IT’S COME TO THIS: Male strippers on Ebola-infected nurse’s flight pretty appalled by CDC’s irresponsibility. “The experience of these men speaks to the CDC’s larger problems in gaining trust with the American people to fight an Ebola outbreak. The agency, whose approval numbers are falling precipitously, has routinely made assurances that were later proven untrue, failed to be as proactive as Axl and Taylor, and made moves so obviously reckless that humble, normal Americans look at the agency’s conduct and quite rationally conclude it’s not to be trusted. This is not panic or the result of some political campaign to undermine the CDC. This is self-inflicted. For instance, the CDC told Vinson, who has been exposed to Ebola and had a slight fever, that she could jump on a plane to the Midwest. It also failed to anticipate the need to monitor a nurse who may have handled an Ebola patient’s samples. That nurse is now isolated in her cabin on a cruise ship, which are of course infamous hotbeds for contagious disease outbreaks. Vinson, for her part, asked the CDC if she should fly and made a mistake in trusting their advice. Axl and Taylor aren’t making the same mistake, and many Americans will be inclined to be wary as well. Again, that reaction is a direct result of the CDC’s actions in handling Ebola.”

UPDATE: Cruise ship woman tests negative for Ebola.