Nancy Snyderman broke voluntary quarantine and endangered lives of others
I have no idea if NBC’s “Dr.” Nancy Snyderman or ABC’s “Dr.” Richard Besser have medical degrees. What I do know is they are part of the media hysteria about Ebola and — like the rest of our local and national media — are providing little valid information to the public. In Snyderman’s case, she endangered the lives of others.
After returning from a trip to Liberia, Snyderman and her team from NBC were placed under voluntary quarantine. Snyderman violated the quarantine and is now under mandatory quarantine.
There is absolutely nothing heroic about what she has done. She’s apologized for her reckless behavior, hoping to keep her broadcast job. After all, why should the public trust this “doctor” who endangered the lives of others.
You know who has behaved heroically? The family of Ebola victim Thomas Duncan. They were placed under orders, according to Dallas Health and Human Services Director Zach Thompson. Orders is a step below quarantine.
You know what this family did? They voluntarily complied with anything and everything the county has asked them to do. Yes, a 13-year-old has acted more maturely and responsibly during a period of great personal loss than NBC’s “doctor.”
While the Dallas family remains in isolation, they’ve passed a big hurdle. The incubation period for Ebola is two to 21 days, but the illness usually manifests itself in eight to 10 days of contact with the virus, according to several infectious disease specialists I’ve spoken to. They’ve made it past 10 days and hopefully will make through the full 21 days.
Meanwhile, Nina Pham, a nurse that tended to Duncan at Presbyterian Hospital and became infected, has received a transfusion from Dr. Kent Brantly, the Fort Worth doctor who recovered from Ebola. The hope is that antibodies from his blood will prevent severe illness and even provide a cure.
That treatment seemed to have worked in two other Ebola cases. Brantly was not a blood type match for Duncan, so his blood could not be used.
