Concern over the spread of the Ebola virus in the United States is “way overblown” right now thanks to panic induced by mainstream media and the federal government, according to former Republican congressman and three-time presidential candidate Ron Paul.
Paul, known for his conservative libertarian stances against many forms of government intervention, said during an interview with Larry King’s ‘Politicking,’ which airs on RT America, that while Ebola is serious, he is “concerned about the hysterical reaction we’re getting.”
“I think it’s important, but I think it’s way overblown. In comparison to other things, I think there are some other medical things that we ought to worry about,” Paul said, adding that Tuberculosis and HIV, to name two examples, are still very serious illnesses that are much more common than Ebola.
Asked to speak on US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention head Thomas Frieden’s comment that Ebola is the worst public health crisis since AIDs, Paul said any comparison between the two is“premature.”
“If he thinks [the latest Ebola outbreak] is as serious as AIDS, maybe, maybe someday we might look back and see it,” he said. “But right now, I don’t think it comes anywhere close. [AIDS] is a pandemic. [The US is] still losing 15,000 a year [to AIDS], and it’s really controllable if people understand the way AIDS is spread.”
Paul said the Obama’s administration’s decision to send thousands of US military troops to West Africa, the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak, was an odd but typical way for the US address a medical crisis.
“We’re such a militant country. We get ourselves into all kinds of troubles economically and on foreign policy. And always the answer is military, military, and drop some bombs,” he said. “If anything, it could increase the chance of [Ebola] being spread.”
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