Originally Posted by
Thekri
The Ebola outbreak really doesn't get the attention it deserves in hindsight, because you are absolutely right about what happens. The GOP managed to do their revisionist history bullshit on it right in front of our eyes. The current impression of Ebola is either 1) It was no big deal; or 2) It went away on its own; or somehow 3) Obama horribly mishandled it, but was saved by 1 or 2.
I was actually secondarily involved in handling that outbreak when it happened. I was in the 101st at the time, and we were assigned mission command in West Africa for it. I didn't deploy for that one, but I was on the stateside logistics front for it. I can assure you the response was absolutely massive, and decisive. We deployed tens of thousands of military personnel to contain it where is started, enlisted and led a truly unified international effort against it, instead of some petty America-centric response. Countries like Russia and China were cooperating with us, because everyone understood the threat, and was working hard to contain it. We listen to the medical experts, engaged in proper diplomacy, acted proactively, and contained in almost entirely in the area of the initial outbreak.
A few people carried it to other countries, and those isolated cases were taken extremely seriously, and locked down instantly. A woman in Dallas sued the government for the extremely draconian lockdown procedures that were put on her when her boyfriend died of Ebola, and while she does have a point, it was necessary to stop the spread of the virus. Ebola was the perfect example of how the international community handles a potential pandemic early and effectively. It was marked by taking it seriously early, and stopping it before it spread too far. America was the centerpiece of that response for logistics and medical guidance, but it certainly didn't do it alone, that is what the "Leader of the Free World" title means. Compare to Covid, where the US harassed, interfered, endangered, and tripped up the responses of other nations, stole their resources, and mocked them when they failed.
Two Americans died of Ebola. Two. Because the government did its damn job.