Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Ski survey gets heavy response Ashland High drops homecoming king and queen Read the Mt. Ashland Ski Area survey recap Election officials fine Richardson for late reporting of rent-free home Medford airport launches 'Amazing Race' style contest Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Robber arrested in U.S. Bank heist Emergency Services Bank robbery reported at Court Street US Bank Emergency Services Officials pin down source of Mt. Shasta mudslide Politics and Elections Election officials fine Richardson for late reporting of rent-free home Phoenix Council race draws a full house Sheriff a no-show at Chamber candidate forum Southern Oregon's Dennis Richardson woos liberal Portland Matthew T. Mangino: Federal government complicit in militarization of police Education Ashland High drops homecoming king and queen Some say anti-bullying program goes too far Phoenix man is Oregon's History Teacher of the Year Controversial book spurs battle at school board meeting K-12 enrollment up countywide, except for Medford Environment Bringing back the monarchs New disease strikes Roseburg deer herds Dredgers might return to the Rogue next year Dubs' auction preview draws bidders and gawkers OR-7's pups are true wolves State news Nation - World Obituaries Richard Lee Head Nadine Whitman Archer Mark A. Gosnell Harry MacDuffie Death Notices Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Hidden Valley edges Phoenix in shootout Raiders end six-game skid, 4-1 Raiders hope to turn out the Lights Mickelson, McIlroy square off in opening session Mannion first big test for USC secondary Varsity 541 College Sports Raiders end six-game skid, 4-1 Raiders hope to turn out the Lights Mannion first big test for USC secondary Pac-12 season starts with wild first month Riley says USC presents very similar look Pro Sports Mickelson, McIlroy square off in opening session Kershaw, Dodgers beat Giants 9-1 to claim West title Tannehill: Starting, dealing with Philbin created distraction Kemp, Turner power Dodgers past Giants, 4-2 Bettman says NHL has no plans to expand Community Sports Barry fires back into SOGC finals Super seniors strong at SOGC Crenshaw pulls off upset in SOGC Business Latest Stories Mt. Ashland sets forth plan for season Medford's Pixel Productions moves to new quarters Blog: Fall Into a New Season Tenants begin moving into One West Main Mike and Laura Naumes named First Citizens Real Estate News Medford's Pixel Productions moves to new quarters Tenants begin moving into One West Main Purchasers praise Harry & David's turnaround Historic building owners get lessons in restoration Pleasant weather, stable interest rates spurred summer home sales People In Business Transportation Agriculture Purchasers praise Harry & David's turnaround 1-800-Flowers.com buying Harry & David for $142.5 million Earlier than normal pear harvest coming up short of expectations Opinion Latest Granlund cartoon: Eric Holder resigns Forest Service plan tramples First Amendment Dana Milbank: Obama is liberals' lesser evil George Will: High stakes in Kansas Letters to the Editor, Sept. 25 Editorials Forest Service plan tramples First Amendment Our View: Viaduct study will confirm what everyone knows Thumbs up to Art+Sound; down to Kitzhaber Our view: City should ease up on alcohol ban Impaired voting; Whether driving high increases accidents isn’t known Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Sept. 25 Letters to the Editor, Sept. 24 Letters to the Editor, Sept. 23 Letters to the Editor, Sept. 22 Letters to the Editor, Sept. 21 Guest Opinions Manor residents give in many ways Transparency is essential in O&C debate Hazardous fuel treatments vital to protection from severe wildfires Wilderness for Kalmiopsis has served us well Lifestyle Latest stories First Church of Nazarene plans cleanup Community blog: Finding Fun, Not Fear, In Our Senior Years Community blog: Keep salmon succulent by smoking, poaching New festival will celebrate smoked salmon Dripped or sprinkled? Grape growers are talking water Food Community blog: Keep salmon succulent by smoking, poaching New festival will celebrate smoked salmon Community blog: Low oven setting yields easy 'sun-dried' tomatoes Wholesale program puts Rogue Valley food in aisles Backpack stuffers add zest to fall outings Home and Garden Start now for a bowl of winter sunshine Counting the reasons to keep your eating local Medford gardens to be showcased Saturday Trees aren't always the best companions for plants Hot tips for a cool (shade) garden Health Community blog: Finding Fun, Not Fear, In Our Senior Years Community blog: Menopause: What's it Good For? Part 2 For the brain, there’s no such thing as over the hill Local health clinics land federal grants to hire medical, dental staff Community blog: Do You Love Enough To Heal Your Dog And Cat? To Bring An Elephant To Tears? Hiking Faith First Church of Nazarene plans cleanup Religion briefs Religion Briefs Religion briefs Milestones and Achievements Still stifling laughter 40 years after 'Young Frankenstein' New Arrivals Wedding New Arrivals Barbecue will support treatment for stricken skateboarder Columnist for a Day Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Blues duo releases 'Over the Moon' Music in the Mountains returns to Prospect Randall Theatre presents 'Blithe Spirit' A tribute to a great lyricist The Brothers Reed Theater Randall Theatre presents 'Blithe Spirit' A tribute to a great lyricist 'Mrs. Mannerly' is a matter of manners There's no accounting for poor manners Friends of Jim Giancarlo remember Ashland theater icon Music Blues duo releases 'Over the Moon' Music in the Mountains returns to Prospect The Brothers Reed Sol Seed plays Lounge South Danielle Kelly: A Rogue Valley Experience Community Events Greater Medford Multicultural Fair Volunteers needed for Downtown Art + Sound Medford's Third Fridays Downtown Art + Sound Festival Oregon Poet Laureate Peter Sears reads in Ashland Dining 'Get Giddy' at Porters Jacksonville's Thai House is everything good Thai should be Ami Sushi serves up Asian dishes Wild River Brewing & Pizza Co. Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Forest Service won't charge media with filming fee ... Ashland High drops homecoming king and queen ... Election officials fine Richardson for late reporting of rent-free home ... Forest Service won't charge media with filming fee ... Ashland High drops homecoming king and queen ... Election officials fine Richardson for late reporting of rent-free home ... ANOTHER VIEW Michael Gerson: Leading from behind the curve on Ebola MailTribune.com Writer Posted Sep. 19, 2014 @ 12:01 am Posted Sep. 19, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News The nation of Liberia — founded by liberated American slaves with support from Henry Clay, Daniel Webster and James Monroe — is not unacquainted with suffering. Two civil wars in the period from 1989 to 2003 and decades of economic mismanagement caused an 80 percent decline in per capita GDP — perhaps worse than any country since World War II. Warlords reduced Liberia's infrastructure to rubble. In the 15 years following 1991, there was no electricity in the country except for private generators. When I last visited in 2012, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Africa's first female president) was leading a tentative recovery. She talked of action plans on reconstruction, development and health infrastructure. All are now in ruins. Sirleaf recently sent a letter to President Obama saying that Ebola threatens to "overwhelm us." Her defense minister warns that Liberia's "national existence" is at stake. Sirleaf just sacked 10 senior government officials who have fled the country and refused to return — hardly a reassuring development in a frightened nation. So what difference does one more misfortune make in a distant, unfortunate place? A big difference, it turns out. The welcome globalization of markets, culture and travel also involves the unavoidable globalization of threats, including terrorism and pandemic diseases. A virus infecting a single patient — perhaps, in this case, a 2-year-old boy from a Guinea border town who died just before Christmas in 2013 — can reduce three countries (Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone) to desperation and civil disorder, result in the August 2014 declaration of an international health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) and raise the prospect of further spread and (more remotely) of disastrous genetic mutation. There is no escape, no isolation, no sanctuary. Any doctrine of "non-intervention" in such a world is not only a dream but a danger. This is the context in which President Obama has properly decided to step up the American response to the Ebola outbreak — a plan involving additional hospital beds, an expanding role for the Defense Department, and broader efforts to prevent the rapid spread of the disease in places such as Nigeria (which would be a regional and global nightmare). Whatever the intentions of the president's plan, its success will be measured by a few things. Speed is essential — even days of delay would have large consequences given the upward curve of cases. Coordination is key — other governments, international institutions and nongovernmental organizations need someone to be unequivocally in charge on the ground. And a massive education effort will be essential — the next stage of preventing transmission may require people who fear they are infected to stay in place, wait to see if they get sick, then be nursed by relatives with home-care kits (if an Ebola treatment facility is not readily available). The Ebola outbreak is a continuing crisis that will undoubtedly demand further resources and effort. But it is also a stress test for future emergencies. The virus, at this point, spreads through contact with bodily fluids. Future threats may only require a touch or a cough. This is not alarmism, but a repeated pattern of struggle between humans and microbes, in which humans have often suffered massive casualties (the 1918 flu pandemic killed 3 percent to 5 percent of the world's population). This test has revealed several weaknesses: First, we have seen how diseases take root and grow in parts of the world with fragile or nonexistent health systems, where the normal responses to disease outbreaks (case investigation, contact tracing) quickly break down. There is no better argument than Ebola for addressing massive global disparities in health infrastructure. Second, we have seen the essential hollowness of the response of international institutions. The United Nations and WHO issue warnings and assemble road maps and blueprints, but they do not constitute an effective emergency response mechanism. The world needs one. Third, we have seen that the United States government's response to an outbreak can be fragmented and slow off the mark. The administration offered an incrementally growing response to an exponentially growing problem. In this case, expertise and a sense of urgency were scattered unevenly across bureaucracies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Health and Human Services, the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Department of Defense. All these varied capabilities — so essential during a global health emergency — become more difficult to summon from behind the curve. Michael Gerson's email address is [email protected]. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Sep. 19, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501