http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/01/health/ebola-outbreak/index.html?iref=allsearch
Yesterday the first patient out of two Americans infected with Ebola, arrived in Atlanta, GA. This has been the first time that this very infectious and viral disease has been in contact with America. I chose this event because this is a very big mistake made by the government to allow this. Why should we bring an infectious disease, that we don't have a cure to, into our country for the first time ever? Even with new technology to prevent an outbreak, technology isn't always reliable and people make mistakes. Yes, this is the last and best chance for these two Americans to survive, however are we looking to try and save two lives or kill 1,000. Ironically, one of the Americans infected with Ebola was a doctor treating people with the disease. In my opinion, this is a rash decision that may back-fire in the government's face.
Do you think the government made the right decision?
The government has no idea the repercussions this could have on our country as a whole. If we have no cure they should not have brought such an infectious disease within our borders. Not only does it endanger the ones around the currently infected but it can spread and cause a mass outbreak, which is untreatable. The country will have to pour tons of money into trying to find a cure and will lead us down a path that is very uncertain. Many may die and no one will understand how to stop it. The government needs to rethink what they can do about this problem. Take the patients to an isolated location and prevent all contact. It may seem harsh but it is what needs to be done to prevent mass panic and infection.
ReplyDeleteEbola can only contracted be contracted through touching of the skin or waste products of an infected animal or person. These 2 citizens had contracted the disease in Monrovia, Liberia. This is a nation in West Africa that has a dense population of approximately 4 and a half million people. As we all know most African nations are third world and are severely lacking in sanitation and most other medical resources. The reason these two got the disease was because of improper methods of quarantine. In America, a first world nation with one of the most advanced medical systems in the world, this problem isn't a threat to our citizens. Although people in the medical field are just human and mistakes can happen steps have been taken and precautions put in place so that this disease is less than lethal to the average American citizen. Therefore, this decision was not rash or made out of ignorance but rather well thought out and controlled.
ReplyDeleteThe patients with Ebola are being kept at a safe distance from other people, so even though the government took a risk letting the Americans come back home, if they are monitored carefully, and if all precautions are taken, the disease probably won't spread. In the article, it says that even though a definite vaccination hasn't been found yet, the National Institutes of Health say that an experimental vaccination has been created. Even if that one doesn't work, I believe that we have enough technology to keep working on finding a vaccination until one is actually found. Also stated in the article, although the disease has reached America sooner rather than later, preventing these patients from entering America would not have necessarily prevented the disease from entering. Since symptoms cannot be identified right away, people may get on a plane to America and find that they have Ebola when they get inside the country. So, I think the government made the right decision by letting these people come back into America, because they have more of a chance of getting cured here, and even if they didn't come back, the disease still might have found its way into the country.
ReplyDeleteThe Ebola epidemic is tragic. This is the deadliest strain of Ebola and has a death rate of 90%. To prevent it from spreading even farther, I think it is necessary for the world to work together on finding some type of treatment or cure. Therefore, I think that the government knew what they were doing when they brought the two doctors home. The doctors were quarantined and separated completely from the public. It seems that all precautions were taken in bringing them home. They were not simply let out into the public where they could infect others. They were treated with an experimental vaccination that has seemed to work. The first doctor has said that he is now "growing stronger every day". This might have just been a necessary step in finding a cure for this horrible disease.
ReplyDeleteThe government did the right thing when they brought in the two patients from Liberia because in Liberia they couldn't have had proper treatment their as opposed to having treatment here, where they have the best doctors and technology. They are also under quarantine here so they cannot infect anyone. They are also coming out with an experimental drug to act as a vaccination to this terrible disease which might lead to an actual vaccination to this disease. Liberia also has terrible sanitation and health care which pops up the question, why would the U.S. allow someone to go there if they know there is a fairly decent chance that they would contract this fatal disease or any other type of infectious disease.
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