anyone else worried about our response to Ebola...my thoughts on why travel restrictions need to be imposed immediately. cb Our government restricts travel and trade with Cuba. Yes, Cuba. For over 50 years, different justifications for the embargo have been offered, but any existing political issue the U.S. may have with Cuba pales in comparison to the growing threat of Ebola. Whether its ineptness, political correctness, or a more sinister motive - another exploitation of crisis to justify consolidation of government power – the Obama administration offers no compelling reason for not imposing travel restrictions to and from infected West African regions. No vaccine against Ebola exists, nor does a fully developed cure. New studies show that the virus is spreading exponentially. Liberian Thomas Duncan imported Ebola into our country when he reportedly lied on official paperwork concerning his exposure. He then flew to Dallas, Texas via Brussels, Belgium and Dulles International in Washington DC, coming into contact with who knows how many people. And, on October 13th, it was confirmed that an unlucky 26 year old nurse who was caring for Duncan has contracted the virus. Notwithstanding the assurances from “experts”, it is apparent that American hospitals and the CDC are ill prepared to battle the virus. Officials argue for battling Ebola at the source. Agreed, but why not impose Cuba-like travel restrictions on Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, while also battling the virus at the epicenter? Arguments by government officials that a travel ban impedes workers and supplies from getting into the region are nonsensical. Travel restriction is not isolationism. Military and charter aircraft can ferry workers and supplies to the infected regions and reduce the roulette-like game of chance of relying on candid travelers and screening symptoms at airports. Screening alone will not prevent the spread of Ebola. The effectiveness of screening relies on honesty – the honesty of infected people. It’s unreasonable to assume that some exposed individuals won’t lie to gain entry and that measuring temperature will always work. Anyone willing to lie and risk exposing others would be willing to mask symptoms by taking enough ibuprofen to reduce fever and thus pass screening. Additionally, infected people entering the country won’t always know they are sick. According to “experts”, it takes anywhere from 2-21 days for Ebola to become symptomatic. People who are not symptomatic are not contagious. They, however, will be in the US when they become symptomatic and contagious, increasing the risk of spreading the virus. Restricting travel, however, may not be politically correct according to one official who advanced the following on CNN: “We can’t isolate neighborhoods…can’t isolate nations. It doesn’t work ... how dare we turn our backs on Liberia given the fact that this is a country that was founded in the 1820s, 1830s because of American slavery. We have a responsibility to stay connected to them and help them see this through.” Private funding, public money, 4,000 American troops, and a growing number of volunteer workers in Liberia risking their lives doesn’t equate to slavery and back turning. Common sense - not politics and political correctness – must prevail. Holding public health hostage with slavery references is as deplorable as the virus itself. The practice of quarantine - separating the sick from the healthy – is thousands of years old. Quarantine occurs when an infected person is identified both abroad and here in the US. We know the regions with the highest risk and it makes strategic sense to minimize contact with those regions until this deadly virus is contained. President Obama once quipped that he had a phone and pen. Well, Mr. President, use them. First, secure our borders. Second, appropriate the necessary military and charter aircraft to get equipment and personnel to the infected regions.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 22:05:25 +0000
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