While billionaire real estate investor, Donald Trump was spouting off negatively on Twitter at the beginning of the month about the return of the two US Ebola patients, Dr. Kent Brantly and Mrs Nancy Writebol were returned to Atlanta for some of the best possible treatment a human can get against the lethal Ebola virus in the safest conditions possible.
This week as we all know, both Brantly and Writebol were released from Emory University Hospital fully recovered from and not contagious with Ebola Virus Disease.
Anyone who understands the virus knows perfectly well the chance for secondary spread in the US was next to nil, particularly with the extraordinary precautions the CDC and Emory took with the two patients. We’ve seen it time and time again with other dangerous diseases brought in the the country (Lassa, Marburg).
Despite the US having a history of bringing back expats for a number of different reasons, Mr. Trump erroneously exaggerated the risk and if he had his way, would of left the missionaries in Liberia likely increasing the chances the outcome may have been different.
In addition, if Trump had his way, the great experts and exceptional staff at Emory, and the country as a whole would have missed out on this uniquely important opportunity.
The increased knowledge and insights in preparedness, isolation, treatments such as the importance of fluid and electrolyte replacement, the disease and its progression, including insights on clotting problems, and the ability to monitor Ebola recovered patients for any sequelae is invaluable knowledge in the battle with Ebola and future protection of the homeland.
So while Mr. Trump and that ilk drummed up much hyperbole, I am grateful that others decided to do the right thing. Besides, as I said to Jesse Ventura on his show “Off the Grid”, which is to be aired next week, “Why would anyone listen to Donald Trump about Ebola?”
God bless Dr. Brantly and Mrs Writebol and all the wonderful people at Emory.
Did anyone ever think that Donald Trump actually knew anything about Ebola? He’s not even in the field of Medicine. Sure the possibility was there for the virus to spread. All that it takes is some mistakes at the hospital. Human error is how situations like that occur. But I think Ebola is more likely to get in the US and spread after someone from an effected area in West Africa gets on a plane infected and during the viruses incubation period which is 2-21days. Because most people don’t get paid for sick days, the first two days resemble a flu. If Ebola doesn’t enter the infected persons mind they may still go to work. There he will spread it around and possibly on the way to work if he took public transportation. People touch their faces between 2,000 and 3,000 times per day after touching doorknobs, elevator buttons, poles on subways, trains, buses, and various other objects. Those issues are more important than worrying about some patient being put in quarantine in the US that has the Ebola virus.