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The CDC Strikes Again
Here is a story, dated 23 October 2014, from The New York Daily News:
The Harlem doctor who was rushed to a hospital Thursday with suspected Ebola symptoms had gone bowling in Brooklyn the night before.
Craig Spencer, who recently returned from disease-wracked West African country Guinea, hit the lanes in Williamsburg and used Uber taxis to get around, sources said.
The shocking revelation that Spencer was roaming around town — after first telling authorities he self-quarantined himself — emerged after the 33-year-old medic was hauled off to Bellevue Hospital in a protective suit with symptoms of the deadly disease.
Those include nausea and a 103-degree fever, sources said.
We will learn tomorrow whether Dr. Craig Spencer has Ebola or something else. But leave this aside. The man was in Guinea. He did come into contact with patients who had Ebola — and, under the protocols of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headed by Barack Obama’s hand-picked director Thomas Frieden, he was advised to “self-quarantine” and otherwise left to his own devices.
Would it not have made more sense to have put Dr. Spencer in a twenty-one-day quarantine in an institution operated with some rigor by the US Department of State somewhere abroad before admitting him again to the United States?
Barack Obama is not a man prepared to admit that he, the anointed one, has made a mistake. He kept Kathleen Sebelius on board as Secretary of Health and Human Services long after she had demonstrated gross incompetence in the Obamacare roll-out, and he has left Thomas Frieden in charge of the CDC long after he has demonstrated gross incompetence. What would it take for this President to admit that he has blundered and that one of his underlings has to go?
I fear that it will require that a number of Americans will have to die in anguish and that the American people will have to become enraged. I have seen a great deal of foolishness in the course of my life, but never have I seen anything to compare with the irresponsibility of our current President.
Yes, I know, I know. Ron Klain is now on the job. He came on board today, and I have confidence in the man. I believe that, as the midterms approach, he will do everything in his power to prevent us from learning about the number of people entering the US who turn out to have Ebola. But I do not have confidence that he will prevent us from being endangered. That is, after all, not his job. He is a political operative. He is not a physician.
ADDENDUM: Pravda-on-the-Hudson now reports that Dr. Spencer has tested positive for Ebola.
Published in General
I initially submitted this; and soon after it went up the news was released concerning Dr. Spencer’s condition.
I just had to have a chat with my daughter explaining that we’re not banning these people from the US because our President’s a moron.
She asked a bunch of questions, and the conversation kept coming around to the above explanation.
I guess it’s useful as a teaching exercise. Hopefully too many people won’t have to die as we’re learning this lesson.
In related news, the CDC has adopted the superior MSF [Doctors Without Borders] Ebola containment protocols. Which I agree is a good idea, but there’s one little problem:
“16 Members of Doctors Without Borders Infected with Ebola, Nine Dead”
http://www.jems.com/article/news/16-members-doctors-without-borders-infec
Morons.
Dr. Spencer was just following the Dr. Nancy Snyderman Soup Rules For Self-Quarantine
As I was driving this morning, I heard some snide commentator say that since the nurses were better now, this whole “Ebola in the US” thing will be old news by tomorrow.
Frankly, I was surprised that nurses were the first U.S. cases. Doctors are often the lax ones re: inflection control. Ignoring the protocol is par for the course.
When Mr. Duncan was first diagnosed I predicted this might end up being the American equivalent of the Rotherham situation in England – Obama’s politically correct minions are playing Russian roulette with our public health in the interests of multiculturalism. I pray this becomes the dominate focus of public discussion in the last weeks before this important election.
I don’t think Mr. Klain will succeed in scrubbing ebola off the minds of the electorate.
I’m a fan of a book entitled “The Fourth Turning” and the sort of incompetence displayed by the Obama regime is exactly what I expect to see from a failing regime about to collapse.
I recall such prior failures as the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Smoot-Hawley tariff, etc- and it seems to me eventually the present regime would make a similar disastrous political mistake.
The Iraq War may have been such a mistake- but that seems unlikely to me now.
Ebola-potentially with a long list of disastrous consequences- seems more likely, especially as it is exposing the astonishing incompetence and waste in a way that is more real and certain than- for example- a rather obscure complaint about subprime mortgages.
Not everyone has enough interest to understand why that led to disaster, but everyone can understand why a deadly plague likely will do so.
As opposed to the people who have written the 6 dozen ebola threads here over the last few weeks.
Nope. No politics here. Just the facts.
Did we mention how this is all Obama’s fault? Oh yes. Yes we did.
Paul,
You can blow smoke in the face of the core of Obama voters. As long as you give them some way to blame others for the disaster they’ll take it no matter how absurd. The problem here is that all the excuses won’t fool the Ebola Virus.
Most of the 4,000 soldiers sent to Africa to fight Ebola won’t have any training or protective gear. The Pentagon spokesman was confident that they won’t be at risk. All of Obama’s spokesmen are confident.
When neither truth or nor results matter it is easy to be confident.
Regards,
Jim
BROOKLYN HAS AN EBOLA ALLEY…
“he has left Thomas Frieden in charge of the CDC long after he has demonstrated gross incompetence. What would it take for this President to admit that he has blundered and that one of his underlings has to go?”
Does the fact that the administration has given over to the states the treatment of ebola patients give you a clue? The CDC is where each state reports it’s cases so that the American people can know of an epidemic. Now, 50 different states report the local conditions to the objective news media, who can of course, be counted upon to report the numbers.
This ploy should be good for at least until November 4th.
So the Pentagon is run by political operatives?
I always thought it was run by career military personnel; meaning those who are there now, were those who were there during Bush, and who would have been there during Romney. And I also always through that decisions on what sort gear to bring were left up to career military personnel, and not directed by the President himself.
Or did the US military turn into a Banana Republic Army where the officers are switched every 6-8 years depending on whose cousin is in power at the time?
But, I guess, when one is trying to make a point, as you said “neither truth nor results matter”.
That’s (cough) not funny (cough, cough). I thought the hipsters at Brooklyn Bowl were ironically vomiting blood. Maybe I shouldn’t have rented the funny little shoes.
I happen to have noticed a few physicians involved in those threads, arguing against your viewpoint.
No matter. If not Obama’s fault, then whose fault is it?
Bush? I’ve been thoroughly critical of him at this site, thanks to my visceral and intense contempt for his relentless political failure- but if Barry and his imbecile minions had merely continued Bush’s policies we wouldn’t be facing this potential catastrophe.
But hey, I know why you’re really exercised to comment upon this matter.
It’s because you rightfully fear that the sacred principle of open borders will be fatally- ha ha- undermined by a deadly plague brought into the country because the regime was unwilling to implement blindingly obvious measures to combat it.
For example, by preventing people from plague ravaged countries from entering freely, or terribly worse- by securing the US border.
Yeah. We must never even think that the US border could possibly be secured- because then the Tea Party hordes might demand that the border actually be secured.
Much better that a deadly plague enter the United States than the public believe that could ever happen.
AIG,
First, be honest you hope that the Pentagon is still run that way. In the White House you are dealing with politics the Chicago Way. The career officers at the Pentagon are not experts in disease and are relying on CDC. I would have defended CDC the same way you are defending the Pentagon but a few weeks ago. Twice now the head of the CDC made statements that were literally logically impossible and obviously so to anyone with an IQ over 98.6. Now we must deal with the fact of an agency that is charged with the ultimate responsibility of the country’s health spinning crucial statements for effect.
After Benghazi you must realize how little concern the very top of our political leadership has for our own people. They lie and put our people in harms way. After the inevitable negative result they go on lying.
All I can do is pray for the soldiers safety. If the Pentagon is still as you say it is then perhaps we will see some fireworks on this. I would be very happy to see it happen.
Regards,
Jim
Perhaps you’ve led a very sheltered life. The Pentagon has been populated by civilians and career minded generals and admirals since the 1960’s. There have been a few respected secdefs over the years, but the ladder climbers have run the military for decades. How else to explain why we have lost every war since Vietnam except for Grenada which was too small to ever matter to career ladder climbers.
Paul,
Isn’t it interesting that Gov. Cuomo is far more forthcoming than the CDC.
Stay tuned.
Regards,
Jim
Are you saying that Ricochet contributors and commenters should constrain their comments to matters on which they have professional credentials? That a lack of such credentials precludes any criticism of those who are—or claim to be—experts? If that’s what you are saying, I don’t think you understand Ricochet.
And it is Obama’s fault that there is no off-shore 21-day mandatory quarantine or travel ban for travelers from the infected countries. If that failure leads to infections, then they are on Obama.
And let us not forget how quick they were to suspend travel with Israel during the Hamas attacks.
AIG… this site is a place where citizens voice their opinions on all matters related to our world: local, state, federal and international. We do talk “politics” but I would hardly describe our focus as “political” though most of it certainly revolves around that world. Some posts theorize, others question, some canvas, and others are indeed written by people who are involved or quite knowledgeable about their topic. This seems pretty obvious to me and I am curious as to the reason for the condemnation?
Also, with regards to the Ebola breakout the President is at the head of the government’s branch that currently directs those who are in charge of handling such a crises, HIS policies are dictating the direction those agencies are headed, and HE chose the people in charge of those agencies. No one here is accusing the President of INVENTING Ebola but he does bear responsibility for the spread of that disease here if his directions impeded our ability as a nation to defend ourselves from it. It doesn’t take an expert to know that stopping flights from nations infected with Ebola would be a credible and safe thing, nor a genius to issue an order that those coming in from those countries after treating the sick or spending time in infected zones should go through a standard quarantine. Even a simpleton such as myself can grasp the rationality of that…
AIG, didn’t you get about a dozen replies about how ridiculous this line of reasoning is last time you tried it out? Personally, I’m happy that we hold “Ebola Czars” and ricochet contributors to different standards.
Well actually us doctors do this thing called “writing orders” which involves others doing things that actually expose them to blood, stool, vomit etc. By and large, except for doing an invasive procedure or in a crisis, we leave that to …nurses.
Well Ebola now has a theme song….
I missed it, when were the people here named “Ebola Czar”? Obama is the CHIEF EXECUTIVE in the Federal government. No seriously look it up. He is ultimately responsible for the actions of those in the government who work UNDER him. Has he fired the bumbler at the CDC? Nope. Has he instructed immigration to cancel visas for people who have been in Ebola epidemic areas within 21 days? Nope. Told the FAA to ban flights from West Africa? Nope. Instead we get idiotic pap about the fragile economy of West Africa and how it would damage our ability to provide aid if we institute a travel ban. Instead we get “self monitoring” while potential Typhoid Marys dine out, ride the A Train and go bowling. Instead we get a Dem hack who’s entire career is one long sleazy political farce, from “Stimulus”, to Solyndra to Hanging Chads.
Here’s the bottom line. It’s up to the FEDS, and in this case the Chief Executive, Obama ( he did run for the job you know) to stop the travel to the US until the epidemic is controlled in Africa. As long as 150 people a day are traveling from West Africa to the US this is going to happen again, and again and again.
Uh, yeah. The DOD is jam packed with political appointments. And if they tell the career military to “shut up and soldier”, thats what they do they have no choice. And if you don’t think the top brass at the Pentagon isn’t sensitive to the politics around them, you don’t know the military.
No it would not have. I think Obama is a narcissistic Marxist and more incompetent than Bush. Will he be responsible for more American deaths than Bush? It is looking like he might be.
The Dr. in question is reported to have followed the Drs. Without Borders guidelines that are more than adequate. DWB has been in W. Africa for months dealing with Ebola and has developed a more than adequate protocol. In the beginning the CDC adopted a less stringent isolation technique than the DWB had developed and two nurses who where treating Duncan suffered the consequences.
Asking your question about a person known to have Ebola is not engaging in sound reasoning. I hope you hold your students to a higher standard.
The question should be what protocol should be followed for a person who might have been exposed to the Ebola virus? While I do not have a lot of faith in the CDC, DWB who has a good deal of first hand experience probably has it about right.
You might want to consider that Duncan was sent home form the ER when he was symptomatic. He spent three days with his family who did not have any protective equipment. None of them developed Ebola. Perhaps this is not as contagious as you seen tho think it is.
The fatality rate for Ebola in the US, where modern medical intervention can be quickly applied, seems to be a lot closer to 20% than the much talked about 70%. There are secondary effects, some long lasting, for people who recover but the chances of a major threat in the US is almost nil. Bacterial meningitis will kill and disable more people than Ebola in the US this year and in years to come.
The CDC chose to politicize Ebola almost from the vary beginning and is paying the price for this. I don’t have much positive to say about how they or the Obama thugs have handled it. I don’t always agree with your arguments, but generally find them will reasoned. I don’t in this case.
Yet another idiot medical professional. Kozak, lay blame at the feet of the government all you want. But as for me, Im a conservative and I believe in personal responsibility. That means I know that looking to government to solve our problems is foolish. Your colleagues need to be less arrogant and stupid. They should know better and I’m not going to blame the CDC or Obama, as incompetent as they may be, for the blatantly moronic and reckless behavior of doctors and nurses who knowingly endanger the public.
For the record, I did not pose my question with regard to someone known to have Ebola. I posed it with regard to someone who had “come into contact with patients who had Ebola.” Re-read my piece.
If the Doctors Without Borders guidelines “are more than adequate,” how did Dr. Spencer contract the disease? Indeed, how did so many DWB physicians posted to West Africa contract the disease?
You may well be right in suggesting that bacterial meningitis will kill more Americans than Ebola this year. We shall see. I should think that this would depend on how many individuals bring the latter disease to these shores from West Africa. If there are forty or fifty such individuals, our medical system — which is ill-prepared to hand large numbers — could be overwhelmed.
Common sense suggests that “self-quarantining” of the sort practiced by Dr. Spencer and by the nurse who went on a cruise is not adequate.
One of the reasons why quarantining is necessary is that one cannot rely on individuals to be responsible. Dr. Spencer should not have been allowed back into the US until he had undergone a 21-day quarantine.
ONLY 20% fatality rate.
What a relief. Still more then yellow fever (15), Leptospirosis (5-30), Legionella (15%), Mengicoccemia (10-20),Typhoid(10-20), SARS(11), Diptheria (5-10),Bubonic Plague (5). Oh, and before you take a victory lap, your sample size is a tad bit small to be statistically significant.
You know the biggest problem with your “analysis”?
There is no reason to have ANY cases in the US.
A travel ban and strict quarantine of returning medical personnel would remove almost all the risk.
What exactly do you want doctors and nurses to do in this case?
I’m sincerely curious.