UNITED STATES—The entire crisis involving the Ebola epidemic that has made its way into the United States has many people on edge. This has concerned so many Americans to the point that you have people discussing not traveling overseas and perhaps putting travel restrictions to those looking to travel to regions where the deadly disease has reached epic proportions.
The larger question we should be asking ourselves is rather the country is prepared for an epidemic in case it were to erupt and my honest answer to that question is no. We’ve already had so many hiccups with the Ebola virus sneaking into the United States.
At the current moment, one person has already died from the virus and a few others have been infected. Is there a cure for this disease? What precautions can be taken besides quarantining people for 21 days? It has been reported that the disease can only be transmitted through bodily fluids and it’s not airborne, which is one important safety hazard.
If the disease did spread by being airborne, this nation would be encountering unspeakable horrors. I guess when I think of an epidemic I refer to TV hit “The Walking Dead” or the Brad Pitt zombie apocalypse “World War Z.” I think no country prepares for things of that magnitude, because for many of us it doesn’t appear plausible, but with any deadly disease all it takes is for one person to have contact with another person and before you know it, an epidemic is in the mix.
The idea of restricting people’s travel is just silly if you ask me. The government can halt travel to certain regions that they deem dangerous, but I don’t see that transpiring at the moment, unless more cases of the Ebola virus begin to pop up across the United States in large proportions.
Right now I believe the government is saying and doing everything they possibly can to ensure the American people things are okay, even though they may not be fully certain on exactly what steps of action they are looking to create. It’s never a good sign to create a panic unless you absolutely have to do so and the country has not reached that point.
I do feel there are things about the Ebola virus that is not being divulged to the American people, like exactly what is the virus? How does it attack the immune system? How contagious is it? Has it been limited to transmission in the third world countries where it originated? Is there a direct cure for the disease? I mean I have loads of questions I’d like to have answers about the Ebola virus that I can likely find by searching the Internet, but I should have to do that. The government should be divulging this information to me so I’m aware of what it, compared to me having to seek it out.
While I do not think at the current moment, we have all of the tools in place to prepare for an epidemic if it were to transpire, I will admit the Ebola crisis has not only placed the United States government front and center on how to handle such issues, but it has put Americans on alert to be cautious about international travels.
