this virus. It took over 70 medical personnel to care for only 1 patient with the virus in Texas. Now 2 already came down with the disease. Plus, just taking care of this one patient requires enormous hospital resources, which are reallocated from the other sick people in these institutions. Imagine if a hospital had more than one Ebola patient? Would they be able to do it while caring for their other patients?
Mr. President, for God’s sake, secure our southern border and don’t allow any more people flying in from West Africa allowed in our country. Your PC policies are jeopardizing the health of our country.
As a physician, a concerning story appeared recently on the news. An NBC news cameraman by the name Ashoka Mukpo recently tested positive for the Ebola virus. Traditionally, we have been taught from agencies such as the CDC that the virus is contracted ONLY through contact with the secretions or blood of an actively infected person. The disease then starts with flu-like symptoms on average of 2-3 weeks after contracting the disease. It then progresses to muscle aches, joint pains, fevers, chills, sore throat and a rash. Later and more progressive stages of the virus can cause confusion, coma, multi-organ failure and hemorrhage. Plus, with a mortality rate of 50-90%, the disease is extremely deadly.
However, one must wonder how a cameraman contracted the Ebola virus? Was he in direct contact with bodily fluids from an Ebola-infected person, or did he somehow contract the virus via a different method. Though purely speculative, one must now serious ask this question as Ashoka Mukpo is now being transported back to the USA for treatment.
Has he acquired a mutated form of the virus that is airborne? Has the virus in fact gone airborne? Are our 4,000 troops being sent to West Africa in dire danger if the virus has gone airborne? Will Ashoka Mukpo be bringing a highly contagious, airborne form of the Ebola virus back to the USA? Is our government telling us the full truth about the virus?
These are all realistic questions that must be asked. As the media fails to examine these hard hitting questions, it is up to us taxpaying American citizens to do so.
