I'm very surprised that, in the midst of all the war and strife in Zaire,
that the biological risk of sending American troops into the region has not
been discussed in the news.
Prior outbreaks of the Ebola virus in Zaire have been prevented from
spreading by the regional isolation of the villages, but with thousands of
refugees now on the move, that isolation has vanished. Those refugees are
also starving and eating anything they can find, including those animals
suspected of being natural reservoirs of the Ebola virus.
On the TV news, I just saw a small clinic serving both injured refugees
and military personel. The commentator bemoaned the lack of supplies and
primitive conditions of the hospital.
It doesn't take a scientist to recognize that the present situation has a
very real possability of triggering a massive outbreak, one which could easily
be brought home by returning troops.
I find it disturbing that this issue is not being dealt with.
