# The media frenzy over Ebola is just a distraction from the election **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 21, 2014, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079 "2014-10-21T22:19:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079/21 "2014-10-22T17:08:09Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I think I see your point. People with Ebola should vape, right? Is it a coincidence that the ZMapp potential cure is made from tobacco plants? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Shooby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f475e1/32.png) [@Shooby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shooby)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2014, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079/22 "2014-10-23T05:20:53Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > Over the entire course of this outbreak, 4800 people have died. Cigarettes alone kill 1300 Americans every day. It’s awfully convenient that the upcoming election has had almost no press because OMG THERE’S EBOLA IN THE USA WE’RE ALL SCREWED. I bet congressmen don’t want people to realize that they have the ability to vote them out of office, so they got the media to go crazy over a very small outbreak. Again, you are thousands of times more likely to die in a car accident or be shot then get ebola. First of all, West Africa is facing serious reporting issues; the number of confirmed cases and deaths are but a fraction of the actual number. The CDC has said that a conservative correction factor would be about 2.5, so the number of deaths stands at about 11000 in that case. Secondly, while the fears of Ebola in the US are probably overblown, the actual crisis in West Africa has been, if anything, tragically underreported in America. This is becoming a huge humanitarian crisis, where Ebola is but one of many factors leading to a disintegration of these societies. Famine and other diseases are becoming a serious concern, and the international response, while intensifying, has consistently been behind the 8-ball. To suggest that this is some sort of Wag The Dog scenario is laughable and contemptible. Intervention now is of the utmost priority, as every delay makes the ultimate cost of this disaster significantly higher. The entire thing could have been nipped in the bud earlier if the international community (and the WHO) had just taken this seriously. Thank God for MSF - without them, the conditions on the ground would likely be apocalyptic by now. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079/23 "2014-11-08T23:56:23Z")
Now that the election is over, there is no more talk about Ebola. Wonder what that could mean? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079/24 "2014-11-08T23:59:52Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > Now that the election is over, there is no more talk about Ebola. Wonder what that could mean? Not so much that the election’s over as that the one extant American case appears to be well on the road to recovery. ---
**Author:** ![Knowledgable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@Knowledgable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowledgable)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079/25 "2014-11-09T00:02:59Z")
Elections are repetitive and in short time spans. Ebola outbreaks aren’t. Thus they are more interesting as in the analogy of something that is rare is valuable. ---
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2014, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079/26 "2014-11-09T07:55:35Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > Now that the election is over, there is no more talk about Ebola. Wonder what that could mean? Ebola dropped out of the news about a week beforehand. There was that angry nurse who went for her bike ride and that was it. No more mention of ebola in the headlines after that. No one cares anymore. The story is old. What happened in the election that wasn’t supposed to? It’s been known for a long time that the Republicans were going to clean up in this one (and the Democrats will clean up in the next one) so who got fooled by this distraction? Who was supposed to win assuming no media conspiracy? It would be worthwhile to be outraged if gerrymandering was an issue or if voter suppression led to questionable results but that does not seem to have been the case this time around. The Republicans had a lock on those seats and claimed them as predicted since two years ago. So what did we miss? What was the point of the distraction? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079/27 "2014-11-11T03:45:09Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Not so much that the election’s over as that the one extant American case appears to be well on the road to recovery. And is scheduled for hospital discharge tomorrow. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079/28 "2014-11-11T14:23:58Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > Now that the election is over, there is no more talk about Ebola. Wonder what that could mean? It means the chemtrails have been working. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2014, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079/29 "2014-11-11T23:52:19Z")
He was discharged from the hospital today, and he looked awfully frail. ☹ He appears to have lost a LOT of weight, which is understandable. I’m sure he’ll feel and look much better in the days or weeks to come. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079/30 "2014-11-14T23:55:47Z")
Famous last words: They’re bringing another person the the U.S. for treatment. He’s a physician who is a native of Sierra Leone and a permanent American resident. Ironically, this story by Ashoka Mukpo appeared in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal. No wonder people don’t want to go to the hospital there; in his case, when he checked into the Ebola ward, he was given a gym mat and three buckets. :eek: While he was still in isolation, his father said he was having a lot of survivor’s guilt, and probably PTSD too, and after reading this, I can definitely see why, and understand why people are hesitant to go to a hospital. This also explains in large part why the missionaries were treated at home until they were transported. > **[I Got Ebola and Survived](https://www.wsj.com/articles/i-got-ebola-and-survived-1415894355)** > > ‘Every muscle in my body ached as if it had been hit with a bat.’ A survivor describes his bout with Ebola. I had suspected for some time that Mukpo did not have what most of would consider a “conventional” upbringing, and that his parents were public figures on some level, due to their obvious comfort at being interviewed on live TV under extremely distressing circumstances. Little did I know that it was as off-kilter as it is; I literally sprayed water all over my computer screen and sat there with my mouth hanging open. [http://gotnews.com/ashoka-mukpo-left-wing-reincarnated-tibetan-god-got-ebola/](http://gotnews.com/ashoka-mukpo-left-wing-reincarnated-tibetan-god-got-ebola/) And there’s this. > **[details.com domain name is for sale. Inquire now.](https://www.details.com/)** > > details.com is available for purchase. Get in touch to discuss the possibilities! Some more radical atheists have said things like “So, those Christ Krispies weren’t protected by god from getting Ebola, were they?” There’s one board in particular where I’m waiting for someone to say that so I can drop this 20-megaton bomb on them! 😃 He’s also part of a documentary that came out a few years ago called “Tulku” (I have this on order at my local library; snippets can be viewed on You Tube) and his parents are interviewed in a movie about his “father” called “Crazy Wisdom”, which I’ve viewed on Netflix Instant Watch and is actually pretty good. And every time Mitchell Levy or Diana Mukpo showed up onscreen, all I could think was, “You had no idea your life would competely turn upside down in the fall of 2014, did you?” ☹ ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079/31 "2014-11-23T04:11:29Z")
I did pick up “Tulku” at the library a few days ago, and have watched it. It was produced by Gesar Mukpo, his half brother, for Canadian educational television; however, it is NOT rated G, thanks to Ashoka’s language in his interview. :o > **[Tulku (2009) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1654830/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)** > > Tulku: Directed by Gesar Mukpo. With Gesar Mukpo, Dylan Henderson, Ashoka Mukpo, Khyentse Norbu. Enlightened Tibetan masters return as recognized "tulkus" -- reincarnated buddhas. In the 1970s, tulkus began to be born in the West, confusing both the... I combined the trip to pick it up with a weekly meetup I was planning to attend anyway, and tried to explain the story to another woman there. She knew about the Ebola epidemic and that a TV cameraman had contracted it, but everything else went right over her head. Last night, I went on You Tube to see if I could find anything else about this, and didn’t really, but I did find some news videos Ashoka shot - the most recent in September 2014 - and some really bizarre conspiracy videos. The strangest one was too disjointed to fully comprehend, but it did accuse the Eli Lilly corporation of somehow being complicit in this because Dr. Brantly’s sister (who looks like him in woman form) is a big shot in that company, and has gone to Tanzania (which is a heckuva long ways from Liberia) for the company. 😕 It also posted screenshots from the Texas nursing licensing board of the licenses for Mrs. Brantly and Ms. Vinson, and pointed out that they both have the same given names. “Coincidence? I think not.” (Oh, get out of here.) C’mon, I’ve heard of people harming or killing relatives for their own personal gain, but THIS would be a VERY strange way to do it. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![BOOM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c4cdca/32.png) [@BOOM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BOOM)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079/32 "2014-11-24T01:46:54Z")
Somewhat provincial OP. [http://www.un.org/ebolaresponse/response.shtml](http://www.un.org/ebolaresponse/response.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2014, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079/33 "2014-11-26T22:02:40Z")
Six of the American Ebola survivors were on the “Today” show this morning. They all have a LOT to be thankful for, that’s for sure. Warning: Matt Lauer asks a majorly cringe-worthy question at 2:15. I thought Dr. Brantly handled it well. [http://www.today.com/health/us-ebola-survivors-meet-today-show-give-thanks-angel-kent-1D80318755](http://www.today.com/health/us-ebola-survivors-meet-today-show-give-thanks-angel-kent-1D80318755) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2014, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079/34 "2014-12-01T05:21:23Z")
This podcast was produced on November 19th. TL : DW - the African physician was also involved in the original 1976 outbreak, and Dr. Sacra is planning to return to Liberia in January. :eek: > **[VOA ‘Town Hall’ Shines Light on Ebola Crisis](https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-town-hall-shines-light-on-ebola-crisis/2526988.html)** > > Experts call for greater speed in identification and treatment of deadly disease ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2014, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079/35 "2014-12-04T18:24:11Z")
I found this online last night while looking up something else. No, that the first two Emory patients GAINED 15-20kg in their first days of admission is NOT a typo. They had third spacing, which is caused by fluid leaking out of capillaries. When I read that, it reinforced my feelings about how I can’t believe either of them recovered. The podcast lasts about 40 minutes; it expands on the page and is worth a listen. [http://www.idweek.org/ebola\_idweek\_2014/](http://www.idweek.org/ebola_idweek_2014/) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2014, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079/36 "2014-12-06T23:48:13Z")
Several days ago, there was a report that Emory Hospital admitted a patient who is an American health care worker who had been exposed to Ebola. Further information has not been released, which has me (and a lot of other people) thinking that this was a false alarm. Sure hope we’re all correct, and that the person has something from which they can more easily recover. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2014, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079/37 "2014-12-07T19:07:18Z")
A Cuban physician who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone, and was treated in Switzerland, has recovered and returned home. He too says he looks forward to returning to Africa. :eek: > **[At home and cured of Ebola, Cuban doctor vows return to Africa](https://news.yahoo.com/recovered-ebola-cuban-doctor-returns-home-003138552.html)** > > HAVANA/GENEVA (Reuters) - A Cuban doctor who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone and was cured after experimental treatment in a Swiss hospital vowed on Saturday to return to West Africa and continue treating patients. "I will finish what I started. I... TL : DR - ZMapp was not available, but he did get an analog called ZMab. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2014, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079/38 "2014-12-08T23:44:22Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I found this online last night while looking up something else. No, that the first two Emory patients GAINED 15-20kg in their first days of admission is NOT a typo. They had third spacing, which is caused by fluid leaking out of capillaries. > > When I read that, it reinforced my feelings about how I can’t believe either of them recovered. > > The podcast lasts about 40 minutes; it expands on the page and is worth a listen. > > [http://www.idweek.org/ebola\_idweek\_2014/](http://www.idweek.org/ebola_idweek_2014/) Now that the formerly anonymous third patient at Emory has come forward, I suspect some of that podcast was about him. His illness made the others’ look like a cakewalk. ☹ And incredibly, he plans to return to Sierra Leone when he’s fully recovered. :eek: [http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/08/health/ebola-doctor-ian-crozier-return-from-the-edge-of-death-.html?\_r=1](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/08/health/ebola-doctor-ian-crozier-return-from-the-edge-of-death-.html?_r=1) TL : DR - Among other things, he was on a ventilator for 12 days, and dialysis for 24 days, which in itself was longer than any of the other American victims to date have been hospitalized. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079/39 "2014-12-09T02:07:14Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > A Cuban physician who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone, and was treated in Switzerland, has recovered and returned home. He too says he looks forward to returning to Africa. He has effective immunity to it. no? ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2014, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079/40 "2014-12-09T06:42:10Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > He has effective immunity to it. no? Yes, but he’s still not immune to malaria, dengue, Lassa fever (which has broken out in western Africa) and numerous other tropical diseases, discovered and otherwise. And don’t forget about the social unrest that’s going on in those areas too; it’s not very safe under the best of circumstances. I saw something online yesterday that Samaritan’s Purse created a new job description for Dr. Brantly; in short, he’s doing PR and other advocacy work for them right now, which makes me think he’s not planning to go back any time soon. I can’t blame him, especially because he has two very young children. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-media-frenzy-over-ebola-is-just-a-distraction-from-the-election/702079.md?page=3)