Ebola and panic

KiwiMum wrote: Which will be worse: Ebola or the panic it spreads?  In the developed world where we all have access to soap, hot water and flushing toilets, and where most of us can read and have access to the media, surely we will be able to stop Ebola in its tracks. What I don't think we will be able to keep a lid on is the panic that will come with the disease. Just about the most unpredictable, and therefore frightening, thing is a scared, poorly informed person. Particularly one with a gun - sorry America! I'm wondering just how bad it will get. Will we see witch hunts? Mass hysteria?

I agree w/KiwiMum. The potential is there for a localized panic.. given a handful of cases in one confined area. That small local panic could set off a chain of events, creating a mass panic.

There is nothing to panic about; however, this is all definitely worth keeping an eye on. People are really downplaying this virus. This virus could very easily potentially spread to many many areas across the globe due to international travel and the sometimes prolonged incubation periods.

We should all be directing our energies toward our government(s) and pharmaceutical companies. They've been dragging their feet on this virus, knowing the potential, but ignoring it simply for the fact that it has been confined to Africa and in predominantly poor areas. Just because we have access to cleanliness, good reading/research skills and good hospitals doesn't mean we are immune. This virus is sneaky because of it's ability to lie inside the body for a prolonged period of time before making itself known.

This virus doesn't have to come to the US from Africa. It can come, very easily, from any other country. Someone who visited Africa goes to Europe, unknowingly infects someone in Europe, that person in Europe travels to the US and so on and so forth, etc etc.

A lot of things to think about and I wish the global powers would make health as much a priority as war. If governmental powers across the globe cared as much about mankind as they do war and material things, this world would be a much better place.

We all have the ability to change. It starts with us individually. I am the change I want to see. I therefore change others. The more effort I put into a positive change, the more I effect the world around me and so on and so forth... (lol.. yes, I sometimes ramble)

I work at a small rural hospital. We have just recently changed our intake nursing assessments to drill patients on foreign travel which is something we should have been doing, in my opinion, all along. Anytime anyone travels overseas and then comes back home, there's always some sort of potential risk of spreading something if patient comes into hospital with fever or other unusual symptoms... or even with no symptoms.. symptoms that could potentially pop up at a later time and one small anomaly may be showing up that hasn't fully come to realization yet.

...and let's face it.. people in the US are just.. LAZY!!! lol The majority of people in this country are to lazy to riot or panic. There's been a lot of good reason to protest and no one seems to get off their lazy duffs and vote or protest.

I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of apocalyptic movies and pandemic movies on TV now though.

With that having been said, I still go back to my original post and feel that the potential is there for panic. People are unpredictable. You just never know what will set off a group of people and that can set off another group of people and so on and so forth.

KiwiMum said something that got my attention beyond any panic. ". . . I think most people won't even pay attention". People will go about as usual and not take precautions unless things become personal.- - like knowing someone with the disease. By then it's to late because the disease will have been incubating in them and they will have been spreading the disease.

Just about the most unpredictable, and therefore frightening, thing is a scared, poorly informed person. Particularly one with a gun - sorry America!

I suppose you could refer to the Trayvon Martin case for example... But I bet almost half of all the gun owners in America are law enforcement or law enforcement related types. That doesn't speak for the other half but I still think the vast majority are responsible. But yes, that still leaves possibly many millions of broken character with guns and...

onefluover wrote: But I bet almost half of all the gun owners in America are law enforcement or law enforcement related types.

I can't speak for the rest of the country but in the south everybody has guns, plural.

Tonight Huckabee had on a man, a doctor I guess, to quell the panic. That was how he was introduced. He sounded like he got all his information out of the encyclopedia and then said don't worry.
Every night the local news does a story on Ebola. I'm thinking they want us informed (they know we will inform ourselves on the internet) but a nation of individuals getting ready all at the same time would be a problem.

Suzi wrote: Tonight Huckabee had on a man, a doctor I guess, to quell the panic. That was how he was introduced. He sounded like he got all his information out of the encyclopedia and then said don't worry. Every night the local news does a story on Ebola. I'm thinking they want us informed (they know we will inform ourselves on the internet) but a nation of individuals getting ready all at the same time would be a problem.

I saw that piece on the Faux News

what a disgrace

that so called Dr did a disservice to everyone listening

his "don't worry,be happy" platitudes were very misleading I thought

Huckabee should get his butt whooped for allowing that tripe to go on the air