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A Couple Things About Ebola (Update)

To begin, let me say that I’m not a virologist and I’m not an infectious disease physician. I think, though, that there are a few things that need to be said about Ebola. First, it seems like the mainstream media would like nothing better than for us to be frightened. I guess if your fear index goes up they sell more papers and get more hits online.

According to the CDC, there have been 887 deaths secondary to Ebola. All the deaths have been confined to Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria.

Unlike HIV in the late ’70s and early ’80s, we already have a large amount of knowledge regarding the Ebola virus. Fruit bats are the natural host of the Ebola virus. Most infections have come from handling of infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines. Ebola spreads through direct transmission. It is not an airborne virus. In order to catch Ebola it must be absorbed through the mucous membranes or through a break in the skin. You must come in contact with direct secretions/fluids from an infected individual or animal in order for you to come down with Ebola.

As far as I know, people like Donald Trump are not experts in virology. Mr. Trump, however, thought it was extremely important for him to weigh in on whether or not infected Americans should have been flown to Emory University for appropriate care. I’m sorry, but I don’t ever want to be in a position where I would need to ask Donald Trump about how to take care of complex medical problems. On the other hand, if I need to build a skyscraper or a casino, he will be at the top of my list. If the folks at Emory and the CDC can’t take of Ebola patients then nobody can. They are the experts in infectious diseases.

Update:

By ecthompsonmd|2014-08-06T21:50:30-04:00August 5th, 2014|Healthcare|2 Comments

Government Shutdown – Day 15

Tell me if you have heard this one before. The government shutdown is dragging on and there is no end in sight. Well, it looks as if we are making some progress. I mentioned that we would have be close to October 17th and it looks like I was right. The House is too dysfunctional to really get anything done. So, once again, the Senate has taken the ball. Here’s what we know –

The emerging agreement would extend the Treasury Department’s borrowing authority until February 7th, reopen the government and fund federal agencies through mid-January, according to aides and lawmakers familiar with the negotiations.

From what the Washington Post is reporting, the GOP is not getting anything, but I find this really hard to believe. Nothing? Stay tuned. The devil is in the details. On the other hand, I don’t understand why the Democrats would agree to a short-term measure. Doesn’t that mean that we are going to be right back here in a couple of months? This is key.

Melissa sent me this video yesterday. It appears that the GOP has changed the House rules, making it impossible without approval of the Speaker to introduce legislation to fix this government shutdown.

What are your thoughts? How can we change this?

By ecthompsonmd|2013-10-15T21:17:10-04:00October 15th, 2013|Congress, Party Politics|Comments Off

Top 10 Villains of All Time

I bet you’re thinking that I was going to start with Ted Cruz, John Boehner and Eric Cantor. Nope, I’m not going there. These are cinematic villains. Who are the top 10 bes- acted villains in cinematic history? I saw this wonderful video on YouTube and I needed to share it with you. Can you name all the villains in the movies that they come from? I had trouble with a couple.

top 10 villains of all time

By ecthompsonmd|2013-09-30T19:42:47-04:00September 28th, 2013|Movies|1 Comment