On February 19th, a researcher at USAMRIID was exposed to Ebola in a lab accident. The researcher was quarantined there, and immediately became un-newsworthy.
I wanted to know how things were going, so I sent this email (Friday night):
To: usamriidweb@amedd.army.mil
Sent: 2/26/04 3:56 AM
Subject: Researcher Status RequestDear Sirs:
I would like to inquire if any further information releases have
been made public regarding the researcher who was quarantined after an
exposure to the Ebola virus. The initial reports of the quarantine were reported
widely, but I have not found any follow-up information in the press, nor at
your website.Thank You in Advance for Your Reply,
And, in reply today , I got this:
Dear (GruntDoc),
To my knowledge, the researcher in question is still in good health.
USAMRIID Webmaster
Well, it’s not really a definitive statement, but on the other hand there’s no bad news. Here’s hoping for the best.
“To my knowledge, the researcher in question is still in good health. ”
Well, yeah! But the man marching to the gallows is still in good health!!
Don’t you doctors have some sort of secret decoder ring or handshake that allows you to get the “real” story????
Well, we have a secret handshake, but I’m not there to give it.
I suspect there will be no formal announcement that this researcher is fine. I wonder if this is the sort of thing that makes someone walk away from researching human pathogens.