[See UPDATES] Hope…
…this turns out to be a false alarm.
But it’s apparent that more and more of these suspicious cases are occurring on our soil, and sooner or later it stands to reason some of them will turn out to be ebola.
It’s also been apparent for quite some time that caring for an ebola patient is a very dangerous activity, even with what we regard as full protection.
UPDATE 9 PM: The patient has tested positive. Press conference pending.
That is very bad news. The only silver lining would be if this new case spurred the government to institute more commonsense rules about travel and quarantine.
In further dreadful news, a man in NY attacked a group of NYC policemen with a hatchet. Two are wounded, one in critical condition. The man was shot dead, and a woman bystander injured.
Not much has been said about the attacker yet, including his name. But we can certainly guess at his motives, although there are enough garden-variety lunatics to go around, too.
UPDATE 9:07: Very preliminary reports are that his Facebook page supports jihad.
UPDATE 9:15: I have long expected smaller attacks like this in the US. I was puzzled right after 9/11 that there were not more of them. Al Qaeda seems to have preferred the grand gesture. Now the idea is many small gestures to sow seeds of widespread fear, and to use anyone as a vehicle for it—crazy freelancers are just fine.
They generally over react, such as with the TSA against airplane terrorists, that accomplish little to nothing compared to citizen efforts.
But eventually, the importation of Ebola from Africa and external locations via the Obola mechanism, will hit the trigger level.
Over 100 people from west Africa come to the U.S. every day. We are rolling the dice by allowing that.
^^^ Indeed. It’s only a matter of time. Most of these are going to be false alarms, but this one actually sounds somewhat likely if he was treating Ebola patients. We all know how dangerous that can be.
I am getting massively tired of hearing ‘the odds are incredibly slim’ of catching ebola in the US.
Yes, they are. NOW. Odds can change.
Per an unnamed source — he had a fever of 103 and nausea. If that’s legit, it doesn’t sound good.
Until there is a travel ban and the borders are secured the odds of ebola spreading among the general public increase with every hour team obama dithers.
It is all over the NYC local news channels this evening – all over.
And they are downplaying it – no doubt in an effort to avoid panic.
But, I, too, am getting tired of hearing “it most likely isn’t Ebola, there are so many other things it could be” or “he’s a doctor, and he self-quarantined.”
Neither statement helps to dismiss that he was working in West Africa – Guinea specifically – has a fever of 103 and has gastrointestinal symptoms.
Doctors and Nurses and other volunteers are doing the work of God on these cases.
Of course the big O will not institute travel restrictions or mandatory 21 day quarantines for people coming into the country from the Ebola countries. Of course not, that’s because white people need to pay retribution because they are EVIL, EVIL, EVIL. So we will die.
Well, it’s not a false alarm. Dr. Spencer has been diagnosed with ebola, and, having traveled by subway last night from Harlem to Brooklyn to go bowling, and taking and Uber car back home, this is what the Mayor of NYC had to say:
“Our understanding is that very few people were in direct contact with him,” Mr. de Blasio said.
Irene:
I actually think no one will catch it from him—yet. Not that it’s impossible; it certainly is not. But the people who will be most at risk are the hospital staff. I certainly hope they send him to one of the ebola centers for treatment rather than keeping him in a NY hospital.
But those places only have 11 beds. I hope they never get filled.
There have been several post 9/11 attacks here in Washington state — but they don’t seem to draw much coverage after the initial events.
Probably, the most famous is the attack on the Seattle Jewish Federation. (I could be wrong about this, but I seem to recall hearing that one of the women who was wounded saying it was a gun violence issue, recently.)
One possible piece of good news is that the NY hospital he is in – Bellevue – was original designed for TB patients and has isolation wards set up for that.
On the down side is that NY has DeBlasio as Mayor – and, believe it or not, I trust him less than I trust Obama. Hopefully, who is mayor won’t make difference in dealing with this public health threat
UPDATE 9:15: I have long expected smaller attacks like this in the US. I was puzzled right after 9/11 that there were not more of them. Al Qaeda seems to have preferred the grand gesture. Now the idea is many small gestures to sow seeds of widespread fear, and to use anyone as a vehicle for it–crazy freelancers are just fine.
AQ was busy devoting manpower to Iraq and Afghanistan. Now that those theaters are no longer critical, they can devote more to the US, with the help of ISIL and ISIL’s sugar daddy Obola there.
Well, it turns out that the “news” propaganda that he “self-quarantined” was, get this, a Lie. He has been out and about, riding the subway, doing his usual thing. Not just Wednesday night, but since he got back from Africa several days ago.
Also, in the subway we all touch the metal poles when standing. It’s a lot more promiscuous, touchwise, than being, e.g., in the same McDonald’s store.
And a fever of 103 indicates that he was probably pretty contagious yesterday. Great. Just great.
Mayor Bill de Bolshevik will be worse than useless, of course. Did you know his real name is William Wilhelm? yup.
Beverly:
I think that although he was contagious, he was not very contagious. That wouldn’t comfort me much if I lived in NY, but I think it’s true.
Even Duncan’s family didn’t get it from him, and he was a lot sicker than Dr. Spencer.
However, I think people should actually be in quarantine (real quarantine) for 21-days when they return from work in Africa with ebola patients. I believe in being cautious.
“I was puzzled right after 9/11 that there were not more of them. Al Qaeda seems to have preferred the grand gesture.”
I recall a conversation with my brother in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 about all the relatively small things terrorists could do to cause really major disruptions, and was surprised in the years that followed that almost nothing happened. Still am. I suppose there may have been a lot of attempts that were thwarted, but they do seem intent on big stuff, which will be a good thing unless or until they succeed in one of those.
“I was puzzled right after 9/11 that there were not more of them. Al Qaeda seems to have preferred the grand gesture.”
Why try to plan and execute while everyone is on a heightened posture? That doesn’t make sense. Why go when they (we) expect it?
Right now, with the current commander in chief, its ripe for such “lone wolf” attacks. Look at Canada. When your enemy is in denial, how could you not attack – and especially with recruitment via social media, and the lack of the logistical nightmare of having to send in an operative to execute the mission, its a big win for them – big bang for little effort.
It’ll get worse before it gets better.
A few questions that continue to puzzle me.
The President and others have cautioned us not to panic. Why then did he appoint an Ebola Czar? Aside from the fact that I do not like the idea of Czars; whether hereditary ones in Russia, or appointed ones here, this sounds like a panic reaction.
Some have suggested that a mandatory quarantine on anyone entering from an Ebola stricken region would be discriminatory. Why then, when I traveled internationally, did I have to carry a shot card, and after visiting certain countries demonstrate that certain inoculations were current before I could re-enter the United States? Otherwise, I did not return home. Period. This was only a couple of decades ago.
Given what we are told about how Ebola is spread, why are health care workers who are well versed in the protocols showing up with Ebola? How confident are we that the very same infectious disease experts who have floundered so discouragingly really know?
Related to other news from NYC today and Ottawa yesterday; it appears that the new line will be to label these “lone wolf” killers as garden variety mentally disturbed persons. Duh! Jihadists blow themselves up in order to kill innocent people around the world on a daily basis. I think a rational person would label them all as mentally disturbed. So what?
Should we be comforted by the “lone wolf” label? They all have one commonality. They are Muslims; they were not radicalized in the local Baptist Church, or Synagogue. We know where they are radicalized–yet we pretend that it is a great mystery. Congressman Peter King, on FNC tonight, made this point very well. Knowing which Mosques are teaching Jihad is not a deep dark secret to the Anti-Terrorist folks. The problem is overcoming the politically correct attitudes that prevent doing anything about them.
Of course if you do not acknowledge an enemy, you are less likely to defend against it. Business as usual.
The only difference between the “lone wolf” and the 9-11 crowd is the number of people they usually kill at one stroke. But, as the wolf at Ft Hood demonstrated, it can still be a significant number. And regardless of the number, it is very personal to those involved.
In some ways these so-called “lone wolves” are more dangerous as weapons of terror since they generate little advance “chatter”. It has been demonstrated that one terrorist can shut down a major city or a national government for a fairly extended period.
I have my doubts when it comes to the concept of “probably not contagious”. We, at least we mere peasents, have not enough information to know how this current strain of ebola is transmitted. And, even WHO is admitting that cases of ebola in Africa are probably under reported. Now, the first reported case of ebola has occurred in Mali. Meanwhile the messiah takes AF1 to fund raisers and golf courses, as his lackeys twiddle their pc thumbs, and 100+ arrive each day from the pandemic zone.
Color me deeply skeptical.
I don’t understand the doctor’s disregard of quarantine measures following his return from Africa. It seems utterly careless. Where is the respect for science, and our society? We’ve been supporters of Doctors Without Borders. I find myself wondering if they have any protocols in place, regarding returns from these kinds of situations. It would appear not.
The Doctors Without Borders guidelines for staff returning from Ebola-affected countries:
1. Check temperature two times per day
2. Finish regular course of malaria prophylaxis (malaria symptoms can mimic Ebola symptoms)
3. Be aware of relevant symptoms, such as fever
4. Stay within four hours of a hospital with isolation facilities
5. Immediately contact the MSF-USA office if any relevant symptoms develop
Nothing about quarantine or staying away from public places.
Now we know why to totally disregard dwb recommendations. They are bs. We still do not understand transmission of the current strain of ebola.
Expect the attacks to happen in cities with strong gun control laws.
Underage F-Bombs
http://vimeo.com/109827317?from=outro-embed
let the feminists handle all this crap
i am going back to my nintendo/gameboy etc
if the above is an example of what this world is that they are making, what is there worth saving?
And a fever of 103 indicates that he was probably pretty contagious yesterday. Great. Just great.
So he was out bowling the night before he had a 103 fever? And he just came back from treating ebola patients? Was he not taking his own temp, like the nurses in Dallas? Honestly. This guy is a doctor, who treated ebola patients. He should have known better. What a reckless disregard for others he has displayed.
oh and if that werent enough
here is another misuse of children
Hey white people
http://vimeo.com/105147740?from=outro-embed
whats there to save?
new book titles.
Love in the time of ebola [Love in the time of cholera]
Bowling with ebola [Bowling for columbine]
Ebola [Emma by jane austin]
Three men with Ebola [Three Men in a Boat Jerome K. Jerome ]
As I Lay Dying of Ebola [As I Lay Dying William Faulkner]
The Ebola Plague [The Plague Albert Camus]
Malone Dies of Ebola [Malone Dies Samuel Beckett]
etc
Its a panDEMic trying to bring panDEMonium…
Neo: I have long expected smaller attacks like this in the US. I was puzzled right after 9/11 that there were not more of them. Al Qaeda seems to have preferred the grand gesture. Now the idea is many small gestures to sow seeds of widespread fear, and to use anyone as a vehicle for it–crazy freelancers are just fine.
nope… AQs big thing was not grand gestures, but multiple incidents at the same time
what they found was that if they did a single incident, excuses, and other things covered it up and changed it into something else, negating their efforts.
ie. if one plane struck the trade center, and nothing else, then the cover would be an accident of some sort, and the people who thought otherwise would be marginalized and called tin hatters.
however, several planes at the same time, is not something our systemcan cover.
here is a grain of salt report:
given the dirty nature of our current state, we as people do not know what to believe…
multiple incidents at the same time
I remember on 9/11 I half expected there to be some sort of attack on the metro that day and wouldn’t let my coworker get on it to go home (this was in DC). And then I drove home and the freeway was a parking lot and I thought, we are sitting ducks if they tried anything else. Although I think at that point the airforce and the black helicopters were out, so maybe we were fine.
So, what’s the latest on the four people who were sharing the same apartment with Duncan while he was obviously sick, but who had no idea that they should avoid any contact with him, because of course no one had any idea he might have been in contact with an ebola victim.
I think it’s fair to say we have proof positive that screening for Ebola at airports does not work. Will the MSM hit Obama on this?
The residents of New York must be pissed off about now. They are victims of liberal politics that place a higher priority on Africans than Americans. One can’t risk being labeled as racist.
The doctor’s girl friend must be really pissed assuming kissing and sex.
Don’t panic NY1 has told New Yorkers the way to avoid Ebola.
Don’t eat feces! or Mucus or Semen! of an infected person. Well, I guess New York will get a large epidemic with the amount of feces shoveled at them.
http://theconcourse.deadspin.com/tv-anchor-warns-new-yorkers-to-not-eat-maybe-ebola-infe-1650153842?utm_campaign=socialflow_deadspin_twitter&utm_source=deadspin_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow
I would have thought that Doctors without Borders fed their doctors better, but whom am I to say.
God these people annoy the crap out of me. Yes, all those MSF doctors in ebola got it from eating feces. Science!
And these people think they are smart enough to tell everyone else what to do, because they believe in science. They are complete idiots.
The week after 9/11 a banker in a rural county seat said something interesting– if the terrorists really wanted to frighten all Americans, they would have flown one of the planes into the local Wal-Mart. Far too many Americans got comfortable because they don’t live in Manhattan or DC.
But that goes to the question of what their goal is. Is it to raise fear or to be effective in efforts to destroy? Because the more riled up the citizenry, the more difficult it is to succeed with future terror acts.
Perhaps I have not been paying attention. Is there a known incubation period for Ebola? Is this the same 21 days of isolation spoken of?
Question — isn’t it possible that some terror cell mastermind is angry right now because a couple of lone wolves in Canada and NYC just made his plans a lot more difficult to pull off?
When I am sick, I do a min-self-quarantine. I am not a medical professional and I KNOW BETTER. I don’t need anyone to tell me that, nor do I need anyone to tell me to wipe my bottom when in the bathroom. I mean WTF? Who cares what the protocols are for ebola from Doctors Without Borders? They should know better!
Same case with that media doctor. If I had any outrage left, I would be bubbling over.
If a terrorist really wanted to devastate Middle America they would bomb an animal shelter. But I think they will never do that because they truly do not understand us.
br549:
The incubation given by WHO and the CDC and all the public health authorities is 2-21 days. That’s the usually accepted length of time. Some people say the outside figure is longer (I’ve heard by differing amounts). But my guess is that anything longer, if it occurs, is very much an outlier.
However, what is it all based on? I’m not especially paranoid, but I’ve come to distrust the CDC et al. But that is the commonly accepted figure.
The longer period has to do with semen, breast milk, etc.. From WHO:
“People remain infectious as long as their blood and body fluids, including semen and breast milk, contain the virus. Men who have recovered from the disease can still transmit the virus through their semen for up to 7 weeks after recovery from illness.”
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/
Irene:
No, actually, that’s NOT what I’m talking about. Semen and breast milk do supposedly remain infectious for longer periods, but that would not affect the length of a basic quarantine.
I’m talking about this sort of thing.
Yes, I misunderstood your earlier post.
Haas’ point that we really don’t know yet whether 21 days for a basic quarantine is sufficient is well taken.
It’s interesting to see how quickly websites like 538 set about debunking his concern, just like they tried to debunk calls for a travel ban a few days ago.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/is-21-days-long-enough-for-ebola-quarantine/
Everyone talks about mutations that will make ebola airborne, but virologists my husband has talked to are worried about mutations that may change the latent period, making our quarantine procedures ineffective. Given the wide area where ebola is now spreading, it seems to me that there could be different mutations to deal with at some time.
I think what has annoyed me most about the public message on ebola is this assumption that there can be no changes. I would feel better if CDC et al said they were watching all new developments so they can respond immediately to any changes they obseve in transmission.