Ebola outbreak - general thread #3

[jjenny]

To obtain a Fiance Visa is very time-consuming, costly and includes LOTS of paperwork. It also requires a thorough health check through a US approved physician, being thoroughly checked shortly before entering the US, making sure the person has no contagious decease, blood tests are required, being tested for AIDS, TBC etc. It also requires proof of certain vaccines (hepatitis etc.).

And yet there he is. In Dallas. Full of Ebola virus.

 

[faw720]

This statement is NOT factual, he does not want to charge him with assault, he and his office are simply looking into the matter. Please source if you have different information. I live in Dallas, 8 miles from the hospital and apartment. I hate seeing so much misinformation. Here's the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/06/us/ebola.html

“We are actively having discussions as to whether or not we need to look into this as it relates to a criminal matter,” Dallas County’s district attorney, Craig Watkins, said on “Lone Star Politics” on NBC 5 on Sunday. “We’re working with all the different agencies to get to the bottom of it.” His spokeswoman said prosecutors had previously filed aggravated assault charges against people who were H.I.V. positive and knowingly had unprotected sex with others; and it was possible the same charge may apply in Mr. Duncan’s case.

People are panicking. That's why I wish officials would just level with the public on the FACTS. I have said before I think most people could handle the situation if they were confident they were being told the truth. The more we are not told, the more we doubt. I actually get pretty upset when people are casting Mr. Duncan as the villain in this situation. I just do not believe that anyone would want to get Ebola & infect others.

 

[SStarr33]

There are some articles online about why his visa should never have been granted, but I think they are all political sites which I can't link. Basically, they say these are the strikes against him:

Single
Unemployed
Liberian (5th highest overstay rate of any country in the world)
Has recently resided outside of his country of citizenship, displaying weak ties there
Sister living in the United States.

 

[SStarr33]

People are panicking. That's why I wish officials would just level with the public on the FACTS. I have said before I think most people could handle the situation if they were confident they were being told the truth. The more we are not told, the more we doubt. I actually get pretty upset when people are casting Mr. Duncan as the villain in this situation. I just do not believe that anyone would want to get Ebola & infect others.

Really? Have you ever heard of suicide bombers? Not that I think (yet) that this was his intention.

He is the villain because he lied.

 

[LinasK]

Really? Have you ever heard of suicide bombers? Not that I think (yet) that this was his intention.

He is the villain because he lied.

I agree! Considering he slept on all the mattresses in his girlfriend's apartment, knowing he was at least infectious with the flu at minimum, I don't think he cared who he infected. His primary goal was to get into a hospital in the US, IMO.

 

[Oceans]

And yet there he is. In Dallas. Full of Ebola virus.

If he came only "to visit" (as a tourist), the requirements are much less.

 

[SweetT]

There is a new app on the Android play store called contagion alert I think.. The guy who made it wants people to download it so people who are afraid to speak about possible ebola cases can do it there.. He is wanting people in health care to use it as well as the general public..and encourages folks to put the information on Facebook etc.. The more people who use it the better.. Then we'll be able to see if we're being lied to or not.
If this wasn't OK to post then mods can delete.
Contagion tracker is the name

 

[Redux]

I agree! Considering he slept on all the mattresses in his girlfriend's apartment, knowing he was at least infectious with the flu at minimum, I don't think he cared who he infected. His primary goal was to get into a hospital in the US, IMO.

Per the above timeline provided, the ticket was purchased for him 13 days before he ever had contact with Marthalene.

 

[FlamingoLady]

*****Opinion only****** ***No Link*****
IMO, it is clear he got on a plane to the US for the medical care. It indisputable he would have a better chance of survival here. Unfortunately he endangered others when he made that choice. IIRC, the girlfriend and her kids were told to remain in the apartment on quarantine but they chose to ignore those instructions, thus possibly endangering others. I don't know if it's a cultural thing or what, but none of the players here seem to take the possibility of infecting others very seriously. This does not sit well with me, or many other people, I'd venture to guess.

Edited to add: I wonder how he felt when he went to the hospital initially and they sent him home. That would cause me to think, hey maybe I DON'T have Ebola......

 

[Oceans]

There are some articles online about why his visa should never have been granted, but I think they are all political sites which I can't link. Basically, they say these are the strikes against him:

Single
Unemployed
Liberian (5th highest overstay rate of any country in the world)
Has recently resided outside of his country of citizenship, displaying weak ties there
Sister living in the United States.

There are different kind of visas:

http://monrovia.usembassy.gov/nonimmigrant_visas.html

 

[kimlynn]

JMO I don't recall describing him as a hero. But I feel sad for and about him.This is a tragedy in an ongoing crisis and while it is terrifying, I cannot blame anyone for trying to escape it. Using an "honor code" quite flexibly is not a prevention. If he survives, which I doubt, I'm sure he will feel guilty and embarrassed that he caused so much panic and heartache for us and for his loved ones. I am not a religious person, but I think that the "golden rule" applies here. JMO

One would think he might feel guilt even if he didn't know he was infected. Have any of the people known to Duncan spoken out on his behalf to say that he would be horrified if he were aware of what he has brought about?
If so I have missed it.
What I did notice was a picture of a young man leaving the apartment (CNN) with a grin from ear to ear and I also heard a snippet on my local news of a female (not sure who it was) saying in a demanding tone that she wanted the medicine for Duncan that the other 4 had and that Americans were not doing enough for Duncan.
If I were in this situation I know I would rather hide away and would feel a large sense of guilt and sadness versus making demands,although I do understand the desire to want the best care for our loved ones.
IMO

 

[LinasK]

If he came only "to visit" (as a tourist), the requirements are much less.

Yeah, I doubt he applied for the Fiance-Visa because he'd have to get blood-tested, and would have been denied when he did test positive for the symptoms, so he probably got the easier Visa, then figured he'd marry her here. Does she have American citizenship, anybody know???

 

[SweetT]

If he came only "to visit" (as a tourist), the requirements are much less.

My daughters boyfriend came here from Costa Rica on a tourist visa and had to do all the things someone mentioned above.. Interviews.. Health screen everything.. It was a pretty rigorous process and yes the round trip ticket too.. He's back in Costa Rica now as he only had a six month visa

 

[Redux]

*****Opinion only****** ***No Link*****
IMO, it is clear he got on a plane to the US for the medical care. It indisputable he would have a better chance of survival here. Unfortunately he endangered others when he made that choice. IIRC, the girlfriend and her kids were told to remain in the apartment on quarantine but they chose to ignore those instructions, thus possibly endangering others. I don't know if it's a cultural thing or what, but none of the players here seem to take the possibility of infecting others very seriously. This does not sit well with me, or many other people, I'd venture to guess.

Again, per the above timeline, the ticket was purchased 13 days before he had contact with Marthalene.

Can anyone explain how that fits into the theory that he came here for the healthcare for his ebola virus?

And while we're at it, I'm wondering why, if he was just itching to get here for the medical care, he didn't he run to the nearest hospital and confess that he was from Africa and had been in contact with someone with ebola.

 

[LinasK]

Per the above timeline provided, the ticket was purchased for him 13 days before he ever had contact with Marthalene.

Yeah, but knowing he'd directly handled a dying woman from an area ravaged by Ebola, he could've self-quarantined there and delayed his flight by 3 weeks. Think of all the fewer people he would've risked infecting.

 

[BirdycatNY]

This is an excellent report about the origins of the Ebola outbreak.

Hell in the Hot Zone

As the Ebola epidemic rages, two questions have emerged: How did the deadly virus escape detection for three months? And why has a massive international effort failed to contain it?

http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/2014/10/ebola-virus-epidemic-containment

Thank you for sharing this informative article. The article also points out the serious problem of hunger, and where IMO the U.S. and other countries and supporting agencies will be most efficient to focus their energy (besides keeping potential ebola out of their borders): provide sufficient food and basic supplies like bleach and protective gear to families. If W African countries health infrastructures are failing, provide basic education to the communities and proper supplies. Countries may already be doing this, but these countries need more education, bleach, food and protective gear. Maybe that's why U.S. will be sending military, IDK.

ETA - hypo, the 65K USD spent to clean/decontaminate Duncan apt could have been used for how many supplies in Liberia if he had not travelled to Dallas, TX USA?

 

[WichitaFalls]

People are panicking. That's why I wish officials would just level with the public on the FACTS. I have said before I think most people could handle the situation if they were confident they were being told the truth. The more we are not told, the more we doubt. I actually get pretty upset when people are casting Mr. Duncan as the villain in this situation. I just do not believe that anyone would want to get Ebola & infect others.

I think some are past panic and moving into hysteria. I agree with you in questioning whether the officials are being completely level. I see lots of "dog and pony" shows in an effort to keep the public calm. I think the situation was terribly mishandled from the very beginning and now it's impossible to believe we are being given ALL of the facts.

I've been in that very ER over the 40 years (recent past) that I've lived here. All of my current doctors are from that hospital. There are lots of questions and not so many answers which is why it is so important to keep what few facts we do have straight.

I'm hanging on to the fact that no new cases have been identified so far. Prayers and positive vibes to the patient, his loved ones and all of the professionals involved in this complicated and potentially serious situation.

 

[Mzkity62]

My whole problem with the situation is that if I had a contagious disease, I would NOT put myself on an airplane. I would not try to infect another country. This is the scariest disease to hit the whole world in a very long time. I am telling you these are like the plagues of the bible. The disease control specialists still do not know how to control this, even though they will tell you they do. This is nothing more out of control than the black plague of the middle ages. We still do not know enough. This is NOT only transmitted by bodily fluids. I am not buying that for a minute. This can be transmitted through the air. Yes, you are contaminated if you sit next to someone on a airplane. Come on, how could this have gotten so bad so fast?
I am not a super alarmist. I grew up in the era that people didn't want to be associated with people that had cancer. My father died when I was 18 months old from brain cancer and I remember when I got a little older that other kids from the neighborhood were not allowed to play with us because their mothers thought they could catch it. I just know that is more easy to catch than cancer. The people in Africa are not stupid. They do know about diseases.<modsnip>

 

[SStarr33]

Epidemiologist: Stop the flights now

Infected men and women may not be contagious on the plane, but they could wreak havoc when they arrive.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/10/06/epidemiologist-stop-the-flights-now/

 

[SweetT]

I had read their were several shipments of aid to that area that were being held up due to political reasons and other stupid stuff.