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  • Sierra Leone: World Health Organization Declares African Country Free of Ebola

    Sierra Leone was deemed free of Ebola by the World Health Organization on Saturday. This means the nation has passed two incubation periods–a total of 42 days–with no outbreaks of the disease.

    Ebola has crippled the economy of Sierra Leone. The WHO announcement was broadcast over the radio on Saturday and included a story from a response worker who survived the disease.

    Tunis Yahya is the director of communications for Sierra Leone’s National Ebola Response Center. He said emotions are all over the place in response to the announcement.

    “It’s kind of like a mixed emotion,” the director explained. “People are happy, but also many are depressed because they lost their families.”

    Sierra Leone was the hardest hit of all countries during the Ebola outbreak that killed 4,000. 14,000 were infected with the disease.

    The nation will now begin a 90-day time of enhanced surveillance with the aim of quickly detecting any new cases of Ebola. The surveillance is in effect through February 5th.

    Celebrations are now planned across Sierra Leone. In addition to speeches from political and religious dignitaries, there will be dancing, singing, and a release of balloons.

    Word that Sierra Leone is now free of Ebola comes as a result of much medical intervention and as the answer to many prayers from all around the world. Hopefully this represents for those in Sierra Leone the beginning of much brighter days.

  • Why Is Nina Pham, Ebola Survivor, Suing Texas Health?

    Last October, Nina Pham became the first person to contract Ebola in the United States. Pham, a nurse for Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, got the disease from Thomas Eric Duncan. Duncan, who passed away while he was being treated, was a Liberian national and the first-ever Ebola patient in the US. Pham has survived her battle with Ebola, but now she is fighting another battle: she has filed a lawsuit against her employers for contributing to the factors that led to her being contaminated by the deadly disease.

    According to reports, Pham is suffering from body aches, hair loss, and other symptoms attributed to post-Ebola syndrome. She is also reportedly fearing the long-term effects of four experimental drugs administered to her by the hospital during her treatment. “The fact is, I’m facing a number of issues with regard to my health and my career and the lawsuit provides a way to address them,” Pham said in a statement with regards to her lawsuit. “But more importantly, it will help uncover the truth of what happened, and educate all health care providers and administrators about ways to be better prepared for the next public health emergency.”

    The lawsuit also alleges that Texas Presbyterian’s parent company, Texas Health Resources, ignored her request for privacy and released information about her to the public in order to boost their PR. On October 16 last year, Texas Health Resources released a grainy video of Pham in a hospital bed. The video was meant to update the public about her condition. According to Pham, the interview was an ambush and that she didn’t consent to being videotaped.

    In the court filing, Pham also accused Texas Health Resources of ignoring CDC protocol by assigning Duncan to her care. According to Pham, she was not trained with the handling of Ebola patients and that all of the information she used during that time, she acquired from the internet or from conversations with fellow nurses.

  • Nina Pham, the Nurse Who Survived Ebola, Says She ‘Had No Choice’ But to Sue Hospital

    Nina Pham, the first person to ever contract Ebola in the United States, says she “had no choice” but to sue the hospital where she contracted the virus.

    Nina Pham — who is a nurse at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas and contracted the disease while treating Thomas Eric Duncan, who was sent home initially after displaying signs of the Ebola virus and later died — filed a lawsuit March 4 against the hospital’s parent company, Texas Health Resources, saying she was “a symbol of corporate neglect — a casualty of a hospital system’s failure to prepare for a known and impending medical crisis.”

    The documents claim THR didn’t heed Ebola warnings and its chief medical officer “made numerous patently false statements to Congress.” The documents further claim the company “wholly failed to ensure that appropriate polices, procedures, and equipment were in place,” which put staff like Nina Pham at risk.

    “I was hoping that THR would be more open and honest about everything that happened at the hospital, and the things they didn’t do that led to me getting infected with Ebola,” Pham said in a statement. “But that didn’t happen and I felt I was left with no choice but to turn to the courts for help.”

    The lawsuit claims medical staff were improperly trained for the Ebola virus.

    “In a cruel twist, after watching Mr. Duncan go through the horrific and painful course of the disease as she desperately tried to save his life, Nina herself was diagnosed with Ebola just two days after Mr. Duncan’s life was taken by it,” the lawsuit states.

    The lawsuit also accuses the hospital of neglect by discharging Thomas Eric Duncan after he sought treatment initially.

    “Had THR heeded the CDC and other warnings and ensured its hospitals were ready for Ebola, Mr. Duncan would have had the best opportunity to possibly survive,” it says.

    Nina Pham claims she has lasting trauma as a result of the ordeal.

    “The fact is, I’m facing a number of issues with regard to my health and my career and the lawsuit provides a way to address them,” Pham said in her statement. “But more importantly, it will help uncover the truth of what happened, and educate all health care providers and administrators about ways to be better prepared for the next public health emergency.

    “I particularly want to express my continued sympathy to the family of Mr. Duncan, as it was my privilege to care for him. I also want to acknowledge my fellow nurses, and the many friends, family and strangers for their ongoing concern and support.”

  • Nina Pham: Ebola Nurse to Sue Dallas Hospital

    Nina Pham made headlines when she contracted Ebola after caring for Thomas Eric Duncan, the first patient to die from the disease in the U.S., in a Dallas hospital. Now Pham is suing the same Dallas hospital, saying they are negligent and responsible for her getting the disease.

    According to a report from CBS News, Nina Pham will file her lawsuit on Monday morning in Dallas County against Texas Health Resources. She says she suffers lingering effects of Ebola, including body aches and insomnia. She cared for Thomas Eric Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.

    Nina Pham believes she was “a symbol of corporate neglect–a casualty of a hospital system’s failure to prepare for a known and impending medical crisis.” She cites both the hospital’s lack of training and proper equipment, as well as violations of her privacy as reasons she contracted the disease. She also believes the hospital ‘failed to develop policies and train its staff for treating Ebola patients.’

    When nurses including Nina Pham treated Thomas Eric Duncan, they didn’t have the needed protective gear on hand, Pham alleges.

    “I was the last person besides Mr. Duncan to find out he was positive,” she said. “You’d think the primary nurse would be the first to know.”

    Charla Aldous is the attorney representing Nina Pham. She says Texas Health Resources “used Nina as a PR pawn.”

    “Nina Pham bravely served Texas Health Dallas during a most difficult time. We continue to support and wish the best for her, and we remain optimistic that constructive dialogue can resolve this matter,” Wendell Watson, a spokesman for Texas Health Resources, said. He declined to address anything regarding Nina Pham’s lawsuit.

    Pham wants unspecified damages for physical pain and mental anguish suffered as a result of contracting Ebola, as well as medical expenses and loss of future earnings. She also wants to “make hospitals and big corporations realize that nurses and health care workers, especially front line people, are important. And we don’t want nurses to start turning into patients.”

    Nina Pham worked alongside another nurse from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas who also contracted Ebola. It will be interesting to see if that nurse, Amber Vinson, opts to file a lawsuit as well.

  • Bob Simon: Final ’60 Minutes’ Segment Airs Sunday

    Bob Simon was a beloved news reporter for many years. Sadly, he passed away this past week after a car he was riding in crashed in New York City. The final 60 Minutes segment Bob Simon reported on is set to air Sunday night, February 15th, on CBS.

    The feature Simon did for Sunday’s episode is about a drug that has become a huge part of the fight against Ebola. Called ZMapp, the drug is made in part from tobacco, grown in Western Kentucky.

    “If West African lives are to be saved, salvation may well come from Western Kentucky,” Bob Simon says in a newly released clip of the show.

    He is seen touring warehouses near where the tobacco is grown.

    Simon’s daughter, Tanya Simon, produced the segment that will air on 60 Minutes Sunday night. This will no doubt be a very bittersweet episode for her to watch–if she is even able to do so.

    CBS will honor Bob Simon during the February 22nd episode of 60 Minutes, when the entire broadcast will be dedicated to his remarkable career.

    Will you be tuning in to 60 Minutes on CBS at 7:00 PM ET to see the last segment the late Bob Simon did for the news show?

  • Amber Vinson: Bridal Shop Closed After Visit from Ebola Patient

    Amber Vinson is one of the Dallas, Texas nurses who contracted Ebola after caring for a patient at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. That patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, died of the disease. All those who cared for him were told to remain quarantined if they showed any symptoms. Before showing any of the listed symptoms, Amber Vinson flew to Ohio and visited a bridal shop, in preparation for her upcoming wedding.

    Now it seems, Coming Attractions Bridal & Formal, the Akron store Amber Vinson visited, is closing its doors, following 30 years in business.

    “It’s not what we planned for or expected to happen,” manager Kayla Litz said in a recent interview with People magazine. “The stigma really never went away. We became the Ebola store.”

    After receiving word that Amber Vinson was diagnosed with Ebola, bridal store owner Anna Younker closed the shop that very night, and she kept it closed for the duration of the 21-day quarantine period. In addition, she called in a professional cleaning team.

    There really wasn’t a need for that much caution either. Ebola is only spread through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected person, according to the Centers for Disease Control. And Amber Vinson was healthy the day she was in the bridal shop.

    Anna Younker hoped her extreme caution would give the public–and future brides and their attendants and families–peace of mind. Sadly, it didn’t.

    “After we reopened we had a massive sale,” Litz explains. “It was successful. We were hoping things would turn around after that.”

    But the shop never recovered.

    “People would call and ask, ‘Is it okay to come in the store?’ ” Litz says. “They would just want to stand in the doorway when they needed to pick something up.”

    Litz says the store was counting on the insurance company to cover many of the costs from the fallout, including the cleaning of the shop. Unfortunately, they weren’t covered for Ebola.

    “The insurance company had a bacterial/viral clause that said they do not cover that kind of thing,” Litz says. “We thought they would help us. And then that completely fell through.”

    The insurance company wasn’t the only one who let them down either. Amber Vinson did, too.

    “We really thought, ‘She’s going to stick by us, she’ll show people everything’s okay,’ ” Litz says.

    She didn’t. After recovering from Ebola, Amber Vinson sent the store a certified letter from her lawyer, that asked for a refund on the bridesmaids dresses she’d purchased that October, joining the many other women who wanted their money back from the “Ebola store.”

    Litz explained that Vinson wanted a refund so she–and the shop–could “avoid any further stigma.”

    “We wanted her business. We’ve never done anything to make her feel we didn’t want her here. We never blamed her. And then the letter came and it was just like, wow,” Litz adds. “Who thought that was okay?”

    Kayla Litz announced the upcoming store closing on their Facebook page.

    Post by Coming Attractions Bridal and Formal.

    Prior to Amber Vinson’s visit to the store, Coming Attractions Bridal & Formal had planned to expand. They had purchased a new line of tuxedos and a new line of fall dresses.

    “This was not the plan,” Litz says. “Closing the store was not the plan.

    “The financial loss was so great,” she adds. “People can’t even imagine.”

    Amber Vinson was contacted by People magazine and ask to comment on the bridal store’s closing, but has yet to reply.

    Does Vinson owe this bridal store–at the very least–an apology? Surely she isn’t legally liable, but should she at least acknowledge the suffering this shop owner and manager are enduring? While it still wouldn’t save their business, it might take away a modicum of the insult that was issued following the initial injury.

  • Liam Hemsworth, Jennifer Lawrence in Ebola PSA

    Liam Hemsworth, Jennifer Lawrence, and Josh Hutcherson–all members of the Hunger Games cast–got together recently to create a PSA to help raise awareness of and shoot down misconceptions about the recent Ebola outbreak.

    The PSA was published on Monday by the Ebola Survival Fund. The fund was founded by actor Jeffrey Wright, who plays Beetee in the Hunger Games franchise’s third film. Wright also works with larger-scale programs in order to fight the deadly disease.

    “The world is facing the largest Ebola outbreak in history,” Wright says in the beginning of the PSA clip.

    “But the countries hit hardest are Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone,” Lawrence continuesl.

    “Weren’t there just wars there?” Hutcherson asks.

    Jennifer Lawrence, of course, lets her sassy self shine through–even when discussing something as serious as Ebola.

    “What would happen if you got Ebola?” she asks, then very quickly adds, “I’d be fine.”

    Liam Hemsworth says, “People infected by the Ebola virus in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone…”

    Julianne Moore continues his statement, saying, “…don’t have access to the same medical treatment as Americans.”

    Jeffrey Wright even draws parallels between The Hunger Games and the African countries where Ebola is most prominent.

    “The Hunger Games allegory aligns with this Ebola outbreak in that we, the United States, the West, relative to this, is very much like the Capitol and Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, are very much like the outer districts,” Wright said during a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly. “I thought, well, let’s play with that idea as a way of highlighting the stark contrast between we, the Capitol, and they, the outer districts, and using some of the constructs from the movie as a way of shining additional light on some of the contrasts.”

    Hopefully this PSA will serve to educate many on what is happening in West Africa with regard to Ebola. Maybe it will inspire some to take action and help. Kudos to Liam Hemsworth, Jeffrey Wright, Jennifer Lawrence, and the rest of the Hunger Games cast for lending their voices and faces to this very important PSA.

  • World Cup Was the Biggest Thing on Facebook in 2014

    It’s that time of the year again – the time for year-in-review updates. Facebook is early to the party, and has already announced the most-discussed topics of the year.

    With its massive global reach, it should come as no surprise that the World Cup in Brazil was the most popular topic of conversation on Facebook in 2014.

    Not only that, but it was the biggest event in the history of Facebook.

    The rest of Facebook’s list of most-discussed subject of 2014 reads like a recap of the global zeitgeist –

    1. World Cup
    2. Ebola virus outbreak
    3. Elections in Brazil
    4. Robin Williams
    5. Ice Bucket Challenge
    6. Conflict in Gaza
    7. Malaysia Airlines
    8. Super Bowl
    9. Michael Brown/Ferguson
    10. Sochi Winter Olympics

    When you just look at conversation in the US, the World Cup falls to #6 and is replaced at the top by Ebola. The Ice Bucket Challenge comes in at #2. If you’re curious as to whom – of the seemingly endless celebrity ice bucket challenges – was the most-watched, well, that title goes to a former President:

    Post by George W. Bush.

    If you use Facebook as a jump of points for social games, you’ll be interested to know that matching game Cookie Jam was also named Facebook Game-of-the-Year.

    Facebook has prepared a slick-looking site to chronicle its 2014 year-in review, and you can check it out here.

    2014 Year in Review from Facebook on Vimeo.

    Image via Facebook

  • Sierra Leone: The Battle Against Ebola Rages On

    More than half of Sierra Leone’s population is under quarantine as the Ebola outbreak continues to cause deaths in the country. The outbreak has claimed more than 1,400 deaths so far, forcing the health ministry to mandate a strict lockdown for hundreds of thousands of citizens in the area.

    The Tonkolili District was the latest area to be sealed shut, allowing no one to leave or enter without official papers from the local government. The country’s efforts to end the outbreak started in September and has now sealed more than one million people inside their respective homes and communities. From the northern part in Bombali to the southern district of Moyamba, residents of the 6 districts under the quarantine are currently struggling with what little support that they are being given.

    The local government is still concerned about individuals who choose to ignore the mandated quarantine. Last week, Aminata Bangura, a fifteen year old teenager died of suspected Ebola. While the rest of her family was told to stay indoors, some members were reportedly ignoring the quarantine, choosing to go about their normal routines like running a local hairdressing business and attending the mosque.

    Godfrey Kamara, a local headmaster who is now an anti-Ebola campaigner, continues to remind his community about the precautions that they need to consider. “I’ve been house to house telling them not to touch bodies, but they still do it,” he said. “It’s not working. When they’re quarantined people should stay around and have security. And they still wash the dead.”

    At Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, Ebola burial teams collect about 60 deceased bodies from their daily routes. They treat every death as a suspicious case even if the person died of an accident or through natural causes. The burial teams were dispatched to collect bodies as some residents are still following traditional funeral rites, which involves washing the dead bodies. It has been reported by BBC that at least 20% of the new cases stemmed from this practice, causing the outbreak to spread further.

    Another problem lies at the lack of doctors and nurses who are working to manage the outbreak. Just last week, Dr. Komba Songu-M’briwa of the Hastings Ebola Treatment Center tested positive for Ebola. He pointed out the poor conditions of the understaffed center where he and his co-workers continued to treat and diagnose patients even with limited supplies.

    The country only had about 130 doctors serving almost 6 million people. They had already lost seven doctors to the deadly outbreak leaving Dr. M’briwa praying that he gets well. “It’s not going to stop me. I am not going to relent,” he said in an interview.

  • Amber Vinson, the Dallas Nurse Who Had Ebola, Seeks a Refund From Bridal Shop

    Amber Vinson, the nurse who contracted Ebola and caused a furor when she boarded a plane, sent a letter to an Ohio bridal shop Saturday asking for a refund.

    The letter came as a shock to the owner of Coming Attractions Bridal and Formal, Anna Younker, especially considering she had to close the store to have it cleaned because of the Ebola scare last month.

    Younker told FOX 8’s Lorrie Taylor she received the notification from Vinson’s attorney, asking for a refund of the deposits and payments made towards the bridesmaids’ dresses.

    “In order to minimize additional public scrutiny, Amber decided it would be best if she used another bridal shop,” said Vinson’s attorney, Stephen F. Malouf. “Due to the most unusual circumstances, Amber and I would ask that Coming Attractions refund the deposits and payments made towards the costs of the bridesmaids’ dresses.”

    In October, the owner made the decision to close the shop to have it cleaned after Amber Vinson visited the store during a trip to Ohio to prepare for her wedding. The nurse began to develop symptoms of Ebola just before getting on a plane for the return home to Dallas.

    Younker said her bridal shop remained closed for few weeks while a professional cleaning company sterilized the store and dresses, losing thousands of dollars as a result.

    Younker apparently didn’t hear from Vinson until she received the letter on Saturday, which came as a shock, she said.

    Vinson was declared Ebola-free in October.

  • Lily Allen Calls Ebola Charity Single “Smug”

    Lily Allen refused to partake in the collaboration for the Band Aid 30 charity single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

    During an interview with the Daily Mail on Sunday’s Event magazine, Allen said that she turned down the invitation to sing with British singers One Direction, Rita Ora, Ed Sheeran because she felt that there was something “smug” about it.

    “I got an email asking me to do it. It’s difficult to explain why I didn’t do it without sounding like a complete ****,” Allen told the website.

    “I prefer to do my charitable bit by donating actual money and not being lumped in a with a bunch of people like that,” she added. “It’s like the success club, and I’m not really in that club. I don’t think I’m above it all — I’m way below it. But there’s something a bit smug about it.”

    Charity supergroup Band Aid previously released versions of “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” in 1984, 1989 and 2004, with their latest being Band Aid 30. The 2014 recording has become the fastest selling single in the United Kingdom this year and will help fight the ongoing battle against Ebola in West Africa as all proceeds will be sent to the cause.

    Allen’s third studio album Sheezus was released in May 2014 and included singles “Hard Out There,” “Air Balloon,” and “Our Time.”

    What do you think about Lily Allen refusing to take part in the single? Leave your comments below.

  • Ebola Nurse Action Figure Now Available

    A toy manufacturer called Herobuilders has designed the “Case-E Ebola Nurse Action Figure.”

    While Herobuilders insists that Case-E has nothing to do with the once quarantined nurse Kaci Hickox, the doll is obviously a simulacrum of the Ebola-free Doctors Without Borders member.

    Hickox, who was quarantined in New Jersey and then ordered to self-monitor in Maine for the Ebola virus, recently said her life is “back to normal,” after completing a 21-day period with no symptoms.

    The ad for the doll reads, “complete with health certificate 100% Ebola free doll.”

    Hickox returned from Sierra Leone on October 24, and was involuntarily quarantined at New Jersey’s University Hospital by Gov. Chris Christie. At the time, a slightly feverish Hickox protested that she felt vilified, and was allowed to travel to her Fort Kent, Maine home on October 27. She was ordered to remain inside her house and monitor herself for symptoms, under threat of legal action.

    Here is Case-E:

    Here is Kaci:

    When asked about Case-E, Herobuilders CEO Emil Vicale commented, “I don’t know who you’re talking about, I don’t know who Kaci Hickox is. This nurse’s name is Case-E. She bears no resemblance.”

    The Case-E Ebola Nurse Action Figure went on sale Monday for $29.95, and Herobuilders said 500 of the dolls will be ready by the holidays.

    Hickox made headlines recently after taking a bike ride around her neighborhood, after Maine Gov. Paul LePage ordered her to stay inside her home for a 21-day period. A judge sided with Hickox, and said she could come and goes as she pleased, as long as she continued to monitor herself for symptoms.

    After the three week period ended, Hickox commented, “I felt like every day should have been normal. I hope that one day we as an American culture can get over this fear and can learn to show compassion instead, and we can continue to listen to the medical experts about Ebola.”

  • Kaci Hickox “Back to Normal” Post Ebola Quarantine

    Kaci Hickox, the nurse who was quarantined in New Jersey and then ordered to self-monitor in Maine for the Ebola virus, said her life is “back to normal,” after completing a 21-day period with no symptoms.

    Doctors Without Borders member Hickox returned from Sierra Leone on October 24, and was involuntarily quarantined at New Jersey’s University Hospital by Gov. Chris Christie. At the time, a slightly feverish Hickox protested that she felt vilified, and was allowed to travel to her Fort Kent, Maine home on October 27. She was ordered to remain inside her house and monitor herself for symptoms, under threat of legal action.

    Hickox then defied Maine Gov. Paul LePage, and took a bike ride in her neighborhood, within the three week period she was ordered to stay inside her house. LePage called her “callous,” and untrustworthy. A judge then sided with Hickox, and said she was free to leave her home as she pleased, as long as she kept monitoring for symptoms.

    Regarding her quarantine and initial confinement to her house, Hickox commented, “I felt like every day should have been normal. I hope that one day we as an American culture can get over this fear and can learn to show compassion instead, and we can continue to listen to the medical experts about Ebola.”

    “I understand that we are still learning what democracy means in this country, and it’s disappointing,” Hickox remarked, adding that LePage had “said a lot of things about me that were just, first of all, untrue, and he doesn’t know me.”

    A recent poll conducted in New Jersey revealed that roughly two-thirds of voters agree with Christie’s decision to quarantine Hickox.

    Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, commented, “Gov. Christie has made a good read of how uneasy the public is with the seemingly uncertain response from the feds. The Ebola issue has offered him an opportunity to take on the mantle of leadership.”

  • Nancy Snyderman: Allowed to Return to NBC or Not?

    Will Dr. Nancy Snyderman be allowed to return to NBC? The network’s chief medical editor traveled to Liberia where she was exposed to Ebola, and then she violated the terms of her quarantine once she returned to the United States. Snyderman incited much anger and concern when she agreed to a 21-day quarantine, but was spotted getting takeout at a New Jersey restaurant just a few days later.

    According to a report in the New York Post, NBC must now decide if she damaged her credibility beyond repair by violating the quarantine. Will viewers still trust her take on medical issues?

    “Nancy’s quarantine was up two weeks ago, but there is still a debate going on at NBC News among senior managers, some who feel she should be fired for not following advice to quarantine herself. But others feel that NBC News should stand by Snyderman, since she was sent by them to Liberia to report,” an NBC source says.

    NBC News President Deborah Turness issued a memo to staff back in late October saying Nancy Snyderman and those who traveled with her to Liberia would take “some time with their families” and would return “next month.”

    Both this week and last, NBC brought in Dr. Natalie Azar as a medical contributor on the Today Show. Dr. Azar is a rheumatologist and clinical instructor at NYU Langone Medical Center. She has been a contributor to WNYW and was most recently on the FOX New York station in late October. Do you suppose they are grooming her to be Nancy Snyderman’s replacement?

    Princeton, New Jersey Municipal Health Officer Jeffrey C. Grosser said Thursday that he and the public health nurse had performed an exit interview Wednesday evening with the NBC crew. There are no restrictions on their movement.

    “They pose zero public health risk to the community,” Grosser said by phone.

    How do you feel about Dr. Nancy Snyderman violating her 21-day Ebola quarantine last month? If she returns to NBC, will you find it difficult to regard her as a top medical authority on topics of importance to you and your family? Will that violation–and even the slight possibility that it could have caused someone harm–forever linger in your mind whenever you see the NBC chief medical editor?

    That’s likely what the bigwigs at NBC are wrestling with right now.

  • Google Asks for Ebola Donations, Will Match 2:1

    If you opened up Google.com today, you may have noticed that Google is now prompting users to donate to the fight against Ebola.

    And for every dollar you donate through Google, the company plans to donate two until a goal of $7.5 million is met ($2.5 million in user donations and $5 million in matching). Google is making a $10 million donation regardless, and CEO Larry Page’s family foundation is making a $15 million contribution. That means, when it’s all said and done, Google will have given $30 million to the fight against the virus.

    According to Google, all donations will be given to a donor fund called Network for Good, who will then distribute the money evenly across four charities – Doctors Without Borders, the International Rescue Committee, Partners in Health, and Save the Children. Google says it’s chosen these four partners because “of their strong track record and existing response.”

    “These organizations are doing remarkable work in very difficult circumstances to help contain this outbreak, and we hope our contribution will help them have an even greater impact … Our hearts go out to everyone whose lives have been touched by this tragedy,” says Page.

    This move follows the one by Facebook, which prompted users to donate to the Ebola fight via a news feed banner. In addition, CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave $25 million of his own money directly to the CDC to help battle the disease in Africa.

    Images via Google

  • Amber Vinson Cleared Of Ebola, Gets A Kiss From George W. Bush

    On Friday, November 7, Amber Vinson got the all-clear. She was one of the two nurses who contracted Ebola after caring for Thomas Eric Duncan, who got the disease while he was in Liberia. This marked the end of the feared Ebola outbreak in Dallas, and to celebrate the occasion, former president George W. Bush visited Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital to pose for a photo op and he even hugged Vinson and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

    “I appreciate the way the hospital and its professionals are sharing lessons learned in a way that helps the broader United States health care community respond to this terrible virus,” Bush said in a statement. No further cases of Ebola have been reported in Dallas since Duncan, Vinson, and fellow nurse Nina Pham caught the disease. Duncan passed away on October 8, a week after being diagnosed with Ebola.

    — Bonnie Moon (@bonniemoon) November 7, 2014

    — CNN Newsource (@CNNNewsource) November 8, 2014

    In an interview with CNN, Vinson said she wondered how she caught the disease despite following protocol. “I have no idea. I go through it almost daily in my mind: what happened, what went wrong. Because I was covered completely every time. I followed the CDC protocol. I never strayed. It is a mystery to me,” she told CNN’s Don Lemon.

    Vinson was criticized for boarding commercial flights after treating an Ebola patient, despite showing no symptoms. After treating Duncan, she flew to Ohio for the weekend to plan for her wedding with Derrick Murray. She was diagnosed with Ebola when she got back to Dallas.

    Her engagement ring as well as the binder containing her wedding plans were incinerated during a hazmat clean-up that was meant to stop the spread of the disease. However, it was revealed by Dr. William Schaffner that some bleach would have destroyed any trace of the virus from her jewelry. 

    — Good Morning America (@GMA) November 8, 2014

  • Lara Logan Under Ebola Quarantine

    Lara Logan Under Ebola Quarantine

    CBS News foreign affairs correspondent Lara Logan has quarantined herself regarding the Ebola virus after visiting Liberia to produce a segment for 60 Minutes, which aired Sunday.

    Logan, a South Africa native, checked into a hotel for 21 days in that country, and CBS revealed that she is set to leave this Friday. Four other members of the 60 Minutes production team have also self-quarantined, and none of the five have shown any signs of an Ebola infection.

    Logan and her crew visited the “Ebola Treatment Clinic” ran by the relief group International Medical Corps, and documented their safety precautions, which included being careful not to touch anyone, and being sprayed down with a chlorine solution.

    Here is a clip of Logan’s tour of the Liberian Ebola clinic, which has so far treated roughly 200 patients:

    “One thing that strikes you when you arrive in the country is that the first thing you see is Liberian workers in the airport who are wearing face masks, and some of them wearing aprons. Before you can enter the terminal building, you have to wash your hands with chlorine,” Logan commented during a FaceTime chat with 60 Minutes Overtime from her hotel room.

    As an added safety measure, Geoff Mabberley traveled with the team, though his sole function was to keep the crew safe. “Geoff just watched us every minute of the day. [He] sprayed us with chlorine and disinfected everything: the drivers, the cars, the luggage – every time you got out, came out of somewhere,” Logan remarked.

    Healthcare workers are especially susceptible to catching the Ebola virus, though International Medical Corps said that none of its employees have been infected.

    Commenting on the grave situation in Liberia, Logan said, “Ebola in Liberia is very much like a war. You have to keep it together because that’s your job, and you can’t be here if you can’t do that. But it’s so heartbreaking. It’s really been hard on all of us.”

  • Ebola Quarantine Acceptable to New Jersey Voters

    A poll conducted in New Jersey revealed that most voters agreed with Gov. Chris Christie’s decision to quarantine a nurse from Maine who had recently spent time in West Africa.

    Doctors Without Borders member Kaci Hickox returned from Sierra Leone on October 24, and was involuntarily quarantined at New Jersey’s University Hospital. At the time, a slightly feverish Hickox protested that she felt vilified, and was allowed to travel to her Fort Kent, Maine home on October 27. She was ordered to remain inside her house and monitor herself for symptoms, under threat of legal action.

    In the poll conducted by Monmouth University, roughly two-thirds of voters agreed with Christie’s decision to quarantine Hickox. Only 27 percent of the respondents disapproved of Christie’s actions, and Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, commented, “Gov. Christie has made a good read of how uneasy the public is with the seemingly uncertain response from the feds. The Ebola issue has offered him an opportunity to take on the mantle of leadership.”

    Christie said that Hickox was sent to the hospital after touching down at Newark Liberty International Airport because she had a fever, but Hickox has insisted that she developed no Ebola symptoms the entire time she was held in New Jersey.

    Manifestation of Ebola begins with a sudden onset of an influenza-like stage characterized by general malaise, fever with chills and chest pain. Nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting are also common symptoms. Regarding the central nervous system, victims experience severe headaches, agitation, confusion, fatigue, depression, seizures and sometimes coma.

    Those who contract Ebola typically die of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) due to fluid redistribution, hypotension, weakened intravascular coagulation and focal tissue necrosis. The hemorrhaging that comes with the disease is typically not the cause of death.

    Healthcare workers are especially susceptible to catching the Ebola virus, and CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden commented that moving patients has the potential to do more harm than good.

    Of the 802 voters surveyed, 88 percent said they were well aware of the Ebola issue, though only 26 percent said they felt like the virus was a significant public health hazard.

  • Facebook Asks You to Donate to Fight Ebola

    Facebook is about to ask all of its users to donate to the fight against Ebola. Not since Facebook pushed its users to sign up for organ donation has the company been so forward with a health/humanitarian issue.

    Over the next week, Facebook is going to prompt users to donate to a few nonprofits using a banner atop their news feeds.

    “Organizations involved in the fight against Ebola are using Facebook to raise funds for their relief efforts,” says Facebook. “We want to amplify these calls for action and help organizations raise awareness and connect directly with people around the world. Over the next week, people on Facebook will see a message at the top of News Feed with an option to donate…”

    If you choose to donate, you’ll have the option to give to International Medical Corps, the Red Cross, or Save the Children. After you make your donation, Facebook would, of course, like you to share it with your friends.

    Facebook has also announced a partnership with UNICEF that will see the company push Ebola-related health information to the news feeds of people in affected areas (in the appropriate local languages).

    And in a truly proactive move, Facebook is donating 100 mobile satellite communication terminals to areas of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to boost voice and data services in underserved areas.

    “Focusing on areas where there is little to no existing communications capacity, NetHope will deploy these terminals to help medical and aid workers with contact tracing, communication, case management and community mobilization. Response organizations estimate that for each patient, at least 10 other people will provide health care, contact tracing and other services that may require telecommunications — and improvements are most important in rural areas where infrastructure is weakest and case loads are highest,” says Facebook.

    It’s clear that Facebook, and most importantly its CEO, are taking the Ebola epidemic seriously. You might recall that Mark Zuckerberg recently gave the CDC $25 million to help fight the disease.

    Image via Facebook

  • Ebola Panic Costs Kentucky Teacher Her Job

    Susan Sherman, a religious education teacher at a Catholic school in Louisville, Kentucky, recently went on a mission trip to Kenya. When she got back, the school where she works was wary of having her head back to class. According to the Archdiocese of Louisville, St. Margaret Mary school asked Sherman to 21-day leave and produce a health note from her doctor.

    Instead, Sherman resigned.

    At first glance, most people might not think this is a bad idea. Ebola has been ravaging the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Maybe “better safe than sorry” is in order here?

    Except for the fact that Kenya is on the east coast of Africa, the opposite of where Ebola is. It is over 3,000 miles from the affected areas. To put that in terms Americans can relate to, it is 2,448 miles from New York to Los Angeles. The minimum distance from Kenya to any of the affected countries on the west coast of Africa is about 3,300 miles.

    The Louisville Courier-Journal reports that the school asked that Sherman take the leave and bring the doctor’s not because of “strong parent concerns.” Sherman’s husband told the local parish that “unfounded fears” of some parents and parish staff “are triumphing over truth and reason.”

    The founder of the relief organization that handles the Kenya trips said he has only had one other person who has gone on the missions get a negative reaction like the one in Louisville.

    “We don’t have Ebola in Kenya,” Steve James said. “It’s unfortunate that someone with such a big heart has to suffer because of [irrational Ebola fears],” he said.

  • Kaci Hickox: Judge Rules In Favor Of Nurse Over Quarantine Lawsuit

    Kaci Hickox, the nurse who made the news after a very public battle with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Maine Governor Paul LePage over Ebola quarantine laws, has reached a settlement with the Maine government that allows her to travel freely as long as she monitors her health closely.

    The Maine judge in charge of the case sided with Hickox and ruled that because she has exhibited no symptoms and is not contagious, she should not be isolated and her movements should not be restricted. In his ruling, the judge also slammed “misconceptions, misinformation, bad science and bad information” that has been circulated to the public regarding the disease.

    Hickox’s troubles began when she returned to the United States last month after treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone. She was placed under mandatory quarantine after showing signs of elevated temperature. The mandatory quarantine was an effect of Gov. Christie’s new policy that anyone showing symptoms of Ebola, including high temperature, should be isolated despite the fact that the disease is not airborne.

    In an interview with CNN, Kaci Hickox said, “We know that Ebola is not transmitted as easily as many other diseases and that self-monitoring and even an enhanced version, which is what most states in the US are going to now, this will work”.

    Kaci Hickox’s legal battle happened after transferring back to her hometown of Maine where Gov. Paul Lepage tried to keep her quarantined for the duration of the disease’s 21-day incubation period.

    The nurse fought back against the unnecessary quarantine that was imposed on health workers, and said in the interview that “the biggest reason that I fought is because I, you know, felt so much fear and confusion, and I imagined what my fellow aid workers were going to feel if they came back to this same situation.”