Although there has been over seven thousand total confirmed cases of Ebola worldwide there have only been three in the United States (West Africa Outbreak). Travel to West Africa should not be limited because it would not help anything. It would destabilize the countries affected by the epidemic; it would prevent health officials from being able to track the spread of the disease, and it would only delay the spread and eventually make it worse. Ebola is currently the deadliest disease known to man. Some symptoms include fever, severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and unexplained hemorrhaging. These symptoms will occur anywhere from two to twenty one days after exposure to the disease (Signs and Symptoms). It kills seventy percent of the people who are infected. Those who survive develop antibodies in their bodies that last for ten years.
First off, if travel is limited to West Africa it will destabilize the countries affected by the outbreak. For instance Tara Culp-Ressler found a statistic stating, "the world bank estimated that a potential international flu pandemic could lead to one point five trillion dollar reduction in global gross domestic product" (Culp-Ressler). Also, if the country is in isolation they will collapse economically. Because they will have no support from other countries they will no longer be able to get goods to help them survive. Food or other exports that are necessary for survival will be scarce. Furthermore, it will prevent health officials from being able to track the movements of those affected. And they will be unable to tell where those people have gone and exposed other citizens to the disease. Frieden from the Center for Disease Control has explained that "such restrictions will undermine one of the best tools we have to contain the epidemic: the ability to track peoples movements" (Culp-Ressler).
