If you had a vote to cast about whether or not American reporters, businessmen, health officials, etc were allowed to come back from West Africa what would you vote?

Just quarantine them ,just to make sure they haven’t come down with it,that would be all that is needed.

Never allowed to come back? That’s preposterous.

And the 70% death rate is calculated upon the exigencies of dealing with the primitive conditions and overtaxed health care system of the areas where it now exists.

With proper modern supportive care, there is significantly less risk of death (as has been illustrated by the few medical workers from the US who contracted it there but were promptly returned here for care.)

I think a quarantine period may be warranted but nothing more Draconian than that.

And this most recent case was an illustration of the need for not only proper education of medical staff but FOLLOW THROUGH.

The man did (at his first ER
visit) did inform them that he had just returned from Liberia.

But apparently the initial intake person failed to communicate that salient fact to the rest of the medical staff and therefore he was released, only to return a few days later.

He never should have been released but kept safely in isolation upon first visit.

Clearly more education and training is needed, NOT banning Americans from returning who are over there just doing their jobs. Being given the type of care available in a more advanced health care system is likely the only chance they have at surviving rather than becoming a part of the dim survival rate over there.

And, this far, the Ebola virus is not defined as airborne.

That doesn’t mean that it cannot be transmitted via aerosolized droplets from coughing, etc.

But that is not airborne. If you have a citation from a REPUTABLE medical source that it is now classified as airborne, please provide it.

Stating your opinion that it now is apparently airborne is not sufficient and just adds to panic and misinformation. If you are going to make a statement like that, you need to back it up with something more than your panicked opinion.

(and anything found on the websites affiliated with Alex Jones don’t count.. He’s an ill-informed gasbag who is even recognized by other conservatives as being ridiculously over the top.)

You don’t have to take my word for it. Do your own reading.

Just in case you’d like more info from a reputable epidemiologis who has written several books on Ebola and similar diseases, I’ll include the link to the website of Tara C. Smith.

Check out her credentials for yourself. She is widely respected.

I prefer getting my info from someone who knows what they’re talking about.

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www.scienceblogs.com/aetiology

And where do these American citizens go instead? To purgatory?

Of course they are allowed to come back – to quarantine or treatment. You can’t simply banish people from coming home, especially citizens who have families and the legal right to come home.

I agree that a quarantine for at least the duration of the incubation period before boarding the plane and for at least a few days upon arrival – just to be sure – would be more than enough precaution if we discover that the virus has mutated to become more contagious. The airline staff would also have to be subject to quarantine rules, too.

That 70% death rate is in the bush, and in hopelessly primitive 3rd world treatment scenarios. It’s not going to happen here, and anyone who can get here early enough, even with the onset of symptoms is pretty much assured of recovery. Those with other chronic conditions are the ones at great risk should the disease become endemic in this country. Airborne Ebola, if ever a reality will bring about the abrupt cordoning off of the continent of Africa as well as any inhabitant (or suspected inhabitant) seeking escape. Commercial aviation will cease, because no government will allow any plane from the continent to land in its territories. One solution for the diagnosis period would be to confine travelers from Africa to shipboard passage to the United States. The ships could serve as floating hospitals as well as enforced quarantine wards.

I’d vote to let them come back. There is no reason to refuse their return and treatment (if necessary). There are things we can do to be safe, such as the quarantines and having them go directly to facilities that are prepared to care for them.