Ebola comes to NYC

I’m not saying anyone should panic, but as someone who was born and raised in NYC, I know how germ-ridden the subways can be, even without an Ebola-infected person riding the lines.  The surfaces (handrails, seats, etc) are a common germ collector, and with 6 million riders a day using the NYC subway, this latest healthcare worker was truly irresponsible in using mass transit while he was still in the “watch” period.

It’s irritating to see yet another trained, seemingly intelligent health care worker take such unnecessary risks.  This isn’t the flu we’re talking about–it’s a deadly virus that has wiped out entire villages in Africa. I can understand not wanting to disrupt your everyday life, but getting on an airplane, or a cruise ship, or riding the 5th largest subway system in the world? Pure stupidity.

There’s an arrogance that I just can’t understand on the part of these healthcare workers, and others who suddenly fancy themselves experts on infectious diseases, just because they heard on the news that it’s not that easy to catch. I’ve had well-meaning friends quote all sorts “facts” about ebola in the last few hours, but the truth is, we’re still learning about what the most effective protocols are when it comes to Ebola.  No, it’s not time to panic. It’s not the end of the world. But an abundance of caution is most certainly in order until we lock this thing down, there’s still a lot we don’t know about how this disease is spread.

So, for anyone who thinks it’s okay sit there, safely ensconced behind a computer screen thousands of miles away from NYC, dismissing the concerns the others, maybe you should hop on the next plane and volunteer to help. If you’re not worried about catching anything, by all means, we can put you to work!  You can be the one to wipe down the subway cars and help disinfect the bowling alley where this guy spent some time just hours before he went into the hospital with 103 F fever.  How does that sound?

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