As many have already read, there will be new screening of passengers arriving at New York’s Kennedy International Airport who leave from Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea. Besides questioning these passengers, they will have their temperature interrogated by no-touch thermometers. The screening will then expand to
Newark Liberty, Washington Dulles, Chicago O’Hare and Hartsfield-Jackson airports. Customs says that 95 percent of people entering the United States from Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea come through one of these 5 airports.
Superficially, this screening sounds both logical and possibly even effective. However, a closer inspection will clarify its major shortcomings. First, the Ebola-virus may take up to 3 weeks before an infected person may manifest any signs of the disease—including a fever. So if an infected person enters the US within the first three weeks after contracting Ebola, he or she would theoretically able to pass the temperature test and be allowed into the country. In the end, the testing will only identify those who are actively showing signs of the illness. And if they are currently showing signs of the illness, all those they were in direct contact with may have already potentially come in contact with the Ebola virus.
Many critics cite the fact that a person needs to be in direct contact with bodily fluids from an Ebola infected patient to contract the disease. In essence that is correct. However, what is not stated is that the disease can be spread through water particles. So if an infected person sneezes or coughs on a person, they could potentially be spreading the deadly virus.
Critics may also site this scenario as a simple scare tactic. However, take the example of Spanish nurse Teresa Romero. She explicitly states that although she came into contact with an Ebola patient she had NO contact with the person’s bodily fluids and does not know how she acquired the disease.
In the end, why are we allowing any person to enter the United States from Ebola infected areas? In our insane effort as a country to remain politically correct, we are jeopardizing the safety our health in the process. Plus, the screening methods we are instituting are far from effective and will do little to stop the influx of the virus into our country. Plus, heaven forbid if the virus mutates into a more virulent strain.
As the Ebola virus has reached humanitarian crisis status in Western Africa, many people are still unsure what exactly this disease is or why it is important.
The Ebola virus starts with flu-like symptoms on average up to 2 weeks after contracting the disease. It then progresses to muscle aches, joint pains, fevers, chills, sore throat and a rash. Later and more progressive stages of the virus can cause confusion, coma, multi-organ failure and hemorrhage. Plus, with a mortality rate of 50-90%, the disease is extremely deadly.
Fortunately, the Ebola virus is not spread like the common cold. However, those that come in contact with any secretions or blood of an infected victim are at risk of contracting it.
What makes this outbreak in Western Africa frightening, especially Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone, is that it has effected more people than any other Ebola outbreak in history. Since March, there have been 1,201 cases of Ebola and 672 deaths just in these three countries. Liberia has become so overwhelmed they declared a humanitarian crisis and state they are unable to keep track of the virus any longer. Plus, Ebola has recently been brought to Lagos in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous city by a 40 year-old Liberian civil servant who did not know that he was infected.
Now, how it can affect you. First, the disease may take 2 weeks to show symptoms. Thus, a newly infected person could fly out of Western Africa (like previously mentioned) and into any of the world’s densely packed cities without ever knowing that he or she was infected. From there, the disease could spread rapidly and exponentially.
Also, not as well publicized on the news is that a jet carrying two infected Americans from West Africa will be returning to the United States so that the victims can receive care there. It is not certain where they will arrive, but the importance of the story is that we are importing an incurable disease into our country. Though the CDC has many incurable diseases they work on every day in the labs and there are numerous incurable diseases already in our country, do we need to risk the potential of having one more?
Indeed, the virus is just one plane ride away. Though the chances of a vast Ebola pandemic seems unlikely by in professional opinion, I must ask this one question: Are we prepared for the possibility of the next pandemic when it comes?
For a great medical/political thriller that projects the future of such an outbreak, please read the best selling novel, The New Reality. http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Reality-Stephen-Martino/dp/1611530741/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1396311308&sr=1-1
