It Begins: Ebola Starts to Spread in the U.S.

The first case of transmission of the Ebola virus (to the nurse who treated the fellow in Dallas who died and - UPDATE - now a second nurse) marks the beginning of what we can only assume will be the spreading of the disease in the U.S. Expect the Dallas source to be one of any number of others. We don't know who came in contact with the virus in Dallas. We also don't know how many other infected people have or may enter the U.S. from other countries, despite the screening at a select few airports. Whether such screening will prove effective can be judged by the simple fact that taking people's temperatures doesn't address the problem adequately. One can be infected and not generate a higher than normal temperature for days. The screening appears to be more an attempt to calm people's nerves rather than a real preventive measure.

While noticing more people expressing concern with Ebola now consists of anecdotal evidence of growing fear, it would seem that our previous comment still stands that reaction remains muted due  partly to ignorance of the virulent nature of this potential plague and partly to not wanting to face the truth. As posted a few days ago:

"...with millions of ignorant folks, not facing the truth, as a part of their daily interactions with the world, is it any wonder the concern for Ebola has been muted? My guess is it will remain relatively muted and then switch into full blown panic in a heartbeat, once the victims start piling up. "

So while it appears we still remain in the lull before the storm, with each new reported incident of the Ebola virus spreading, the day of reckoning may be drawing closer. Of course, we must continue to hope that cases remain few and far between and that our health care system, despite the yawning gaps in security caused by some percentage of negligent and, frankly stupid people who operate in the system (and here we recall the nurse in Dallas who, explaining to the CDC how the hospital "missed" the infected man who eventually died reportedly said: “He said he was from Liberia, not Africa.”). Right now, while we don't want to say it looks like the deck is stacked against us, it's certainly tempting.

But that's OK. Like all good ostriches, let's continue to keep our heads firmly inserted into a hole in the ground. The view in the dark really provides much more comfort than what's starting to appear in the light of day.