By Judi McLeod ——Bio and Archives--October 17, 2014
Cover Story | CFP Comments | Reader Friendly | Subscribe | Email Us
"U.S. health officials on Thursday warned Americans not to travel to the three West African countries hit by an outbreak of Ebola." "President Obama said the CDC will be working closely with WHO and that there are steps in place to screen travelers from the affected countries on both ends," CBS 2's Sonia Rincon reported.CDC screening on both ends turned out to be on one end and to this day the Obama administration has refused to put an airflight ban on flights into the U.S. from West Africa where the Ebola outbreak still rages.
"The advisory applies to nonessential travel to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, where Ebola has killed more than 700 people this year. "The bottom line is Ebola is worsening in West Africa," said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC, who announced the travel warning. He called Ebola "a tragic, dreadful and merciless virus." "The purpose of the travel warning is to not only protect U.S. travelers, but limit their use of overburdened clinics and hospitals for injuries or other illnesses", he said. "We feel confident that the procedures we've put in place are appropriate," Obama said.For more than a month, the CDC had advised travelers to simply take precautions when in the outbreak region. Peculiarities surrounding Ebola and the Summit should include the August 1st statement in the Navy Times by Army Col. James Cummings, a physician and director of the Global Emerging Infections Surveillance and Response System at the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center, who told AFPS. that the stable nature of Ebola in aerosol makes it attractive as a potential biological weapon:
"Filoviruses like Ebola have been of interest to the Pentagon since the late 1970s, mainly because Ebola and its fellow viruses have high mortality rates--in the current outbreak, roughly 60 percent to 72 percent of those who have contracted the disease have died--and its stable nature in aerosol make it attractive as a potential biological weapon." (Navy Times, Aug. 1, 2014) "The Armed Forces Press Service reported late Friday that military health workers, including an entomologist from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, already are in the affected area providing support ranging from logistical assistance to "clinical management"--assisting in treating affected populations. "DoD personnel bring a level of excellence second to none, working in response to host nations and WHO in the most-affected countries of Sierra Leone and Liberia," Col. Cummings, told AFPS. "Since the late 1970s and early 1980s, researchers at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases have sought to develop a vaccine or treatment for the disease. "The U.S. military, and, in particular, the Army, has had a longstanding mission in preventing and treating infectious and parasitic diseases in troops, dating to the late 1800s. "Since the late 1970s and early 1980s, researchers at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases have sought to develop a vaccine or treatment for the disease. "Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. Jonathan Woodson said DoD remains broadly engaged in international public health matters. "One of the things I don't think many people realize is what a huge valuable asset the military health system is to this nation," he said Friday in a television interview on "Defense News with Vago Muradian." "Not only are we a key enabler so that service members, men and women who ... go in harm's way will be taken care of, but we are a public health system, an education system, a research and development system," Woodson said. "The recent development with infectious disease issues in Africa--they are turning to the U.S. military to provide expertise."This is the same DoD under whose watch more than a thousand vets died waiting for medical help? Whatever happened to the quarantine stations staffed with health officials specifically trained to look for symptoms of Ebola in passengers, that CBSNewYork/AP reported on last August 1st? "Newark Liberty and John F. Kennedy airports are among 20 ports of entry locations in the U.S. with quarantine stations that have been staffed with health officials trained to look for symptoms of Ebola in passengers. (CBSNewYork/AP, Aug. 1, 2014 ). This is how the CDC describes its still in effect Comprehensive Quarantine System on its own home page:
What ever happened to the promised screenings in the three Ebola afflicted West African countries between August 1 and Sept. 18 when Thomas Eric Duncan flew from Liberia to Dallas, Texas? In looking back perhaps the residents of Martha's Vineyard should be relieved that the airspace surrounding their island were off limits to certain aircraft from Aug. 9 to Aug. 24. "For over two weeks--from Aug. 9 to Aug. 24--the airspace surrounding the island will be off limits to certain aircraft. (Daily Caller) "Residents and visitors who use PlaneSense Inc., a plane-sharing company that operates in Martha's Vineyard, received the following warning on Friday: The [Temporary Flight Restriction] TFR will involve the following, which we MUST abide by: Start: Saturday, August 9, 2014 End: Sunday, August 24, 2014A Comprehensive Quarantine System
U.S. Quarantine Stations are part of a comprehensive Quarantine System that serves to limit the introduction of infectious diseases into the United States and to prevent their spread. U.S. Quarantine Stations are located at 20 ports of entry and land-border crossings where international travelers arrive. They are staffed with quarantine medical and public health officers from CDC. These health officers decide whether ill persons can enter the United States and what measures should be taken to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Quarantine officers are responsible for activities as various as responding to reports of illnesses, to screening cargo and inspecting animals and animal products, to monitoring the health of and collecting any medical information of new immigrants, refugees, asylums, and parolees. Read the U.S. Quarantine Stations Fact Sheet.Contacting U.S. Quarantine Stations
Each of the 20 Quarantine Stations has responsibility for enforcing foreign quarantine regulations at all ports of entry within its assigned area of jurisdiction. Please note that all numbers operate with 24-hour access, unless an alternate number is provided. Shipping note: For shipping to quarantine stations using a delivery service other than FedEx (such as UPS, DHL or freight), confirm the correct shipping address prior to sending. Time zones: All hours of operation are based on the local time of the station's geographical location. Quarantine Station Contact Lists and Jurisdictions
Support Canada Free Press
View Comments