Will a travel ban help?

At the #EbolaHearing on Thursday, virtually every GOP representative brought up imposing travel restrictions on people coming from West Africa or going to that area. Dr. Friedman patiently explained the reasoning on why this is not a good idea. Yet, the next GOP up would revisit the question.

Some polls suggest that 2/3 of the public would support such a ban. While this might seem at first like a good idea, there are several reasons why it is a bad idea.

1. It will prevent health officials from being able to effectively track people with symptoms.

2. It will only delay the inevitable spread of Ebola while the outbreak continues in West African countries.

3. It will become a logistical nightmare.

4. It could destabilize the countries at the heart of the outbreak.

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/10/16/3580494/travel-ban-wont-solve-ebola/

So, while a travel ban would give Americans a false sense of security, it could lead to even more problems.

Let's not give in to media induced panic. Let's give the authorities time to do their assessments. Most of all, let's not allow media to whip us into a frenzy.