At the Pentagon, "A Complete Abundance of Caution" Over an Ebola Scare

Just a scare -- for the moment. A woman who had recently traveled to Africa vomited on a Pentagon tour bus. Note the article says "Africa," and does not specify West Africa.

The Pentagon called in the hazmat team out of, they say, "a complete abundance of caution," which contains 50% more unnecessary caution than the usual abundance of caution.

According to Arlington News, a portion of the Pentagon South parking lot has been cordoned off and that police are telling non-Pentagon employees to avoid the surrounding area.

The woman has been transported to Virginia Hospital Center.

Meanwhile, a Dallas health care worker from the Presbyterian Hospital is, at this very moment, on a cruise ship with 4000 other souls, now "self-quarantined" and being monitored for infection. The woman apparently handled Duncan's specimens, so of course, you know, another high risk person miscategorized as "low risk."

The country of Belize refused to allow the woman off the ship and into their country.

Doesn't Belize know that if they do that they'll harm the United States economy and make it more likely ebola will spread in their country?

The woman is probably okay, as she's on day 19 of her 21 day danger period and is, supposedly, asymptomatic. (Note, however, a recent study questioned whether 21 days was really the maximum incubation period for ebola; apparently the data for this claim is sketchy.)

Obama's government is apparently now trying to arrange alternative transportation, to get her off the cruise before it's finished, and get her back to the states.

You know why, right?

Psaki said that when the woman left the U.S. on the cruise ship from Galveston, Texas, on Oct. 12 health officials were requiring only self-monitoring.

One official said it’s believed the woman poses no risk but health-care authorities want to get her off the cruise ship and back to the United States out of an abundance of caution.

Can we just say "precaution"? We all understand what "precaution" means. We understand that it means you are taking a prudent step to forestall a negative future event which is a mere possibility.

I am really getting sick and tired of what I would call fairly routine and prudent precautions being classified as an abundance of caution.

But that does seem to be the Administration's actual belief, given that they let Amber Joy Vinsen on to that plane, even after she called the CDC several times to tell them she had a low fever of 99.5.

posted by Ace at 11:51 AM

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