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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.