Ebola Quarantine

[PADemD]

Suggested in one of my earlier posts.

In order to prevent someone from lying in order to leave Africa after exposure, IMO the following should be done:

1) World-wide suspension of all commercial flights into and out of Africa.

2) Only military flights out of Africa to a 21-day quarantine area.

3) After 21 days in quarantine, commercial travel to final destination.

I know it sounds drastic, but it would be a way to keep people like the Texas patient from infecting other countries.

[boston bean]

1. It has to happen.

unfortunately, people will lie, take Tylenol and get on a flight to better their chances for survival, infecting others.

This is the only way to stop it from coming here.

[Warren Stupidity]

2. Wow, that is massively racist and stupid.

But I guess anything to keep us afraid is worth the effort.

[PADemD]

4. Really? I didn't know that the Ebola virus had a color.

FYI, Dr. Nancy Snyderman will be voluntarily going into a 21-day quarantine after her freelance NBC News cameraman was diagnosed with Ebola in Liberia.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/03/us/ebola-strikes-american-cameraman-in-liberia.html?_r=0

[ProdigalJunkMail]

7. point out one place in that post where RACE is mentioned

you can't do it. people like you throwing a word like racism around the way you just did are the reason people believe there's no real racism. i suggest you retract your post and apologize...

sP

[morningfog]

8. How is it racist? It's an extreme proposal,

but I see no racism whatsoever.

[ColesCountyDem]

3. Hysterical over-reaction. n/t

[MohRokTah]

13. ^^^ This eom

[cali]

5. It sounds crazy is what it sounds.

Have you any idea the havoc that would be caused by the suspension of all commercial flights in and out of Africa? Do you understand that most of Africa is NOT suffering from the epidemic?

Sorry, it sounds flat ignorant and hysterical.

[boston bean]

6. not all of Africa, but the hot spots.

I think it makes perfect sense.

[Bluenorthwest]

9. I think straight Americans need to explain their opposition to this in context of their 20 year

support for or apathy toward the HIV travel ban, which prevented anyone with HIV from traveling to the US. Because of course, you can catch the AIDS by sitting near a person with HIV.
That ban was enforced until 2010.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

14. You think most straight Americans even knew such a ban existed?

I didn't, although I think I've only traveled out of the country once or twice in the last 20 years.

It's hard to either support or 'be apathetic' towards something you've never even heard of.

[sharp_stick]

10. I'm sure the people in South Africa and

every other country not currently experiencing Ebola will just love that. Hey why not add on a few European border countries on that as well...Spain is a little closer to Sierra Leone than South Africa so we'll just toss them into the mix.

This is not only a wildly off the mark over reaction it's pretty much impossible to implement and totally impossible to enforce.

[magical thyme]

11. Ebola countries only. Africa is a large continent and, like it or not, we depend on them

for more than chocolate.

[uppityperson]

15. In which case all flights out of USA should be banned also. To protect the rest of the world.

[magical thyme]

21. I think there is a vast difference between a country that has 1 confirmed case in isolation

with known contacts identified and quarantined or monitored, and a country where it is out of control, spreading exponentially, with victims literally dying in the street in front of the overwhelmed hospitals.

Their immediate neighbors have put on travel restrictions which seem to be working pretty well.

The focus should be on getting desperately needed aid to the victims, including not only the those with ebola but those who are dying from malaria and childbirth because they can't get any health care, and those going hungry.

We shouldn't be wasting resources on nonessential travel, imo.

[B2G]

12. Agree. Many here are touting Nigeria's efforts to contain

and stop the outbreak.

It's largely due to the fact that they stopped flights in and out of Liberia and Sierra Leone. It's the only way.

[etherealtruth]

16. Africa is a huge continent .... mostly unaffected by the outbreak

My suggestion would be providing knowledgeable people, equipment and supplies to the effected countries,so that there is a reasonable chance of getting the outbreak under control.

I could go for limiting travel from countries of known impact though

[alcibiades_mystery]

17. "Africa"

So fucking ignorant.

[Barack_America]

18. Internment camps for Africans.

That's what you are proposing. All based on media hysteria over a virus that is less contagious than the common cold. And one that, with good medical care, may sort out to be less deadly than the flu.

[uppityperson]

19. My response

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025617133

Ebola Quarantine question

As the USA has people sick with ebola...

In order to prevent someone from lying in order to leave USA after exposure, should the following should be done?

1) World-wide suspension of all commercial flights into and out of USA

2) Only military flights out of USA to a 21-day quarantine area.

3) After 21 days in quarantine, commercial travel to final destination.

I know it sounds drastic, but it would be a way to keep people like the Texas patient from infecting other countries.

[Johonny]

20. If we don't do it the terrorist will win

[caraher]

22. Unnecessary

A recent Wired piece, interviewing several experts including one of my colleagues, explains what should and should not be cause for concern.

“The virus doesn’t easily go from one person to the next. It seems like it does, maybe, because Ebola is scary. It is unknown and has a high fatality rate and requires isolation or quarantine and has no known cure,” said biochemist Sharon Crary, of DePauw University. Crary studies the Ebola virus and worked with the CDC’s Viral Special Pathogens Branch, where she was part of the response team for the 2000 Ebola outbreak in Gulu, Uganda.

Ebola isn’t anywhere near as contagious as the flu, for example. Or measles, which is much more of a threat in the United States now that people are no longer routinely vaccinating their children. Scientists estimate that one person infected with measles can transmit the disease to as many as 18 others; for Ebola, that number is around two.

This is because unlike influenza or measles, Ebola isn’t very stealthy. It can’t spread through the air, and it isn’t contagious before symptoms first show up, when a person might unknowingly be a walking disease distributor. Rather, the Ebola virus spreads through infected bodily fluids—such as blood, vomit, saliva, semen and feces—which need to come into direct contact with a mucous membrane (such as the inside of your eyelids, mouth, or nose) or a bit of broken skin.

This is why a major outbreak is unlikely in the United States. The hospitals here are equipped to handle a disease like this, and infection control officers are ready to slam the brakes on any potential spread. It should be relatively easy to contain.