Does a travel ban make sense if it is only to make the American people feel better? Chuck Todd discussed this with Senators Roy Blount (R-MO) and Bob Casey (D-PA) during today's 'Ebola Summit' on "Meet The Press," among many other aspects in combating an outbreak of the virus. We'll dissect the above mentioned tactic and a couple of other points in an attempt to bring perspective to the whole thing.
Laurie Garrett, senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations and long-time medical journalist explained that since Ebola is new, there is a new fear, and what comes with new is unknown so it's natural national reaction. The media hasn't been any help in quelling those natural fears, especially when you present the story in terms of a summit. That's a cheap jab because all the guests offered insightful perspectives.
(Cudos this week to Mr. Todd and his team for their best show so far in terms of pacing, tone, and information. Staging still a little awkward but to an increasingly minimal degree.)
But the first thing that should be noted is when Mr. Todd reminded us that over 50,000 people per year in the United States die of flu and pneumonia; one has died from Ebola, to which Ms. Garrett commented that since it's familiar there is no hysteria. (Makes you think about going out to get that free flu shot now, doesn't it?)
However, and this is a big 'however,' there is an epidemic occurring in Africa - all agreed - and it is to be taken seriously. The Ebola virus is a deadly disease, as we know, that attacks the central nervous system and causes dementia and violent behavior on the way to a quick death. From Ghana, Dr. Anthony Banbury, UN Mission Ebola Emergency Response, warned that the world is not prepared to combat the spread of this virus and the number one resource needed on the ground is more healthcare workers.
When Senator Blount was asked about his support for it, he dialed back his answer saying that we should not issue visas to individuals from countries where there is emergency status. That's a lot different than a travel ban. A ban means no to-and-from at all. A ban means that Dr. Banbury is never going to get those healthcare workers that he needs to fight the spread. As Ms. Garrett commented, it disincentives healthcare professionals from going overseas because they wouldn't be sure that they would allowed to come back. And with all due respect to Senator Blount, you can not call from a travel ban and then NOT support making CDC protocols in hospitals mandatory, reasoning that it's not realistic that all hospitals would comply; as if it's realistic that an issued travel ban is going to keep everyone from west Africa out of the United States. In essence, Senator Blount is saying that it's OK to be irresponsible here at home. (Freedom doesn't mean act stupidly.)
Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health, making a return visit to the program, warned that this initial experience should serve as a wake up call for preparedness. We also agreed when he said it would be 'nice' (his word) to have a Surgeon General so that there is a central figure to get information out and coordinate cooperation between agencies - the essential function of a 'czar' he said. (Former vice-presidential chief of staff Ron Klain has been appointed to that position.) But on the topic of Surgeon General, Senator Casey said that simple Washington dysfunction was the reason why we do not have one. Senator Blount blamed senate majority leader Harry Reid for not bringing it up for a vote. The truth there is in what Mr. Todd said that the current nominee (the more than qualified, impeccably credentialed Doctor Vivek Murthy) stated that gun violence is an issue of public health and because of that the National Rifle Association stated it would then score the Senators' votes, hence holding up the process.
If flu and pneumonia, at 50K deaths per year, is a public health concern, why wouldn't 30K deaths per year from guns also be a concern? The NRA will not allow to be versus one death in the United States from Ebola. It would be more than just 'nice' for the United States to have a Surgeon General.
Another curious thing that Dr. Fauci said was that he disagreed with the notion, presented by one of his colleagues earlier in the week in an op-ed that we would have a vaccine by now if budgets for research hadn't been cut by more than 50 percent over the last three years. He explained that nothing less in research is being done, the cuts just mean it's being done slower. Wait....What? He basically just confirmed the point that he disagreed with. As the guests discussed, private funding - tens of millions of dollars - for something like a vaccine for Ebola, a virus never before present in the United States, is going to be readily available, and this is understandable. What's not understandable or comprehensible is increasing funds for border security in reaction to the presence of the Ebola virus while decreasing funding for vaccines. As we stated in last week's column, diligence to what Dr. Fauci called contact tracing along with quick responsible care will stem fears in the U.S.
The doctor also stated that the deadline to reverse the spread of the virus in Africa is Dec. 1st. If the numbers don't start going down by then, the epidemic there will be out of control. Laurie Garrett pointed out that for every known case of infection, there are 2.5 that are unknown according to the World Health Organization so there is no way that deadline will be met and that given that math, 300,000 cases could be recorded in Africa by Christmas.
Dr. Danbury described it as fighting a medical war in Africa, where we don't have enough combatants. Sure sounds that way to us.
Panel: Mike Murphy, Republican Strategist; Andrea Mitchell, Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent, NBC News; Stephanie Cutter, Democratic Strategist; and Manu Raju, Politico
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