“Not a job for our military. This is the domain of World Health Organization.”
Protecting America from foreign threats, including biological ones is a job for our military. “WHO director general Margaret Chan said the vast nature of the outbreak....required a massive emergency response.” They failed to contain it.
“Hogwash. In those African countries, 500 people die of pneumonia for every one that dies from Ebola.”
Do you understand the logarithmic nature of the spread of an epidemic? Pneumonia is already in America and would be no problem if some Liberians came here with it. If you cant see that Ebola is different from that, I surely can’t help you.
“So how are a few thousand Americans going to make a difference?”
Do you guys read the news at all? http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/us-military-to-lead-ebola-fight/2014/09/15/69db3da0-3d32-11e4-b0ea-8141703bbf6f_story.html
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-09-16/why-the-ebola-crisis-wont-end-without-military-intervention
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/13/world/africa/liberian-president-pleads-with-obama-for-assistance-in-combating-ebola.html?_r=0
Doctors Without Borders, MSF(frech medical org), state military intervention is required, and the president of Liberia is imploring Obama for help. Don’t let hatred of Obama cloud your mind to reality.
“The general will head a regional command based in Liberia that will help oversee and coordinate U.S. and international relief efforts while a new, separate regional staging base will help accelerate transportation of urgently needed equipment, supplies and personnel.
In addition, the Pentagon will send engineers to set up 17 treatment centers in Liberia — each with a 100-bed capacity — as well as medical personnel to train up to 500 health-care workers a week in the region. ...
Global health experts and international aid groups who have been urging the White House to dramatically scale up its response praised the plan as described. They have said charities and West African governments alone do not have the capacity to stem the epidemic.
The U.S. military, with its enormous logistical capability, extensive air operations, and highly skilled medical corps, could address gaps in the response quickly.”
” a secured air-bridge system must be initiated while commercial air travel continues to shut down. An air-bridge will be essential to continue uninterrupted transport of health-care workers, medical supplies, and food.”
“The American military is not trained for this mission. We have CDC to perform this function. “
Actually they ARE trained for command and control, and do have significant medical capabilities. They will be doing exactly what they are trained for. The CDC on the other hand is not equipped or trained to fulfill the roles the military is. But they are also helping. “CDC is rapidly sending more disease-control experts to the four nations currently reporting cases.” But the CDC actually sent people to learn from Doctors Without Borders who has more experience with Ebola outbreaks.
“And where is the rest of the world?”
In case you haven’t noticed over the last 200 years America is not only the beacon of freedom in the world, it is the country that always comes to the aid of others, whether it is earquakes, oppressive regimes or health care. You may not like it, but without our intervention the world would be a dark place ruled by the likes of Hitler, who we stopped.
“This is a grandstanding ploy by Obama.”
Oh please. Yeah that is why all these world health organization are pleading for help is to glorify Obama. Get real.
“Why on earth would we want to infect our military and have them come back here to infect their families and the rest of the US?”
You apparently dont have much faith in our military. I am sure they are just going over to lick the bodies of Ebola patients and just rush back here to infect their families and America. Makes perfect sense.
“What’s this “You people” crap?”
Shorthand to save naming the several individuals.
“You apparently dont have much faith in our military. I am sure they are just going over to lick the bodies of Ebola patients and just rush back here to infect their families and America. Makes perfect sense.”
Do you realize that it can be transmitted for *months* post recovery by sexual activity?
What are the odds that all 3000 of these military personnel refrain from sexual activity with the locals for the duration of their stay? Even if sufficiently warned, how many of them will do it anyways? I’m not accusing *our* military of promiscuity out of turn, but *all* militaries have had this issue since the beginning of time. Will they be restricted to their base camps with no chance of seeing the outside in any form or fashion?
You don’t have to ‘lick the bodies’ to get the disease. It’s in the taxicabs of Monrovia right now. It can be transmitted via doorknob as was done in Nigeria to one of their medicos. Directly touching the patient, the fluids of the patient, or anything the fluids have touched can transmit the disease. Like money.
Will there be any locals working for the military in the kitchens, or performing any other mundane tasks? Will they undergo health screening and temperature checks several times per day? Will the military restrict access to the base camp to *only* those who have come from the US?
Will the troop be subjected to a 21d quarantine on their return to this country?
No need to get snarky I'm just saying even the doctors completely covered in hazmat suits are getting ebola. It's not that I don't trust the military - it's Ebola I don't trust. Quarantine the entire area. That's what kept it from spreading before, it was in remote villages and burnt itself out - send it more victims to feed on and it will continue to spread.
Yes. Place them at our border and keep everybody out. Let citizens in and keep them in quarantine for 7 months.