By Dick Miller
WE.CONNECT.DOTS: Kaci Hickox, a nurse living in rural Maine, is a real American hero, but is not being treated as such.
Ms. Hickox has just returned from fighting Ebola in West Africa. She recently served with Doctors Without Borders in Sierra Leone. She wanted to do something “to make a difference.”
Back home she has now become embroiled in a political battle.
Her governor, Republican Paul LePage is locked in a tight race for re-election against an Independent. He sought a state court order that keeps her quarantined for the balance of a 21-day period at her home, against her will. LePage’s petition was rejected because the state failed to establish a medical or scientific reason for the mandatory quarantine.
We are in an age when too many of our government leaders believe politics should trump facts. For them, nothing tops winning an election.
Restrictions that exceed federal guidelines exist in 18 states. On Friday Ohio became the 12th of these 18 states that – more than coincidentally – have re-election battles for governor at the top of their ballots this Tuesday. One of the remaining six is New Jersey where GOP Gov. Chris Christie is beginning to run for President.
Most are Republican controlled states where the name of the political game continues to be to criticize President Obama with every exhaled breath, but New York Democrat Governor Mario Cuomo is one of the “coincidental” dozen.
Pennsylvania is also one of the 12. Gov. Corbett has ordered the state department of health to monitor individuals for Ebola symptoms. His protocol includes checking twice daily with affected travelers. Even in Maine, state health workers only check Ms. Hickox once a day.
No one has asked Corbett to justify his Ebola policy while attempting to eliminate half of the state’s health centers and fire 22 nurses for budgetary reasons. The offices and staff are the first line of defense against any contagious outbreaks.
President Obama again makes it easy to take exception to his policies.
True, the President did counsel that we should follow medical and scientific guidelines. He warned that over reaction such as travel restrictions could bring economic consequences.
Then he allowed Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to quarantine two dozen soldiers who had been drawn into the fight to save lives in West Africa.
The Ebola outbreak has taken a terrible toll. The World Health Organization reported last week more than 13,700 confirmed or suspected cases of Ebola – most in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. The United Nations’ health experts project 5,000 deaths will result from those now known to be effected, according to CNN.
Some 13 volunteers with the Doctors Without Borders have already died. One returned to Dallas two weeks ago and succumbed there. Each member is well-versed in self-monitoring procedures but Ebola is one of most deadly diseases to be around. Case fatality rate is 25 to 90 percent, depending on the strain.
This over reaction for political reasons can also have long term effects to Doctors Without Borders. The quarantine impositions without scientific or medical reasons became an issue after 700 international staff were already in West Africa.
Those who have completed their tour and can afford to, are already hanging around Europe for 21 days before returning home. They fear the stigma that will accompany an earlier return home.
Those that have already returned to the United States are already subjects of criticism and outrage by state and local government officials and some elements of the press. This will undoubtedly become a deterrent to recruiting future volunteers for contagious type disasters.
Actually, Doctors Without Borders perform an important service and all are heroes.
Not only do they save lives where outbreaks occur but they are our first line of defense from contagious diseases spreading to our shores. Health care workers from almost every community in America who have volunteered for Doctors Without Borders are people we know.
Bottom Line: This is the result of issues going “viral’ on the internet. Scaremongering has always been part of the downside of politics. Today’s momentum permits little or no time for second thoughts or more moderate responses.
