Ebola and ISIS, our true enemies

Let’s focus our attention on two frightening pieces of news, which have worldwide implications for all of us instead of the daily political circus in the country. I’m referring to the threat that is the Ebola virus and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or the ISIS, which have invaded foreign shores. These two have been taking their fair share of time in the news spotlight because of the deadly global implications they have.

The Ebola virus has constantly been in the news these past months because of how fast it is spreading and how it has been crossing borders. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) has already declared this outbreak of Ebola the most deadly one ever, having already claimed thousands of lives with the number still rising. In fact, if they can’t find a successful method of treatment they are already predicting the number of casualties of at least 10,000 or more.

For a disease in this day and age, that is a huge number. With modern medicine, we have at least been able to combat pandemics better than we could in the olden days. It seemed that gone were the days that an outbreak — like the Black Plague that swept through Europe and Asia in the 14th century — could not be stopped before it claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. I guess this is just a humbling experience reminding us that sickness and death are truly great equalizers. When a disease is deadly no one is spared. In fact, who can forget that the deadliest pandemic disease in history is still affecting people today? Tuberculosis, which traces its roots all the way back to the DNA of ancient Egyptian mummies, wreaked havoc on humanity for thousands of years, killing an estimated one-quarter of the adult population of Europe and today still affecting nearly eight million people a year, leading to the death of around two million infected.

It’s frightening how helpless we can be when it comes to deadly diseases. Ebola is just the latest in the string of deadly viruses that have sought to confound modern medicine. And now that it is spreading, it has become even scarier than ever. I think that that is because it is no longer concentrated in just one area — after all, containment is the most important part of dealing with any contagion. Where Ebola was previously confined to three or four African tropical countries, today it has already invaded US and European shores. This has deadly and terrifying implications that the disease can thrive in other countries and climates.

Currently, world health experts are doing what they can to help stop the spread of Ebola. And unfortunately it is usually these brave men and women who become infected with the virus as well. These brave souls who become infected are quarantined for months while being treated to be sure the disease does not spread any further. What an ordeal it must be to be isolated for so long while you are pricked and probed and in constant fear of what the disease can do to you and your body. Not to mention the agony of not knowing whether or not you’re going to be okay. These brave men and women truly deserve our admiration and prayers and I salute them for sacrificing their own health and well being for the greater good.

Hopefully it will only be a matter of time before we can find a successful treatment and prevention method for the Ebola virus. Having had two outbreaks in the past, Ebola has proven that it is something we should truly take seriously. The WHO and health organizations around the globe are struggling to find a vaccine and treatment protocol for the deadly disease. Currently, doses of the experimental rVSV vaccine (created in Canada) are being tested in the Geneva University Hospital alongside vaccines created in Germany, Gabon, and Kenya. Hopefully it is only a matter of time before the right one is found. There are optimistic reports that a cure may be found as early as next year.

Another deadly force in the world today that ranks right up there with Ebola is the spread of ISIS across borders. ISIS started as a splinter of the al Qaeda group. Their aim was to create an Islamic state across Sunni areas of Iraq and Syria. They are known for killing dozens of people at a time in public in grotesque and horrible ways and have taken over large swaths of northern and western Iraq. They currently control hundreds of square miles and ignore all international borders. They are upping the ante in terms of expansion, for while their initial strategy was revenue through extortion and robbery, they are now shifting gears towards revenue through large-scale attacks aimed at capturing and holding territory.

Today, ISIS has invaded foreign countries, even as more deathly news of Westerner beheadings make their rounds on the Internet and television stations all over the world. These poor brave souls were only doing what they could to help battle this evil and it cost them their lives. In fact, foreign troops fighting in the area find themselves often caught between Syrian rebels and well-armed ISIS forces. It’s like being caught between a rock and a hard place. Who will you support?

I can’t help but recall President Barack Obama’s earlier statement that there will be no “boots on the ground” which his own US Chief of Staff contradicted by saying that the war can’t be won without ground forces and the loss of many lives. What is the right step here? It’s really hard to say. The world just can’t stand idly by while these rebels have their way, but at the same time how can we fight back? I’m sure the US still vividly remembers how they fared in Vietnam which cost them well over 50,000 lives and thousands more wounded and scarred forever.

Now the US is considering a well-coordinated air strike, but really how much can this actually achieve. Their carpet napalm bombing devastated several forests in Vietnam but failed to truly hit their targets because the Vietnamese wisely hid in their underground fortresses. With all their modern equipment, the Americans were forced to leave South Vietnam with their tails between their legs. I hope this battle does not turn into déjà vu for our American friends. After all, they are not the only ones in the world who want ISIS stopped. In fact, the true Muslim state and the Al-Qaeda have already turned their backs against this radical group. I think the rest of the world should band together to fight against this threat together. After all, what is that saying about common enemies uniting former foes? This seems like the perfect time to join forces.