How Mark Zuckerberg Shut Down A Troll Who Called Facebook's 'Donate' Button For Ebola A Marketing Stunt

Earlier today, Facebook announced the launch of a "Donate Now" button on people's News Feed to let them give money to one of three charities: International Medical Corps, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, or Save the Children.

Facebook will also be providing internet and voice-calling access to aid workers in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. In the comments section of Mark Zuckerberg's post about the initiative, though, a Facebook user accused the company of simply launching the button as a marketing stunt:

Zuckerberg had a great response:

Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, committed $25 million to fight Ebola on Oct. 14.

Priscilla and I are donating $25 million to the Centers for Disease Control Foundation to help fight Ebola.
The Ebola epidemic is at a critical turning point. It has infected 8,400 people so far, but it is spreading very quickly and projections suggest it could infect 1 million people or more over the next several months if not addressed.
We need to get Ebola under control in the near term so that it doesn't spread further and become a long term global health crisis that we end up fighting for decades at large scale, like HIV or polio.
We believe our grant is the quickest way to empower the CDC and the experts in this field to prevent this outcome.
Grants like this directly help the frontline responders in their heroic work. These people are on the ground setting up care centers, training local staff, identifying Ebola cases and much more.
We are hopeful this will help save lives and get this outbreak under control.
To learn more about the fight against Ebola: http://www.cdcfoundation.org/ebola-outbreak

(clip)
The end of October marks the start of influenza season, bringing with it the predictable sniffles, sneezes, fever and aches that can extend well into the spring months.

But this year is different for two reasons. First is the Ebola epidemic in West Africa that spilled into the United States when a Liberian man traveled to Texas in September and infected two nurses who helped care for him. The second is the late summer outbreak of enterovirus D68, a respiratory illness that has sickened more than 1,100 people in 46 states since August, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

(clip)

Flu and Ebola share some common symptoms, such as fever, headache, fatigue and aches and pains. But there are big differences, too. Influenza causes cough, sore throat and runny nose, while Ebola does not. Ebola leads to vomiting and diarrhea within three to six days, severe weakness and stomach pain, as well as unexplained bleeding and bruising.

To illustrate these differences, the CDC has issued a flyer titled "Flu or Ebola?" that offers a side-by-side comparison, available at www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/pdf/is-it-flu-or-ebola.pdf. The simple, bold print is accompanied by graphics, including one person sneezing on another to show how flu transmits by droplets spewed when sick people cough, sneeze or talk. Ebola transmission is illustrated by a bright red blood drop and needle. "Ebola can only be spread by direct contact with blood or bodily fluids," the flyer says....(more @ link)

10 people in Michigan on Ebola watch

(clip)

"Due to the enhanced screening at airports, they were identified as having low risk and then the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) contacted the state health department," Smith said. "There's no additional risk to the public at this time. This is a good thing that we have identified low-risk individuals, and we can monitor them in case there is a change in their health."

Smith said the cases involve individuals who were in countries with widespread Ebola transmission within the last 21 days but that to her knowledge, they have not had direct contact with anyone who has Ebola or been symptomatic.

The health department is not releasing any identifying information about the individuals, including their county of residence, Minicuci said. "We're protecting the rights and the privacy of these individuals," Minicuci said. "These aren't positive cases at this time."

If any of the individuals test positive for Ebola, the department will release more information, Minicuci said....(more at link on signs, symptoms, etc).

Updated: October 27, 2014

The following epidemiologic risk factors should be considered when evaluating a person for Ebola virus disease (Ebola), classifying contacts, or considering public health actions such as monitoring and movement restrictions based on exposure.

1. High risk includes any of the following:
Percutaneous (e.g., needle stick) or mucous membrane exposure to blood or body fluids of a person with Ebola while the person was symptomatic,
Exposure to the blood or body fluids (including but not limited to feces, saliva, sweat, urine, vomit, and semen) of a person with Ebola while the person was symptomatic without appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE),
Processing blood or body fluids of a person with Ebola while the person was symptomatic without appropriate PPE or standard biosafety precautions,
Direct contact with a dead body without appropriate PPE in a country with widespread Ebola virus transmission,
Having lived in the immediate household and provided direct care to a person with Ebola while the person was symptomatic

2. Some risk includes any of the following:
In countries with widespread Ebola virus transmission: direct contact while using appropriate PPE with a person with Ebola while the person was symptomatic
Close contact in households, health care facilities, or community settings with a person with Ebola while the person was symptomatic
Close contact is defined as being for a prolonged period of time while not wearing appropriate PPE within approximately 3 feet (1 meter) of a person with Ebola while the person was symptomatic

3. Low (but not zero) risk includes any of the following:
Having been in a country with widespread Ebola virus transmission within the past 21 days and having had no known exposures
Having brief direct contact (e.g., shaking hands) while not wearing appropriate PPE, with a person with Ebola while the person was in the early stage of disease
Brief proximity, such as being in the same room for a brief period of time, with a person with Ebola while the person was symptomatic
In countries without widespread Ebola virus transmission: direct contact while using appropriate PPE with a person with Ebola while the person was symptomatic
Traveled on an aircraft with a person with Ebola while the person was symptomatic.

4. No identifiable risk includes:
Contact with an asymptomatic person who had contact with person with Ebola
Contact with a person with Ebola before the person developed symptoms
Having been more than 21 days previously in a country with widespread Ebola virus transmission
Having been in a country without widespread Ebola virus transmission and not having any other exposures as defined above.