Wednesday, October 22, 2014


Article Response #9 - United States Restricts Airport Arrivals from West Africa due to Ebola

    The global dilemma of Ebola and its consequential issues continue to rage on. In response to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, air travelers from the Sierra Leone, Liberia, or Guinea airports are now restricted to landing exclusively at the American airports of Ohare, JFK, Newark, Washington's Dulles or Atlanta. Once there, these West African travelers will undergo advanced and strict screening to prevent the virus from spreading. 
      The family of Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian man who has died from Ebola is seeking information about his treatment, however, the hospital is refusing to release the information 
     The WHO (World Health Organization) says that serum that helped patients recover from Ebola will be available to West Africa within a few weeks. The WHO will have an emergency meeting on Ebola in Geneva to discuss whether there needs to be additional measures to fight the outbreak in West Africa. Jeh Johnson of the U.S. Homeland Security says they are working with airlines to introduce U.S. Restrictions with little travel disruption, and that they are working furiously to identify anyone who has been to one of these countries in the past three weeks.  From this point forward there are no scheduled flights from the United States to Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea.  


     These security measures have increased due to the heightened public concern in the United States regarding the Ebola virus spreading to United States citizens. So far in the United States, three people have been infected with one of those dying from the Ebola virus. The virus has already killed 4,500 people total with the vast majority coming from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. 
      During the re-vamped screening process travelers will have temperatures checked upon arrival to the United States, although it must be acknowledged that this is not necessary a sure indicator of the virus. Other less serious viruses, such as the flu, have some of the same symptoms. The precautions taken have to prevent the travel ban that has been brought forth by select members of congress.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29719240

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Article Response #8 - "Ebola outbreak: Jet passenger alert over US nurse"

The past few months, the United States has mainly watched from afar as the latest Ebola disease has ravaged West Africa. While it should be acknowledged that the United States Government has made some attempt at aiding the countries most affected by the Ebola outbreak, mainly by their "construction o[f] a 25-bed medical facility to treat health-care workers who come into contact with Ebola and running five mobile labs that expedite tests for the deadly virus" (Wall Street Journal), the disease had not seemed to garner widespread American attention until recent weeks. 
What as changed most drastically in those recent weeks was the occurrence of the first individual diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, the case being a Liberian man, Thomas Eric Duncan, who travelled to Dallas, Texas. One of the most concerning elements of this case, however, was how this infected man slipped through the cracks and made it into the United States as well as what happened after he was finally placed in quarantine. 
Duncan was able to fly from West Africa into the US because he lied on a questionnaire before his flight on whether or not he had come into contact with any infected individuals. It is very troubling that the method of restricting possibly infected individuals from leaving their respective country and possibly spreading the infection is as simple as a questionnaire (that one can easily be dishonest on, as Duncan has shown) and a temperature check. Although it may be expecting too much from these over-extending West African countries to develop more advanced methods to screen passengers, it is not to expect the United States Government to have stricter regulations on flights coming in from that African region. 
After Duncan was diagnosed with Ebola in Texas, he was put into quarantine, however, the medical staff at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital that treated him did not have the necessary protective gear until days after his initial admittance. Because of this lack of training and proper resources, two of the nurses that treated Duncan have contracted the disease themselves. The problem was furthered when was of these nurses (when only showing a slight fever) travelled to Ohio to visit family and visit a college campus. 
It is very unfortunate for the individuals who have come in contact or contracted this disease, but strict regulations need to be put in place to stop the spread of Ebola going any further than it has. This, in accordance with the United States and other nations increasing aid, will do much more than the fear mongering by the American media will. 

Works Referenced:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29632433


http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-military-effort-to-combat-ebola-in-africa-to-enter-new-phase-1413406781

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Article Response #7 - "Walmart's insurance move reveals Obamacare's truth"

         Following the trend I started last week, I am going to explore another domestic issue of American politics that has already affected some Americans already, and has the potential to affect many more. This issue stems from the passage of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as ObamaCare, and one of the unforeseen consequences that is occurring from it. 
        Although it should be mentioned that the Affordable Care Act was initially passed back in 2010, its implementation has been a sluggish process. Mostly, the reasons for states not encouraging their citizens to obtain the insurance have been partisan and part of the right wing agenda. But other reasons have included some issues in transparency for how to sign up and who qualifies. However, in the past year, the Obama Administration in accordance with cooperating state governments have tried to do a better job of advertising to their target audience. 
        This increased participation from the latest push of ad campaigns is actually starting to create a blowback effect within the corporate community. This blowback is the world's largest private employer, Walmart, cutting its health benefits for employees working thirty hours or fewer. While Walmart's expressed reason for these cuts are "rising health care costs," experts feel it has more to do with the terms for corporations in the Affordable Care Act. 
        These terms state that "large companies are required, starting this January, to provide subsidised healthcare for every employee who works 30-hours a week or more." Because of these strict requirements for workers over thirty hours, Walmart as well as Home Depot, Target, and Walgreens are doing away with benefits altogether for part-time employees. 
       While these changes from wide-spread, employer-provided insurance to the Obamacare health insurance can not be decidedly said as positive or negative just yet, it is a change that seems to be inevitable. 
     
     

Wednesday, October 1, 2014


Article Response #5 - "Secret Service directer Julia Pierson resigns"

For the past few weeks,  the numerous international issues that have been occurring as of late have received a large percentage of American news media outlets' attention. As I briefly discussed last week, the outbreak of the Ebola disease in West Africa is one of the most pertinent issues in the world today and is making international headlines.  

The Ebola crisis in West Africa has begun to hit closer to home for many Americans with the first case of the disease found in the United States two weeks ago. The Ebola patient, who has remained unnamed, was in Texas visiting his family after a trip to Liberia when he started displaying symptoms of the disease.  This has created a rising fear in the United States that, although the worst of the outbreak are in distant countries, this disease is still a real threat.  The commonness of  international travel and an increasingly interconnected global society means that when a disease is ravaging an area, it affects the whole global community.
 The  predicament in the Middle East with ISIS has also been in the forefront of international andAmerican news.  However, there has been a matter domestically that have not garnered the American attention and outrage that it otherwise would have. This is the high-profile security lapses   by the US Secret Service in protecting President Obama and the resignation of the Secret Service director Julia Pierson. 

Pierson's resignation came after two consecutive security breaches with the first of which being an "armed security contractor with a criminal record being allowed to board a lift with the president." Then,  three days after, "a man scale[d] a fence at the White House and enters through an unlocked and unalarmed door." 
These outrageous violation of our president's security are no doubt important and need to be continually dealt with appropriately. However, coupled with the global health and international terrorist threats, the Secret Security breaches fails to compare in urgency. 

Articles referenced:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29452829
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29447877