Poll: Little concern over Ebola virus

For weeks, news about the Ebola virus has dominated national news coverage after a handful of Americans developed the disease.|

For weeks, news about the Ebola virus has dominated national news coverage after a handful of Americans developed the disease. While Petaluma saw two false alarm cases, the vast majority of those who took part in this week’s unofficial online poll said they are not concerned about the threat of Ebola. Here were some of the comments:

“We’re in more danger from the fear and panic frenzy stirred up by irresponsible media organizations that only care about ratings than we’ll ever be from Ebola itself.”

--

“AIDS started with one person here.”

--

“As a health-care worker, I am especially concerned by the Obama administration’s lack of concern and incompetence of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).”

--

“I’m far more concerned about media-stoked hysteria and irrational beliefs that aren’t based in science than I am about an Ebola pandemic.”

--

“I’m in health care, so I trust the current state of knowledge. Also, tuberculosis is an infectious disease, like Ebola - did you know 1.5 million deaths from TB occur each year? But, it’s only ‘poor people’ who die from TB, not Americans. Let’s get real.”

--

“I am most concerned about the spread of Ebola to an animal host and it becoming endemic in the United States.”

--

“I am not feeling 100 percent confident that the current screening processes in place at airports will identify carriers of the virus, given the 21 day incubation period. Mandated incubation is a good first step.”

--

“If you’re that worried about it, wash your hands often and don’t kiss strangers.”

--

“It’s interesting to me that there was not much concern when it was devasting Third World countries. It’s probably a blessing it’s affecting affleunt countries because we are becoming prepared to prevent its spread.”

--

“The major contagion problem in the United States is flu. Thousands of people have died from flu and its complications in the past 30 years. When the media focuses on a particular problem or event, it becomes magnified in the minds of the public.”

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.