But we have soothed ourselves into imagining sudden change as something that happens outside the normal order of things. ... We do not conceive of sudden, radical, irrational change as built into the very fabric of existence. Yet it is.

–Ian Malcolm, in Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park

Deadly outbreaks begin when a nasty virus finds a victim and then, because of the frequency and intimacy of human interaction, handily spreads from one subject to the other through the air or those convenient bodily fluids. Once it begins, it is hard to contain. The public health system – no matter how sophisticated and prepared – will always be vulnerable, because it is run and implemented by fallible human beings. One mistake, or series of mistakes, can change lives in a heartbeat. We witnessed this in Dallas, where, instead of erring on the side of caution and isolating a patient exhibiting Ebola-like symptoms who told authorities he had traveled to West Africa, the hospital sent him home, because somewhere in the chain of communication, a decision-maker was not told he had been to the region.

According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, "It was a mistake. They dropped the ball." "You don't want to pile on them, but hopefully this will never happen again." Warm words that will be cold comfort if this deadliest of viruses gains a foothold in this country.

Actually, we should pile on the public health system. This isn’t a careless mistake on a math test or a fender-bender in the parking lot. This is one of those horrific train wrecks you see play out in slow motion. I can just hear Obama saying, “Mistakes were made. Lives were lost. But we’ve grown stronger and learned some valuable lessons.” Or “Yes, I think my experts underestimated the strength of this virus and its potential for disaster.”

It was not long ago that our President reassured us:

SNIP-

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/2014/10/e...l#ixzz3Ezio8s6T
Follow us: @AmericanThinker on Twitter | AmericanThinker on Facebook

Or, it could be a black swan. Perhaps even a chaotic black swan.

Another suspected case in Utah: http://fox13now.com/2014/10/02/health-of...-utah-hospital/