<p>among other things, public and private institutions locally have long had a relationship of trust with the whole community and as soon as Ebola became an issue last spring, information and resources were put into place.</p>
<p>Here, too. But the issue, what I see here, is that given a chance to spread alarm, the media is. The media. We had the head of the Dept of Health detailing preparedness, what staff are lined up, some potential plans of action for various scenarios- and some key people from his team or the medical institutions/med school talking or making info sessions available, etc.</p>
<p>Then, the moment those interviews, press conferences or announcements ended, the media was scrambling to dismiss. Not based on their knowledge or experience with disease, medical procedures or public safety. Fear-mongering. “How many times have YOU been at the mall and someone sneezes? My Gawd, he could be spreading Ebola.” We all have heard these comments. </p>
<p>The story about the principal forced to go on vacation because parents wouldn’t send their kids to s chool because he had been in Zambia is pure hysteria, also. And indicates a need for remedial geography lessons.</p>
<p>Page A-,1 above the fold, in today’s local paper is an article about 3 Pennsylvania people who are being monitored because they were on the infamous Frontier airlines flight. Page B-3 has an article about 2 local high school students who have meningitis, and that students at the school might need to be aware of this.</p>
<p>I think that the meningitis cases are far more of a threat to us local residents than ebola, for Pete’s sake!</p>
<p>Makes me wonder what would have happened if Duncan had been in New Orleans when this happened. With all the emesis on Bourbon Street nightly, they would have had to have another evacuation.</p>
<p>I’ve been pretty impressed with my local news (though I haven’t watched a great deal, tbh.) They always try to find a local angle (however specious) to every single national story and so far nothing. If there was anyone who had even flown on the same plane as the Dallas nurse even when she wasn’t a passenger - they would have reported it ad nauseum. Maybe they’ll get lucky with the cruise ship. </p>
<p>local new must be getting desperate. Reporting that a guy arrested for, I think indecent exposure, had recently been in Angola, several countries away from the affected areas in Africa, so has been placed in an isolation unit with its own air supply in the jail. and another inmate was taken to a medical facility for a thorough evaluation because he claimed to have recently been in Africa. He was lying. </p>
<p>This might be the best (worst?!) case of Ebola hysteria yet.</p>
<p>“I’ve been exposed to an Ebola pilot,” said one Fort Worth man in a 911 call he made this week.
The man, 55 years old, but otherwise unidentifiable, called from his seat at a Fort Worth restaurant, asking for an ambulance for himself and a man seated near him because of that man’s conversation the caller overheard.</p>
<p>911 Operator: Sir, sir, listen to me. There’s an airline pilot there and he told you he had Ebola?
Caller: Yes, he has been exposed. He came out of West Africa.
911 Operator: He came from West Africa?
Caller: From a European environment. Yep he has.
911 Operator: You said you were exposed?
Caller: I’m sitting next to him. And he has been on a flight from European countries.
911 Operator: Is it just that you’ve been exposed, or are you having any of the symptoms?
Caller: I’m sitting next to him and having dinner. And he just revealed that he’s been in the European countries, including west Africa.
911 Operator: Ok, and are you having any chills or sweats?
Caller: I am not exposed. I am not having any indications.
<p>Stuff like this reveals how much of a fearful culture we’ve become as well as how sadly deficient our collective education is.</p>
<p>This guy is not the only one by a longshot would assume that “Africa” and “Europe” are the same place. Hard to believe, but there really are people that ignorant.</p>
<p>Interesting article in the NYT on the conspiracy theories floating around regarding the ebola outbreak. I had the SU prof mentioned in the article in a course on True Believers in grad school. </p>
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