Wondering, on Wednesday (v8)

Nancy Snyderman, the NBC News doctor who didn't pay attention to her voluntary Ebola quarantine, is now officially free to pick up soup in Princeton, NJ. And Ashoka Mukpo, the freelance cameraman who Snyderman associated with in Liberia, and who was diagnosed with the disease, is now Ebola-free and has been released from the hospital.

The two nurses who treated Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian man who succumbed to the disease, are doing better since contracting Ebola, according to reports.

Syracuse University rescinded an invitation to an award-winning photojournalist, on the 21st day of his symptom-free return to the US from covering the Ebola epidemic; they'll have him back later, if he's willing.

Idiots who yell "I have Ebola" on buses, planes, trains and automobiles, are not making any more appearances.

That leaves politicians and their associates in the media as the last remaining Ebola constituency we continue to hear from; they make (or grab) the headlines, and monger fear with their calls for border closings and flight bans and the like.

I'd love to know what their thoughts are on the statements below, which were included in a letter submitted by Dr. Thomas Welch, Medical Director of Syracuse's Golisano Children's Hospital.  The full letter is a worth a look; these excerpts will give you a sense of  that.

Preening politicians, ever ready for cameras, harass one of the world's most expert public health professionals in a theatrical performance billed as a Congressional hearing.

Children, including some in Syracuse, die in the US every year from vaccine-preventable diseases. Where are the Congressional hearings demanding to know why parents can "opt out" of immunizations and send their children to school, putting everyone elses's children at risk of fatal disease?

Thousands of Americans die of influenza, a disease which can be prevented by immunization and spread through the air.  Where are the calls for restrictions on air travel by unimmunized travelers or those with coughs?  

The economies of these impoverished regions are drawing to a standstill. The devastation of the disease will be followed by famine, and likely, political and social collapse. Such conditions breed terrorism and even worse political instability. This is the real threat of Ebola, not an American returning from vacation on a plane with a Liberian. This is the face of Ebola, not a stranded luxury cruise liner outside Belize. 

Would our politicians recognize themselves in these comments?  For example, I'm thinking specifically of the ones who wrote the Republican platform for the state of Texas, ground zero for Ebola in America, which addresses (in the worst possible way) the immunization issue Dr. Welch discusses in his letter:

All adult citizens should have the legal right to conscientiously choose which vaccines are administered to themselves, or their minor children, without penalty for refusing a vaccine. We oppose any effort by any authority to mandate such vaccines or any medical database that would contain personal records of citizens without their consent. 

Would our media companies recognize themselves?  Perhaps the major news organizations might see a chance to step back from the panic (Shep Smith being a notable exception)?

I'm wondering, on Wednesday.

What Was She Thinking?

Statement from NBC News*

 Dr. Nancy Snyderman, the chief medical editor for NBC News, had been in Liberia covering the Ebola epidemic, and while there, worked with a free-lance cameraman who contracted the disease and is currently being treated.

popscreen.com photo

Snyderman and others of our team were brought home shortly after the cameraman was diagnosed, and were asked to honor a 'voluntary quarantine' lasting 21 days, during which they would be monitored for symptoms. 

As a "health professional" (which is how Dr. Snyderman refers to herself), she should have known better than to go out in public while under quarantine, and should have done everything in her power to prevent other members of the group from doing the same.

Sadly, that was not the case: multiple media outlets have reported that Snyderman and others were seen in a car outside a popular New Jersey restaurant, and that one of the people left the vehicle, went into the restaurant, and came back with soup. For that, we are deeply sorry. 

 In a statement that's being read on all of our broadcasts, Snyderman notes that she and others "remain healthy" and their "temperatures are normal" and that she  is "deeply sorry for the concerns this episode caused" but she does not state that she herself violated the quarantine, only that "members of our group" did. For her lack of candor at this time, we are deeply sorry. 

While we talked with Dr. Snyderman, and were happy to read her statement, we made no mention of the specific incident which led us to this point, instead generically mentioning that Snyderman has been in the news. We did not report on our own employee's ill-advised behavior, and for that we are deeply sorry. 

The strongest message that Dr. Snyderman could have delivered at this time was to obey the voluntary quarantine, and  follow the advice of those who are best equipped and experienced with combating something like Ebola, which Snyderman, a cardiologist, is less prepared to do.  Instead, she chose to ignore the request. For her ignorance, we are deeply sorry.

She and her team are now under mandatory quarantine for the remainder of the 21-day period.  Police are now patrolling the area where Snyderman and members of her group are staying, probably as much to protect them from potential threats from the angry, frightened, confused and disillusioned people of Princeton as to ensure that the group stays inside for the duration of the quarantine. For the extra costs and the disruption to the people of Princeton, we are deeply sorry. 

Whether or not you believe that Ebola is a threat to Americans at home, and whether or not you believe the quarantine was necessary, are not at issue here. What is at issue are the actions taken by Snyderman and others under her sphere of influence. We strongly believe that her actions were irresponsible, and that they have embarrassed all of us here at NBC. For that, we are deeply sorry. 

We also strongly believe that the best place for you to get the medical information you need is from your doctor, and from your local public health officials, not from our photogenic medical editor or from our broadcasts. 

*which we'll see maybe on the twelfth of never.