The Cassandra metaphor (variously labelled the Cassandra 'syndrome', 'complex', 'phenomenon', 'predicament', 'dilemma', or 'curse') occurs when valid warnings or concerns are dismissed or disbelieved.
The term originates in Greek mythology. Cassandra was a daughter of Priam, the King of Troy. Struck by her beauty, Apollo provided her with the gift of prophecy, but when Cassandra refused Apollo's romantic advances, he placed a curse ensuring that nobody would believe her warnings. Cassandra was left with the knowledge of future events, but could neither alter these events nor convince others of the validity of her predictions.
Yeah...it's kind of like that, this morning.
You know what sucks about being clairvoyant?
There aren't many surprises.
So the "It can't happen here" crowd are looking around themselves, now. The first patient having presented in Dallas, Texas with Ebola. Actually, he presented on the 26th...after being symptomatic since the 24th...and was given a pain pill prescription and an antibiotic, and SENT home for two MORE days...where he crashed and burned and had to be transported back to the same hospital who finally diagnosed him with Ebola on the 30th.
Jesus wept.
A man who had returned from Liberia on the 20th, having helped his landlord literally carry his daughter who was dying of Ebola to the hospital. The landlord's son also died of Ebola. Is it possible he was fleeing? Could he have thought he stood a better chance of survival here in The States if he did become infected? The Country who saved Dr. Brantly and a female nurse, whose name I have forgotten. Will there be others who flee?
Undoubtedly.
More disturbing than the fact he spent the first two days of being symptomatic wandering around Dallas...is the fact he went to the Emergency Room and told the Admissions Nurse he had recently come from Liberia,and she didn't make the Ebola connection. She didn't find it important information to pass on to the examining medical team. The attending physician.
And they wrote him a pain prescription for the abdominal pain. And gave him a prescription for antibiotics assuming the fever was linked to an infection...and sent him home.
Ever been to a ER doctor and tried to explain something...only to be ignored?
Yeah...me too.
But, because of this medical team's negligence...not only is there a high possibility that this man will be dead within a day or so, but he also went back home to be a Close Contact for (last count) 20 other people. And a casual contact for nearly 100 (last count). Some of which, undoubtedly, will develop Ebola and die as well.
As I have, undoubtedly, said before...a large part of the apathy I see is the United States concerning the EVD virus is directly the fault of Cinema. Whose movies like Outbreak and Contagion lead us to believe that pandemics develop in 24-48 hours and bodies are piling up in the streets the next morning. In real life...pandemics take time to develop...a LOT of time. This is especially true for a pathogen which is (as yet) not airborne. In Sierra Leone today they are estimating 5 new infections every hour now...and throughout Liberia the bodies are starting to pile up in the streets.
In the early 80's a friend and I did our dissertation on the new-on-the-scene HIV/AIDS virus. At the time there were a handful of cases...about 10 known and scattered in New York and San Francisco. It was ignored and largely dismissed as "...a gay disease..." Today the CDC states there are 1.1 Million known active cases of HIV in the United States.
And HIV is much harder to "catch" than Ebola.
We really need to NOT drop the ball on this one.
And here's the deal...we can't wait for the government or some agency to rush in and save us. That (also) only happens in the movies.
We have to educate ourselves. Know the methods of transmission. We have became so used to hearing the term "bodily fluids" and equating it with HIV transmission which is basically blood and blood products and sexual contact...that we refuse to acknowledge that EVD (Ebola) exists in all bodily fluids, blood...saliva...mucous...sweat...urine...feces... The biggie, of course being sweat.
And the virus can live on surfaces (and transmit) up to 3 days. All surfaces including contaminated linens and clothing.
Since the symptomatic patient usually presents with a high fever and diaphoretic (profusely sweating) perhaps you can see the problem ahead.
No?
Get hot...sweaty....now place your hand on a tabletop...or handle a dollar bill. Take a look. Is the bill damp and limp? Is the tabletop beaded with sweat?
Got it now?
Work out in a tee-shirt on a hot day.
Now can you grasp the scope of the problem?
And your skin doesn't have to be broken for the virus to transmit by sweat. Ever known anyone who was on a nitroglycerin patch...or Duragesic...or the nicotine patch for smoking cessation? Do you know why these medications work through your skin instead of the doctor having to open a wound there so they can be absorbed into the bloodstream? It is grade-school science, folks...the skin is this huge semi-permeable membrane and absorbs the medication directly into the small capillaries under the surface.
Take some time to pause...reflect...yes...holy shit...
"So that's it then, we're most definitely going to die?"
(in my best Arthur Dent voice)
Not so fast. Or as we learned in the same book
Okay...maybe the British would be.
"Oh dear...it seems Geoffrey has gotten the Ebola...dreadful...Spot of tea, Niles?"
The rest of us...ummmmm...not so much.
Remember the two snipers that terrorised people at gas stations (Malvo and ?) and the way people were terrified to gas up their cars and basically hiding at the pumps. Yeah.
In a real crisis, we are herd animals in a stampede.
Never forget that.
So what can we do? In the event this begins to spread.
Establish a personal perimeter...a bubble. Your Space. Handshakes and hugging strangers...completely out. And make sure you have enough distance to avoid sprayed saliva...sneezes or coughs. For although it is NOT airborne at this time it is droplet spread. And assume anyone sweaty is contagious...or treat them that way...no matter who they are.
Be mindful of touching surfaces...and carry hand gel. Everywhere.
Handwashing...handwashing...handwashing...and avoid public restrooms. If you must use one...touch nothing but yourself. Gel the seat if you have to sit.
Avoid paper cash...use a debit card. If part of your job is to handle money...wear disposable gloves...seriously.
Avoid crowds...heavily populated areas...public transportation...airports. And yes..if it spreads enough...doctors and hospitals.
Stay safe, people.
Use common sense.
effing ray of sunshine today...