"New York City doctor with Ebola reportedly lied about his movements in city"

"The New York City doctor who became infected with the Ebola virus last week initially lied to health officials about his movements around the city after he returned from treating victims of the disease in West Africa, according to a published report."

The New York Post, citing law enforcement sources, reported that Dr. Craig Spencer initially told investigators that he had self-quarantined in his Harlem apartment. According to the paper, Spencer's story fell apart after investigators checked his credit-card statement and information from his Metrocard.

I don't mean to continually harp on Ebola, but, this is precisely the problem with the "self monitoring" policy that the Obama administration favors. Didn't Duncan, patient zero, lied to the admitting nurse at the Dallas Hospital? Even after he was admitted.

People lie, other people get infected... Ok, that doesn't rime but it does make sense. It's not too much to ask of people, who already know about the consequences of treating Ebola, to take the extra step necessary to ensure that they are not infected. end of rant.

Btw. Has anybody heard from our new Ebola Czar?

Ebowling in New York

You just never want to start a sentence with "If I can put my fingers in the holes..." pic.twitter.com/Dt7K9IkDL2
— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) October 26, 2014

"Doctor in New York City Tests Positive for Ebola"

"A doctor in New York City who recently returned from treating Ebola patients in Guinea tested positive for the Ebola virus Thursday, becoming the city’s first diagnosed case."

The doctor, Craig Spencer, was rushed to Bellevue Hospital Center on Thursday and placed in isolation while health care workers spread out across the city to trace anyone he might have come into contact with in recent days.

Dr. Spencer

“Our understanding is that very few people were in direct contact with him,” Mr. de Blasio said.

Dr. Spencer had been working with Doctors Without Borders in Guinea, treating Ebola patients, before returning to New York City on Oct. 14, according to a city official. (read more)

"NYC Ebola Patient Attended CMJ Venue, Events Canceled"

our @GoodnightRecord show at @thegutter canceled tonight because of an #ebola scare in #Williamsburg ..still @MercuryLoungeNY tonight @ 1am!
— HEAVEN (@heavenbandNYC) October 23, 2014

Shepard Smith takes media to task over ebola hype

How to avoid contracting ebola -Guardian

"Obama May Send National Guard to Liberia to Fight Ebola: Sources"

"President Barack Obama is expected to issue an executive order Thursday paving the way for the deployment of National Guard forces to Liberia to help contain the Ebola outbreak there, sources told NBC News."

The sources said that eight engineers and logistical specialists from the Guard, both active-duty and reservists, would probably be included in the first deployment. They are expected to help build 17 Ebola treatment centers, with 100 beds apiece. The sources said that no decision had been made.

Policy via trial balloons?

In light of how Obama has postponed controversial aspects of ObamaCare until after the midterms, including promised unilateral action, vis-à-vis the "undocumented", would it be fair to ask why is Ebola rushing Obama? Why cant Ebola wait it's turn, until after the election, like everybody else?

Meanwhile, the CDC Frieden testifying before congress today trotted out a Pelosism, as a rational for why we haven't curtailed Ebola Air from West Africa.

So US has to let potential Ebola carriers in to know who they are. That's the Frieden case.
— Byron York (@ByronYork) October 16, 2014

Ebola in the USA: A Sencond Dallas Health Care Worker Tests Positive

"A second health care worker at a Dallas hospital who provided care for the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the U.S. has tested positive for the disease, the Texas Department of State Health Services said Wednesday."

The department said in a statement that the worker reported a fever Tuesday and was immediately isolated at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. Health officials said the worker was among those who took care of Thomas Eric Duncan, who was diagnosed with Ebola after coming to the U.S. from Liberia. Duncan died Oct. 8.

"An additional health care worker testing positive for Ebola is a serious concern, and the CDC has already taken active steps to minimize the risk to health care workers and the patient," the CDC said in a statement.

"What happened there (in Dallas), regardless of the reason, is not acceptable. It shouldn't have happened," Anthony Fauci, director of the Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of NIH, said on MSNBC on Wednesday.

CDC Director Tom Frieden told Fox News Megan Kelly last night "We look at what happens and we adjust as we need to".

"Ebola test on Texas health-care worker comes back positive"

"A Texas health-care worker who was in full protective gear when they provided hospital care for an Ebola patient who later died has tested positive for the virus and is in stable condition, health officials said Sunday. If the preliminary diagnosis is confirmed, it would be the first known case of the disease being contracted or transmitted in the U.S."

Dr. Daniel Varga, of the Texas Health Resources, said during a news conference Sunday that the worker wore a gown, gloves, mask and shield when they provided care to Thomas Eric Duncan during his second visit to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. Varga did not identify the worker and says the family of the worker has "requested total privacy."

"We're deeply concerned about this new development," Dr. Thomas Frieden said in an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. "I think the fact that we don't know of a breach in protocol is concerning because clearly there was a breach in protocol."

'First Ebola Patient to Be Discovered in US Dies'

Texas Ebola Patient Thomas Eric Duncan Has Died, Hospital Says - NBC http://t.co/3GRtluPQdH http://t.co/3x3YLCiamI
— C. Michael Gibson MD (@CMichaelGibson) October 8, 2014

NY Times link to the story.

Slate finds "disturbing" that so many of the docs fighting Ebola are missionaries.

@laurahelmuth @PalmerBrian @Slate Welcome to the realization that the real selfless work in this world isn't done by self absorbed liberals.
— Joseph Ryan (@jmotivator) October 2, 2014

CDC chief: Isolating Ebola Stricken Countries 'Wouldn’t Work'

"Appearing on MSNBC, Frieden was asked about potentially prohibiting air travel between the U.S. and West Africa, where the Ebola outbreak is most widespread. He said that such a restriction would likely be ineffective and would make it harder for health officials to root out the virus".

“The only way we’re going to get to zero risk is by stopping the outbreak at the source” in West Africa, Frieden said.

“Even if we tried to close the border, it wouldn’t work,” the top health official added. “People have a right to return. People transiting through could come in. And it would backfire, because by isolating these countries, it’ll make it harder to help them, it will spread more there and we’d be more likely to be exposed here.”

Excerpt from a link to an article of an Ebola virologist interview posted by Pogo this morning (Pogo is a doctor btw)

Q: There has been speculation that the virus could mutate or has already mutated to spread more easily. How likely is that?

A: I don’t think there is any data right now to support that. If you look at the virus sequence, it falls within the normal range of Zaire Ebola strains. Of course any of these mutations could have a dramatic effect, which we don't know right now. But there is nothing obvious that would point to a more transmissible, more virulent virus, or a change of transmission route. (bold mine)

Could "nothing obvious" mean something that isn't obvious is being missed?

You can speculate in every direction, of course, but I think it should be fact-based, it should be data-based, and I think it makes absolutely no sense to bring in aerosol transmissibility as a potential. I think this is really not helpful, unless you have data to support that.

I take that to mean nobody knows with a 100% certainty how this strain of Ebola is spreading. I could be wrong, but that's what I come away with from what I've read and heard so far.

"Ebola Patient's Family Ordered To Stay Inside After Trying to Leave"

"Out of an abundance of caution, we're starting with this very wide net, including people who have had even brief encounters with the patient or the patient's home," Texas Department of State Health Services spokesperson Carrie Wilson said in a statement. "The number will drop as we focus in on those whose contact may represent a potential risk of infection." 

"We are stopping Ebola in its tracks in this country," CDC Director Tom Frieden said in the release. "We can do that because of two things: strong infection control that stops the spread of Ebola in health care; and strong core public health functions to trace contacts, track contacts, isolate them if they have any symptoms and stop the chain of transmission. I am certain we will control this."

Update.

A tweeter suggest it would be "xenophobic" to restrict Ebola pathways into the United States.

@DLoesch Good job promoting xenophobia
— Kelechi Obi (@KelechiObi) October 2, 2014

'Kelechi Obi' appears to have deleted her tweet, charging calls for flight restriction from Ebola afflicted countries, to the US, as "xenophobic".

"Ebola case in Dallas confirmed by CDC, first diagnosis in U.S."

"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified the media at 3:32 p.m. Tuesday that Dallas has the first diagnosed Ebola case in the nation."

The federal agency scheduled a media briefing at 5:30 p.m. from its headquarters in Atlanta. Dallas County officials are expected to participate.

A blood specimen from the patient was sent to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, a testing process that can take 24 to 48 hours to confirm an Ebola infection -- or not.

The results came back about 3:32 p.m.

Dr. Thomas Frieden CDCP Director

CNN Update.

Ebola Resurrection

"Two Ebola patients, who died of the virus in separate communities in Nimba County have reportedly resurrected in the county. The victims, both females, believed to be in their 60s and 40s respectively, died of the Ebola virus recently in Hope Village Community and the Catholic Community in Ganta, Nimba."

"But to the amazement of residents and onlookers on Monday, the deceased reportedly regained life in total disbelief. The NewDawn Nimba County correspondent said the late Dorris Quoi of Hope Village Community and the second victim only identified as Ma Kebeh, said to be in her late 60s, were about to be taken for burial when they resurrected."

Speaking of Good News....

Scientists now believe that the Ebola virus can mutate into an airborne form.  Be assured, though, that this can only infect beings who breathe.

It was previously thought the untreatable virus, which causes massive internal bleeding and multiple organ failure, could only be transmitted through contact with infected blood.

But now Canadian researchers have carried out experiments showing how monkeys can catch the deadly disease from infected pigs without coming into direct contact.

Well, it's only monkeys and pigs, so why worry?

 'Our findings support the hypothesis that airborne transmission may contribute to spread, specifically from pigs to primates, and may need to be considered in assessing transmission from animals to humans in general,' they said.

This isn't very encouraging.

 The virus can be contained because it kills its victims faster than it can spread to new ones.

Pause to think about that.  Then read this:

However, if the disease is now airborne it could make containment more difficult.

Let's hope and pray that the 3,000 young Americans being sent to Africa to "fight" Ebola aren't being sent on a suicide mission. And maybe we should buy a supply of protective masks, just in case.

Read more here.

Dying For Their Cause

Madame Marie Curie, who coined the term "radioactivity," died of radiation. She was a heroic pioneer.

So it's sad to read that five co-authors of what will be an important contribution to unravelling the Ebola virus have died from Ebola: link

May they rest in peace.

Ebola or ISIS (or IS, ISIL)

@Lemang01 yea but do you stand a better chance of being in the room with Ebola or ISIS?
— sandy (@tnacgal) August 21, 2014

BBC: "Ebola Infected aid worker heads to US"

"A hospital in Atlanta is preparing to receive a US aid worker infected with the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa."

A spokeswoman for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said her agency was working on the transfer with the US State Department.

Barbara Reynolds said she was not aware of any Ebola patient ever being treated in the US before.

But in a statement, the Atlanta hospital said it has an isolation unit which is specially equipped to deal with this kind of infection. (read more)

Two Americans infected with #Ebola will fly to the U.S. for treatment, raising fears: http://t.co/WWvzeS1I79 pic.twitter.com/Vlezp5yN5y
— CNN International (@cnni) August 1, 2014

CNN: "Health officials say the Ebola outbreak, centered in West Africa, is the deadliest ever"

"As of July 20, some 1,093 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia are thought to have been infected by Ebola since its symptoms were first observed four months ago, according to the World Health Organization."

Testing confirmed the Ebola virus in 786 of those cases; 442 of those people died.

Of the 1,093 confirmed, probable and suspected cases, 660 people have died.

There also are fears the virus could spread to Africa's most populous country, Nigeria.

"Second American infected with Ebola"

***

Breitbart: "Group of Illegal Aliens from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka Caught Entering Texas from Mexico"