If American health officials thought that the recovery of two nurses infected by Ebola patient Thomas Duncan might be the end of the outbreak fears, they got a nasty surprise in New York City. A doctor named Craig Spencer tested positive for the virus on Thursday, having contracted the disease after working with Ebola patients in Guinea. The news gets worse. The 33-year-old reportedly traveled on several subway lines Wednesday night, went to a bowling alley, and took a taxi.
Officials are tracking down anyone who may have had contact with Dr. Spencer, though they maintain publicly that the chances of secondary infection are slim. Americans were stunned when video footage emerged yesterday showing police officers working around Spencer’s Manhattan apartment. Instead of disposing of their gloves and masks in a responsible manner, they were throwing them into public trash cans. While the video does not show the officers having entered Spencer’s apartment, many have wondered if we still aren’t taking this threat as seriously as we should.
Conspiracy?
Meanwhile, there are disturbing reports that American health authorities could be engaging in a coverup as it pertains to undisclosed Ebola cases. So far, the American public has only been made aware of four intracontinental diagnoses: Thomas Duncan, Nina Pham, Amber Vinson, and now Craig Spencer. However, a Missouri doctor named James Lawrenzi told the Alex Jones Show that the government is downplaying the real story.
According to Lawrenzi, at least two patients have “disappeared” from Kansas City medical facilities after being admitted for Ebola-like symptoms. One had recently been to West Africa and was apparently bleeding from multiple orifices. Lawrenzi claims that he was told that the patient had malaria, not Ebola. In the case of the other vanished patient, hospital officials maintained that he was infected with typhoid.
To be sure, Alex Jones has never been particularly concerned with getting all the facts straight before giving his readers a story. Still, his conspiracy-minded approach to the news isn’t the worst thing to have at a time like this. Do you doubt that the federal government would be willing to keep additional cases under wraps if it served their best interests? Especially with an election only two weeks away? The only real question is whether or not they think they can get away with it.
On to the Next One
Because the 24-news-cycle runs itself out so quickly these days, stories that are hot one day are ancient history the next. When was the last time anyone talked about the (ongoing) war in Afghanistan? When was the last time anyone talked about this year’s mysterious Malaysian Airlines incidents?
We can’t afford to grow complacent when it comes to Ebola. It hasn’t happened yet, but the networks aren’t covering it like they were at the beginning of the month. You can already feel the public turning from panic to boredom. Ho hum, what’s next? It is in this kind of atmosphere that the government is free to cover up whatever they want.
I agreed with everyone who said we needed to avoid panic. I agreed with everyone who pointed out how many more people die from the flu. Good. Fine. But we can’t let Ebola become “just another thing.” I don’t want to see New York, Texas, or any other American state become a mirror of Liberia.
