Local Republican lawmakers call for travel ban to stem U.S. spread of Ebola
A local lawmaker and U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman is joining with other members of Congress to ask the Obama administration to issue a temporary travel ban from Ebola-affected West African countries.
U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R- Hollidaysburg, transportation committee chairman, and U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, the ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, advised both the transportation and homeland security department secretaries that the further spread of the Ebola virus could adversely impact the economy and the way of life in the U.S.
“With Ebola spreading, even within the hospital setting, we should not delay in taking additional measures to prevent individuals carrying the virus from traveling to the U.S.,” said the two committee members in an Oct. 14 letter to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. “We believe a temp-orary travel ban for such indi-viduals who live in or have traveled from certain West African countries is reason-able and timely.”
On Thursday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Thomas Frieden appeared before a House panel to answer questions about the lack of procedures to track those who have been exposed to Ebola and the failure to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus within the U.S.
“We are singularly focused on protecting public health and ensuring that not a single additional case of Ebola occurs here in the U.S.,” said U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., who chaired the panel. “So far, traveler self-reported screening procedures and hospital infection control measures have been demonstrated failures.
“The public is anxious for the administration to execute a domestic plan that covers all aspects of public health protection, and we stand ready to assist in accomplishing this critical goal.”
This week, a third person was diagnosed with the virus, after she had been involved with the treatment of Thomas Eric Duncan, the first reported case of Ebola in the U.S.
In September, Duncan had traveled from his home in Liberia to Texas to visit family. The CDC confirmed that he had contracted Ebola. He died Oct. 8 at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.
Two of Duncan’s nurses, Nina Pham and Amber Vinson, have also been diagnosed with Ebola.
Pham tested positive for the virus on Oct. 12. She was expected to be transferred Thursday from the Texas hospital to the National Institutes of Health hospital in Bethesda, Md.
Vinson tested positive for Ebola on Wednesday after she returned from a trip to Ohio.
She is being treated at Emory University Hospital in Georgia.
Several Ohio and Texas schools closed their doors Thursday due to public concern about the outbreak and how it was being handled.
Six crew members aboard the Frontier Airlines flight taken by Vinson when she returned from her Cleveland trip were placed on leave. Vinson had been cleared by the CDC to make the flight after reporting to officials that while she did not display any symptoms, she did have a low-grade fever.
Shuster and Thune, meanwhile, said that while the risk for an outbreak is limited, it could cause disruption to the economy and society, in general.
“We believe it is important that we thoroughly and dispassionately assess the federal government’s readiness to prevent or mitigate the harms associated with pandemics,” said the congressmen.
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., has sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, asking that she support the tightening of travel restrictions.
“Since the initial recognition of the outbreak of the Ebola virus in March 2014, the rapid and sustained nature of its spread has been the cause of great alarm, and the grave challenge it presents the world community has been clearly explained by numerous experts,” he said in the letter sent Thursday. “Recently, World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan stated that this is the ‘most severe, acute health emergency seen in modern times.'”
While the U.S. must assist the affected countries to contain the virus, the paramount responsibility is to protect the U.S. citizens, said Toomey.
In an Oct. 9 Fox News Opinion editorial, CDC Chief Tom Frieden said he does not favor a travel ban.
“A travel ban is not the right answer,” he said. “It’s simply not feasible to build a wall — virtual or real — around a community, city, or country. A travel ban would essentially quarantine the more than 22 million people that make up the combined populations of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
“When a wildfire breaks out, we don’t fence it off. We go in to extinguish it before one of the random sparks sets off another outbreak somewhere else.”
Frieden said that to provide relief to West Africa, its borders must remain open and commercial flights continue.
“There is no more effective way to protect the U.S. against additional Ebola cases than to address this outbreak at the source in West Africa,” he said.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., agrees that a travel ban would be detrimental to contain the virus.
“Sen. Casey’s top priority is the health and safety of his constituents,” said Alex Miller, communication director. “That is why he is pushing for additional resources to help U.S. hospitals identify and contain the virus.
“He and our office are receiving regular updates from appropriate authorities on the outbreak and the senator will continue to push to ensure that every appropriate measure is taken to contain the virus.”
Casey will meet today with Pittsburgh UPMC Presbyterian doctors and specialists to discuss Ebola preparedness.
While some are calling for a travel ban, Casey said that to do so would prohibit aid from reaching those in need.
“(Frieden) said that a ban could also potentially make it more difficult to track people arriving in the U.S. from affected countries,” said Miller. “Sen. Casey will continue to consult with experts on the matter to make sure every appropriate measure is being taken to protect Pennsylvanians.”