Ebola mania strikes again!

After my blog praising Kaci Hickox I had a couple people write me asking the following: What was the harm of having Kaci serve her three weeks in quarantine? Maybe it's being overly cautious, but shouldn't we error on the side of caution? What's the harm?

It's a good question and I don't want to minimize it. At first glance it seems like a great argument. Hey, she probably doesn't have Ebola, but why not make completely sure? Again, where's the harm?

I would like you all to do a news search on Susan Sherman, a teacher from Louisville. I'll give a quick recap. Susan returned from a trip to Kenya and was asked to take a 21 day leave of absence from her school to quarantine herself. Why not, right? What's the harm? Let's be absolutely 100% certain. The problem is that there is no Ebola in Kenya. That's the wrong side of the continent.

This is what happens when we let fear and ignorance rule our lives. Susan Sherman poses no more of a threat returning from a trip to Kenya than she would have returning from a trip to Alaska. And there is the harm, folks! We are letting fear get in the way of reason. "Kenya is in Africa! Oh my God! Run for your lives!"

Sure Kaci could have served her three weeks, but what then? How about another three weeks? Some have suggested the longest possible incubation period for Ebola is actually around 45 days. Let's be absolutely sure, right? What's the harm, right? When does the madness end?

The point about Kaci, and Susan too now, is that we should not let ourselves be ruled by unreasonable fears. We should not let ourselves be ruled by politicians playing into those fears. Honestly, who should decide when Kaci and Susan are safe to be around the general public?  When medical doctors and the CDC decide that X is the best course of action, do we really want politicians and a mob of fearful parents overruling that and saying "No, let's do Y instead?"

Only two people have contacted Ebola here in the USA. Both were health care workers taking care of a sick Ebola patient. And both have now fully recovered. There is no Ebola problem in the USA.

It's time for this Ebola mania to end.