[ClearCase_guy]

I'd give it only a 0.1% chance, but if Ebola were to get really, really bad in the US (and I give that a 1% chance), I can imagine a scenario where health workers say, "We think you might possibly have Ebola: we need to toss you directly into that incinerator over there. Grab him boys!"

Faced with something like a Hollywood Zombie Apocalypse,I can see people doing whatever it takes to stop the spread.

Not likely. But possible.

[backwoods-engineer]

Yeah, and rather than grab a person they think has Ebola, just shoot them from a distance; that’s what I’d do. That stuff is incredibly infectious on a patient that is vomiting and showing under-skin hemorrhages.

[grania]

The thing is, if Ebola takes off in the US, do we really want every hospital and every medical professional at them exposed? I know the DC crowd would say "the risk of that is very slight", but:

1. I don't think they know what they're talking about

2. Even if the risk is slight, is it really sensible to have no hospitals in a region that are Ebola-free?

It wouldn't be difficult to direct everyone with Ebola-like symptoms to go to one hospital in the area. If it's flu or Envero or whatever, so what? A specialty hospital could sort it out without getting everyone else sick.