Ebola's Back Door To America
Bushmeat -- sold in stores in communities of expat Africans, like those in New York. Gerard Flynn and Susan Scutti write at Newsweek:
Three other agencies are responsible for enforcing import restrictions, according to the FWS: "Bushmeat as meat is also regulated on import by the Food and Drug Administration (from a human health perspective), Centers for Disease Control (from a human health and primate perspective) and USDA (from an agricultural perspective concerned with animal diseases)." Customs, which works under the Department of Homeland Security, is responsible for coordinating these four agencies. The inadequate enforcement could be a function of this diffusion of responsibility, or there might be "questions about what exactly is legal and what is not," says Blom. In other words, customs agents may simply not recognize what they are looking at when encountering bushmeat."I've seen bushmeat being brought into the U.S. in basically big suitcases of smoked meat or coolers brought on planes," says Blom.
Back in the Bronx, Appiah confirms that plenty of the stuff gets past the gatekeepers. "Immigration in America is trying to control it...but always they find a way of bringing [bushmeat] in here," he told Newsweek in his thick accent, adding, "It's all around."
In California, they confiscated the lone saucisson (dry Italian sausage) Gregg mistakenly packed in his luggage when we flew back from Paris. (I learned he had it there while we were coming home on the plane; I know you can't bring in meat or fruits and vegetables to California and told him to declare it -- there are signs at LAX warning of a $10K fine if you don't and get caught.)
It's a hallmark of how ineffective government is at protecting us from anything that this meat gets into our country -- meat that is not from a pig slaughtered in France and turned into a sausage (quite safe!) but meat that could cause a horrible, deadly epidemic here in the USA.
Well, to be fair, government does a bang up job at protecting us from keeping all that hard-earned money they yank away from us with taxes.
Well, 'to be fair'...
Our government is feckless. I may have mentioned that in earlier times.
But let's be clear... One of the great things about living in the United States is that our food is really safe.
It may be inane... As you (Amy) so often point out, it may do terrible things to our long-term health. And the flavoring and presentation may do nothing for our spiritual development, or for our dignity.
But almost everyone reading this comment would have to spend a few hours looking around to buy something to eat that would interrupt their enjoyment of next weekend. In about a third of the rest of the world, it's not like that.
We are SO, SO far ahead of the third world.
I am not shitting you. I am NOT bragging: When I heard they were bringing Ebola sufferers to the United States, I was delighted.
The French are cute: The make nice wine, and can take it from behind like nobody's business. The Japanese are essentially modern, with an admirable embrace of modernity's ironies, especially given their insular spirit.
But when it comes to dealing with the REAL WORLD, especially for thing like infectious disease...
The best possible place for Ebola sufferers to seek treatment and survival is the United States. No other country will help them so effectively —while protecting itself— so well.
One of the best things I've learned from Lomborg is that the United States used to have as much suffering from Malaria as anyone. (Look at it: the word is Italian.) We haven't been protected from it by our Christian good looks, or by dumb luck: We are protected from infectious disease by our wealth.
We shouldn't forget that. OK? The world is not OUT THERE.
It's just that we've turned IN HERE into —essentially, in global terms— Paradise.
Crid [CridComment at Gmail] at August 24, 2014 2:18 AM
Yes, I'm mostly trying to stay awake for the Belgian Grand Prix, which starts at 5am PST.
Crid [CridComment at Gmail] at August 24, 2014 2:19 AM
To wit: Boom.
'Merica!
Our dick is that hard!
Crid [CridComment at Gmail] at August 24, 2014 2:25 AM
So, let me get this straight:
Ebola can get here through un-inspected channels, and so the whole idea of inspection is wrong?
People should be able to buy and ingest anything they want, because they can avoid botulism, Ebola, lead and the like in their foods on their own, being crackerjack analysts?
Radwaste at August 24, 2014 2:42 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2014/08/ebolas-back-doo.html#comment-4971302">comment from RadwasteRadwaste, I realize you have this as a pet cause -- the truly naive notion government will protect you by telling you what food you can and cannot eat.
There's a line here to be drawn.
If I choose to eat unpasteurized cheese, it affects you not at all if that cheese is...problematic in some way for my Alkon tummy.
Ebola is a transmittable disease and allowing meat that may transmit it is a public health crisis in the making.
I'm up because I'm getting repeated late-night blocked calls on my iPhone, but I got some excellent call-blocking/call identifying software, figured out who was making the calls, and now I'm going back to bed.
Amy Alkon
at August 24, 2014 2:46 AM
I used to read a blog 10 years ago by an elderly Japanese guy who ate bushmeat (specifically chimp) once of his own accord (then he read about it's connection to HIV and freaked the fuck out once he got back to Japan) and the second time by accident. The second time he got food poisoning and started hallucinating that chimps were out to get him and he developed a rash all over his body.
Bushmeat isn't even that good.
'
Ppen at August 24, 2014 3:20 AM
off-topic, but related to Crid's link about the missionaries being "cured" of Ebola.
Normally, I don't want others judging me or my beliefs so I try to not judge them; but, this is one thing that often annoys me about deeply religious folks: “As she walked out of her isolation room, all she could say was, ‘To God be the glory,’"
How about the doctors and nurses and the other folks who saved her fucking life? Why doesn't she first say the glory be to them?
Charles at August 24, 2014 3:51 AM
People like to think they're special and there was this superbeing that cared about them beyond everyone else. Of course, what they're also saying is that superbeing thought those of you who are/were dying are shit.
And Ppen, that photo of the monkey in the piece that looks like it got caught in Pompeii is a enough to put me off bushmeat forever.
Amy Alkon at August 24, 2014 7:21 AM
Amy, I do not know how you could get that so wrong!
I am not saying the government can tell you what you can or cannot eat.
I am saying that you and I personally benefit from inspection programs that run on the foodstuffs we can access.
It's the reason you don't have pinworms, lead poisoning or any of those other maladies that others are so eager to claim would happen if corporations were allowed to cut corners.
More than half of food safety is provided by DOT regulations that prohibit commingling of hazardous materials and foodstuffs. Would you have the trucking company ship milk and trichloroethane in the same tanker, as they actually used to do?
You may as well do away with the laws because people break them. Oh, wait – that is actually what you advocate for marijuana and various other unspecified drugs.
Never have I seen a more blatant example of confusing cause and effect as when a person gets so crossed up as to blame the inspection process for the practice of putting the public at risk in the first place – which is done by the producer!
But that would be completely consistent: blame police for those who break the law, blame inspectors for missing the dangers in the practices of food producers. Completely ignore prevention as the only measure which actually increases safety margin.
And do it all from the comfort provided by those protective agents. That's like cussing the farmer with your mouth full.
Radwaste at August 24, 2014 7:23 AM
If they want "bush meat" in this country, they can either go out, get a rifle and go hunting deer - I understand that New Jersey is filthy with them and prepare it themselves - or they can simply buy something called "beef jerky".
Which is pretty much the same. I'm gonna out on a limb, but I'll guess that primate tastes like chicken.
I R A Darth Aggie at August 24, 2014 9:50 AM
How about the doctors and nurses and the other folks who saved her fucking life?
Matthew 10:29 provides insight:
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care.
I R A Darth Aggie at August 24, 2014 9:55 AM
Remember a deadly disease called SARS ? "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome" ?? Killed loads of people all over the world.
It got here to the US. And got renamed to "MARS".
MILD Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Zero Deaths.
US medical care is just THAT good. Whether it stays that way, is an entirely different question. . . .
Keith Glass at August 24, 2014 10:09 AM
US medical care is just THAT good. Whether it stays that way, is an entirely different question. . . .
I just wanted this to be said twice.
doombuggy at August 24, 2014 10:29 AM
"It's a hallmark of how ineffective government is at protecting us from anything that this meat gets into our country."
Your argument appears to be that if the government is incapable of preventing 100% of all infection agents from entering the country then it is "ineffective".
That is no different than the types of arguments put forth by anti-vaccine proponents who argue that they got vaccinated and still got the flu... therefore the vaccine is "ineffective".
Both you and the people in that camp seem to have a very real difficulty understanding that if something is 80% efficacious, it is still effective... it just isn't 100% effective.
Most safety measures in life are not 100% effective, safety belts are not 100% effective, antibiotics are not 100% effective... the list goes on and on.
We do not judge efficacy on the basis of if it prevents all occurrences of a particular problem... efficacy is judged against the baseline and we evaluate if there has been a reduction in incidents.
There is no doubt that our food safety measures reduce public health risks and hazards as compared to the baseline rate.
This isn't a point anyone reasonably familiar with the facts would even bring up for debate.
Artemis at August 24, 2014 12:11 PM
Well if it is turned into sausage or a Slim Jim type product I don't see how the Ebola can survive when a person eats it. Presumably the sausage will be cooked and the Slim Jim is cooked/smoked as well which should kill of the disease.
Jim P. at August 24, 2014 1:16 PM
"started hallucinating that chimps were out to get him"
He wasn't hallucinating. The chimps ARE out to get us.
Troy McClure was right.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at August 24, 2014 1:22 PM
> This isn't a point anyone reasonably
> familiar with the facts would even
> bring up for debate.
How old are you?
Crid [CridComment at Gmail] at August 24, 2014 2:46 PM
...compared to the baseline rate
What is the baseline rate for food safety? And how much does gov't reg raise it?
doombuggy at August 24, 2014 8:21 PM
See, that's what I was getting at. Artemis is a ManGirl who knows how to pack a tight 20-word thought into 185 pretentious chunks, which gets HimHer into trouble.
Crid [CridComment at Gmail] at August 24, 2014 10:49 PM
I'm officially referring to Artemis as HImHer. Thank you Crid I was looking for a word to convey my opinion of HimHers sexuality,.
From my conversations with HImHer I have deduced HeHer's has some atypical orientation.
Ppen at August 25, 2014 3:23 AM
"I'll guess that primate tastes like chicken"
The Lutherans certainly do.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at August 25, 2014 9:34 AM
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