The Ebola Witch Hunt - Separating the Science from the Scandal
I am not the world's biggest fan of President Barach Obama. His Affordable Health Care Act (AKA Obama Care), hasn't exactly been affordable for me, because the cost of my health insurance has approximately doubled since this law took effect. Furthermore, from the perspective of a postal worker it disturbs me that he agrees with Postmaster Pat Donahoe that Saturday delivery should be eliminated.
But last Saturday I finally did hear something on the radio that I agreed with Obama about. In this Presidential address he was explaining his decision not to close off air travel to Africa; in essence cautioning people to calm down and look at the science before succumbing to Ebola hysteria. Unfortunately for the President, this statement will probably lead to the complete erosion of whatever is left of his approval ratings, because the media is making sure that the American public is not in the mood to be calmed down. The news outlets continue to fan the flames of the Ebola panic, which in my opinion is a danger mostly contrived for radio and TV ratings, not a threat that deserves the complete mobilization of our limited health care resources.
Despite the President's attempts to be a voice of reason crying out in a wilderness filled with mostly illusory dangers, you won't find me snuggling up next to any Obama cuddlies on my sofa. You won't find any of the infectious disease plush toys pictured here in my home either. Even though they are immensely popular; selling almost as briskly as hand sanitizer these days, I find collecting them to be in poor taste, a hobby that is perhaps appropriate only for science teachers with a rather sinister sense of humor. I am using these disease cuddlies in this article because maybe I have a slightly warped sense of humor myself, and also because the reaction to the Ebola outbreak is more than a little warped and needs to be put back into perspective.
Voice of Reason in the Ebola Chaos?
Let's face it - It's fun and cool to hate Obama these days, and if you belong to certain ethnic groups it is almost a requirement that will get you a lot of strange, worried, repulsed looks if you do not, almost as if you were the one of the current four or five Americans infected with Ebola. All the same, despite my personal quarrels with Obama I am inclined to judge the man based on the merits of his words and deeds and not because of any dogmatic political convictions I may or may not hold. Therefore, I was inclined to agree with the President when he said a little over a week ago:
"This is a serious disease, but we can't give in to hysteria or fear - because that only makes it harder to get people the accurate information they need. We have to be guided by the science. We have to remember the basic facts.
So in light of President Obama's speech of October 18, what is the "science" behind Ebola? What are the basic facts? Is it really the deadly epidemic that will kill a third of the world's population, as some Facebook prophets have forewarned, or is it not much more than a mere static blip on the United States infectious disease radar?
In order to gauge the true threat level represented by Ebola, lets look at some of the other diseases that are still alive and kicking out there, remaining as deadly as ever even though they seem to have been completely steamrolled into oblivion by the Ebola panic juggernaut.
HIV
Although HIV was at one time the disease de rigueur to be paranoid about, it has suddenly and drastically been eclipsed by Ebola. This is true even on the African continent, where Ebola deaths are mere decimal point percentages when lined up next to the decimation caused by the HIV virus.
People don't talk much about HIV anymore and it produces a lot of yawns as a conversation starter. Still the disease has not gone away, even though you won't hear so much as a fragmented sentence about it on talk radio. All the same HIV is alive and kicking; the World Health Organization (WHO) estimating that complications caused by the virus kill between 1.5 to 2 million people annually. 1.2 million of these deaths occur on the African continent alone, which by contrast has lost 4912 people to Ebola in 2014. I just did a little math - I've found there is nothing more intimidating than a mailman who can work story problems better than you can, and figured out that at this rate it will take Ebola 244 years to kill as many people as HIV does annually in Africa. So if we listen to the scientists rather than the self-proclaimed prophets of the Ebola apocalypse, it is pretty clear that Ebola will not wipe out the human population of the African continent, something that HIV is doing a much better job of.
Meanwhile HIV sits back, rears its ugly, cuddly plush toy head and laughs at all the commotion caused by the Ebola distraction, overjoyed that the attention of those pesky, meddling WHO (World Health Organization) and CDC (Center for Disease Control) agents has been temporarily diverted elsewhere.
Tuberculosis
Remember Tuberculosis? Tuberculosis (TB) was a disease that medical science gave a triumphant fist pump to when doctors thought they had largely eradicated it around mid century, but it turns out the celebration was premature. Today, largely due to antibiotic resistant strains, one third of the world's population is believed to be infected with tuberculosis. In 2013 there were an estimated 9 million cases and 1.5 million deaths.
Because of the trendy new vaccination paranoia in the United States and other "developed" nations, TB and other ghosts of diseases past such as polio and whooping cough are also making a comeback. However, I'll bet you if I walk into a crowded doctor's waiting room and shout out "I have TB!" not more than two or three people will look up from their cell phone screens before yawning and going back to Facebook chat. It seems people have forgotten that if I hack out my TB cough in that waiting room they will need to have a stack of books piled up for the next six months they are going to spend in the sanitarium. On the other hand, if I go into the same waiting room and shout out that I have Ebola, as a student at my son's college did last week, people will be getting trampled trying to flee the building like it was the front of the ticket line at a Beyonce concert. This is fine with me, because afterward I can snag that choice seat by the magazine rack. Anyway, this hysteria exists even though in head to head all around death competition TB is definitely kicking Ebola's butt, hands down.
Influenza
But what about the good old, sweet little ordinary flu? Compared to the nasty connotations associated with that evil "E" word, nowadays "Flu" has such a pleasant, harmless ring to it. Indeed there has been a bit of resentment in the Orthomyxovirus community that Ebola is hogging all the attention right when the cold and flu season is getting ready to crank up, and I believe this grievance is legitimate. After all, when one looks at sheer numbers the flu virus could kick Ebola's butt with all of its nucleoproteins tied behind its back.
According to the Center for Disease Control, influenza and the pneumonia commonly associated with the flu killed 53,000 people in 2011, a fairly typical year. But even this was a drop in the bucket compared to cancer, which killed 576,000, and heart disease, which resulted in 596,000 deaths that same year. But the last I heard the CDC isn't going to be busting down doors to throw people in the quarantine tank in order to keep them away from those dripping double cheeseburgers, hot fudge sundaes and cigarettes that are killing them slowly.
Who is killing Who? Ask the WHO.
If you take a careful look above at this WHO (World Health Organization) chart for the year 2012, you'll see that we don't really need a lot of help from Ebola because we are doing a pretty good job of killing ourselves. The heart disease and stroke deaths per 100,000 that are depicted in the graph for high income nations are clearly associated with good living and poor dietary and lifestyle choices that people in poor countries can't afford, and therefore die from at a much lower rate. Yet despite Michelle Obama's highly ridiculed campaign to make schoolkids skinny, people essentially ignore heart disease until it is too late and there is none of the "Katy bar the door," hunker down, paranoiac rage we have seen during this Ebola outbreak.
Most certainly the CDC should take steps to make sure that Ebola does not become much more serious than this tiny, isolated outbreak has been, but I for one am not going to add my small voice to the deafening chorus of CDC detractors. Although I am the first to cry foul when our government demonstrates corruption, malfeasance, and incompetence, I don't think this is one of those cases. It seems actually amazing to me that the CDC has been able to identify and isolate all of the 70 some people that the lone US Ebola fatality, Thomas Eric Duncan, came into contact with after he entered the United States infected with the virus. Is it reasonable to expect that the CDC will keep every single person in a nation of 300 million from getting sick? Half of my coworkers are laid out with some early season bug right now, and I don't hear them shouting for CDC heads to roll in between their coughing spasms.
Ebola is a red herring. I am normally not a conspiracy person, but it doesn't surprise me that the largely smoke and mirrors Ebola media outburst has occurred in such close proximity to the upcoming November 4 elections. It is a frightening illness indeed and a gruesome way to die, but I think that the highly unmerited and exaggerated paranoia it has caused is diverting resources away from illnesses that are much more serious and require all hands on deck to fight.
That's not to say I'm ready to curl up with the Ebola plush toy right now, hoping that it will softly soothe my way into dreamland during these troubled times. No, it looks way too creepy and it gives me the heebie-jeebies just thinking about its ugly implications. And now the dog has dragged the Obama cuddly off into the backyard where he is making short work of it, so there's no comfort there either. So where do I go to for consolation and solace these days, with threats to life and limb around every corner? Maybe I'll just take up smoking for stress relief. That seems relatively harmless, if you believe what those fat boys on the radio say about it.
Express your opinion on the Ebola "Crisis."
Is Ebola a dangerous threat or a mostly media-manufactured smokescreen?
Comments
I do remember the hysteria that was at some point with the Ebola virus. You are right, people need to calm down otherwise information can't get to them. I remember I had a short panic moment thinking at where all this can lead and what a horrible outcome this might be and I was blocking away any reason because I was basing my emotions and thoughts on fear. Crazy.
Have a nice day :)
OMG! I remember that and how she handled it. Now she's up against Ron Paul I believe, who announced his candiacy a week ago or so. I don't follow politics that much these days.
I know. Hillary Clinton just announced her campaign run for the president today. Let the games begin.
I agree. It did hit close to home here in Ohio, when a nurse was sick with the virus. You're welcome. And now back to regular politics for the 2016 elections.
Mel, this was a great and well-written hub on the ebola virus that hit here last month. Very insightful and sharp too. Voted up for interesting!
You make so many excellent points. I absolutely appreciate your perspective, especially since "ebola" became "e-whata?", overtaken most recently by the measles hype (remember that?) and the blizzards in the northeast. I'm wondering what the next crisis will be, once the snow melts.
You certainly have a way of putting things in perspective that is lacking in the major, and even minor, media these days. A very well done Hub.
Hey, dude. I live in California and will most likely be going to UC Berkely next year (only 40 mnitues from San Francisco), so if you need any help, I'm here.
Ebola plush toys!? Did you know a recent survey showed that Americans thought that ebola was biggest main health threat. How many of those people who are terrified of ebola have bothered to get a flu shot which only costs about $20 at drug-store or walk-in clinics? It's free with some insurance plans, including Medicare.
I would add Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to that list of things more likely to kill you than Ebola-- Somehow this just got so much more coverage than it should have--
Media hype reminds me of war propaganda. You did a great job here on the serious killers that we really do need to be concerned about.
Indeed, I've not heard one mention of it since the elections. Hmmm...However, irrational fear always finds a way. Today, I saw some people swearing the end of the world is happening because it snowed in New York. I'll bet that some of them find a way to blame that on other people too. I agree with what you and others have said...we need to just focus on the facts!
Although HIV kills a lot more people, it works slowly, and is more difficult to catch. Ebola is a very scary illness. I think more effort needs to be put into preventing it's spread in the countries where the outbreaks are occurring. Of course we need to think reasonably about it, and not panic, but take sensible steps to isolate anyone who has it.
An interesting read worth thinking through, adding a lot to the discussion about this topic. There's no doubt it's being used for political purposes, probably as a distraction at the very least, but the speech encouraging people to think reasonably about the disease was rather lame considering the number of illegal entrants into our country this year. Don't get me wrong, people should think reasonably, particularly those who have travelled from Africa, but there are unanswered questions. The average person does not want to just take the word of those who are well protected from the exposures.
You really put a lot of thought and research into this article, and it shows! You brought to light some things I had not considered.
I can't believe a person can actually purchase these plush toys for different diseases!
I will give Obama credit for one of my daughters now who can get health insurance for a preexisiting condition she has. She was never able to get coverage before.
Voted this Hub Up, etc. and shared.
This was very informative and really gets you to think.
Great Hub Mel! I like the way you explained the Political gain to the Ebola crisis.
I agree with you that there is a lot of hysteria about Ebola.
I also agree with you that there are many deceases that are a much greater threat to the Global health. (In those African countries that has many Ebola casualties, even in those countries they have deceases with an even larger death toll).
So why the hysteria?
I believe that the reason is that the cure or treatment is yet unknown.
Therefore: Ebola is like an unknown threat; just as it would be if the rumor said that Zombies were running around in the neighboring town.
So what is then the good news? I believe that the focus on Ebola will result in a very soon invention of cure and vaccine.
It seems to me that some politicians saw the Ebola outbreak as more of a political opportunity than anything else. If stirring up irrational fears among the public was the cost of gaining that advantage, they had no problem with that. I hope voters remember.
Agreed. Thank you for listing AIDS, tuberculosis, etc.. Another disease that no one pays attention to is malaria, which kills far more people on the African continent even then AIDS. But of course those diseases don't touch the average American so we "yawn", as you say. This one can be brought to our doorstep (however unlikely). I think that is the reason people buy into the hysteria. What a poor commentary on us. It's darkly humorous that we Americans think ourselves so advanced and scientific until something like this happens, then we abandon all reasoned thinking. Thanks for bringing some reason to this whole thing.
Haven't read much about the ebola disease beyond headlines, this is the first time I read an article on it. you're right, it could be exaggerated by media. The examples you mentioned point out the need for perspective.
Hi, great points, yes I totally agree with you, the strange thing is that as I am reading this I have the news on in the background over here in England, and would you believe it? they have not mentioned ebola once tonight! maybe they are getting the same ideas as you, too much hype. its horrible what's happening over there, but there is only so much we can do about it, and I hope the powers that be are doing that, we just have to be careful and keep watch. those other illnesses do put it in perspective, nell
BRAVO! I'll never say that the number of Ebola cases won't increase, but as you said, I don't see it as being the next pandemic to wipe out millions of people. Also as you said, HIV/AIDS provided the same reaction when it first hit the US and now it's rare to hear anyone talking about it. I'm more concerned about the flu becoming a larger problem since it mutates every year or so. Think about it. The shot you get this year was made to protect against last year's strain so you can still get a bad case of any new strain that comes along.
This is a very informative and thought provoking hub, Mel. Ebola needs to be controlled, but as you have shown, other diseases are having far more serious effects at the moment. Thanks for sharing all the details.
Hi Mel Carriere you have presented important notes here and frankly I don't see ''A cause for concern but not deserving of the hype'' as I have voted. You stated the facts clearly. All with precaution!
I'm with you my friend. I've hardly paid any attention to the so-called crisis. I was too busy reading about the school shooting here in Washington State, something I find much more alarming. :) Thanks for the voice of reason.
Great job just with the facts man. I always have just looked at the numbers and thought -- lightening strikes and shark attacks on land are just as likely as me or mine getting Ebola. Thanks
Mel - Once again you present the truth and facts in a highly educational and interesting manner.
To me the most alarming thing about all of this is how politics drives most decisions and even the news we see. I really don't know what would be the right way to handle the Ebola situation. Our borders are pretty much wide open so most anyone could fly into Canada or Mexico and easily enter the USA.
I guess we just have to live with these things until the sky starts falling, then we can panic and go back to living in caves.
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