Or, more likely, the coyote is infected, and the travel of the group stops right there. The infection burns itself out as most, if not all, of the group dies.
I have a hard time trying to come up with a believable scenario of how a potential illegal immigrant who has Ebola could survive the journey to this continent in the first place. I see news that air travel is restricted, so how else can they possibly come here within the 21 day window of incubation?
exDemMom,
I like you. I like how you present your scientific case. I like what you have in your profile — though I can’t pretend to understand all of it. I look forward to following the scientific debate on this thread as it progresses.
I am one of those IT types who have experience supporting PhD researchers like yourself (I have since moved on to a more lucrative — and less demanding! role in my organization) and I appreciate your acknowledgement of the important role IT folks play in your research.
It is my experience however, that no matter how brilliant the PhD is in his/her research, odds are that when they opine on other things, they exhibit a striking lack of experience with reality — or shall we say — common sense.
Your continued denial of the possibility of Ebola entering the US through its porous southern border strikes me as an example of this lack of common sense.
There must be hundreds of ways in which this event could become reality, yet you fixate on only one scenario and admit that you can’t think of any other.
In this instance I think you are out of your depth.
I look forward to your continued entries on this thread regarding the state of knowledge regarding Ebola, but I would suggest that you confine your posts to the scientific debate and refrain from opinions about what may or may not happen at the border, about which you have no scientific method, but are only guessing.
Where is air travel restricted? If someone isn't symptomatic yet, there is nothing to stop them from getting on a plane.
Transocean travel via ship still exists, crewmen could jump ship, and the passage would only take a few days. Being symptomatic is not guaranteed.
That is without intentionally bringing contaminated material, preserved, to become infected at a jihadi's leisure.
The actual infection, given a well-handled sample of the virus, could take place anywhere, any time.
I had a hard time believing that thousands of kids could show up nearly simultaneously on our southern border from as far away as central America, undocumented, in reasonably good condition given the trip, but they did.
The histology photos are quite interesting. Did you notice the staining of the cell (presumably Langerhans') in figure 3A?
See, it's quite easy to have an adult conversation. If I find an update on the skin factor I'll post it.
There are Ebola cases in Nigeria. Expedia still lists flights from Nigeria to Mexico City. Nigeria to Mexico City is one day. Mexico City to the border is another day. Across the border to the US is a third day.
Yes, it will require money. There are Nigerians with money, or at least the $2K to make the flight to Mexico, and the $4K to pay a coyote.
A scenario from a terror thread.... Ebola patients kidnapped from that Ebola ward....what if a few of those kidnappers were muslims intent on terror and took samples....that would be easy to get over the Southern boarder.
Don't like the kidnapper scenario how about islamic aid workers doing the same? Why do they even need to get it over out boarder? Why not just release it in South America or Mexico and let it get here on its own?
You want ideas on how Ebola could get here with a good chance of working just read a couple of terror threads here on Freerepublic.