BEYOND BIO HORROR MOVIES: EBOLA UNLEASHED IN THE UNITED STATES

WHEN EBOLA MISHAPS AND MISTAKES JUST DON’T CUT IT!

The Ebola virus has taken up residence in the United States. How has this happened? Why has this happened? You have heard the President telling the American public not to fret over it, that he has everything under control. And you have heard the mainstream media mouthpieces for the Government voice banal remarks about it. In this post and in the next few posts, the Arbalest Quarrel will take a close look at the Ebola pandemic from the standpoint of what the experts have to say about it, and we will consider those well-reasoned thoughts in light of recent horrifying events. We will also take a critical look at the propaganda the Federal Government spouts through its bullhorn, the mainstream media. Despite the endless platitudes, the American public has much to fear. Ebola is a fearsome disease. Most individuals who are infected by the Ebola virus will die from it. And death, virtually assured for 90% of those who contract it, does not come painlessly. Death by Ebola is horrific. Ebola’s manifestations are gruesome. The victim’s suffering is unimaginable: incessant internal and external bleeding, constant vomiting, and incessant diarrhea. The body’s organs liquefy. Such suffering ought not to be wished on one’s worst enemy.

WHAT MIGHT THE IMPACT OF A PANDEMIC BE ON THE NATION’S BILL OF RIGHTS?

Although epidemics and pandemics may appear unrelated to America’s Bill of Rights, the Ebola outbreak in this Country very clearly touches upon our Bill of Rights. At the stroke of a pen the President might institute martial law across the Country, suspending the Public’s sacred rights. The President may unleash the police and military on the American public. Confiscation of all civilian firearms in the Country in the face of an Ebola epidemic in this Country may be among the President’s first orders.

Ebola isn’t fiction. Ebola is real. Ebola is here in the U.S. Might not the President impose martial law? Is he considering that option now? Would an Ebola outbreak in the U.S. suffice as the President’s singular excuse, his pretext for “universal arms confiscation?” Americans must be alert to the possibility of an Ebola pandemic. And, concomitant with the inevitable and horrific loss of life here in America, Americans must face, too, the attendant loss of their inalienable Rights.

WE KNOW WELL ENOUGH WE CANNOT TRUST THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO HONOR OUR RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES. WE KNOW, TOO, THAT WE CANNOT TRUST THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO SECURE OUR BORDERS FROM AN INFESTATION OF MILLIONS OF ILLEGALS. AND WE ARE NOW LEARNING WE CANNOT TRUST THE GOVERNMENT TO SECURE OUR BORDERS FROM THOSE WHO CARRY THE EBOLA VIRUS.

THE REALITY OF GLOBAL PANDEMICS

The U.S. Government has had several years to prepare for a worst case pandemic scenario but, as Ebola is now “out in the wild,” and has reached our shores, Americans see that the Federal Government has done nothing concrete to prepare for it.

“Experts say pandemics are inevitable and the modern world is overdue. In the last three hundred years there have been ten flu pandemics. There were three flu pandemics in the twentieth century, in 1918, 1957, and 1968, which killed approximately forty million, two million and one million people worldwide, respectively.” SYMPOSIUM: SHAPING A NEW DIRECTION FOR LAW AND MEDICINE: AN INTERNATIONAL DEBATE ON CULTURE, DISASTER, BIOTECHNOLOGY AND PUBLIC HEALTH: ANTICIPATING PANDEMIC AVIAN INFLUENZA: WHY THE FEDERAL AND STATE PREPAREDNESS PLANS ARE FOR THE BIRDS,” 10 DePaul J. Health Care L. 213 (Symposium 2007).  The Federal Government has done precious little if anything to forestall another pandemic — the first of the twenty-first century — and what may very well develop as the worst yet since 1918.

CONSIDER: in response to the 2005 Katrina debacle, “the federal government published a national pandemic plan in November 2005, but public health experts worry the plan is not comprehensive enough to prepare Americans for the inevitable.” Id. So, public health officials worried over the lack of a comprehensive plan to prepare Americans for the inevitable, in 2005. What steps has the Government taken 9 years since to prepare for a worst case scenario? Answer: nothing concrete.

EBOLA RANKS AMONG THE THREE MOST HORRIFIC PATHOGENS IN THE WORLD

The birds have now come home to roost. EBOLA IS ONE OF THE MOST LETHAL VIRUSES KNOWN TO MAN. Three others include Hanta, Marburg, and Lassa. How lethal are these viruses?

CONSIDER: in planning for the H1N1 virus, “the U.S. government has projected a worst-case scenario in which thirty percent of the U.S. population will become ill, millions of people will require hospitalization, and nearly two million Americans will lose their lives. Assuming no interventions, the direct and indirect health costs of a moderately virulent flu pandemic are expected to approach $181 billion.” “SYMPOSIUM: SHAPING A NEW DIRECTION FOR LAW AND MEDICINE: AN INTERNATIONAL DEBATE ON CULTURE, DISASTER, BIOTECHNOLOGY AND PUBLIC HEALTH: ANTICIPATING PANDEMIC AVIAN INFLUENZA: WHY THE FEDERAL AND STATE PREPAREDNESS PLANS ARE FOR THE BIRDS,” 10 DePaul J. Health Care L. 213 (Symposium 2007).

WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE THE COST IN DOLLARS AND AMERICAN LIVES WOULD BE IF A MAJOR EBOLA PANDEMIC TAKES OFF IN THE U.S.?

The public is told not to fret. But, is the mainstream media – the voice box of Government – really giving the American Public ALL the critical facts? THAT IS UNLIKELY!

SO: WHAT IS EBOLA AND WHAT ARE ITS SYMPTOMS?

Ebola is “a form of hemorrhagic fever caused by the Ebola virus. Symptoms include fever, muscular pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. {It is} also called Ebola hemorrhagic fever, African hemorrhagic fever, and viral hemorrhagic fever.” Attorney’s Dictionary of Medicine, Copyright 2012, Matthew Bender & Company, Inc.

See also, The Merck Manual of Medical Information 1165 (Mark H. Beers ed., 2d Home ed. 2003). “Ebola is a virus that causes fever, vomiting, diarrhea, bleeding from the nose and mouth, and loss of consciousness with up to 80-90% fatality rates. Strict isolation is required to avoid transmission to health care workers and there is no specific treatment.”

Please note the Merck Manual of Medical Information requirement and warning about Ebola: “STRICT ISOLATION IS REQUIRED TO AVOID TRANSMISSION TO HEALTH CARE WORKERS AND THERE IS NO SPECIFIC TREATMENT.”

AND THIS FROM A THIRD ACADEMIC SOURCE:

“Viral hemorrhage fever is a diverse group of illnesses resulting from immunologic responses to various viral infections. The common clinical features include high fever, leukopenia (reduction of white blood cells), altered mental status, and a hemorrhagic diathesis (higher than average tendency to hemorrhage). Marked toxicity and death may occur.” The viral hemorrhagic fever usually starts abruptly with fever, aches, and prostration, followed a few days later by hypotension (low blood pressure) and bleeding. Although many of these viruses are classified into several different genera and families, their clinical manifestations are quite similar.” David Kaufman, M.D. and Laura Obiso, 7-35 Attorneys’ Textbook of Medicine (Third Edition), Chapter 35, Systemic Infection.”

“No effective treatment is available. Transfusion of human convalescent-phase plasma has been tried but to date no clinical or experimental data support its efficacy. Supportive therapy is the only alternative presently available. No vaccine is available to protect against Marburg or Ebola virus infection (Rollin, et al., 2000).” Id.

“Persons who present with symptoms compatible with those of hemorrhagic fever and who have traveled to endemic areas should be isolated for diagnosis and symptomatic treatment. Diagnosis is made by growing the virus from blood obtained early in the disease or by showing a significant rise in a significant antibody titer. Isolation is particularly important, because some of these illnesses are highly contagious and carry a mortality rate of 50 to 90 percent. For most of these entities, no specific treatment is available (Carlini and Shandera, 2001).” Id.

Recall two critical assertions from the above citation. The first is: “PERSONS WHO PRESENT WITH SYMPTOMS OF HEMORRHAGIC FEVER AND WHO HAVE TRAVELED TO ENDEMIC AREAS SHOULD BE ISOLATED FOR DIAGNOSIS AND SYMPTOMATIC TREATMENT.” The second assertion is: “ISOLATION IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT, BECAUSE SOME OF THESE ILLNESSES ARE HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS AND CARRY A MORTALITY RATE OF 50 TO 90 PERCENT.” Yet, the President adamantly refuses to lockdown our borders, thereby isolating our Country from the cesspool of West Africa where the Ebola epidemic is spiraling out of control. His response: send thousands of American troops to West Africa. To do what? To set up tent hospitals? Why can’t the Africans do that? And, what then? To bring the troops home, harboring Ebola? Is that not possible? Even likely? And, if so, why send our troops to Africa at all? Why not let Ebola burn itself out there? Why bring death here?

YET ANOTHER EXPERT HAS THIS TO SAY ABOUT EBOLA:

“Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a viral disease transmitted to humans from infected animals and animal materials, though many aspects of this disease, including the ways of transmission, are not fully known. Within a week of infection with Ebola, rashes, often containing blood, appear all over the human body, causing the patient to bleed from the mouth and the rectum. Ebola infection will usually result in the death of the infected person, though, as with Marburg disease, patients usually die from shock rather than from blood loss. There is to date no known treatment or cure for the Ebola disease. Patients are usually isolated to reduce the risk of transmission. Secondary cases of Ebola infection may occur in persons who are exposed to bodily fluids of an infected person, such as nurses and health-care workers in facilities with poor hygiene and limited or no infection control. One expert, Alfred DeMaria, remarks that ‘[i]t is possible that a health care worker from the developed world working in such a facility could have unrecognized contact with Ebola and return to their home country before the onset of symptoms.” Indeed, some countries have introduced measures to exclude persons from entry if they are suspected of carrying the Ebola disease.’ “FROM BLACK DEATH TO BIRD FLU: INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND IMMIGRATION RESTRICTIONS IN ASIA”, ANDREAS SCHLOENHARDT, 12 New Eng. J. Int’l & Comp. L. 263 (Spring, 2006).

FAILURE TO LOCKDOWN OUR BORDERS HAS LED TO THE RELEASE OF EBOLA IN THE U.S.

By failing to close our airports to all travelers from West Africa, the Federal Government allowed David Duncan, a citizen of Liberia, one of several West African Countries where Ebola is raging out of control, to enter this Country. That crucial failure of the Government to lockdown this Country has released Ebola in the United States. THE GOVERNMENT CANNOT PLAUSIBLY DENY THIS. IT IS FACT. And, as of the posting of this Article, the President has still refused to lockdown this Country.

WOULD EBOLA HAVE MADE ITS WAY TO AMERICAN SOIL ANYWAY, AT SOME POINT IN TIME? PERHAPS; THE PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS SEEM TO SUGGEST THAT. BUT, EVEN ASSUMING THAT WERE TRUE, THE GOVERNMENT NEED NOT HAVE MADE THE ARRIVAL OF EBOLA TO OUR SHORES EASY!

Two nurses, ill-trained and ill-equipped to deal with Ebola, contracted the deadly illness through contact with Duncan.

WHAT OTHER NURSES AND HEALTH CARE STAFF MAY HAVE CONTRACTED THE DISEASE? AND, WHAT OTHER AMERICANS WHO HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THESE NURSES ARE HARBORING THE EBOLA VIRUS?

Are we simply witnessing honest mistake upon honest mistake? HARDLY! Are we witnessing gross negligence or even callous indifference to the plight of the American people? UNDOUBTEDLY! Will we see the exponential growth of Ebola in this Country? QUITE POSSIBLY!

THE GOVERNMENT HAS ORDERED AMERICAN SOLDIERS INTO A HOT ZONE. WHY?

CONSIDER: MIGHT NOT MANY, MANY AMERICAN SOLDIERS, WHOM THE PRESIDENT HAS SENT TO A HOT ZONE IN AFRICA, RETURN TO AMERICA WITH THE EBOLA VIRUS? IF THAT POSSIBILITY IS NOT SO REMOTE, WOULD OUR COUNTRY NOT BE BETTER SERVED IF EBOLA WERE PERMITTED TO BURN ITSELF OUT IN AFRICA RATHER THAN SHARING THAT SUFFERING HERE? THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT HAS A DUTY FIRST AND FOREMOST TO PROTECT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. HOW MUCH TRAINING HAVE THESE SOLDIERS HAD? A FEW HOURS? WHAT PRECAUTIONS ARE BEING TAKEN TO PRECLUDE THESE SOLDIERS FROM CONTRACTING THE DISEASE WHILE IN THE HOT ZONE MAELSTROM?

The Federal Government, through the mainstream news media, has sought to quell the growing fear of a full-blown Ebola outbreak in the United States, but has, to our knowledge, done precious little to prevent it. Indeed, the Government’s failure to lockdown the Country’s major airport hubs has permitted entry of Ebola into the Country.

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ISN’T GIVING THE PUBLIC ADEQUATE WARNING ABOUT THE POTENTIAL DESTRUCTIVENESS OF EBOLA.

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS DONE NOTHING CONSTRUCTIVE TO WARRANT THE PUBLIC’S TRUST IN IT. AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HASN’T ALLAYED THE PUBLIC’S CONCERN OVER A FULL-BLOWN OUTBREAK OF EBOLA IN THE UNITED STATES?

Forewarned is forearmed. Controlling panic is one thing. But creating a false sense of security is quite another. The public has a right to know the facts about Ebola. The public is already aware of the Government’s unpreparedness for it. No less so was the Government prepared for the disaster wrought by Katrina. An Ebola outbreak in this Country would be infinitely worse.

EBOLA IS LETHAL! THERE IS NO KNOWN CURE FOR IT! THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE IT WILL DIE FROM IT! DEATH BY IT IS HORRIFIC! THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES HAS SAID THAT CONTRACTING THE DISEASE IS DIFFICULT! BUT, IS IT? GIVEN THE INCIDENCE OF THE DISEASE AMONG SEVERAL WELL-TRAINED AMERICAN HEALTH WORKERS WHO HAVE CONTRACTED IT WHILE WORKING WITH EBOLA IN WEST AFRICAN HOT-ZONES, THE PRESIDENT’S ASSURANCES RING HOLLOW.

THE PRESIDENT AND THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA SAY EBOLA ISN’T AN AIRBORNE PATHOGEN? BUT, WHAT DOES THE PHRASE, ‘AIRBORNE PATHOGEN’ MEAN? CLEARLY, EBOLA CAN AND DOES EXIST OUTSIDE A “HOST” FOR A SUBSTANTIAL PERIOD OF TIME. IF THE PATHOGEN ISN’T PROPERLY CONSIDERED AN “AIRBORNE PATHOGEN” IN A MEDICAL SENSE, THE EBOLA PATHOGEN NONETHELESS DOES EXIST FOR SOME PERIOD OF TIME IN THE OPEN AIR, NOTWITHSTANDING,  IN A HOST’S COUGHS AND SNEEZES, AND THE PATHOGEN CERTAINLY EXISTS ON OBJECTS THAT WERE IN CONTACT WITH AN EBOLA HOST. THE GOVERNMENT HASN’T DENIED THAT!

PROTOCOLS FOR THE HANDLING OF DEADLY, CONTAGIOUS PATHOGENS

PROTOCOLS FOR HANDLING EXTRAORDINARILY DEADLY, HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS PATHOGENS, SUCH AS EBOLA, HAVE BEEN IN PLACE FOR SEVERAL YEARS. THE VERY EXISTENCE OF AND SPECIFIC NATURE OF THESE PROTOCOLS BELY ANY SUGGESTION THE EBOLA VIRUS ISN’T EASY TO TRANSMIT FROM ONE PERSON TO ANOTHER.

SO, WHAT ARE THESE PROTOCOLS THE PRESIDENT ALLUDES TO BUT FAILS TO DELINEATE?

TO UNDERSTAND THESE PROTOCOLS, YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF “BIOSAFETY LEVELS.”

BIOSAFETY GUIDELINES DO EXIST AND HAVE EXISTED FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

“Advisory guidelines published by CDC and the NIH, Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (“BMBL guidelines”) delineate biosafety and biosecurity protocols for laboratories depending on the threat posed to laboratory staff and scientists as well as surrounding communities. The BMBL guidelines delineate four biosafety levels (“BSL”) in order of ascending levels of required containment. At each level, an appropriate containment procedure is prescribed with reference to specific facility safeguards, safety equipment, and microbiological practices. BSL-3 and BSL-4 protocols require heightened oversight of security procedure because of the dangerous nature of the agents and toxins examined in those facilities.

1. Biosafety Level 1 is suitable for work involving well-characterized agents not known to consistently cause disease in immunocompetent adult humans and those which present a minimal potential hazard to laboratory personnel and the environment.
2. Biosafety Level 2 builds upon BSL-1 protocols. BSL-2 designation is suitable for labs whose work involves agents that pose moderate hazards to personnel and the environment.
3. Biosafety Level 3 is applicable to clinical, diagnostic, teaching, research, or production facilities where work is performed with indigenous or exotic agents that may cause serious or potentially lethal disease through inhalation route exposure. Examples of agents handled and stored in BSL-3 laboratories include Tuberculosis and St. Louis Encephalitis virus. In addition to the standard microbiological practices employed in BSL-1 and 2 laboratories, BSL-3 laboratories are encouraged to control access to the facility, to decontaminate all waste and laboratory clothing, to conduct all work with agents in a Class I or II Biological Safety Cabinets (BSC), and to regulate air flow in and out of the laboratory.
4. Biosafety Level 4 is required for work with dangerous and exotic agents that pose a high individual risk of life-threatening disease, that are contagious by aerosol transmission, or any related agents with unknown risks of transmission. Examples of these types of biological agents include: foot and mouth disease; the Ebola virus; and smallpox. All work with these agents must either be conducted in a “Suit Laboratory” or a “Cabinet Laboratory” to protect the employees and the surrounding community from exposure.” “GOVERNANCE AND BIOSECURITY: STRENGTHENING SECURITY AND OVERSIGHT OF THE NATION’S BIOLOGICAL AGENT LABORATORIES,” Michael Greenberger, Talley Kovacs, and Marita Mike, 13 DePaul J. Health Care L. 77 (Summer, 2010). “In addition to the standard procedures required for BSL-1, BSL-2, and BSL-3, the BMBL BSL-4 guidelines recommend that workers entering the laboratory should remove all of their personal clothing in an outer clothing change room and put on special laboratory clothing, including undergarments. Then, when exiting the laboratory, workers should remove their laboratory clothing in an inner changing room, shower, and dress in their personal clothes in an outer changing room. This is a time consuming process to go through just to enter and exit the laboratory.” “Biosafety Regulations: Who’s Watching the Lab? Safety in High Risk Infectious Diseases Research,” 25 Temp. J. Sci. Tech. & Envtl. L. 213, Rebecca Emerson, (Fall, 2006).

These then are the ‘primary risk criteria’ used to define the four ascending levels of containment, referred to as biosafety levels 1 through 4.

CRITICAL FACT:

CLEARLY, THE CDC AND DOD ARE WELL AWARE OF THE PROTOCOLS FOR HANDLING EXOTIC AND EXTRAORDINARILY LETHAL PATHOGENS SUCH AS EBOLA IN A CLININCAL RESEARCH SETTING. WE KNOW CDC AND DOD SCRUPULOUSLY ADHERE TO GUIDELINES TO SECURE THE LETHAL PATHOGEN EBOLA, TO KEEP IT IN BIOSAFETY LEVEL 4 CONTAINMENT LABORATORIES. WHY WOULD WE REQUIRE ANY LESS STRINGENT MEASURES WHERE NURSING STAFF IS ASKED OR ORDERED TO TREAT AN EBOLA (BIOSAFETY LEVEL 4 PATHOGEN) PATIENT WHO IS ESSENTIALLY A HEAVY LOAD BIO BAG OF DEADLY CONTAGION?

CONSIDER: “The proliferation of research on highly virulent pathogens in academic and commercial settings, without proper reporting and controls, poses a national public health threat. . . . Due to the dramatic increase in funds available for biodefense research, there is a mismatch between the demand for research and the availability of experienced researchers. As a result, scientists with too little training may be handling infectious agents that are too dangerous for their level of experience.” “Biosafety Regulations: Who’s Watching the Lab? Safety in High Risk Infectious Diseases Research,” 25 Temp. J. Sci. Tech. & Envtl. L. 213, Rebecca Emerson, (Fall, 2006).

SO, PLACING NURSING STAFF, WHO HAVE HAD INADEQUATE TRAINING IF ANY TRAINING AT ALL HANDLING THE DEADLY BIOSAFETY LEVEL 4 PATHOGEN, EBOLA, AND HAVING DONNED CLOTHING THAT IS USELESS OR VIRTUALLY USELESS IN PROTECTING AGAINST SUCH A PATHOGEN, CONFRONTED WITH A PATIENT SPEWING EBOLA LADEN VOMIT, BLOOD, AND DIARRHEA ALL OVER THE PLACE DOESN’T AMOUNT TO RECKLESS INDIFFERENCE TO THE LIFE AND WELL-BEING OF THAT NURSING STAFF?

THE BILLION DOLLAR QUESTION:

IF SUCH SCRUPULOUSLY STRINGENT MEASURES ARE IN PLACE AND HAVE BEEN IN PLACE TO CONTAIN THE EBOLA VIRUS AND TO TRAIN AND TO PROTECT THOSE WHO WORK WITH IT, WHY IS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SO CAVALIER ABOUT THE HORRIFIC UGLINESS OF AND LETHALITY OF THE EBOLA VIRUS NOW THAT IT IS ACTUALLY OUT IN THE OPEN – “IN THE WILD?” DOES THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CARE?

KEEP IN MIND: EBOLA IS UNCONTAINED AND UNCONSTRAINED NOW PRECISELY BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT REFUSED TO BAN WEST AFRICANS ENTRY INTO THIS COUNTRY. THE GOVERNMENT’S REFUSAL TO BAN WEST AFRICANS’ ENTRY INTO THIS COUNTRY BEFORE THE FACT IS BAD ENOUGH. BUT WHAT IS REMARKABLE AND REPREHENSIBLE IS THAT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT STILL REFUSES TO BAN WEST AFRICANS’ ENTRY INTO THE UNITED STATES.

According to the October 17, 2014 edition of The Wall Street Journal, President Obama “said he is open to a travel ban – presumably involving nations in West Africa where the Ebola outbreak is centered – if experts advise him one is needed. But so far they have not, he said, adding that he has no ‘philosophical objection’ to one.”

WHAT THE HELL DOES “NO PHILOSOPHICAL OBJECTION” TO A TRAVEL BAN MEAN?

MOREOVER, WHO ARE THOSE EXPERTS WHO PRESIDENT OBAMA SAID ADVISED AGAINST A TRAVEL BAN? AND, WERE THERE NOT ADVISORS WHO ADVISED FOR A TRAVEL BAN, PERHAPS, WERE VOCIFEROUS IN ADVISING FOR A TRAVEL BAN?

SEVERAL SETS OF QUESTIONS FOR THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

If the Federal Government is in fact truly concerned about the immediacy of a full-scale Ebola pandemic in the U.S., then we have several questions we would like answered.

FIRST:

WHY WAS THOMAS DUNCAN, A PERSON FROM LIBERIA – A HOT ZONE FOR EBOLA – WHO LATER DIED FROM EBOLA, PERMITTED TO ENTER THE UNITED STATES? REMEMBER, EBOLA DID NOT BREAK OUT IN THIS COUNTRY UNTIL DUNCAN BROUGHT EBOLA INTO THE COUNTRY. AND, HE HAS SINCE PASSED THAT HORRIFIC DISEASE ONTO TWO BEAUTIFUL, YOUNG AMERICAN NURSES – TWO, AT LEAST, WHOM WE KNOW ABOUT. HOW MANY OTHER AMERICANS ARE NOW HARBORING THE DEADLY EBOLA VIRUS FROM DALLAS, TEXAS TO CLEVELAND OHIO AND, PERHAPS, THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES ONLY BECAUSE THE PRESIDENT DIDN’T DEEM IT NECESSARY TO PRECLUDE WEST AFRICANS FROM ENTERING THIS COUNTRY?

SECOND:

HAVING ENTERED THE UNITED STATES FROM LIBERIA, WITH EBOLA, WHY WASN’T DUNCAN IMMEDIATELY ASSESSED FOR EBOLA AT THE EMERGENCY ROOM OF THE DALLAS HOSPITAL WHERE HE PRESENTED HIMSELF? WHO IS AT FAULT? WHAT PROCEDURES WEREN’T ADHERED TO? WHO IS CONDUCTING AN INVESTIGATION? IS AN INVESTIGATION OF PROCEDURAL IRREGULARITIES BEING CONDUCTED? WILL THE AMERICAN PUBLIC BE APPRISED OF THE OUTCOME OF AN INVESTIGATION?

THIRD:

ONCE THE CDC DETERMINED THAT DUNCAN HAD EBOLA, WHY WAS DUNCAN TREATED AT A GENERAL HOSPITAL NOT RATED AS A BSL-4 FACILITY, ENDANGERING THE LIVES OF BOTH HOSPITAL STAFF AND PATIENTS?

FOURTH:

WHY DIDN’T THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IMMEDIATELY ORDER THAT DUNCAN BE TAKEN TO A BSL-4 RATED FACILITY FOR TREATMENT OR SENT BACK TO LIBERIA FOR TREATMENT? AND, WHAT WAS THE CDC’S ROLL IN THIS? WHAT DIDN’T THE CDC DO? OR, WHAT DID THE CDC DO WRONG?

FIFTH:

WHY WAS DUNCAN TREATED BY HOSPITAL STAFF THAT HAD NO TRAINING IN DEALING WITH DEADLY BSL-4 LEVEL, HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS PATHOGENS?

SIXTH:

WHY WAS HOSPITAL STAFF THAT TREATED DUNCAN NOT PROVIDED WITH BSL-4 LEVEL PROTECTIVE SUITS BEFORE BEING ASKED TO ENTER OR ORDERED TO ENTER A ROOM WHERE THE EBOLA PATHOGEN WAS RUNNING AMOK IN UNCONTROLLED POOLS AND SPLASHES OF BLOOD, DIARRHETIC STOOL, AND VOMIT?

SEVENTH:

WHY HASN’T THE PRESIDENT AS YET ORDERED A LOCKDOWN OF OUR AIRPORTS AND WHY ISN’T HE SECURING OUR BORDERS?

EIGHTH:

HOSPITAL STAFF AND 911 DISPATCHERS ARE NOW CAUTIONED AGAINST USING THE “E” WORD. WHY? WILL THAT MAKE EBOLA GO AWAY?

NINTH:

WHY IS THE PRESIDENT STILL ALLOWING INDIVIDUALS FROM AFRICAN HOT ZONES ENTRY INTO THE U.S. AFTER ONE SUCH INDIVIDUAL ACTUALLY BROUGHT EBOLA INTO THE U.S. AND INFECTED TWO YOUNG, BEAUTIFUL AMERICAN NURSES WITH A HORRIFIC, DEADLY DISEASE? ARE THE PRESIDENTS’ ADVISORS ALREADY TELLING THE PRESIDENT THAT IT IS TOO LATE? THAT THE PUBLIC IS DOOMED?

TENTH:

WHY IS THE GOVERNMENT’S OPERATING IN A REACTIVE RATHER THAN PROACTIVE MODE? CLEARLY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS FLAILING JUST AS IT DID DURING THE KATRINA DISASTER. A PANDEMIC, THOUGH, DOESN’T JUST AFFECT ONE STATE OR A FEW STATES. A PANDEMIC AFFECTS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. THE PRESIDENT’S FIRST CONCERN SHOULD BE THE HEALTH AND WELFARE OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, NOT THOSE OF WEST AFRICA. SO, WHY ISN’T THE PRESIDENT DOING MORE TO PROTECT PEOPLE HERE? WHY IS HE SENDING THOUSANDS OF YOUNG AMERICANS OVER THERE? THAT ONLY SERVES TO ENHANCE THE PROSPECT OF MORE EBOLA ARRIVING TO OUR SHORES WHEN THOSE THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS COME BACK HOME CARRYING SOMETHING NO ONE WANTS AND NO AMERICAN NEEDS.

Consider: “T. Grace Emori, a noted researcher at the CDC, who stated in a telephone interview, ‘My greatest fear is that those who decide to use bioterror will discover the secret to the spread of the Ebola agent and use it against a civilian population.’ “In such a situation, the carrier of the Ebola strain would himself, be dying. The virus would have begun the process of liquefying his internal organs. He would be coughing frequently and with that cough, potentially spreading the virus that was killing him. Applying the epidemiological model, the first to become ill would likely be those hosts who are usually at high risk for illness such as the old, the young or those with an underlying illness that suppressed their immune system. However, in an environment such as a crowded city, others would soon become infected. Closely confined spaces such as elevators, subways, busses or even restaurants would hasten the spread of the disease. Soon those infected first would infect others before they, too, died.” “PROVING CAUSATION IN ACTS OF BIOTERRORISM, Kenny Mallow Williamson,” 33 Cumb. L. Rev. 709 (2002/2003).

BOTTOM LINE: DO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE REALLY NEED TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT BIOTERRORISM WHEN INEPTITUDE, GROSS NEGLIGENCE AND RECKLESS INDIFFERENCE TO THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF AMERICANS IS EXHIBITED BY OUR OWN GOVERNMENT? COULD AN “ISLAMIC BIOTERRORIST” DO ANY WORSE WERE THAT PERSON TO CONSCIOUSLY, INTENTIONALLY INTRODUCE A DEADLY PATHOGEN INTO THIS COUNTRY?