Vicious Rants of an Angry Yellow Man

With the news that a nurse who took care of an ebola patient has contracted the disease in the U.S., there is more reason for concern.  We are supposed to have the necessary precautions in place to prevent the spread of the disease to health care workers here.  The two patients that were brought back to the U.S. were successfully treated and none of the caretakers contracted the disease.  So it is apparent the precautions in place worked.  But until we figure out what error or errors were committed in the latest case, it is a bit worrisome.  After all, humans make errors even if we are trained and are careful.

At least we know that the virus spread only by close contact when a patient has symptoms.  I think screening at airport is reasonable.  It shouldn't take too long to take the temperature of a passenger as he walks through customs.  This was done in Asia during the SARS epidemic.  It is not 100% effective but I think it at least give travelers a sense of assurance and stop people like Rand Paul who wants to limit traveling from certain areas of Africa to the U.S.

I think of more immediate concern is the spread of enterovirus D68.  Unlike ebola, D68 can be spread by air.  This is means that one can be several feet away and still catch it.  D68 is already in almost every state so we can't screen people by travel history like ebola.  The symptoms are flu like and we are in the flu season so it is difficult to differentiate it from the flu.  Hope people take their children to get the flu shot so that doctors know that it is less likely to be the flu when the kid comes in with flu like symptoms.  It is going to be tough winter for pediatricians and ER doctors!

On a light note, here in LA, the management of the Dodgers and Angels are under fire for losing in the first round of the playoff.  I am sure that is similar in Detroit.  There are mistakes by management to be sure.  But ultimately it is the players who win or lose.  I mean the difference between winning and losing in the playoffs seems most correlated with relief pitching.  That is almost impossible to predict before and even during the season.  Who knew before the season that Brian Wilson couldn't be a set up man?  Who knew that the pitchers of the Royals would be so good?  Last season the Red Sox beat the Tigers because of the bullpen.  This season the Red Sox relievers are terrible.  So I think if a GM can put together a team that win the division, it is hard to fault him for losing a short series playoff.

MSU is getting closer with the results over the weekend.  Too bad Baylor pulled it out.  How are the Red Wings going to be this season?