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The Onion Predicted The Ebola Crisis

Patrick Howley Political Reporter
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The satirical newspaper The Onion reported on an Ebola outbreak in the United States more than four years ago, eerily detailing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Thomas Frieden’s flimsy response to the crisis.

“CDC director Thomas R. Frieden led the emergency press conference, during which he called for all Americans to step right up and get as much of the tasty ice cream as they wanted, and, in unrelated news, 162 Ebola-related deaths have been reported in 12 states,” The Onion wrote in a June 15, 2010 article entitled “CDC Officials Announce Free Ice Cream For Everyone, Delicious Tasty Ice Cream, And Also There Is An Ebola Outbreak.”

“Bringing a large spoon of rocky road to his lips, Frieden went on to explain that the CDC was still not sure how the lethal hemorrhagic fever had originated, why it was spreading and mutating at such an alarming rate, or whether the agency was even remotely prepared to deal with the deadly pandemic expected to overtake the country within 72 hours,” The Onion wrote.

“The only thing he knew for sure, Frieden told reporters, was that ice cream was always creamy and delicious, so let’s not even worry about all that other stuff, and just dig in already.”

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