"I never had Ebola, and politicians who lie do nothing to protect your health"

[uppityperson]

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/17/stop-calling-me-ebola-nurse-kaci-hickox

(clip)

I never had Ebola, so please stop calling me “the Ebola Nurse” – now!

This is what did happen: I was quarantined against my will by overzealous politicians after I volunteered to go and treat people affected by Ebola in west Africa. My liberty, my interests and consequently my civil rights were ignored because some ambitious governors saw an opportunity to use an age-old political tactic: fear. Christie and my governor in Maine, Paul LePage, decided to disregard medical science and the constitution in hopes of advancing their careers. They bet that, by multiplying the existing fear and misinformation about Ebola – a disease most Americans know little about – they could ultimately manipulate everyone and proclaim themselves the protectors of the people by “protecting” the public from a disease that hasn’t killed a single American. Politicians who tell lies such as “she is obviously ill” and mistreat citizens by telling them to “sit down and shut up” will hopefully never make it to the White House.

Here’s my good news: the unconstitutionality of forcing asymptomatic healthcare workers into in-home quarantine was determined by due process of law, and a courageous and insightful judge agreed with science and public health law. You cannot – in Maine, at least – quarantine me in the off chance that I might one day become ill with a contagious disease.

But the disregard for reason didn’t stop with me. Too many political and civic leaders have allowed this fear to spread and some even fueled the flames. My partner, who supported me and has trusted medical science throughout our ordeal, was banned from his university campus when I returned from West Africa – from the campus of a nursing school, no less! A teacher in Louisville, Kentucky, went on a mission trip to Kenya – which has not had a single Ebola case – and was asked to stay home from work for three weeks when she returned. And maybe most detrimental of all, because of the quarantine policy in the state of Louisiana, healthy medical workers who were fighting Ebola in West Africa were forced to cancel their attendance at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene’s annual conference this year – interfering with the legitimate expansion of knowledge to help combat the disease, thanks only to illegitimate fear....(more@ link)

[liberal N proud]

1. politicians who lie is redundant

As so reminded

[unblock]

3. i think you mean "redundant"

[liberal N proud]

4. I do

[unblock]

5. and now my post is also redundant ;)

[liberal N proud]

6. Not so much

[Kali]

2. so nice to see courageous, intelligent, ethical people getting a little press coverage

[KMOD]

7. K&R

And maybe most detrimental of all, because of the quarantine policy in the state of Louisiana, healthy medical workers who were fighting Ebola in West Africa were forced to cancel their attendance at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene’s annual conference this year – interfering with the legitimate expansion of knowledge to help combat the disease, thanks only to illegitimate fear

That part just completely boggles my mind.

Keep up the good fight, Kaci.

[Spazito]

8. Ms. Hickox also took on the Harper government in Canada, she nailed them on this...

Quarantine-fighting U.S. nurse calls Canada's Ebola policy 'shameful'

WASHINGTON -- She took on American politicians. Now a nurse who castigated what she considered ignorant and electoralist Ebola policies in her own country has a few words for the Government of Canada.

And, yes, she'd heard about Canada's clampdown on travel from parts of West Africa. The federal government has imposed far more aggressive rules than most countries, banning visas from Ebola-affected Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

"I had this terrible gut reaction," Hickox said in an interview.

"Discriminating against these entire countries, and groups of people that really need our help more than ever and need our support and our compassion more than ever, is quite shameful, actually."


Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/health/quarantine-fighting-u-s-nurse-calls-canada-s-ebola-policy-shameful-1.2104318#ixzz3JMJ5T4Ea

Well said, Ms. Hickox, well said!

[SheilaT]

9. Sadly, a lot of people here defended her quarantine.

[Hissyspit]

10. Yup.