More to the Ebola story?

[SNIP]

There are a couple of things I want to post that I find strange. First off.....I had to go to the ER on Tuesday as I crushed one of my toes under a 100 LB stone statue of St Francis, (suffice it to say, I am a klutz!). As I was being discharged, the EMTS in these breathing masks brought in a black man with a mask on his face. Now I am not trying to get too spooked....even though I live in a part of Chicago that holds a large population of immigrants from Western Africa....even tried to ignore the sign at the check in desk asking patients to volunteer the information that they had recently travelled to Western Africa or been exposed to Ebola....trying desperately not to glare at the woman in traditional African dress who is sneezing and moaning in the corner.....I'm TRYING not to get spooked at this new "threat"....even though I work in healthcare in direct patient care...I mean...the government's got my back...RIGHT?

So then I start to think bout that patient in Dallas who died...that Duncan guy.....what ever happened to his family? Why are they suddenly quiet? Why are they not plastered all over the news as being in GREAT health? I mean, if the government does nt' want the American people to panic....why isn't the MSM plastering their faces all over the TV?
I tried using Google to find new information about Duncan's family...and I found nothing past 10?19...and nothing that actually showed the faces of the family....not even the fiancé....(and where is Jesse Jackson now? Why nothing from him anymore? I thought they were gonna sue?)
ANYHOW....I am once again posting to "pick the brains" of my fellow ATSers.....

One thing I will mention, when I was getting the torturous Tetanus shot from the nurse and I told him he better not be giving me a flu shot too.....he told me there have been no cases of the flu yet......and if this is true....why were there at least THREE people of color in that ER undergoing breathing treatments......and one coming in with the EMTs in "breathing gear" and everyone looking nervous?

Please, do not attack me or tell me the "more people die of flu, etc etc....I know these things.....I am simply wondering why it seems this "ebola threat" isn't being reported to us in a consistent way....the story just doesn't flow well....in MY opinion anyways.....

[SNIP]

You have probably not heard about the Duncan family because the government doesn't want to quell panic, they want to suffocate any talk of Ebola - hence the reason the word "Ebola" is prohibited in New York City police radio broadcasts.

The Duncan family knew full well that their relative had this disease, and they don't have it because they stayed away from him. He had told them he had been exposed. That's why they wouldn't take him to the doctor, they called an ambulance.

There are many reasons people could be receiving breathing treatment, asthma, allergies, pneumonia, bronchitis, etc. In this age, especially with the fear of Ebola, hospitals are probably becoming more and more paranoid - as they would be the first exposed to sick people. They are human to, and have fears just like you and me.

I am sorry that you were shaken by this situation - truth be told I would be too.

Just to let you know, from my own investigations, the maximum distance Ebola can travel by a cough is about a four foot radius and a sneeze can go up to six feet in radius.

This is a crazy disease - and horrible. But we live in a country with one of the best medical establishments in the world. Don't get too afraid, or give into hype. Everything will be fine.

Don't freak out too bad.

a reply to: Cornczech

Hmmm I would most definitely be concerned if I saw that also, especially the sign. But you raise a good point, what did happen to the family? The media does tend to ignore things when they think the story has trickled out

Now to be honest, my opinion from the start was that this whole Ebola thing was not a big deal, and people on ATS just love doom porn too much to approach this in a rational way.
The american patient zero, Duncan, was diagnosed with just over a month ago...24th of September or around that date.
The supposed incubation period of 21 days (false in about 90% of all cases) is at this point wrapping up.
There was never an epidemic, a crisis, or probably much concern to begin with.
Not much is being said, because there is not much to say.
All the people hoping to be able to say "i was right" must wait for the next tragedy to unfold and try again.
The reason why you are probably seeing things like the ones you described, is because american people need to be kept afraid "it's the commies it's the japs, it's the muslim it's the blacks!" now that you don't really have an enemy, and most wars are wrapping up (You did have a chance with Syria, but Putin rained on your parade) the government needs something to distract you, and keep you afraid.
and what better than an invisible enemy to keep the tension up?

a reply to: Cornczech

2 things....it does seem that things are quieter... idk if this is the ebola ayatollah/czar trying to reduce all the stories or if it is hospital policy as well or if things are just calming down...

2 as you mentioned...it seems to never be a big deal to some until its right next door...it bothers the hell out of me how many members say "this isn't a big deal and you guys are just being dramatic"...its easy to say that when it is not in your face...however my personal estimate is that more than 50,000 will die from this and it will cost the world over a trillion dollars..that's a big deal to me.

They have no clue how many cases and deaths are in africa...there is a civil war going on in some parts...people don't trust the government there, like here, so they aren't coming forward.

I also love it when people say...look Nigeria beat it! ...Nigeria had 8 cases lol....there will be a new swell in Nigeria or another place before this outbreak is done.

Mentorsriddle - Thanks for the encouragement and sanity. I am trying not to get too worried. I only get a little more freaked out by this then other things in the news because of dreams I have had my entire life of a horrible pestilence....but I also had many, many dreams of being surrounded by water.....so.....but I will admit I get a little "wiggy" about disease....you should have seen me read up on CHIK V after I recently returned all bitten up from Puerto Rico.....but, despite of my 15 mosquito bites...I didn't catch anything......

Shepard64 - I thought of that too...the short attention span of the media....but it still seems strange to me....they were SO VOCAL earlier in october...then nothing......not even a little peep.....you'd think inquiring minds would want to know....

anyhow....I have been stuck at home for the past 2 days with this mangled toe and so...I've been too much online reading and pondering......

a reply to: IShotMyLastMuse

I think you are right about this being used as the invisible enemy but I also think this is a big deal....if one patient can bring ebola here when 10,000 people are infected then lets for fun say 2 people can bring it here at 20,000...and when it hits 40,000? My point is its not over....it only just started and when the think tanks said there was only a 25% of the usa getting ebola we then had 3 patients within a week..

Africa is going to be battling this for quite some time and if it spread to more places like Africa or high population countries like China or India...we could be dealing with some difficult battles.

a reply to: Shepard64

Ye iam very skittish about shiz like that I hate hospital my local hospital still has the sign up saying wait here and buzz if you have signs of, isit bird flue or swine flu? Wich ever the last one was been up ages now...

Ebola is not a respiratory virus, but enterovirus 68 is. I heard this morning that next week’s mid-term election will be less about the economy and more about ebola… distraction successful?

a reply to: SunnyRunner360

Whats this enterovirus 68 ?

No comment. Still waiting to hear from the Ebola Czar. Jessy just comes and goes with the wind.

My husband and I both believe in the "Booga Booga" tactics of the government and MSM: fear makes money and distracts the sheep from what's REALLY going on.....

I guess it's just all things taken as a whole.....the death of all those microbiologists over the years....the witnesses of large amounts of coffins.....the articles about The Spanish Flu...the plagues of the dark/middle ages, etc...the movies about diseases, Zombies.....I guess it's just micro-organism fear over load...and as I've read multiple times on ATS...Doom Porn.....but what if the reason the story bout Ebola seems different than the average"Booga Booga" tactic is because this time there may BE a reason to REALLY be worried... the fact that it seems the story keeps changing....and then seems to go relatively quiet....what happened to all those other reports of people coming from Africa infected with Ebola...health workers.....the other "reports" of hospitals getting people admitted who were possibly infected....what happened to those people in the reports? I know about "scuttlebutt" and how "gossip" can spread like wildfire....especially when fear is involved....but, to me, this is somehow different.....

Oh well.....I am gonna take my crippled self and hobble outdoors moment and look at the sun before it disappears into a Chicago grey day....

I agree, I think there's more to this story than meets the eye. However, at this current moment the political agenda is more important than you or l.

Perhaps check back sometime next month, say, after the midterms. Then the bag may open and all the goodies will come out for everyone to enjoy.

Happy Holloween...

I too am suspicious as to why we haven't heard diddly squat about Duncan's family. Where are they now?

You know what? We're hearing more about that CDC Nurse Kaci than Duncan's relatives.

Another thing about the media's silence, which happens to be deafening:

Has anyone noticed that NOT ONE SHRED OF NEWS - NOT A ONE - is to be had on Dr. Spencer. How is he doing????

a reply to: dianajune

He should be trotting out the door by the end of the week ready to go bowling.

Personally I like truth of whatever situation so I can tip toe around it, if need be.
But it seems with this outbreak there is not a common way to deal with it within North America. So look at the reaction on a society level . With each place it touched from the apartment to the hospital, airplane, bridal shop, etc. everything had to be rearranged. At a big cost.

I believe those in charge would probably withhold as much information as possible if this has caused a spread. So where does that leave us on a day to day level. For example, when do you apply the hand sanitizer . Before getting in the car, after etc. Still watching all of this.

It's simple; if the media tells you to be afraid be very afraid, then probably there's nothing to worry about (and don't get those shots they're lambasting you about!)

If the media tells you look here, not there, then that's your clue to look there.

If it's a constant switcheroo with short attention spans, get as much info as you can from as many sources as you can, the truth is there but in shattered forms.

And the guy in the hospital who was wearing a mask was probably doing so to protect himself, not so much you. My daughter's job is as an echo tech and she can't take the employer-demanded flu shots because of immune issues; she wears a mask all day, every day, during flu season instead. Employer mandated and a pain, but that's the drill. In Japan, people wear masks if they have colds and are out in public (a very good idea) and in China, to protect themselves from air pollution.

Avoid hospitals like they incoming plague they are unless you have no choice, and then distance yourself from everyone you don't have to interact with. They're dirtier than landfills, morgues and city sidewalks put together.

It's strange how all the literature for the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s was about how Ebola was the CDC's worse nightmare, a question of 'when not if' and now that it's arrived, they're caught flatfooted and lying through their teeth.

a reply to: Cornczech

Why?
Why do you live in that part of Chicago?

Why would you wish to live anywhere near Chicago? Personally, I find that rather peculiar, particularly in this day and time.

a reply to: Cornczech

While I know you are concern, is not uncommon for people to visit the ER or convenience care places wearing mask, I happen to walk into one here in my neck of the woods and it was what it looked like a whole family with face masks, I walk back out and decided that I wasn't soo sick after all.



Still, is cases of tuberculosis around, people with tuberculosis are required to wear a mask in public and the nurses or doctors have to wear full gear while tending to them.

Story on Duncan's family with photos here