If you read, watch, or listen to one thing about Ebola in America today, let it be this. Fox News anchor Shepard Smith delivered a much-needed rebuke against sensationalist coverage of U.S. Ebola cases today, while providing a clear-headed review of the facts as they now stand.
Smith's commentary here is about as clear, cogent, and concise as it gets. He describes people in the media who say or write hysterical things about the spread of Ebola in the U.S. as "irresponsible." He calls the claim that America's leaders and medical professionals have lied about the disease "ridiculous" and "completely without basis in fact." He also addresses the exploitation of Ebola's stateside arrival by various political entities, noting that "for the purposes of this fact-dissemination exercise, those [political] matters are immaterial."
These are all excellent points, but Smith really hits it out of the park around the 3:30 mark:
There is no Ebola spreading in America. Should that change, our reporting will change. But there is nothing indicating that it will. Best advice for you and your family at this moment? Get a flu shot. Unlike Ebola, flu is easily transmitted. Flu, along with resulting pneumonia, killed 52,000 Americans last year alone. A flu shot will reduce your chance of getting flu. So get one.
The World Health Organization reported yesterday that, despite some signs of progress, Ebola continues to spread aggressively throughout West Africa. But in the U.S., the answer to whether you should be worried about Ebola is the same today as it was several months ago:
H/t Virginia Hughes