Poll: Are we overreacting to the Ebola crisis?

President Franklin D. Roosevelt in one of his most memorable speeches was quoted as saying, “Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself” – taken from his first Inaugural Address back in 1933.

The saying can easily be applied today as it pertains to the outbreak of Ebola in the “hot zone” of West Africa, the death of an Ebola patient in Dallas, the subsequent contracting of Ebola by two of the healthcare workers who cared for the patient; and the lack of information being given by the government.

All making for a stew of fear and panic.

Just recently, someone who was ill entered a North Jersey drug store causing alarm among the customers and workers there.

Police and officials in Hackettstown responded to the report until members of the Warren County Health Department could determine that the man did not have Ebola.

Couple that with the story of NBC medical correspondent and Princeton resident Nancy Snyderman – who covered the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and worked briefly with Ashoka Mukpo, the cameraman who caught the virus and is now being treated in Nebraska.

Now even though she and her crew showed no symptoms, they voluntarily agreed to a 21 day quarantine upon returning to the US.

However she blew it!

Yearning for some takeout at a popular Hopewell eatery, she decided to go out and violate the quarantine. With that, New Jersey health officials ordered her quarantine mandatory.

She had been classified as a “low risk” carrier, in that she may have come in contact with the sweat of an Ebola patient while on assignment – however, again, she didn’t show any signs of symptoms.

In the ensuing madness, signs were posted in many locales over Princeton warning residents there to call officials if she were to be seen – giving her address and the names of her kids.
Along with that, the name of the eatery where she had gone for takeout had been deserted – and the maid who worked for her was fired from other jobs she had around town.

Yes, she was foolish and irresponsible for violating her quarantine – not to mention losing all semblance of credibility she may have had; but do you feel there’s been an overreaction to the outbreak?

From what we know, the Ebola virus is transmitted only thorough contact with another infected person’s bodily fluids after they’ve shown signs of the disease. It is not airborne – at least as far as we know - (like the Enterovirus – which scares me more.)

Moreover, fanning the flames of fear are the administration’s not having a clue as to how to handle it.

Recently the President assigned an “Ebola Czar” tapping Ron Klain for the post.

His credentials?
He’s the former Chief of Staff for Vice President Biden and a political operative.

So it’s easy to see why the masses are in such an uproar.
But will this hysteria accomplish anything?

Outside of getting the White House to rethink some of its policies on how to handle the crisis – hysteria only breeds more hysteria.

Are we overreacting to the Ebola outbreak?