Dear friends: Major news outlets are confirming that the first case of Ebola has hit an American hospital. My Spider Sense is detecting elevated levels of fear in the general population. Lets all take a deep breath and review what we know: Okay, that was easy. We dont actually know much about this case, although Im sure well find out more in the next few hours and days. However, there are some important things to keep in mind: First, the patient is in protective isolation. Even though this person is not in one of the few (more than four, dont listen to the news) Level 4 isolation wards, they are still very, very isolated. They cannot infect you from there. Second, America is very different from Sierra Leone, Liberia and a host of other places. We have a sanitation system, for instance, that doesnt let drinking water mix with sewer products. We have hospitals that routinely use good, simple, proven sanitizing technologies that are very good at deactivating the Ebola virus. Soap works, hand sanitizers work, UV light works. We also have something very important: trust in the healthcare system. People in America, even people who hate Obamacare, believe that doctors in hospitals will improve their chances of surviving a serious illness, and hence will not flee back into the community when told to remain in isolation. Third, the mortality numbers quoted in Africa are not the same as the mortality numbers in America. If a strain kills 90%, or 50%, over there, it will kill fewer here. Why? Because since there is no reliable cure for the Ebola virus, a patients survival is a matter of stabilization: keeping the patient hydrated, nutrient-filled, un-swollen and unaffected by secondary infections, with clear airways and good circulation. Western medicine does this better. We are exceedingly good at taking very good care of our very worst patients, even in relatively crummy hospitals. Lets not be naïve here: as soon as we started getting reports that the containment of the outbreak in Africa was slipping, the fact that somebody sick would be reported in America was inevitable. When having a person with Ebola appear in this country is as simple as a person stepping on a plane who doesnt yet present with symptoms, it was only a matter of time. This should surprise and shock nobody. There isnt some magical forcefield around our country that keeps horrible viruses out. Its about time we rolled up our sleeves and got to work containing the problem here -- something that every country in the world will need to deal with, by the way -- and we should do so without panic. You are not going to die from Ebola. You are not going to catch Ebola. Its pointless to worry about these things. But if youre worried anyway, here are some sensible things you can do: wash your hands. Use hand sanitizer. Keep your hands away from your nose and mouth. Use good hygiene when eating or using the bathroom. You know, all the stuff you should be doing anyway. Do those things, and you are going to be fine. Please stop flipping out. Youre going to be okay. I love you all.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 22:31:29 +0000
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