Everyone Benefits by Opportunistic Leaders in Action. This acronym is the very definition of what we as a species need to control the imminent threat known as the Ebola virus. Tough decisions must be made as this biological nightmare continues to proliferate across the globe and efforts to have individuals monitor their symptoms to eliminate transfer of this disease have proven futile. Leaders of the globe must cooperate collectively and develop a global standard set of guidelines to contain this virus before it transforms from an African problem to an American, Chinese, and Russian epidemic.
The human race must adapt to the fact that Ebola is here to stay and we must confront it now, develop a system to contain this virus, and create new protocol for how we handle this global terrorist. This paper is meant to analyze the Ebola situation using the Parson’s System Theory and define what I feel would be the most advantageous efforts to pursue in hopes of controlling this monster of science-fiction folklore, in America at least. This plan involves actions from a variety of individuals, but must be characterized by transparency, communication, and willingness from all involved on order for success to be achieved.
Each requirement of my plan will be utilized voluntarily in order to alleviate the ethical questions involved in containing this disease, where people must be willing to relinquish certain rights to obtain other rights such as traveling outside of their country freely without restrictions.
Unprecedented times call for unprecedented actions and we can no longer ignore the negative consequences brought upon the masses by a few individuals who break containment and do not heed critical advice. Adaptation is Essential The insidious nature of the Ebola virus has been among the complications in the long, elusive quest to develop an effective vaccine/treatment for one of the most dangerous viruses the world has ever been exposed to.
Progress also has been slowed by the intricacies that come with researching Ebola as well as by the economic and moral questions surrounding containing and vaccinating against it. As the complexities of this disease evolve and the consequences of inaction are magnified, a global commitment to eradicate this highly contagious virus is evident (Dickenson, 2014). No longer can we as Americans think of this disease as an afterthought that 1 Bryan Fisch.
RNCV 418 – Torres Exam 1 does not affect our lives personally, as there have already been several confirmed cases in the US as well as other unprepared countries outside of the “hot zone” areas in Africa. There are several drugs and vaccines being created currently to try and contain this epidemic in the future, but with no guarantees on effectiveness of the vaccine or how long it will take to deem reliable, we must take alternative steps to help alleviate the spread while treatments are developed.
These steps will undoubtedly encounter resistance from people who see ulterior motives as the driving factor behind not only the vaccines being created, but the viruses outright spread altogether. If containment of this highly transmissible disease is to be realized, ethical limits must be raised in order to give authorities the flexibility needed to do what is necessary for the good of the people. A system must be established to quarantine all individuals arriving from any affected country, as empirical evidence have shown that this virus has a twenty-one day incubation period and can be transmitted as soon as symptoms begin occurring (Munoz, 2014).
In America, this quarantine will only affect a few hundred individuals as there is not a great deal of travel from these remote areas to the US, so the impact on the general population as a whole will be minimal. These travelers must be made aware of the consequences of quarantine when traveling and be responsible to waive their rights to petition if they choose to continue to their destination. An outright ban on travelers from these countries could be implemented if the bright-line standard for acceptable containment is breached and conditions worsen to a level deemed too difficult to control.
Integration of Collaboration The United States began investing heavily in Ebola research only after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, when it feared the virus could become a weapon of global terrorism (Munoz, 2014). Such research has to be funded by taxpayers, because no company wants to invest the time and money involved to develop a vaccine with a market that seemed like—until this year at least—to include just a few hundred people a year in third-world countries.
Certain public health officials continually debated whether it would even be ethical to spend valuable resources on Ebola when so many other diseases such as Aids and Malaria have much more direct impacts. 2 Bryan Fisch RNCV 418 – Torres Exam 1 Normally this kind of preliminary testing will take a year or more before companies have the authority to try their vaccine on a population of people vulnerable to contracting the disease. But with hundreds of people dying daily in West-African countries, time is of the essence. Even if the vaccine works, it will still take the better part of a year to produce and deliver enough doses to make a real impact in the outbreak.
Currently researchers must get special approval to work with a deadly pathogen and they then have to take stringent precautions as health care workers: meticulously dressing/undressing protective gear, equipment sanitization, and wearing impermeable masks and gloves that make careful research more cumbersome (Hirschler, 2014). These obstacles to developing and delivering life-saving vaccines muse be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine the proper protocols needed for the circumstances.
An expedited process for development must be created to bypass the ethical dilemmas that occur when pandemics arise. But first, companies must be enticed to commit valuable resources towards developing a vaccine that has, until this year, affected very few people outside of Africa but has now touched every corner of the globe. As this virus has permeated across continents and instilled gripping fear across the globe, every country that has the capabilities and commitment to contribute must do so.
A multi-billion dollar development “prize” needs to be created as a means of economic incentive for companies to prioritize developing an Ebola vaccine, and must be established by a global effort with American leadership dictating the pace. A collaborative effort between developed nations is needed to contain this indiscriminate killer and minimize the casualties inflicted upon their citizens.
This prize offered will be available to any company in any country that can verifiably develop an effective vaccine, but also have the capabilities and willingness to distribute these vaccines for the common good of all global citizens. Experts say drug-makers are strategically wagering that international groups and wealthier governments like the U. S. will buy Ebola vaccines in mass quantities in order to stockpile them for future use once they are determined to be safe for consumer use, making this development more attractive for long-term economic success for any company involved (Kelland, 2014).
The hurdles seem to include the start-up costs associated with developing a vaccine and the long-term economic appeal derived from such a small target market. My 3 Bryan Fisch RNCV 418 – Torres Exam 1 program will alleviate those issues by establishing an enormous financial incentive to get innovation rolling and the rapid expansion of the viruses “hot spots” means that the target market for a new vaccine will be exponentially larger once a viable drug is developed.
The time to act is now, and as this virus continues to alter how we live our lives, the amount of resources used to confront this virus immediately will be a drop-in-the-bucket compared to the devastating consequences that could become reality if this virus continues to explode. LPM for Sustainability The Ebola virus is here for the long-haul and we must alter certain procedural protocols we have established in order to expedite the process of developing and delivering drugs and vaccines in times of imminent danger to our species.
Normal procedural requirements can be maintained as the standard, but a system where congressional approval can eliminate or reduce the inherent obstacles companies and governments face when encountered with global catastrophes that transgress international boundaries. Organizations such as WHO must prioritize their missions according to expected global affects that can be rapidly changing in our globalized planet, so that critical time is not wasted when the next outbreak occurs and immediate results must be desired (Munoz, 2014).
A collaborative network between various countries to maximize information sharing and technological innovation is critical to ensuring that when, not if, we are devastated by another killer virus we can more efficiently contain the suffering and produce positive results. Health networks must do a better job of evaluating their patients and communicating the results between partnerships for effectiveness (Wientraub, 2014).
Governments must work together to establish global guidelines for containment in times of severe outbreaks as well as to proactively anticipate future catastrophes and streamline their operations for efficiency. Airlines must be more actively involved in scrutinizing their passengers and communicating their needs for improvement as this is the main avenue for transmitting this disease to other countries.
And individuals must take personal responsibility for doing their part to minimize this disease, from not traveling to affected areas to financially contributing for research, because this IS every man’s problem now. Considering that an effective vaccine could possibly be years away and even then may be in limited supply as the conditions worsen, a voluntary system for vaccine trials will need to be 4 Bryan Fisch RNCV 418 – Torres Exam 1 implemented and if needed, a lottery system put in place to make sure that people have a reasonable expectation of their options available to them (Kelland, 2014).
All potential effects, both negative and positive as well as those known and unknown will need to be listed on waiver forms so that people who are able to can make informed decisions without governmental interference delaying their treatments. Similar to the recent lobbying done on behalf of terminally ill patients to have access to “end-of-life” drugs that have been deemed effective buthave not gone through the lengthy trials needed to gain FDA approval, this process will give the individual the a uthority to determine their outcomes if possible.
Time is critical, especially for someone with life-threatening complications, and these obtrusive mandates on drug safety that require lengthy clinical trials can take these critical options off the table. These decisions, whether to take unproven drugs or vaccines in hopes of sustaining life must be left up to the individuals themselves if at all possible, at in many scenarios the only detriment to this option is the legality of the issue.
Goals Realized Goal attainment in this crisis will be hard to quantify as the effects of this virus are rapidly changing, as are its boundaries for containment. Results of success will be measured by how well this virus is contained as well as how effective of a treatment can be developed and delivered. With so many unknowns surrounding the transmission of this virus and its propensity to mutate, time is a valuable resource against saving the lives of those infected by this retched disease.
Governmental restrictions must be minimized as this epidemic needs to be attacked from several angles, and the most burdensome obstructions seem to come from regulations making it difficult to adapt to the situation occurring. Less red tape will allow for the expediency of progress and the focus to be placed on individual responsibilities and what each and every person can due to stop this deadly virus from evolving (Macklin, 2014).
Because Ebola virus is so deadly, those who care for Ebola victims must take all necessary precautions to not only protect themselves fully, but also to minimize the spread by being diligent in following protocol.
This diligence must be initiated at the healthcare level where the front lines are being fought, and the public learning that many of the transmissions have occurred because of lax standards in this industry is unacceptable.
Training of these doctors, 5 Bryan Fisch RNCV 418 – Torres Exam 1 nurses, and other first-responders must be paramount to controlling this outbreak and instilling public trust in these providers and their missions. Having the facilities available that can most effectively isolate people when needed must be an American priority as the future will most certainly involve more deadly pathogens that must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for effectiveness.
Government involvement must be helpful to problem-solving global matters, not hindering the opportunities available because of political red-tape. Summary This paper is meant to give its reader a few viable options that we as US citizens must demand from their leaders, which are based on Parson’s AGIL System, and are needed to maintain a balanced equilibrium with our environment (McAdams, Neslund, Zucker, 2014).
Adaptation of the environment is critical for survival when facing elements of evil beyond human control and new methods for proactively attacking these viruses before they can gain the upper-hand is crucial.
Integrating a collaborative approach between countries and individuals where we can all work collectively towards a solution for a virus that threatens us all is the only way we can gain ground on this outbreak. Maintaining a standard for how we establish guidelines for survival, from caring for the sick to funding future endeavors, must be improved as the world continues to rapidly evolve and new challenges arise. The goal, in my opinion, is not to eradicate this virus from the planet because that scenario is highly unlikely, but to raise individual awareness and to lower governmental interference for success.
Each person must take personal responsibility to a whole new level so that in thirty years from now, Ebola will be a memory similar to smallpox with the same level of commitment needed to put this Pandora back in its box.
References Dickenson, Donna. “The Ethics of Ebola – Vanguard News. ” Vanguard News. Vanguard, 08 Oct. 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2014. 6 Bryan Fisch RNCV 418 – Torres Exam 1 Hirschler, Ben. “EU Earmarks $250 Million to Help Develop Ebola Vaccines: Sources. ” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 22 Oct. 2014. Web. 24 Oct. 2014. Kelland, Kate. “Scientists Grapplewith Ethics in Rush to Release Ebola Vaccines Release Ebola Vaccines. ”
Reuters News. Thomson Reuters, 28 Sept. 2014. Web. 22 Oct. 2014. Macklin, Ruth. “Research Ethics and Ebola. ” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost. com, 23 Oct. 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2014. McAdams, Tony, Nancy Neslund, and Kiren Dosanjh Zucker. Law, Business, & Society. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print. Munoz, Eduardo. “N. Y. , N. J. Governors Impose New Ebola Quarantine Rules. ” MSN. Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2014 Weintraub, Karen. “Long Quest for Ebola Vaccine Slowed by Science, Ethics, Politics. ” National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 14 Oct. 2014. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.