79% of people support an Ebola travel ban

Elhadj As Sy, Red Cross Head, Says Ebola Travel Bans Are Ineffective, Irrational
Reuters | By Michael Martina
Posted: 10/22/2014 5:21 am EDT Updated: 3 minutes ago

BEIJING, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Closing borders will not effectively curb Ebola infections, the head of the Red Cross said on Wednesday, amid debate over whether bans on travel from hardest-hit African countries would help combat the spread of the deadly virus.

This year's outbreak of the highly infectious haemorrhagic fever thought to have originated in forest bats is the worst on record, having killed more than 4,500 people, mostly in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Travelers from the region have infected two people in the U.S. state of Texas and one in Madrid, prompting some leaders, including some U.S. lawmakers, to urge a ban on travel from West Africa.

Elhadj As Sy, Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said such restrictions would not make sense.

"It (Ebola) creates a lot of fear and extreme panic that sometimes lead to very irrational type of behaviors and measures, like closing borders, canceling flights, isolating countries etc.," Sy told reporters in Beijing, where the IFRC, the world's largest humanitarian network, was holding a conference.

"Those are not solutions. The only solution is how can we join our efforts to contain those kinds of viruses and epidemics at their epicenter, right where they start."

Sy said he believed it was possible to contain the disease in four to six months if proper practices were implemented, but that additional investment in the West Africa's health infrastructure would be needed to prevent future outbreaks.

Sy joins world leaders, including World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, in voicing opposition against such travel restrictions.

The World Health Organization (WHO), which so far has not recommended blanket travel or trade restrictions on the West African countries, has warned of 5,000-10,000 new cases of Ebola globally every week by December.

It has said the outbreak constitutes an international public health emergency and has urged the screening of passengers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Health experts warn that excessive constraints on air travel could have severe economic consequences that could destabilize the region and possibly disrupt essential health and humanitarian services.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security ratcheted up safeguards against Ebola on Tuesday, requiring travelers from the three African countries to fly into one of five major airports conducting enhanced screening for the virus.

The White House has said President Barack Obama remains open to a travel ban if public health experts advise it, but Obama has said if a ban was implemented some travelers might attempt to enter the United States by avoiding screening measures, which could lead to more Ebola cases, not fewer.

(Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Nick Macfie)
 
Ricter said:
Elhadj As Sy, Red Cross Head, Says Ebola Travel Bans Are Ineffective, Irrational
Reuters | By Michael Martina
Posted: 10/22/2014 5:21 am EDT Updated: 3 minutes ago

BEIJING, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Closing borders will not effectively curb Ebola infections, the head of the Red Cross said on Wednesday, amid debate over whether bans on travel from hardest-hit African countries would help combat the spread of the deadly virus.

This year's outbreak of the highly infectious haemorrhagic fever thought to have originated in forest bats is the worst on record, having killed more than 4,500 people, mostly in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

Travelers from the region have infected two people in the U.S. state of Texas and one in Madrid, prompting some leaders, including some U.S. lawmakers, to urge a ban on travel from West Africa.

Elhadj As Sy, Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said such restrictions would not make sense.

"It (Ebola) creates a lot of fear and extreme panic that sometimes lead to very irrational type of behaviors and measures, like closing borders, canceling flights, isolating countries etc.," Sy told reporters in Beijing, where the IFRC, the world's largest humanitarian network, was holding a conference.

"Those are not solutions. The only solution is how can we join our efforts to contain those kinds of viruses and epidemics at their epicenter, right where they start."

Sy said he believed it was possible to contain the disease in four to six months if proper practices were implemented, but that additional investment in the West Africa's health infrastructure would be needed to prevent future outbreaks.

Sy joins world leaders, including World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, in voicing opposition against such travel restrictions.

The World Health Organization (WHO), which so far has not recommended blanket travel or trade restrictions on the West African countries, has warned of 5,000-10,000 new cases of Ebola globally every week by December.

It has said the outbreak constitutes an international public health emergency and has urged the screening of passengers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Health experts warn that excessive constraints on air travel could have severe economic consequences that could destabilize the region and possibly disrupt essential health and humanitarian services.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security ratcheted up safeguards against Ebola on Tuesday, requiring travelers from the three African countries to fly into one of five major airports conducting enhanced screening for the virus.

The White House has said President Barack Obama remains open to a travel ban if public health experts advise it, but Obama has said if a ban was implemented some travelers might attempt to enter the United States by avoiding screening measures, which could lead to more Ebola cases, not fewer.

(Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Nick Macfie)
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Well over 100 countries think that a travel ban is effective. I will note that none of these 100 countries had new cases of Ebola reported after travel was banned. Appears to be 100% effective at this point.
 
gwb-trading said:
Well over 100 countries think that a travel ban is effective. I will note that none of these 100 countries had new cases of Ebola reported after travel was banned. Appears to be 100% effective at this point.
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We think enhanced screening is effective, and it has been 100% effective since implemented.
 
Ricter said:
We think enhanced screening is effective, and it has been 100% effective since implemented.
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But when Duncan traveled here, enhanced screening let him in. Or are you referring to super duper advanced screening? Because he had to go through checks to come to the US, and made it through those.
 
Texas Gov. Rick Perry's Response To Ebola Under Scrutiny

As Texas politicians, including Perry and Sen. Ted Cruz (R), pointed fingers at the Obama administration amid growing public unease over the crisis, a key detail in the story had been missing: Texas public health officials already had authority to impose quarantine restrictions on persons suspected of having contagious diseases such as Ebola, regardless of CDC recommendations.

"Had the state used its public health powers more robustly, health care workers who treated Duncan might not have been circulating in public, and much of the ensuing panic could have been stilled," the Texas Tribune wrote on Wednesday.
Perry also came under fire from Democrats for failing to cancel a scheduled trip to Europe, where he hoped to burnish his foreign policy credentials ahead of a possible presidential campaign. The governor was forced to return to Texas after Vinson became the second person to test positive for the deadly virus.

The governor hasn't cleared his administration of total wrongdoing, however. On Friday, Perry admitted that mistakes were made across the board, and he said it was “indefensible” that Vinson was allowed to board a plane.

“We must admit, along the way, we have seen ample opportunity for improvement, from the CDC all the way to the hospital,” he said.



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/22/rick-perry-ebola-response_n_6028788.html
 
Tsing Tao said:
But when Duncan traveled here, enhanced screening let him in. Or are you referring to super duper advanced screening? Because he had to go through checks to come to the US, and made it through those.
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Yes, now the TSA is going to stick a thermometer in both your ears. Super-duper advanced screening. It should be doubly as effective as the current TSA Ebola screening.
 
Tsing Tao said:
But when Duncan traveled here, enhanced screening let him in. Or are you referring to super duper advanced screening? Because he had to go through checks to come to the US, and made it through those.
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Once a travel ban is enforced, he will simply flip the script.

Has the guy ever opposed a liberal policy?
 
Spike Trader said:
Texas Gov. Rick Perry's Response To Ebola Under Scrutiny

The governor hasn't cleared his administration of total wrongdoing, however. On Friday, Perry admitted that mistakes were made across the board, and he said it was “indefensible” that Vinson was allowed to board a plane.

“We must admit, along the way, we have seen ample opportunity for improvement, from the CDC all the way to the hospital,” he said.
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Much more refreshing than something like "Not even a smidgeon of corruption" or "we found out about it from the news" or "I didn't know" or "they gave me bad intelligence" or "Ebola absolutely won't be coming to our shores" or...etc
 
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