Will Texas also prosecute the Texas megachurch member...

[Barack_America]

...who, if proven to be unvaccinated, recklessly traveled to Indonesia, a country where measles is known to be prevalent, and then returned to his church, a congregation with a known unvaccinated population, without subjecting himself to an appropriate period of self-quarantine?

For reference:

Measles outbreak tied to Texas megachurch sickens 21

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/measles-outbreak-tied-texas-megachurch-sickens-21-f8C11009315

Dallas DA Considers Charges Against Foreign Ebola Patient

“We’re dealing with the issue that he may have knowingly exposed individuals in Dallas County to the ebola virus” said Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins. “We’ve prosecuted individuals, for knowingly exposing individuals to HIV – which is aggravated assault.”

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/10/03/dallas-da-considers-charges-against-foreign-ebola-patient/

What about measles, or pertussis, or the many other communicable diseases easily prevented by vaccines, but even more easily transmitted by those who choose to be unvaccinated? Also examples of "aggravated assault"?

[jwirr]

1. Testing the Lord. They do not believe in vaccinations so the member goes to test it out? Will the

Lord keep them safe or not? This my opinion of what he was thinking.

[Barack_America]

2. Did you notice the purposeful inclusion of "foreign"...

...in the headline about the Dallas Ebola patient?

My thinking is, that if Duncan is guilty of aggravated assault, then so to is that megachurch member, and possibly, other members of that church who continued the spread. Heck, so to are those rich Hollywood types that are letting pertussis run wild in the LA area.

[Downwinder]

3. Why are they worrying about ebola?

The Lord will protect them.

[MohRokTah]

4. Arguably, the Measles and especially Pertussis are far more devestating than Ebola guy.

Not to mention Ebola Guy though he had been exposed to malaria, not Ebola.

[Barack_America]

5. Historically, that is certainly true.

And if one compares the R0 value measure of the viruses,it is still true.

[freshwest]

6. An interesting twist to the tale.

[joeglow3]

7. Wow. First I have seen this. Makes sense.

[Spider Jerusalem]

8. There's a significant difference here.

If there was a measles outbreak it's because of people not vaccinating. Measles is assumed to be a vaccine-controlled illness, in the USA. This is why quarantines aren't required.

Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. more than a decade ago. But in recent years, the highly infectious disease has cropped up in communities with low vaccination rates, most recently in North Texas.

There, 21 people — the majority of whom have not been immunized — have gotten the disease, which began at a vaccine-skeptical megachurch.

http://www.npr.org/2013/09/01/217746942/texas-megachurch-at-center-of-measles-outbreak

The problem is fuckwits not vaccinating, not the lack of quarantine. There is no vaccine for ebola.

[Barack_America]

9. It's still a knowing and reckless exposure.

There's also a barrier to HIV infection, namely not sharing bodily fluids or using barrier protection when you do. They have prosecuted individuals for forgoing these barriers and thus recklessly exposing to HIV. The barrier for Ebola is quarantine, and there is discussion about prosecuting Duncan for not practicing that. So why no discussion about failing to exercise the barriers to measles infection, also resulting in reckless exposure?

[Scuba]

10. +1

[Spider Jerusalem]

11. It should be prosecutable for parents to fail to vaccinate, honestly

assholes like these people are the reason measles is making a comeback in the first place.

[Barack_America]

12. I agree.

But barring that, I think they should be criminally responsible for the results of that decision. And I think prosecuting Duncan for Ebola exposure (if they foolishly wish to do it) sets precedence for this.

[Spider Jerusalem]

13. I don't see that, because it's not the same thing.

US residents are presumed to be vaccinated for measles. No-one is vaccinated for ebola because there's no vaccine. Duncan lied to airport security about his ebola exposure. That sort of lying is a prosecutable offence pretty much everywhere, and travelling whilst having knowingly been exposed to ebola is tantamount to breach of quarantine (which is also a prosecutable offence pretty much everywhere; in the US it'll get you a year in a Federal prison).

[pnwmom]

14. Except we don't know he was unvaccinated. That's just a theory. nt