Keeping out Ebola

Here’s an interesting tidbit: Sierra Leone accuses Canada of discrimination over the suspension of visa applications for residents of nations currently hit with large outbreaks of Ebola. The nerve!

Theo Nicol, Sierra Leone’s deputy minister of information is outraged, as he sees the Canadian government’s decision not to process applications from individuals that had been in Ebola-stricken nations within the previous 3 months as being ‘discriminatory’. Deputy Minister Nicol stated "the government views the decision as discriminatory, coming at a time when we are trying to ease the isolation, and not re-enforce it." Uhm yes. But isn’t the government of Canada’s first responsibility to the people of Canada? Or does the deputy minister expect the Canadian government to look out for the best interests of Sierra Leoneans? Apparently not, as Nicol condemns Canada’s decision "as not taken with the interests of west African states in mind.” The deputy minister went on to say, “As a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, Sierra Leone particularly feels we should share common understanding and goodwill." I’m guessing by that he means that in order to show understanding and good will, Canada should allow African nations to export Ebola and risk the health and well being of its own citizens. Sure, we’re up for an epidemic that has a mortality rate of up to 70%!

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Obama-orchestrated children’s importation across the porous southern border

We’ve had a couple of Ebola scares here in Canada, but to date we have managed to keep the disease out. And I, for one, hope that our government has the good sense to continue to do so, since for some reason the US government isn’t quite so diligent. You may recall the Obama-orchestrated children’s importation across the porous southern border and the resulting mystery virus that began affecting thousand of American children simultaneously in several different locations. The illness has been identified as the EV-D68 enterovirus and has killed at least 9 children and has left over 50 kids with a strange polio-like paralysis. Then there’s the Ebola crisis that reared its ugly head in Houston when Thomas Duncan, a recent visitor from Liberia came down with the disease. One healthcare worker contracted the disease resulting in confusion over the so-called Ebola protocols the Center for Disease Control claims to have devised. Only problem is that none of the healthcare workers in Houston had heard about these ‘protocols,’ a situation that could have resulted in catastrophic consequences. In addition, it was clear that no one in the administration had given much thought to the eventuality that this disease might get problematic. Of course, after the disease had actually made it into the US, then the administration gave it some thought, beginning with the ridiculous claim by NIH director Dr. Francis Collins that Republican budget cuts are responsible for the spread of Ebola. Really? When a Congressional committee asked why the administration isn’t imposing quarantine on travelers from Ebola affected nations, the answer was that the government could keep tabs on individuals who came by plane, as opposed to those who crossed the border illegally. Eventually the CDC looked at different scenarios and came up with a best and worst case projection. According to Dr. David Relman, a specialist in infectious diseases at Stanford Med, “it’s quite possible that every major city will see at least a handful of cases.” The World Health Organization has predicted that up to 100,000 people could be infected with Ebola by the end of this year. The organization reported that Ebola has infected a total of 13,567 people to date, with 4,951 fatalities, mostly in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. In that respect I’m delighted that the government of Canada has thought about the Ebola outbreak and decided it’s too risky to chance allowing free movement between Ebola prone areas and Canada. If the Obama administration cared about Americans, they might follow suit.