hamtrack Loc: Omaha NE

Lewiston, Idaho Veterinarian's Letter to the Editor of the Lewiston Morning Tribune:

If I wish to import a horse into the United States from Liberian or any African country other than Morocco, the horse needs to undergo a 60 day quarantine period at a USDA approved quarantine facility prior to mingling with the general population of horses in this country. Africa has a disease called African Horse Sickness that does not exist in the US; and this is the way we have kept it out of this country. African Horse Sickness does not cause disease in people, only horses, and our government has determined that it would be devastating to the US horse industry if it were to come to the USA.

The United States (and virtually all other countries) require a myriad of tests and often quarantine prior to bringing in any foreign animal. I can't legally cross state lines in the United States with a horse or cow without a health certificate signed by a USDA accredited veterinarian stating that the animal has been inspected and found free of infections disease. In most cases blood tests are also required. In fact I can't legally cross the Snake River and ride my horse in Idaho without a health certificate and a negative blood test for Equine Infectious Anemia.

I'm not complaining; in the United States of America, the States of Idaho and Washington as well as 48 other states take the health of our livestock very seriously, and we have a very good record at keeping foreign animal diseases out of our country. I am happy to do my part to maintain biosecurity in our animal population.

If I am a resident of Liberia incubating Ebola, all I need to enter the United States, is present a valid visa, and lie when asked if I have been exposed to Ebola. With in just a few hours of flight I can be walking the streets of any city in the United States, without being quarantined.

I feel very fortunate to live in a country that values our animals so highly.

David A. Rustebakke, DVM

hamtrack Loc: Omaha NE

And I would add, you cannot enter Canada with an apple either.

DrWilk Loc: .

And we can't take an apple that was grown in Washington state but purchased in Canada, back across the U.S. border.

wings42 Loc: San Diego, CA

Fortunately unlike rabies and many other animal diseases, ebola isn't very contagious. Ebola is out of control in three west African countries because they don't have the medical infrastructure to deal with it, and their culture places high value in touching, hugging, and otherwise handling sick and dying people and corpses of loved ones. Nigeria, in contrast, quickly eliminated ebola by doing what we do here to control epidemics.

Many west Africans are illiterate so rumors are the main source of information. An example is the rumor that medical workers are actually sent there by foreign governments to make them sick. As a result, they avoid treatment.

Unlike horses or dogs we can report when we're starting to feel ill and we get help. That's why we're not quarantined when we fly back to the USA from anyplace. Ebola isn't the only really bad contagious disease out there.

Most of us aren't as physically promiscuous touchers as social animals like horses and dogs. Dogs in particular have to run up and make introductions with every other dog they see.

Ebola isn't like the flu or even AIDS. It isn't very contagious unless the person feels very sick and is vomiting and has bloody diarrhea. That makes quarantine unnecessary. An example of how hard it is to get ebola is the gentleman who came here from Liberia, stayed with his family, and later died of ebola. None of his family members got sick, though two nurses did because of inadequate controls in the Texas hospital. If it would have been flu, all his family members would have gotten sick.

If you might have been exposed to ebola, just keep track of your temperature. If you feel sick and have a fever, get medical help or risk dying a horrible death. It's that simple. The odds of an ebola epidemic here are about zero, even without mandatory quarantine.

I remember the mindless panic when HIV first came to the public's notice. We will have between 20,000 and 50,000 deaths this winter from influenza and influenza related disease (such as pneumonia). Ebola deaths without requiring quarantine will probably be between 0 and 10. Next year will be the same with influenza and probably between 0 and 10 for ebola. The year after, probably 0 deaths for ebola, especially if we can help west Africa get the epidemic under control like Nigeria has done.

hamtrack Loc: Omaha NE

You must not have given much weight to the DVM's one word "Lie". I agree with your position that humans can speak vs animals, but does anyone give much credibility to much of anything said by anyone these days of malaise, especially political hacks. To me panic does not equate to a 21 day quarantine. It does equate to caution and caution seems quite reasonable and seems to be the position of our Military leaders.

wings42 Loc: San Diego, CA

If they lie, they die. Again, Ebola isn't very contagious and is easy to control with sensible precautions.

People who volunteered for extremely uncomfortable duty in Ebola wards in west Africa are heroes willing to put themselves in danger and give up a month's pay to help strangers in a foreign land. Do you think those heroes would come back home and lie to put their friends and love ones in danger?

We need trained doctors and nurses to volunteer to go to west Africa so that the world source of Ebola gets under control and is eliminated. The worse thing we could do to protect America is to discourage these brave and big hearted volunteers from going there by giving them bureaucratic hassles and isolation when they get back.

The military is different. They're on base anyways and they don't sacrifice much to spend three weeks there. In contrast, the health workers have jobs and patients to work with here, a big sacrifice for them to give up. Even if one health worker develops a fever, Ebola isn't contagious until they start vomiting and passing blood AND they lie about it. The risk is pretty much zero.

With influenza on the other hand, a sneeze or cough in an airplane or bus will expose dozens to a highly contagious and often deadly disease. By your logic, it seems like a reasonable and sensible precaution to quarantine anybody who has a fever and body aches. The numbers don't lie: flu - 20,000 to 50,000 deaths in the USA a year, Ebola - 1 Liberian tourist death and two health workers who didn't follow protocol getting sick but surviving.

If you or I went to Liberia and lived there for five years without touching people who were obviously ill, dying, or dead our chance of catching Ebola would be zero...and that's in Liberia with Ebola all around. That point is hit home by the fact that the Liberian man who died here of Ebola didn't infect any of his family or friends who he spent 10 days with here. Not one case of Ebola from dozens of casual and close contacts from a person infected but not yet sick, even in a warm, loving, kissing and hugging close knit family.

It's just horse sense!

hamtrack Loc: Omaha NE

If, as you say there is little or no chance of getting Ebola, you must be an expert in the area of diseases or are willing to accept the information from government sources who seem to change their positions and opinions frequently. I also assume that you are not a veteran of military services, if you think that those in the military spend their time on base in a controlled environment. I am a Korean War Vet and I can assure you that nothing could be farther from the t***h for a great majority of those volunteers. As an example, we have a grandson who is now residing in the embassy in Jordan, that travels though out the middle east and elsewhere and knows not of a barracks life of any kind. As a 7 deployed combat pilot his barracks were tents near live fire combat areas. This broad bush notion that seems to be evident here sounds like "don't worry, be happy" and it seems to be coming from people of questionable veracity and expertise. We also have a son who is an MD who for several years traveled to central america to administer to those who had no medical services available. I asked him if he would consider a 21 day quarantine a hardship that would keep him away, and he said of course not. So all that be of as it may, I think I will still believe that a bit of caution may be worth avoiding a lot of pain.

hamtrack Loc: Omaha NE

Evidently there are others who feel as I do.


Alan Dershowitz: Maine Ebola Nurse 'Extraordinarily Selfish'

wings42 Loc: San Diego, CA

I'm not a doctor or expect, but read a lot, am critical of all I read, and don't read "government sources" wh**ever those are. Most journalists and science writers in mainstream science blogs, magazines and medical literature don't have an ax to grind and don't twist facts for political gain. Contrast that with much of the popular media that sells newspapers and TV ad time by whipping up Ebola panic.

The only other thing you challenged in what I wrote is that three weeks on base is less of a sacrifice to active military than to working civilian nurses and hospital doctors. It's a small point, but you're right. I agree that a 21 day quarantine could be a hardship for some military people who just want to see their family, and little hardship for some medical people who won't suffer either monetarily or through not being able to do their job. I also think that restricting returning military to base makes even less medical sense than a quarantine of returning health workers. It does, however, make a lot of i***tic political sense.

Characterizing what I wrote as, "don't worry, be happy", is insulting and inaccurate. Several times I referred to Ebola as a horrible and deadly disease even though it's hard to catch. I think it says a lot that you didn't even try to refute my main points: Ebola isn't very contagious. America is at more risk from not helping west Africa beat this than we are from health workers returning from west Africa. And, that a panicked attitude of "Be afraid! Be very afraid! We're all going to DIE unless we lock up returning health workers!!!" isn't warranted or even sensible.

Finally, I don't think much of Alan Dershowitz. The "Maine Ebola Nurse" is not selfish. She just feels that she is no risk to anybody, and the quarantine policy violates our constitutional freedom from arbitrary imprisonment for no crime at all. I'm a bit of a libertarian and don't take kindly to pandering demagogue governors taking our freedoms away to score political points.

hamtrack Loc: Omaha NE

Your points are well taken and I commend you for defending what appear to be Progressive, Liberal thought. My response is that their is precious little science proven beyond theory with regard to the real possible danger here. I did not intend to insult you or your position with "don't worry, be happy" comment and was no more than a reference to how little factual science there seems to be. I also understand that several other governors are exercising their states rights for the purpose of protecting their citizens. None of our discussion matters much if just one terrible incident exposes others to this terrible disease. The best we can hope for in my opinion, is that it does not happen and further that a v*****e will be available to put the matter to rest. In the meantime I have the right to my position of being cautious is not a terrible burden, especially if the lack of it bears tragedy .