A top Obama official tried to explain at a House hearing Thursday that a ban on commercial air travel to and from Ebola-infected countries would actually increase the likelihood of the deadly disease spreading.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, explained his position at a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on the federal government’s handling of the spread of the virus.
Fauci’s explanation was prompted by Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman of California.
“Dr. Fauci,” the retiring California congressman continued, “you wouldn’t put a travel ban in? It sounds like, you know, we always say, ‘Seal off our borders! Don’t let those people come in!’ That’s usually referenced to the immigration matter, not public health particularly. It might be a tangential issue. But we know certain countries where the epidemic is originating, why not stop them?”
Fauci responded: “It’s certainly understandable how someone might come to a conclusion that the best approach would be to just seal off the border from those countries. But we’re dealing with something, now, that we know what we’re dealing with.”
The doctor continued, turning his attention to a map presented by Waxman showing worldwide air travel to and from West Africa.
“If you have the possibility of doing all of those lines you showed, that’s a big web of things that we don’t know what we’re dealing with,” Fauci said.
Waxman asked: “So, what we know is this epidemic can spread if there is contact with body fluids from somebody who’s showing the symptoms of Ebola?
“If we had a travel ban, wouldn’t we just force these people to hide their origin? And wouldn’t we also not know where they’re coming from if they’re going out of their way to hide it?
“A ban or quarantine would hinder efforts to fight the epidemic in West Africa and the worse the epidemic becomes in West Africa, the greater it’s going to be a problem all over the world, including in the United States.
“Is that your position?” the congressman asked.
Fauci responded in the affirmative.
