Ebola. Don't Ya Get It Yet?

       What in the world is wrong with our response to the threat of Ebola? America is on the cusp of a major outbreak of this murderous invader of our country. Wait a minute! This is exactly the kind of hysteria that's causing much of the trouble in America over Ebola. We seem to be at odds with ourselves. Americans are good at that.
       There are problems that could endanger many if not resolved. There is a problem with leadership. But it's not centered only within the CDC, or our hospitals. It's not even just with the Administration. If you want to know why there is such a threat, it's because all of the above haven't clearly convinced the people they know what they're doing and how to do it correctly.
       But it's not for the lack of instruction. A good part of the reason for the problem is that people, being humans, don't actually believe it can happen to me. Everyone and especially healthcare workers KNOW it can happen to me, but subconsciously, they don't think it can happen to me.
       A nurse calls the CDC and explains she has some symptoms of Ebola after treating an Ebola patient. She calls to ask if it's alright for her to board a plane and fly. Really? She has to ask? If she had listened to the training, and used common sense, she'd have known she should have gone to the hospital. And what about a CDC staff person who answered the phone and didn't have the common sense to direct her to the nearest hospital.
       Then there's a Congress that cut funding for the CDC, didn't approve a candidate to be Surgeon General and instead of getting good sound recommendations from people who actually know what should be done, get their cue from a media that has already become frenzied, with glazed eyes and salivating over increased viewership; and are feeding the hysteria.
       Situation normal. Everyone is looking to profit from this threat including the media and Congress. Yes, Congress. They want to profit from Ebola. Not financially, but politically. And then healthcare around the country who have been instructed, and have taken it seriously, but not really, not quite seriously, because It Can't Happen To Me. But fear not, because at some point in the not too distant future, everybody will finally "GET IT." Not Ebola. But the correct way to handle the threat.