The first was with the SARS outbreak and the second was with the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake (Wilson). The Ebola illness has killed 729 people in Africa between March 1st and July 27, 2014. The CDC stats that they know how to take care of the virus, but it will take time. This virus didn't start overnight and the epidemic cannot be cured overnight. "It's not going to be quick. It's not going to be easy. But we know what to do" (Wilson). American healthcare facilities are well prepared for this virus should they come in contact with it or have a patient come in with the symptoms of Ebola. Isolation rooms have been set up in each facility and protocol has been instilled just in case this happens in facilities. Dr. William Schaffer states that "I think any major medical center can take care of any Ebola patient." Being prepared for the virus and having protocols in place will likely decrease the risk of healthcare providers from contracting the virus, but if universal precautions are not followed, the very opposite could happen. This is not the first virus that people have ever been exposed to. We have gotten through many years of the traditional flu and many other viruses so this one is not different. It may be hard to fight and take a lot of time, but eventually like all other viruses this one will be contained and taken care of and people will be able to take a vaccine and be able to be immune to it. .
America is definitely not ready for an outbreak of Ebola. The protocols aren't strong enough for anyone to be protected. There are not even enough healthcare workers to assist should an outbreak occur. "There are 46,000 fewer people working at state and local health departments today than there were five years ago"(Dokoupil). People are not trained properly for the disease because there is not enough money that has been invested by the CDC for emergency preparedness at state or local levels.
