Experts Say a Travel Ban Won't Stop Ebola from Spreading

It seems like the CDC is rewriting its protocol and rules regarding the Ebola virus on a daily basis. In the last week, we have learned that a hospital praised for its skilled care was not given the proper tools to treat those infected with Ebola and travel restrictions seem to change constantly. Even nurses such as Amber Vinson, who was confirmed to have touched base with the CDC before hopping a plane from Dallas to Ohio and back again, was misdirected in proper procedures. All of the conflicting ideas and confusion has caused many to think a travel ban might be the obvious way to go, but expert sources disagree, saying a ban will not stop Ebola from spreading.

According to Lawrence Gostin, a professor and global health expert at Georgetown University Law Center, banning travelers from entering the states from West Africa would ultimately backfire:

"If we know anything in global health it's that you can't wrap a whole region in cellophane and expect to keep out a rapidly moving infectious disease. It doesn't work that way. Ultimately people will flee one way or another, and the more infection there is and the more people there are, the more they flee and the more unsafe we are."

As long as there is a formal protocol being truly enforced, then there is a clue of who might be infected coming into the states. If people feel forced to take illegal measures to get here, then the U.S. will have absolutely no idea of potentially infected cases and what areas of the country require quarantining.

Also, medical and food supplies would not be able to get to the afflicted areas of West Africa, and that would ultimately lead to the Ebola virus spreading further than it already has.

Unfortunately, at least for now it seems that the U.S. is at the mercy of the CDC to figure out the real facts so it can begin getting things right before more people become infected.

Do you believe the CDC is capable of controlling this horrific outbreak, or do you think things will get worse before there is significant improvement? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

Tags

Ebola Virus, Nina Pham, Amber Vinson, CDC, Sick, Thomas Eric Duncan, Death, Conflict