Ignorance and Ebola

“We have met the enemy and he is us.” – Pogo

I work for a hospital system in southeastern Michigan. It’s a good system made up of four hospitals.

Last week, one of our hospitals close to Detroit Metropolitan Airport held an Ebola drill. That particular hospital is the go-to facility for medical problems that happen at the airport.

Metro Airport is one of 12 airports in the U.S. that accept direct international flights, so it is possible that a flight carrying someone with Ebola might land there.

Our drill was highly successful. Apparently we were one of few hospitals around the country holding such a drill. One wonders why.

Anyway, I think the key to our drill’s success was the diligence of the people participating in the drill. Everyone took it very seriously, as they should have. We got rave reviews from the local newspapers and television stations.

While there does appear to be a procedure to help those infected with Ebola stay alive, there is no cure for stupid.

The Texas hospital let its infectious disease staff wander freely after tending to the first Ebola victim to die in the United States. As you know, one Texas nurse was confined almost immediately because she showed symptoms of Ebola.

But a second Texas nurse, who had a low-grade fever, asked her hospital and the CDC if she could fly to Cleveland to pick out a wedding dress. They said sure. The next day, while shopping for her dress, she realized she had a high fever. Since then, she too has been put in isolation.

A third member of the same infectious disease team who was in charge of the Ebola patient’s bodily fluids was found three days later on a Carnival cruise ship off Belize. That person was immediately isolated on board.

What is wrong with them?

Someone who works at my hospital, a wonderful and optimistic person, posted on Facebook that we’re the United States – we’ll handle this.

My niece posted on Facebook and quoted a comedian who said that within 24 hours of the Ebola patient’s dying, people were out buying masks and supplies – but they still don’t take AIDS seriously even though it was officially discovered in the early ‘80s.

It isn’t Ebola that’s going to get us. Apparently, our own lack of common sense will be our undoing.