The news outlets could not wait for NYC to have a confirmed case.

"Hey honey, I feel sick, I am going to the supermarket to get it checked out.", "Well can you pick up some broccoli and hotdog buns while you are there ?"

Yes, please, when you are sick go to a place where everyone else buys food...

Yes, I'm talking about his time in Guinea.

The panelists, each in his or her own way, explained what is known about the situation, the protocols and drills undertaken in preparation, including taking into account the seeming mis-steps of the Dallas experience, and how the practiced protocols have been discharged in the case of Dr. Craig Spencer.  Information as it was known about Dr. Spencer's interactions was also provided, save for some un-essential private information.  

Reiterated, in different ways, the point was re-inforced that the disease is hard to contract being transmitted by bodily fluids.  Accordingly, asymptomatic Ebola infections are not likely to be communicable since the dangerous bodily fluids are not evidenced.  As the disease progresses and becomes symptomatic, the body, essentially, becomes a bag of virus.  Illustrative of this progression is the case of the Dallas patient, Thomas Duncan, who was initially seen by Emergency Room health care professionals,  who ordinarily do not wear extensive protective clothing, were not infected.  The infection was early-on.  At a later point, nurses caring for him in protective gear (although not as complete as it should have been) became infected.  

The news conference, from my perspective, was needed given the hysteria generated from  breathless reporting of Nielsen-conscious talking heads and the political exploitation of an infectious disease.  

My only criticism of the panelists was their skittishness in offering more graphic clinical symptoms.  An earthier description is warranted to bolster their educational efforts.   The population can stand and understand terms such as explosive diarrhea and projectile vomiting and grasp the need not to contact or be contacted by them.   Similarly mucous and saliva (although probably a lesser viral load) as well as semen should be stated up-front as the bodily fluids being referred.

Blood is apparently not too puritanical to state, so no change necessary.  But, "gastro-intestinal problems" seems better suited for clinical rounds and polite company. However, it was encouraging to hear "disease detectives' rather than epidemiology tracing.

But I gotta say, and maybe this isn't the right place, but how do you thank god for being alive without realizing is that was true, didn't that same god have something to do with you getting it to begin with.

What a gig, getting praise when things go right, and when they don't just statement about being part of the grand plan.  

It just makes my blood boil to know that this most irresponsible form of reporting is blanketing the country.  He took a cab!!! He went bowling!!! How many people touched that bowling ball???

Aiyeeeee!

Ruuuuun for your liiiiiiiiives!!!!!

Media is increasingly taking this approach with everything: the Canadian Parliament shooting, the breach of the fence at the WH.  It's like the Drudge Report invaded the major networks and sucked the last vestige of responsible reporting out and replaced it with panic and fear and insanity.

  Beyond the obvious answer-- because the media knows people are interested and the interest is because it's a contagious disease that can kill you, I can't think of any reason.

  I'm really not sure why anyone would think that is not a good enough reason.

  In the echo chamber that the post creates, supposedly "sophisticated" self-superior smirks predominate among the in crowd about how the great unwashed are foolish nervous nellies for panicking so (when the instances of actual panic appear to be no more prevalent than Ebola and likely less potentially fatal).

   I wonder if the responses would be similarly dismissive and "nothing to see here" if instead of a naturally occurring virus that has caused relatively few illnesses and death in this country, we had a similarly few number of deaths and illnesses caused by, say, a government agency laxly regulating the production and transportation of a toxic chemical produced by Megacorp.

  Would everyone just as quickly deride anyone who questioned the performance of the government and as blithely accept assurances the possibility of further harm is too remote to be newsworthy?

I also don't see the media out of control in their coverage. It's important news.

This discussion came up this past weekend with my brother in law who works for a hospital and what he said is there are different levels of containment and there are only 19 hospitals in the US which are equipped to deal with something like Ebola of which I'm sure NYC has at least one.