Must Be A Magic Vest

Another Ebola-infected patient is brought to the US.

He's a native of Sierra Leone but also a US permanent resident so flying him here for treatment was apparently the thing to do.

NBC: Ebola-Stricken Surgeon Dr. Martin Salia 'Extremely Critical'

The article notes he's in very bad shape, however the most interesting part is this photo of him being loaded onto and ambulance upon his arrival for transport to the hospital:

Notice how everybody involved in the transport is in protective suits, masks and goggles except one guy.

The guy in the chatreuse vest that reads "Safety Officer".

Ok then.

Don't Worry, Top. Men. Have It All Under Control

The Detroit News: Michigan monitors 8 for Ebola virus

So far, all are asymptomatic.

Let's keep hoping our luck holds, 'cause not much else other than hoping for good luck is really being done to effectively stop the import of potential patient zero+1s into the country at this point.

The Army Gets It, The Obama Administration Still Can't or Won't Get It

The Detroit News: Army troops isolated after Africa duty tour

Makes sense right? After coming back from assisting, treating and exposure to Ebola patients the Army is smartly isolating those troops and not just dropping them back on bases where they could potentially expose other members of the military.

Obviously an Ebola outbreak in the Army would have a nasty impact on our military readiness, so it's a smart and sane move.

Of course, the Obama administration can't see the logic in it and can't bring themselves to issue a similar quarantine of health workers and others coming from the infected outbreak areas. Whether this Army policy will be overruled in the interests of politics is not yet determined, but the Obama administration has been successful putting lots of pressure on governors of states that ordered similar quarantines.

So we're now awaiting whether a 5 year old in New York coming in from West Africa within the past 21 days has Ebola or just a fever from other causes. And we're still waiting to see if the NY Doctor's contacts also come down with Ebola in the next 21 days or so.

Hopefully we dodge it yet again and the kid and all the doc's contacts will be just fine.

Eventually our luck, which seems to be the only thing this administration is depending on to stop an outbreak in the US, is going to run out.

Obama Administration: Don't Quarantine People Coming Back From Ebola Infested Regions

After a doctor, who entered the country without a fever but came down with Ebola went out for some clubbing, bowling, and a little subway travel thrown in in New York city, a few governors came to their senses and figured out quarantining returning health workers who treated Ebola patients was a good idea.

Note that the good doctor entered the country sans fever, thus showing the rather weak linchpin in the current Obama plan to continue allowing visitors to the US from Ebola-stricken zones so long as they don't have a fever at the port of entry.

It sure didn't stop him, now will it stop anyone else who develops symptoms after arrival. Kinda a blatant chink in the ol' armor now isn't it?

But fear not, as the Obama administration really hates the idea of a quarantine procedure for health workers returning from treating Ebola patients, even after the Dr. Craig incident, and the record of health workers catching Ebola. White House working on new Ebola guidelines

Apparently the new guidelines will be to stop governors form quarantining returning healthcare workers.

Earlier, other aides to President Obama criticized the decisions by three states to quarantine people who are returning from Ebola-stricken West Africa.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power said quarantines may discourage health workers from traveling to West Africa to help block the disease at its source.

"If you put everyone in one basket, even people who are clearly no threat, then we have the problem of the disincentive of people that we need," Fauci said on ABC's This Week. "Let's not forget the best way to stop this epidemic and protect America is to stop it in Africa, and you can really help stopping it in Africa if we have our people, our heroes, the health care workers, go there and help us to protect America."

Anthony, are you Faucing kidding me?

This administration has learned nothing and forgotten nothing so far in its mismanagement of this crisis.

Reality apparently takes a back seat to ideology in their approach to handling this issue. Stopping Ebola in Africa is all well and good, but ignoring that it's now been imported on at least two separate occasions into the USA is rather foolhardy.

Note that it was imported at least once by one of these very same Fauci-celebrated health care workers, who while heroic in treating patients apparently lacked the brains and common sense to not go out on the town while feeling lousy after lots of exposure to Ebola.

Coming Soon: Ebola And Obama's CDC - The Seussical

Nurse: Can I travel after contact with Ebola and go with a fever on a plane?
CDC: Of course you can my dear, there's no shame!

Lab tech: Can I travel after exposure to Ebola on a ship?
CDC: Of course you can! Enjoy your trip!

Liberian Traveler: If from a place with Ebola can I come to Michigan?
CDC: As long as you state you're asymptomatic and self-monitor then come, come again!

Everyone Else: Will finally you stop travel from Ebola infected areas and impose quarantine to keep us all sane?
CDC: Never, that might interfere with Hope 'n' Change!

Feel free to add your own couplets in the comments.

YGTBSM: Liberian Visiting Oak Park [Michigan] Just Told To Watch For Ebola Symptoms

Our betters in government have apparently learned nothing and forgotten nothing. The outbreak in Dallas was apparently an insufficient wake-up call, so it's incompetent business as usual, and the consequences may be severe.

The Detroit News: Liberian visiting Oak Park told to watch for Ebola symptoms

The Oakland County Health Division said officials learned about the man from the Michigan Department of Community Health, which had been informed by the Centers for Disease Control, according to a statement.

The man, who has not been named, entered the United States through an airport in New York City, where he "was screened in accordance with CDC protocol before being permitted to enter the country," officials said. "The man said he had had no contact with anyone known to have the Ebola virus and was observed to be symptom free at the time of arrival.

"When he landed at Detroit Metro Airport, he was screened a second time by the CDC which showed he remained symptom free."

The CDC has asked the man to self-monitor his symptoms daily, and "out of an abundance of caution," an Oakland County Health Division epidemiologist has been assigned to communicate with him twice a day to monitor his health for at least 21 days, officials said in the statement.

So out of an abundance of caution they'll let a suspected carrier roam around in public and just self-monitor for 21 days?

CDC? That One Job Thing? Hello?

With this focus on political correctness and refusal to ban travel from infected areas for political reasons, the Obama Administration's response to Ebola is clearly desperate but not serious. With this administration, Hope seems to be the strategy.

CDC - Please Stop Screwing Up Just One Job, OK?

So not only was it incorrect that the second nurse got on the plane to Ohio without any symptoms as originally claimed, as she did in fact have a fever.

Incredibly, she reported she had a fever to the CDC who then told her she could travel anyways.

CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. John LaPook reports that Vinson called the CDC several times before boarding the plane concerned about her fever.

“This nurse, Nurse Vinson, did in fact call the CDC several times before taking that flight and said she has a temperature, a fever of 99.5, and the person at the CDC looked at a chart and because her temperature wasn’t 100.4 or higher she didn’t officially fall into the category of high risk,” said Dr. LaPook on the CBS Evening News.

Yes, WTF was she thinking getting on a plane knowing she had a fever and had worked with an Ebola infected patient? If she was concerned and had two brain cells to rub together how about a voluntary quarantine or getting tested before getting on a plane with over 130 people on it?

More importantly WTF was the CDC rep thinking in okaying the nurse to travel? Is s/he still employed by the CDC at this point?

It's just not reassuring that Frieden of the CDC is now saying the risk that she infected other passengers is "extremely low", considering the stellar track record they've had on this so far.

One Job CDC, you've got Just. One. Job.

CDC, You Had One Job.

And you damn well seem to be flunking it.

The Detroit News: Feds admit to failings in Ebola response

I realize spending millions on politically correct yet stupid things like fighting privatization of government run liquor stores , or your sister organization the NIH spending millions on things as useful as $509,840 grant from NIH to pay for a study that will send text messages in “gay lingo” to meth-heads, may be distracting you from your core competencies.

Oh, and until blocked by Congress the CDC was happily distracted working on anti-gun ownership propaganda rather than you know, having you Center on Diseases that need to be Controlled.

Just One Job CDC. All we want is for you to be competent at One Job.

Barn Door Now Partially Shut, But Has The Horse Already Bolted?

Or did they just proudly proclaim that they're about to install a screen door on the submarine?

The Detroit News: Ebola screening starts Thursday at 4 U.S. airports

Still no travel bans, quarantines or other travel restrictions coming from the infected zone.

Likely as efficient as the TSA and as effective. Aspirin can mask the fever, so just a thermometer check won't catch all potential carriers, nor those still during the incubation period.

Oh, and after all this fanfare, not to mention delay, it still won't even screen all potential carriers of the disease:

Customs officials say about 150 people travel daily from or through Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea to the United States. Nearly 95 percent of them land first at one of those five airports.

And the five percent coming through without even this cursory screening?

Anyone else longing for at least some Fed Gov competency?

After all, preventing the spread, not to mention introduction of a killer communicable disease is or darn well should be the ne plus ultra of Federal Government roles and responsibilities, and they've been rather underwhelming in this role so far to say the least.

Oh, How Very Not Good

Officials confirm 1st Ebola case diagnosed in U.S.

From The Detroit News:

Federal health officials have confirmed that a patient being treated at a Dallas hospital has tested positive for Ebola.

Oh for the days when we quarantined the heck out of areas with scary-deadly and infectious diseases like Ebola.