Posted on 10/16/2014 1:24:34 PM PDT by lbryce
A Republican lawmaker claims the real reason the Obama administration is opposing a travel ban for Ebola-stricken African countries is that U.S. officials are concerned about hurting their economies -- a dollars-and-cents reason, the lawmaker says, doesn't make much sense.
Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., whose House subcommittee held a high-profile hearing Thursday on the Ebola virus, told Fox News that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Tom Frieden is the one who gave him that explanation.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
See my thread I just started.
I might do a spectacular one over the weekend.
I learned from the hearings that human waste of ebola patients is not burned at the site, because of EPA regulations, but is transported elsewhere for incineration.
Why should this waste be transported with the chance that it be spread on the road in case of a vehicle accident? Cleanup will be a nightmare.
Screw the EPA and incinerate the waste right at the hospital.
What is more important — minimize the spread of the virus by immediate incineration or follow EPA guidelines with the chance of spreading the virus during transportation?
Well, that's what he said -
Ebola is hurting their economies. A travel ban is trivial, in comparison.
I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about West Africa’s economy. I don’t wish those countries ill in any way, but in choosing between them and us, there really is no choice. Besides, those three economies are something like #168, #203 and #207 out of 223. The Dallas Metroplex has a bigger economy than all 3 combined...and importing Duncan here has affected that.
As to the argument that the only wasy to contain Ebola in Africa is to let their people leave and come here, I can only quote fellow FReeper Nomad:
“So the only way to reduce the infections in West Africa is to let the infected come here and infect Americans, brilliant analysis. What next, we should fight house fires with high pressure gasoline hoses?”
Really, this PC $hit is going to kill thousands, if not millions.
Dirt cheap way to help the African economy: train and pay 1000 Ebola survivors $2000/yr to care for new Ebola patients.
that's absurd
Who in the US buys bushmeat?????
And what does that have to do with limiting human passengers in the country?????
Why would anyone believe anything Frieden says? The guy is a total moron.
“The biggest problem is the inability to track the disease. It actually makes quarantining MORE difficult and could actually cause the disease to spread faster.
Listen to the scientists not the nitwit politicians.”
_______________________
I am going to assume you are being serious and have “bought in” to Dr Frieden’s latest “straw man” argument. Essentially that argument is: If we restrict flights or Visas emanating from the afflicted West African countries we will then make tracking infected individuals ineffective because then they will come here by illicit means “overland.”
First: All the chaos that is occurring now in CONUS was caused by one individual; Mr Duncan. Mr Duncan would still be able to come here unimpeded under the current screening methods. Mr Duncan would not have been able to come here if flights or Visa’s were denied to West Africans and none of the current tracking; additional infections and attendant chaos would exist here.
Second: If one infected individual has created this much chaos, do you seriously believe that the CDC and our current health care resources are capable of dealing with 10 such cases without a geometric increase in chaos and further infections? We currently have an estimated 150 West Africans flying to our country each day; that is 1050 individuals per week. Do you get the impression that 10 individuals “slipping thru the cracks” in a week is quite possible and even probable as the epidemic continues to rage thru Africa. (The epidemic was out of control back in April and the WHO’s response has been less than adequate; frankly it may well be beyond fixing at this point; but, I realize we need to try and I do support fighting the epidemic aggressively in Africa. My point is we should have started doing that 6 months ago!)
Third: When Dr Frieden used the term “overland” I have to assume he is referring to our own wide open southern border. That is a major problem; however, we have no idea who is coming across that border right now; so, I hardly think the scope of the current “tracking” can be all that accurate to begin with; it is, at best, illusory w/regard to the southern border. If you are not aware, CDR, USSOUTHCOM, General John Kelly, stated recently that he is very concerned that the epidemic will spread to South and/or Central America; the effect of which he summed up with the simple expression, “Katy bar the door.” Right now that door is wide open and we should be doing everything humanly possible to control it.
Fourth, Our resources to both track and treat Ebola infections are finite. By my count we have somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 beds available in the type of Isolation Units needed to safely treat Ebola infected individuals. (I am guessing at, perhaps, 12 beds at USAMRIID as I have not seen numbers quoted for their facilities; however, that figure may well be generous.) Given the high number of individuals required to track, isolate and treat those who were either infected by Mr. Duncan or had contact w/him or those he infected, I cannot see any way that our system, at its current configuration and level of training and staffing, can handle dozens of infected individuals simultaneously. Additionally, the trained hospital staff will almost certainly be reduced as some will become infected or exposed to a degree that will preclude them from performing their jobs. Of course, that scenario will both add to the patient load AND reduce the number of qualified staff available.
Bottom Line: If we do not at least temporarily restrict West Africans from coming here AND control our borders it is highly likely we will rapidly deplete our resources to a point where we will not be able to respond to those who need medical isolation, contact tracking and medical intervention.
If every country with two brain cells to rub together would ban entry from Øbolaville(s), the spread is ipso facto contained/halted.
Just wait until the Mexicans and Central Americans hear about this!
I think he will too. This is too hot for Obola not to lay it off on somebody, and I hate to break it to Friedan, but his gig is up.
Lets face it, whether or not it is the calculation of the America-hating administration, enough of this disease is going to get in to thin the herd considerably. Especially if there are carriers of Ebola who don’t themselves become sick.
There, fixed it.
Cash flow, cash flow uber alles...
In was on a different site a few weeks ago where they were talking about Israel. A black poster came on complaining “where’s MY homeland? Why don’t I get a homeland?” Ignorant of history and geography.
I believe what you have there is a genuine 10’ pole.
Not imposing a travel ban will hurt the American economy more than the African economy.
Americans are not prepared to and will not accept ‘we must live with ebola’. 30 countries have imposed a travel ban. Does Zero think he’s smarter than the other 30 countries?
Save the Fidos and Fluffys of America! Impose the ban!
In 1988, in preparation for an extended scientific project in the USSR, the Soviets insisted each of us be test for HIV/AIDS. If infected, no admittance.
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