CDC-driven paranoia gone wild: Kentucky hospital invokes ISOLATION LOCKDOWN over patient with chicken pox

(NaturalNews) Officials at a regional medical center in Kentucky ordered the facility locked down days ago after a patient presented in the emergency room with two strains of chicken pox, prompting many to criticize the move as a gross overreaction driven by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-hyped fear.

As reported by WTVQ, hospital officials at Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center in Danville claimed the lockdown was necessary and that the patient had to be isolated to ensure the public's safety. Following the lockdown, patients and visitors were not permitted to leave the facility until they were tested.

"Emergency Department and Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center followed appropriate policies and procedures to assure that there was no risk to the community," the hospital's public relations division said in a statement. "We worked closely with local and state health officials and the Center for Disease Control throughout the entire process."

WKYT, a local CBS affiliate, further reported that the CDC was brought in on a consultation basis, along with state health officials:

To assure that there was no risk to the community, the medical center says it worked closely with local and state health officials and the Center for Disease Control.

CDC Spokeswoman Bernadette Burden confirmed to WKYT that the hospital was working with the federal agency and had admitted and isolated the patient.

As part of the isolation protocol, all incoming patients to the hospital were diverted to other facilities.

A common ailment

Police State USA reported that once the lock-down and isolation order came, police surrounded the hospital to ensure than no one got in or out unless cleared by medical staff.

And again, all for a case of chicken pox.

Police State USA noted the absurdity:

Only a generation ago the disease was considered so commonplace and mundane that families intentionally mixed children together with so that they could contract the disease and develop a lifelong immunity. Today, society is considerably more paranoid, and the role of government has evolved to a place where it compels vaccinations and imposes police lockdowns.

But as is often the case, the corporate mainstream media is putting a different spin on the incident, labeling it necessary and easily justifiable.

CBS News reported on its website that there was a "simple explanation" for the dramatic nine-hour shut-down:

The patient arrived at the emergency room of Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center in Danville covered in spots, said hospital spokesman Jeremy Cocanougher. They were far larger and more numerous than traditional chicken pox, which alarmed the hospital's doctors.

They learned that patient recently traveled overseas, raising their level of concern, Cocanougher said.

The report doesn't say, however, exactly where the patient had traveled, or whether he had been to a country that was currently experiencing some sort of health crisis or outbreak (like the Ebola outbreak in West Africa). So without these details, justifying what otherwise looks like a tremendous overreaction (and all for a huge cost) seems contrived.

Fear-driven policy

Worse, as CBS News reported, the uncertainty for the community at large and the hospital population in specific was prolonged for hours, because apparently the facility was unable to figure out with certainty information "that would either rule in or rule out that there is a risk to the community," according to the hospital's statement.

It wasn't until much later that officials became certain that the patient did not pose any public health threat. It isn't clear from the reporting how quickly the patient was diagnosed with what is a very common disease in the U.S.; did that come early on, or did it take the hospital several hours to diagnose chicken pox (and if it is the latter, why did it take so long)?

CBS News reported that the lockdown was lifted around 11:00 p.m. the day of the incident, "shortly after the patient tested positive for two stains [sic] of adult chicken pox," so that would indicate that the testing took some time.

Again, though, without knowing where the patient had traveled and without seeing his physical appearance, it's hard to justify such fear-driven policy.

Sources:

http://www.wtvq.com

http://www.wkyt.com

http://www.cbsnews.com

http://www.policestateusa.com