Kentucky Senator Rand Paul has sounded the alarm on the Ebola virus reaching the US, urging that not enough is being done to educate on the seriousness of the outbreak.
Speaking on The Laura Ingraham Show (audio here), Paul noted that “It’s a big mistake to underestimate the potential for problems worldwide,” pointing to a lax attitude toward the outbreak by the CDC and the government.
“I really think that it is being dominated by political correctness and I think because of political correctness we’re not really making sound, rational, scientific decisions on this.” Paul said referring to statements issued by the CDC last week that assured there was little risk of an outbreak occurring in the US.
“We should not underestimate the transmissibility of this,” said Paul, a doctor himself, adding that medical workers have been contracting the virus even though they are taking precautions and covering themselves with gowns and masks.
“My suspicion is that it’s a lot more transmissible than that if people who are taking every precaution are getting it. There are people getting it who simply helped people get in or out of a taxicab.” Paul said.
On Wednesday it was revealed that the patient in Dallas, Texas, Eric Duncan, was allowed to mingle with family and friends for two days before he was officially diagnosed with Ebola, even though he had been evaluated at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. The number of possible contacts with Duncan has risen to 80, according to local health officials.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry has confirmed that Duncan, now in serious but stable condition, also had contact with school children before he showed symptoms of the virus. The children have been pulled from school by their parents and are under close monitoring.
Before he was readmitted to hospital and quarantined, Duncan was seen violently vomiting on the ground outside his apartment complex as he was bundled into an ambulance. The patient’s family has been ordered to stay home by Texas and Dallas County health officials.
Senator Paul also criticized President Obama’s response to the crisis, noting that during the H1N1 flu outbreak in 2009, Obama issued advice to the public to help prevent a pandemic by sneezing into sleeves and elbows.
“I can’t believe that you don’t think it’s enough of a plan to prevent worldwide pandemic to cough into your elbow.” Paul told Ingraham sarcastically. “If you just bring your elbow up to your mouth and cough into it, surely that will stop a worldwide pandemic,” Paul added.
Senator Paul also criticized President Obama’s decision to send troops to West Africa to help contain the disease. “Where is disease most transmissible? When you are confined on a ship,” Paul urged.
“When you’re in a very close confines on a ship, we all know about cruises and how they get these diarrhea viruses that are transmitted very easily,” Paul told Ingraham. “Can you imagine if a whole ship full of our soldiers catch Ebola?”
“It’s a big mistake to downplay and act as if ‘oh, this is not a big deal, we can control all this,’” Paul said. “This could get beyond our control.”
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Steve Watson is a London based writer and editor for Alex Jones’ Infowars.com, and Prisonplanet.com. He has a Masters Degree in International Relations from the School of Politics at The University of Nottingham, and a Bachelor Of Arts Degree in Literature and Creative Writing from Nottingham Trent University.
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