Talking
Sense

October 24, 2014 -- A rare voice of reason on Ebola is that of Dr. Paul Farmer, a physician from Massachusetts, recently returned from Liberia.

Here he's interviewed by Audie Cornish on NPR. And here is his diary in the London Review of Books. Both are highly recommended.

The main takeaway is that Ebola needn't be nearly as deadly as it's been thus far; inadequate health systems are to blame. As with cholera and other hemorrhagic infectious diseases, many or even most deaths could be prevented by access to ORT (oral rehydration therapy).

Of course, the story is not that simple, but it's an important one. Thank you, Dr. Farmer, for telling it, and for talking sense amidst the babble.

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