How many ebola cases before a travel ban is justified?

The usual formulation for discussing air travel bans is how many ebola cases making it to the US before President Obama is forced to stop air travel to and from west Africa. But there’s another variant of the question, how many ebola cases in the US before others will stop air or sea travel to and from the this country?

I do not think it likely that we will reach such numbers in this outbreak but it’s an interesting change from the usual breathless journalistic speculation of the US imposing a ban. If we don’t keep our house in order, others will isolate us to keep themselves safe.

10/22
Update: Since this post was written the arrival of travelers from the ebola hot zone have been restricted five airports where screening has been put in place and just now the CDC has announced that all arrivals will be under 21 day observation from entry in a sort of loose post entry disease defense regime. If they travel, they need to notify the CDC and they need to call in daily temperature readings and report any ebola-like symptoms. This might work, and considerably reduces the possibility that we will be under travel ban because we let ebola come in and get out of control.

6 thoughts on “How many ebola cases before a travel ban is justified?”

  1. I am not looking forward to the first case among US troops. It will happen.

    If not properly protected, medical staff directly in contact with patients are at risk of contracting the disease. It is believed that more than 240 health workers were infected – 120 have died – following infection with Ebola. Others have fallen sick and many more are now too afraid to come to work. In Sierra Leone and Liberia, few health centres have received the necessary materials for isolation, protection and disinfection, putting more staff and patients at risk. Today, several health centres are completely deserted, leaving thousands of people without medical care.

    It will happen.

  2. Attributed to The Economist: “Mr Duncan died in Dallas on October 8th, the same day American officials announced that travellers from the countries hardest hit by Ebola—Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone—would be questioned about their health, travel and contact with the sick, and have their temperatures taken at five large airports. ….. African and Asian countries have been screening air passengers for months, with some using infrared cameras to detect fevers.”

  3. I’m not Philosophically opposed to a travel ban.

    As opposed to being in opposition, or being in favor of a ban.

    Perhaps you should reserve any further posts or worry about the matter until say November 5th [day after the election] when 1] any new hard truths will come out and 2] no action is possible prior to that date.

    Unless Ebola Super-Colonies achieve intelligence, knowledge of flying airplanes and crash one into an Elite Skyscraper [as opposed to a menial prole building without CLOUT] there will be no truly bad news and no action until November 5th.

    Meanwhile I’ve been a productive consumer and over to http://www.disposable-garments.com [and I’ve been there since Oct 2d, toot_own_horn]. The consumer economy is several hundred dollars richer, I’ve increased the velocity of money by same, and I feel much better having sent all this lovely Tyvek stuff to loved ones as well. Which is all in this case we can do.

    Really best shopping I’ve seen, Home Depot was out in about 3 days and Amazon is a terrible rip-off.

    https://disposable-garments.com/

    [no I’m not getting a cut – SOX]

  4. I think Ayers quoted a figure in the tens of millions, don’t know if they are still going with that number, a-course he had a specific target demographic, so they’d likely be quite a few co-laterals…so it could be two years at least?

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