We now know the name of the nurse who represents the first case of Ebola caught here in the U.S.: Nina Pham. Her apartment is being treated by haz-mat crews, and they’re trying to trace who she had contact with. Although she wore protective gear as she treated Dallas patient Thomas Eric Duncan, she still caught the disease, and that is leading to a lot of speculation.
First, let’s bring you up to date. A top U.S. health official says there will now be more training and outreach on how to safely treat patients with Ebola. The CDC originally said that Nina Pham contracted the disease due to a breach in protocol. Also, officials are trying to find an appropriate place to monitor Pham’s dog. (Spanish officials euthanized a dog that may have been infected.) And a Louisiana site now says it will not accept the ashes from the incineration of the dead Ebola victim’s belongings.
And to tonight’s point, the conspiracies are really starting to whirl. Over the weekend, singer Chris Brown tweeted: “I don’t know, but I think the Ebola epidemic is a form of population control. S*** is getting pretty crazy bruh.”
And it’s that kind of thing the World Health Organization is trying to fight. Monday, it issued a statement warning against irrational actions: actions which are fueled by fear, and not just by ordinary citizens. Political leaders are calling for travel bans, and border security to stop infected people from entering the country.
There are also Ebola deniers out there. Some people in Africa say the disease doesn’t exist; it’s a cover-up for something, like cannibalism. Some think it was created in a lab on purpose, or that it’s a New World Order plot to control the population. Health officials are also fighting misinformation, like the belief that onions or condensed milk can guard against the disease.
All this made us wonder what people would say when we ask: how have you heard you can catch Ebola?
