Jacqui Lambie, a real-life person who currently holds a seat of some power in the freely elected Australian Federal Senate, is more than a little bit worried about the Ebola crisis in West Africa – not because of the humanitarian impact it’s having on the region, but on the off chance that Australia’s enemies could sneak Ebola-infected suicide soldiers into the country to wreak havoc.
I really, really wish I was making that up.
To reiteriate, Jacqui Lambie – a Tasmanian senator representing the Palmer United Party – whilst sitting in an official capacity at the Foreign Affairs and Defence Budget Estimates Committee, asked Admiral Ray Griggs what the Australian Defence Force‘s “contingency plan” was should enemy soldiers contaminated with the Ebola virus somehow make it into our borders.
As part of this particular line of query she asked if it can be spread via “ticks, fleas” and cited the World Health Organisation‘s estimate of 10,000 new cases per week by December presenting in currently affected regions.
I’d like to take this moment to remind people of the following facts.
1) Ticks and fleas are not carriers of the disease.
2) People only become infectious once symptoms present, and people that sick are easy to spot.
3) Transmission only occurs via direct contact with contaminated body fluids (blood, feces, etc).
4) The “10,000-per-week” estimate only applies to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea – places with de-centralised health systems and ingrained death customs that involve direct contact with the bodies of the dead.
5) Customs and Border Agents exist.
6) Since the start of the outbreak, statistics show that you’re more likely to become a sacked AFL Coach than an Ebola victim in the Southern Hemisphere.
This is a real life person who currently has a seat in our senate, kids. Good lord.
via SMH.
