Charlotte’s Nancy Writebol, the missionary who contracted Ebola in west Africa, is back in the U.S., being treated at Emory in Atlanta. She is said to be in serious but stable condition, and in isolation so other people don’t catch the deadly disease. And maybe that’s an idea for the entire African continent.
The latest numbers coming out of Africa show the death toll climbing close to 900 people in this latest outbreak. But it’s difficult to get an exact number on the fatalities, or even the infection rates, because of reports that people are afraid to admit contact with the disease, out of fear of the response. Which means it’s going somewhat unchecked, spreading from Guinea to Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Morocco, and of course, Liberia.
Don’t forget here in America. We have at least two cases: the infected aid workers. And the first thing we did after bringing them home was to put them into isolation. Quarantine. They’re being treated, but are also cut off from others to keep the virus in check.
And we did something similar right here last week. A guy checked into CMC last week with Ebola-like symptoms. It wasn’t Ebola, but while doctors examined him, the hospital put up a quarantine area for safety.
And other countries have been put under restrictions lately, for different reasons. The U.S. banned travel to Israel because of Gaza, and flights have been diverted around Ukraine. Medically, quarantines have worked in the past.
So our Man on the Edge, Robert Wilder, asked if the entire country of Africa should be isolated…
