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Editorial: Sensible steps to control Ebola

 
Nina Pham, third from left, the nurse who was infected with Ebola from treating patient Thomas Eric Duncan, was declared free of the virus on Friday. Her release came as the federal government issued commonsense regulations this week to closely monitor travelers from three African nations ravaged by Ebola.
Nina Pham, third from left, the nurse who was infected with Ebola from treating patient Thomas Eric Duncan, was declared free of the virus on Friday. Her release came as the federal government issued commonsense regulations this week to closely monitor travelers from three African nations ravaged by Ebola.
Published Oct. 24, 2014

The federal government issued commonsense regulations this week to closely monitor travelers from three African nations ravaged by Ebola. This coordinated response by U.S. officials is a welcome antidote to the hysteria that is sweeping the nation amid news of Ebola cases in America, including the latest one in New York. And there is good news in Florida, where Gov. Rick Scott and other state leaders have worked to ensure hospitals are equipped to respond appropriately should an Ebola case emerge here. Now, state and local health officials — and travelers — must remain vigilant and dutifully monitor travelers' health conditions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued regulations Wednesday that call for everyone at risk of acquiring Ebola from recent travel to undergo monitoring by health care workers for 21 days, the length of time it takes for the disease to incubate. Travelers entering the United States from Sierre Leone, Guinea or Liberia will be stopped in airports upon their arrival and given an initial screening for fever. Once cleared, the travelers will have to provide health officials with their address, phone number and contact information for a relative or friend. Travelers also will be instructed to take their temperature and report the results and the presence of other Ebola symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhea to health care officials daily.

Public health officials have traced the Ebola outbreak's origins to a 2-year-old boy in Guinea, who died in December. So far, more than 4,800 deaths have been reported, according to the World Health Organization. Cases treated on American soil include New York doctor Craig Spencer, who tested positive for Ebola on Thursday, days after returning from treating patients in Guinea. Other Americans who contracted the disease in the affected countries, among them doctors and an aid worker, were treated in the United States and have recovered. Liberian Thomas Eric Duncan was the first case to be diagnosed in the United States. Duncan traveled to Dallas from Liberia in late September. After initially being sent home from a Dallas emergency room, he was later admitted and died earlier this month. Two nurses who treated Duncan also contracted Ebola. Both are now virus-free, and one was released from the hospital Friday.

The answer to limiting the spread of Ebola in the United States is not to close this country's borders, as some politicians have suggested. American doctors, nurses, military and other aid workers should be able to travel freely to offer assistance to people in countries with the greatest need and to return home easily if their health is in peril. The federal government's new approach appreciates the free flow of information, aid and people.

In Florida, Gov. Rick Scott has shown leadership by pressing the CDC to give money, training and equipment to ensure that hospitals and health care workers can respond to Ebola should the need arise. The crisis both at home and abroad is a stark reminder of the importance of fully funding public health initiatives so that when an epidemic breaks out, the health care system is prepared to respond.